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2 Chronicles 35
Expanded Bible
2 Chronicles 35
Expanded Bible
Josiah Celebrates the Passover(A)
35 King Josiah ·celebrated [kept; observed] the Passover to the Lord in Jerusalem. The Passover lamb was ·killed [slaughtered] on the fourteenth day of the first month. 2 Josiah ·chose [appointed; assigned] the priests to ·do their duties [fulfill their offices], and he encouraged them as they served in the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord. 3 The Levites taught the Israelites and were ·made holy [set apart] for service to the Lord. Josiah said to them, “Put the Holy Ark in the ·Temple [L house] that David’s son Solomon, the king of Israel, built. Do not carry it from place to place on your shoulders anymore. Now serve the Lord your God and his people Israel. 4 Prepare yourselves by your family ·groups [divisions] for service, and do the jobs that King David and his son Solomon ·gave [wrote down for] you to do.
5 “Stand in the ·holy place [sanctuary] with a ·group [division] of the Levites for each family group of the people. 6 ·Kill [Slaughter] the Passover lambs, and ·make yourselves holy [consecrate/purify/sanctify yourselves] to the Lord. Prepare for your relatives, the people of Israel, to do as the Lord through Moses commanded.”
7 Josiah ·gave [provided] the Israelites thirty thousand sheep and goats to ·kill [slaughter] for the Passover sacrifices, and he gave them three thousand cattle. They were all his own ·animals [property].
8 Josiah’s ·officers [officials] also gave willingly to the people, the priests, and the Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, the ·officers [officials] in charge of the ·Temple [L house], gave the priests twenty-six hundred lambs and goats and three hundred cattle for Passover ·sacrifices [offerings]. 9 Conaniah, his brothers Shemaiah and Nethanel, and Hashabiah, Jeiel, and Jozabad gave the Levites five thousand sheep and goats and five hundred cattle for Passover sacrifices. These men were ·leaders [officials] of the Levites.
10 When everything was ready for the Passover service, the priests and Levites in their divisions went to their ·places [stations], as the king had commanded. 11 The Passover lambs were ·killed [slaughtered]. Then the Levites skinned the animals and gave the blood to the priests, who ·sprinkled [splashed] it on the altar. 12 Then they ·gave [divided; set aside] the animals for the burnt offerings to the different family ·groups [divisions] so the burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17] could be ·offered [sacrificed] to the Lord as was written in the ·book [scroll] of Moses. They also did this with the cattle. 13 The Levites roasted the Passover sacrifices over the fire as ·they were commanded [prescribed], and they boiled the ·holy [consecrated] offerings in pots, kettles, and pans. Then they quickly ·gave [served] the meat to the people. 14 After this was finished, the Levites prepared meat for themselves and for the priests, the descendants of Aaron. The priests worked until night, offering the burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17] and burning the fat of the sacrifices.
15 The Levite singers ·from Asaph’s family [descended from Asaph] stood in ·the places chosen for them by [their stations as prescribed by] King David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun [5:12], the king’s ·seer [prophet]. The gatekeepers at each gate did not have to leave their ·places [posts], because their fellow Levites had prepared ·everything for them for the Passover [L for them].
16 So everything was ·done [completed] that day for the ·worship [service] of the Lord, as King Josiah commanded. The Passover was ·celebrated [kept; observed], and the burnt offerings were ·offered [sacrificed] on the Lord’s altar. 17 The Israelites who were there ·celebrated [kept; observed] the Passover and the ·Feast [Festival] of Unleavened Bread for seven days. 18 The Passover had not been ·celebrated [observed; kept] like this in Israel since the prophet Samuel was alive [C over four hundred years earlier]. None of the kings of Israel had ever ·celebrated [kept; observed] a Passover like the one ·celebrated [kept; observed] by King Josiah, the priests, the Levites, the people of Judah and Israel who were there, and the people of Jerusalem. 19 This Passover was ·celebrated [kept; observed] in the eighteenth year Josiah ·was king [reigned].
