Josiah Keeps the Passover

351 And Josiah maketh in Jerusalem a passover to Jehovah, and they slaughter the passover-offering on the fourteenth of the first month, 2 and he stationeth the priests over their charges, and strengtheneth them for the service of the house of Jehovah, 3 and saith to the Levites—who are teaching all Israel—who are sanctified to Jehovah, 'Put the holy ark in the house that Solomon son of David king of Israel built; it is not to you a burden on the shoulder. 'Now, serve Jehovah your God, and His people Israel, 4 and prepare, by the house of your fathers, according to your courses, by the writing of David king of Israel, and by the writing of Solomon his son, 5 and stand in the sanctuary, by the divisions of the house of the fathers of your brethren, sons of the people, and the portion of the house of a father of the Levites, 6 and slaughter the passover-offering and sanctify yourselves, and prepare for your brethren, to do according to the word of Jehovah by the hand of Moses.' 7 And Josiah lifteth up to the sons of the people a flock of lambs and young goats, the whole for passover-offerings, for every one who is found, to the number of thirty thousand, and oxen three thousand: these 'are' from the substance of the king. 8 And his heads, for a willing-offering to the people, to the priests, and to the Levites, have lifted up; Hilkiah, and Zechariah, and Jehiel, leaders in the house of God, to the priests have given for passover-offerings two thousand and six hundred, and oxen three hundred; 9 and Conaniah, and Shemaiah, and Nethaneel, his brethren, and Hashabiah, and Jeiel, and Jozabad, heads of the Levites, have lifted up to the Levites, for passover-offerings, five thousand, and oxen five hundred. 10 And the service is prepared, and the priests stand on their station, and the Levites on their courses, according to the command of the king, 11 and they slaughter the passover-offering, and the priests sprinkle out of their hand, and the Levites are striping; 12 and they turn aside the burnt-offering, to put them by the divisions of the house of the fathers of the sons of the people, to bring near to Jehovah, as it is written in the book of Moses—and so to the oxen. 13 And they cook the passover with fire, according to the ordinance, and the sanctified things they have cooked in pots, and in kettles, and in pans—for all the sons of the people. 14 And afterward they have prepared for themselves, and for the priests: for the priests, sons of Aaron, 'are' in the offering up of the burnt-offering and of the fat till night; and the Levites have prepared for themselves, and for the priests, sons of Aaron. 15 And the singers, sons of Asaph, 'are' on their station, according to the command of David, and Asaph, and Heman, and Jeduthun seer of the king, and the gate keepers 'are' at gate and gate; it is not for them to turn aside from off their service, for their brethren the Levites have prepared for them. 16 And all the service of Jehovah is prepared on that day, to keep the passover, and to cause to ascend burnt-offering upon the altar of Jehovah, according to the command of king Josiah. 17 And the sons of Israel who are found make the passover at that time, and the feast of unleavened things, seven days. 18 And there hath not been made a passover like it in Israel from the days of Samuel the prophet, and none of the kings of Israel made such a passover as Josiah hath made, and the priests, and the Levites, and all Judah and Israel who are found, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 19 In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah hath this passover been made.

The Death of Josiah

20 After all this, when Josiah hath prepared the house, come up hath Necho king of Egypt, to fight against Carchemish by Phrat, and Josiah goeth forth to meet him; 21 and he sendeth unto him messengers, saying, 'What—to me and to thee, O king of Judah? not against thee do I come to-day, but unto the house with which I have war, and God said to haste me; cease for thee from God who 'is' with me, and He doth not destroy thee.' 22 And Josiah hath not turned round his face from him, but to fight against him hath disguised himself, and hath not hearkened unto the words of Necho, from the mouth of God, and cometh in to fight in the valley of Megiddo; 23 and the archers shoot at king Josiah, and the king saith to his servants, 'Remove me, for I have become very sick.' 24 And his servants remove him from the chariot, and cause him to ride on the second chariot that he hath, and cause him to go to Jerusalem, and he dieth, and is buried in the graves of his fathers, and all Judah and Jerusalem are mourning for Josiah, 25 and Jeremiah lamenteth for Josiah, and all the singers and the songstresses speak in their lamentations of Josiah unto this day, and set them for a statute on Israel, and lo, they are written beside the lamentations. 26 And the rest of the matters of Josiah, and his kind acts, according as it is written in the law of Jehovah, 27 even his matters, the first and the last, lo, they are written on the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.

