35:1 Josiah celebrated the Passover to the LORD in Jerusalem, and the Passover lamb was slaughtered on the fourteenth day of the first month.
35:2 He appointed the priests to their duties and encouraged them in the service of the LORD’S temple.
35:3 He said to the Levites, who instructed all Israel and who had been consecrated to the LORD: “Put the sacred ark in the temple that Solomon son of David king of Israel built. It is not to be carried about on your shoulders. Now serve the LORD your God and his people Israel.
35:4 Prepare yourselves by families in your divisions, according to the directions written by David king of Israel and by his son Solomon.
35:5 “Stand in the holy place with a group of Levites for each subdivision of the families of your fellow countrymen, the lay people.
35:6 Slaughter the Passover lambs, consecrate yourselves and prepare the lambs for your fellow countrymen, doing what the LORD commanded through Moses.”
35:7 Josiah provided for all the lay people who were there a total of thirty thousand sheep and goats for the Passover offerings, and also three thousand cattle–all from the king’s own possessions.
35:8 His officials also contributed voluntarily to the people and the priests and Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah and Jehiel, the administrators of God’s temple, gave the priests twenty-six hundred Passover offerings and three hundred cattle.
35:9 Also Conaniah along with Shemaiah and Nethanel, his brothers, and Hashabiah, Jeiel and Jozabad, the leaders of the Levites, provided five thousand Passover offerings and five hundred head of cattle for the Levites.
35:10 The service was arranged and the priests stood in their places with the Levites in their divisions as the king had ordered.
35:11 The Passover lambs were slaughtered, and the priests sprinkled the blood handed to them, while the Levites skinned the animals.
35:12 They set aside the burnt offerings to give them to the subdivisions of the families of the people to offer to the LORD, as is written in the Book of Moses. They did the same with the cattle.
35:13 They roasted the Passover animals over the fire as prescribed, and boiled the holy offerings in pots, caldrons and pans and served them quickly to all the people.
35:14 After this, they made preparations for themselves and for the priests, because the priests, the descendants of Aaron, were sacrificing the burnt offerings and the fat portions until nightfall. So the Levites made preparations for themselves and for the Aaronic priests.
35:15 The musicians, the descendants of Asaph, were in the places prescribed by David, Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun the king’s seer. The gatekeepers at each gate did not need to leave their posts, because their fellow Levites made the preparations for them.
35:16 So at that time the entire service of the LORD was carried out for the celebration of the Passover and the offering of burnt offerings on the altar of the LORD, as King Josiah had ordered.
35:17 The Israelites who were present celebrated the Passover at that time and observed the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days.
35:18 The Passover had not been observed like this in Israel since the days of the prophet Samuel; and none of the kings of Israel had ever celebrated such a Passover as did Josiah, with the priests, the Levites and all Judah and Israel who were there with the people of Jerusalem.
35:19 This Passover was celebrated in the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign.
35:20 After all this, when Josiah had set the temple in order, Neco king of Egypt went up to fight at Carchemish on the Euphrates, and Josiah marched out to meet him in battle.
35:21 But Neco sent messengers to him, saying, “What quarrel is there between you and me, O king of Judah? It is not you I am attacking at this time, but the house with which I am at war. God has told me to hurry; so stop opposing God, who is with me, or he will destroy you.”
35:22 Josiah, however, would not turn away from him, but disguised himself to engage him in battle. He would not listen to what Neco had said at God’s command but went to fight him on the plain of Megiddo.
35:23 Archers shot King Josiah, and he told his officers, “Take me away; I am badly wounded.”
35:24 So they took him out of his chariot, put him in the other chariot he had and brought him to Jerusalem, where he died. He was buried in the tombs of his fathers, and all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for him.
35:25 Jeremiah composed laments for Josiah, and to this day all the men and women singers commemorate Josiah in the laments. These became a tradition in Israel and are written in the Laments.
35:26 The other events of Josiah’s reign and his acts of devotion, according to what is written in the Law of the LORD–
35:27 all the events, from beginning to end, are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.
35:1 And Josiah held the Passover to Jehovah in Jerusalem, and they slaughtered the passover sacrifice on the fourteenth day of the first month.
