2 Chronicles

Josiah Restores the Passover

1Then Josiah kept the Passover to the LORD in Jerusalem, and the Passover lamb was slaughtered on the fourteenth day of the first month.

2He appointed the priests to their duties and encouraged them in the service of the house of the LORD.

3To the Levites who taught all Israel and were holy to the LORD, Josiah said: “Put the holy ark in the temple built by Solomon son of David king of Israel. It is not to be carried around on your shoulders. Now serve the LORD your God and His people Israel.

4Prepare yourselves by families in your divisions, according to the instructions written by David king of Israel and Solomon his son.

5Moreover, stand in the Holy Place by the divisions of the families of your kinsmen the lay people, and by the divisions of the families of the Levites.

6Slaughter the Passover lambs, consecrate yourselves, and make preparations for your fellow countrymen to carry out the word of the LORD given byMoses.”

7From his own flocks and herds Josiah contributed 30,000 lambs and goats plus 3,000 bulls for the Passover offerings for all the people who were present.

8His officials also contributed willingly to the people and priests and Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, the chief officials of the house of God, gave the priests 2,600 Passover offerings and 300 bulls.

9Additionally, Conaniah and his brothers Shemaiah and Nethanel, as well as Hashabiah, Jeiel, and Jozabad, officers of the Levites, contributed to the Levites 5,000 Passover offerings and 500 bulls.

10So the service was prepared; the priests stood in their places and the Levites in their divisions according to the king’s command.

11And they slaughtered the Passover lambs, while the priests splattered the blood handed to them and the Levites skinned the animals.

12They set aside the burnt offerings to be given to the divisions of the families of the people to offer to the LORD, as it is written in the Book of Moses. And they did the same with the bulls.

13They roasted the Passover animals on the fire according to the regulation, and they boiled the other holy offerings in pots, kettles, and bowls and quickly brought them to all the people.

14Afterward, they made preparations for themselves and for the priests, since the priests, the descendants of Aaron, were offering up burnt offerings and fat until nightfall. So the Levites made preparations for themselves and for the priests, the descendants of Aaron.

15The singers, the descendants of Asaph, were at their stations according to the command of David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king’s seer. And the gatekeepers at each gate did not need to leave their posts, because their fellow Levites made preparations for them.

16So on that day the entire service of the LORD was carried out for celebrating the Passover and offering burnt offerings on the altar of the LORD, according to the command of King Josiah.

17The Israelites who were present also observed the Passover at that time, as well as the Feast of Unleavened Breadfor seven days.

18No such Passover had been observed in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet. None of the kings of Israel ever observed a Passover like the one that Josiah observed with the priests, the Levites, all Judah, the Israelites who were present, and the people of Jerusalem.

19In the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign, this Passover was observed.

The Death of Josiah

20After all this, when Josiah had set the temple in order, Neco king of Egypt marched up to fight at Carchemish by the Euphrates, and Josiah went out to confront him.

21But Neco sent messengers to him, saying, “What is the issue between you and me, O king of Judah? I have not come against you today, but I am fighting another dynasty, and God has told me to hurry. So stop opposing God, who is with me, or He will destroy you!”

22Josiah, however, did not turn away from him; instead, in order to engage him in battle, he disguised himself. He did not listen to Neco’s words from the mouth of God, but went to fight him on the Plain of Megiddo.

23There the archers shot King Josiah, who said to his servants, “Take me away, for I am badly wounded!”

24So his servants took him out of his chariot, put him in his second chariot, and brought him to Jerusalem, where he died. And Josiah was buried in the tomb of his fathers, and all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for him.

Laments over Josiah

25Then Jeremiah lamented over Josiah, and to this day all the male and female singers recite laments over Josiah. They established them as a statute for Israel, and indeed they are written in the Book of Laments.

26As for the rest of the acts of Josiah and his deeds of loving devotion according to what is written in the Law of the LORD—

27his acts from beginning to end—they are indeed written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah.