The Reign and Dethronement of Jehoahaz

361 And the people of the land take Jehoahaz son of Josiah, and cause him to reign instead of his father in Jerusalem. 2 A son of three and twenty years 'is' Jehoahaz in his reigning, and three months he hath reigned in Jerusalem, 3 and turn him aside doth the king of Egypt in Jerusalem, and fineth the land a hundred talents of silver, and a talent of gold; 4 and the king of Egypt causeth Eliakim his brother to reign over Judah and Jerusalem, and turneth his name to Jehoiakim; and Jehoahaz his brother hath Necho taken, and bringeth him in to Egypt.

The Reign of Jehoiakim

5 A son of twenty and five years 'is' Jehoiakim in his reigning, and eleven years he hath reigned in Jerusalem, and he doth the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah his God; 6 against him hath Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon come up, and bindeth him in brazen fetters to take him away to Babylon. 7 And of the vessels of the house of Jehovah hath Nebuchadnezzar brought in to Babylon, and putteth them in his temple in Babylon. 8 And the rest of the matters of Jehoiakim, and his abominations that he hath done, and that which is found against him, lo, they are written on the book of the kings of Israel and Judah, and reign doth Jehoiachin his son in his stead.

Jehoiachin Taken Captive to Babylon

9 A son of eight years is Jehoiachin in his reigning, and three months and ten days he hath reigned in Jerusalem, and he doth the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah; 10 and at the turn of the year hath king Nebuchadnezzar sent and bringeth him in to Babylon, with the desirable vessels of the house of Jehovah, and causeth Zedekiah his brother to reign over Judah and Jerusalem.

The Reign of Zedekiah

11 A son of twenty and one years 'is' Zedekiah in his reigning, and eleven years he hath reigned in Jerusalem; 12 and he doth the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah his God, he hath not been humbled before Jeremiah the prophet 'speaking' from the mouth of Jehovah; 13 and also, against king Nebuchadnezzar he hath rebelled, who had caused him to swear by God, and he hardeneth his neck, and strengtheneth his heart, against turning back unto Jehovah, God of Israel. 14 Also, all the heads of the priests, and the people, having multiplied to commit a trespass according to all the abominations of the nations, and they defile the house of Jehovah that He hath sanctified in Jerusalem. 15 And Jehovah, God of their fathers, sendeth unto them by the hand of His messengers—rising early and sending—for He hath had pity on His people, and on His habitation, 16 and they are mocking at the messengers of God, and despising His words, and acting deceitfully with His prophets, till the going up of the fury of Jehovah against His people—till there is no healing.

The Captivity of Judah

17 And He causeth to go up against them the king of the Chaldeans, and he slayeth their chosen ones by the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and hath had no pity on young man and virgin, old man and very aged—the whole He hath given into his hand. 18 And all the vessels of the house of God, the great and the small, and the treasures of the house of Jehovah, and the treasures of the king and of his princes—the whole he hath brought in to Babylon. 19 And they burn the house of God, and break down the wall of Jerusalem, and all its palaces they have burnt with fire, and all its desirable vessels—to destruction. 20 And he removeth those left of the sword unto Babylon, and they are to him and to his sons for servants, till the reigning of the kingdom of Persia, 21 to fulfil the word of Jehovah in the mouth of Jeremiah, till the land hath enjoyed its sabbaths; all the days of the desolation it kept sabbath—to the fulness of seventy years.

The Proclamation of Cyrus

22 And in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, at the completion of the word of Jehovah in the mouth of Jeremiah, hath Jehovah waked up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, and he causeth an intimation to pass over into all his kingdom, and also in writing, saying, 23 'Thus said Cyrus king of Persia, All kingdoms of the earth hath Jehovah, God of the heavens, given to me, and He hath laid a charge on me to build to Him a house in Jerusalem, that 'is' in Judah; who is among you of all His people? Jehovah his God 'is' with him, and he doth go up.'