1
Josiah kept a passover to the
7 Then Josiah contributed to the people, as passover offerings for all that were present, lambs and kids from the flock to the number of thirty thousand, and three thousand bulls; these were from the king's possessions. 8 His officials contributed willingly to the people, to the priests, and to the Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, the chief officers of the house of God, gave to the priests for the passover offerings two thousand six hundred lambs and kids and three hundred bulls. 9 Conaniah also, and his brothers Shemaiah and Nethanel, and Hashabiah and Jeiel and Jozabad, the chiefs of the Levites, gave to the Levites for the passover offerings five thousand lambs and kids and five hundred bulls.
10
When the service had been prepared for, the priests stood in their place, and the Levites in their divisions according to the king's command.
11
They slaughtered the passover lamb, and the priests dashed the blood that they received 2 from them, while the Levites did the skinning.
12
They set aside the burnt offerings so that they might distribute them according to the groupings of the ancestral houses of the people, to offer to the
16
So all the service of the
20
After all this, when Josiah had set the temple in order, King Neco of Egypt went up to fight at Carchemish on the Euphrates, and Josiah went out against him.
21
But Neco 3 sent envoys to him, saying, "What have I to do with you, king of Judah? I am not coming against you today, but against the house with which I am at war; and God has commanded me to hurry. Cease opposing God, who is with me, so that he will not destroy you."
22
But Josiah would not turn away from him, but disguised himself in order to fight with him. He did not listen to the words of Neco from the mouth of God, but joined battle in the plain of Megiddo.
23
The archers shot King Josiah; and the king said to his servants, "Take me away, for I am badly wounded."
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So his servants took him out of the chariot and carried him in his second chariot 4 and brought him to Jerusalem. There he died, and was buried in the tombs of his ancestors. All Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.
25
Jeremiah also uttered a lament for Josiah, and all the singing men and singing women have spoken of Josiah in their laments to this day. They made these a custom in Israel; they are recorded in the Laments.
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Now the rest of the acts of Josiah and his faithful deeds in accordance with what is written in the law of the