35:2 And he set the priests in their offices and encouraged them in the service of the house of Jehovah.
35:3 And he said to the Levites who taught all Israel, who were sanctified to Jehovah, Put the holy Ark into the house that Solomon the son of David, the king of Israel, built; it shall no longer be the burden on your shoulders. Now serve Jehovah your God and His people Israel,
35:4 And prepare yourselves according to your fathers’ houses by your divisions according to what David the king of Israel wrote and according to the document of Solomon his son.
35:5 And stand in the holy place for the groups of the fathers’ houses of your brothers, the common people, and let each division of Levites stand for a portion of a father’s house.
35:6 And slaughter the passover sacrifice, and sanctify yourselves and prepare it for your brothers, to act according to the word of Jehovah given through Moses.
35:7 And Josiah contributed to the common people lambs and kids from the flock, all for the passover offerings, to all who were found there, thirty thousand animals in number, and three thousand cattle; these were from the king’s possessions.
35:8 And his officers contributed a freewill offering to the people, to the priests, and to the Levites; Hilkiah and Zechariah and Jehiel, the rulers of the house of God, gave to the priests for the passover offerings two thousand six hundred from the flock and three hundred cattle.
35:9 Conaniah also, and Shemaiah and Nethanel, his brothers, and Hashabiah and Jeiel and Jozabad, the leaders of the Levites, contributed to the Levites for the passover offerings five thousand from the flock and five hundred cattle.
35:10 So the service was prepared, and the priests stood in their place, and the Levites by their divisions, according to the command of the king.
35:11 And they slaughtered the passover sacrifices; and while the priests sprinkled the blood that they received from their hand, the Levites flayed them.
35:12 And they removed the burnt offerings that they might give them to the groups of the fathers’ houses of the common people to offer to Jehovah, as it is written in the book of Moses. And so they did with the cattle.
35:13 And they roasted the passover in fire according to the ordinance, and they boiled the holy offerings in pots and in cauldrons and in pans, and carried them quickly to all the common people.
35:14 And afterward they provided for themselves and for the priests, because the priests, the sons of Aaron, were busy offering the burnt offerings and the fat until night; therefore the Levites provided for themselves and for the priests, the sons of Aaron.
35:15 And the singers, the sons of Asaph, were in their place according to the command of David and Asaph and Heman and Jeduthun the king’s seer. And the gatekeepers were at each gate; they did not need to turn from their service, for their brothers the Levites provided for them.
35:16 Thus all the service of Jehovah was prepared that same day, in order to hold the Passover and offer up burnt offerings upon the altar of Jehovah according to the command of King Josiah.
35:17 And the children of Israel who were found there held the Passover at that time, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days.
35:18 And a Passover like that had never been held in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet, nor did any of the kings of Israel hold such a Passover as was held by Josiah and the priests and the Levites and all Judah and Israel who were found there and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
35:19 In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah this Passover was held.
35:20 After all this, when Josiah had set the temple in order, Neco the king of Egypt went up to fight against Carchemish by the Euphrates; and Josiah went out against him.
35:21 And Neco sent messengers to him, saying, What have I to do with you, O king of Judah? I have not come up against you today but against the house with which I am at war, and God has commanded me to hurry. Refrain for your own sake from interfering with God, who is with me, and He will not destroy you.
35:22 But Josiah would not turn his face from him, but he disguised himself so that he might fight with him; and he did not listen to the words of Neco from the mouth of God but came to fight in the valley of Megiddo.
35:23 And the archers shot at King Josiah; and the king said to his servants, Take me away, for I have been wounded severely.
35:24 So his servants took him out of the chariot and put him in the chariot of his second-in-command, and they brought him to Jerusalem; and he died and was buried in the tombs of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.
35:25 And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah. And all the male singers and female singers speak of Josiah in their lamentations to this day, for they have made it a custom in Israel; and they are there written in the lamentations.
35:26 Now the rest of the acts of Josiah and his good deeds according to what is written in the law of Jehovah
35:27 And his acts, first and last, are there written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.