约西亚守逾越节

1约西亚在耶路撒冷向耶和华守逾越节。正月十四日，就宰了逾越节的羊羔。

2王分派祭司各尽其职，又勉励他们办耶和华殿中的事；

3又对那归耶和华为圣、教训以色列人的利未人说：「你们将圣约柜安放在以色列王大卫儿子所罗门建造的殿里，不必再用肩扛抬。现在要事奉耶和华—你们的 神，服事他的民以色列。

4你们应当按着宗族，照着班次，遵以色列王大卫和他儿子所罗门所写的，自己预备。

5要按着你们的弟兄，这民宗族的班次，站在圣所，每班中要利未宗族的几个人。

6要宰逾越节的羊羔，洁净自己，为你们的弟兄预备了，好遵守耶和华借摩西所吩咐的话。」

7约西亚从群畜中赐给在那里所有的人民，绵羊羔和山羊羔三万只，牛三千只，作逾越节的祭物；这都是出自王的产业中。

8约西亚的众首领也乐意将牺牲给百姓和祭司利未人；又有管理 神殿的希勒家、撒迦利亚、耶歇将羊羔二千六百只，牛三百只，给祭司作逾越节的祭物。

9利未人的族长歌楠雅和他两个兄弟示玛雅、拿坦业，与哈沙比雅、耶利、约撒拔将羊羔五千只，牛五百只，给利未人作逾越节的祭物。

10这样，供献的事齐备了。祭司站在自己的地方，利未人按着班次站立，都是照王所吩咐的。

11利未人宰了逾越节的羊羔，祭司从他们手里接过血来洒在坛上；利未人剥皮，

12将燔祭搬来，按着宗族的班次分给众民，好照摩西书上所写的，献给耶和华；献牛也是这样。

13他们按着常例，用火烤逾越节的羊羔。别的圣物用锅，用釜，用罐煮了，速速地送给众民。

14然后为自己和祭司预备祭物；因为祭司亚伦的子孙献燔祭和脂油，直到晚上。所以利未人为自己和祭司亚伦的子孙，预备祭物。

15歌唱的亚萨之子孙，照着大卫、亚萨、希幔，和王的先见耶杜顿所吩咐的，站在自己的地位上。守门的看守各门，不用离开他们的职事，因为他们的弟兄利未人给他们预备祭物。

16当日，供奉耶和华的事齐备了，就照约西亚王的吩咐守逾越节，献燔祭在耶和华的坛上。

17当时在耶路撒冷的以色列人守逾越节，又守除酵节七日。

18自从先知撒母耳以来，在以色列中没有守过这样的逾越节，以色列诸王也没有守过，像约西亚、祭司、利未人、在那里的犹大人，和以色列人，以及耶路撒冷居民所守的逾越节。

19这逾越节是约西亚作王十八年守的。

约西亚逝世

20这事以后，约西亚修完了殿，有埃及王尼哥上来，要攻击靠近幼发拉底河的迦基米施；约西亚出去抵挡他。

21他差遣使者来见约西亚，说：「犹大王啊，我与你何干？我今日来不是要攻击你，乃是要攻击与我争战之家，并且 神吩咐我速行，你不要干预 神的事，免得他毁灭你，因为 神是与我同在。」

22约西亚却不肯转去离开他，改装要与他打仗，不听从 神借尼哥之口所说的话，便来到米吉多平原争战。

23弓箭手射中约西亚王。王对他的臣仆说：「我受了重伤，你拉我出阵吧！」

24他的臣仆扶他下了战车，上了次车，送他到耶路撒冷，他就死了，葬在他列祖的坟墓里。犹大人和耶路撒冷人都为他悲哀。

25耶利米为约西亚作哀歌。所有歌唱的男女也唱哀歌，追悼约西亚，直到今日；而且在以色列中成了定例。这歌载在哀歌书上。

26约西亚其余的事和他遵着耶和华律法上所记而行的善事，

27并他自始至终所行的，都写在以色列和犹大列王记上。