The Death of Josiah(B)
20 After Josiah ·did all this for [restored; set in order] the ·Temple [L house], Neco king of Egypt led an army to ·attack [fight/do battle at] Carchemish, a town on the Euphrates River. And Josiah marched out to fight against Neco. 21 But Neco sent messengers to Josiah, saying, “King Josiah, ·there should not be war between us [what have we to do with each other? L what to me and to you]. I did not come to fight you, but ·my enemies [the kingdom/L house with which I am at war]. God told me to hurry, and he is on my side. So ·don’t fight [stop opposing] God, ·or he will [so he will not] destroy you.”
22 But Josiah did not ·go [L turn his face] away. He ·wore different clothes [disguised himself] ·so no one would know who he was [in order to fight him]. Refusing to listen to ·what Neco said at God’s command [L the words Neco received from God’s mouth], Josiah went to fight on the plain of Megiddo. 23 In the battle King Josiah was shot by archers. He told his servants, “Take me away because I am badly wounded.” 24 So they took him out of his chariot and put him in another chariot and carried him to Jerusalem. There he died and was buried in the ·graves [tombs] where his ·ancestors [fathers] were buried. All the people of Judah and Jerusalem ·were very sad because he was dead [mourned for him].
25 Jeremiah ·wrote some sad songs about [composed a lament for] Josiah. Even to this day all the men and women singers ·remember and honor [lament; mourn] Josiah with these songs. It became a ·custom [tradition] in Israel to sing these songs that are written in ·the collection of sad songs [The Book of Laments].
26 The ·other things Josiah did as king [rest of the acts/events/history of Josiah] and his acts of devotion in obedience to what was was written in the Lord’s ·Teachings [instructions; laws], 27 from ·beginning to end [first to last], ·are [L are they not…?] written in the ·book [scroll] of the kings of Israel and Judah.
2 Chronicles 35
New International Version
2 Chronicles 35
New International Version
Josiah Celebrates the Passover(A)
35 Josiah celebrated the Passover(B) to the Lord in Jerusalem, and the Passover lamb was slaughtered on the fourteenth day of the first month. 2 He appointed the priests to their duties and encouraged them in the service of the Lord’s temple. 3 He said to the Levites, who instructed(C) 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. 4 Prepare yourselves by families in your divisions,(D) according to the instructions written by David king of Israel and by his son Solomon.
5 “Stand in the holy place with a group of Levites for each subdivision of the families of your fellow Israelites, the lay people. 6 Slaughter the Passover lambs, consecrate yourselves(E) and prepare the lambs for your fellow Israelites, doing what the Lord commanded through Moses.”
7 Josiah provided for all the lay people who were there a total of thirty thousand lambs and goats for the Passover offerings,(F) and also three thousand cattle—all from the king’s own possessions.(G)
8 His officials also contributed(H) voluntarily to the people and the priests and Levites. Hilkiah,(I) Zechariah and Jehiel, the officials in charge of God’s temple, gave the priests twenty-six hundred Passover offerings and three hundred cattle. 9 Also Konaniah(J) along with Shemaiah and Nethanel, his brothers, and Hashabiah, Jeiel and Jozabad,(K) the leaders of the Levites, provided five thousand Passover offerings and five hundred head of cattle for the Levites.
10 The service was arranged and the priests stood in their places with the Levites in their divisions(L) as the king had ordered.(M) 11 The Passover lambs were slaughtered,(N) and the priests splashed against the altar the blood handed to them, while the Levites skinned the animals. 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 it is written in the Book of Moses. They did the same with the cattle. 13 They roasted the Passover animals over the fire as prescribed,(O) and boiled the holy offerings in pots, caldrons and pans and served them quickly to all the people. 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(P) until nightfall. So the Levites made preparations for themselves and for the Aaronic priests.
15 The musicians,(Q) 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.
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. 17 The Israelites who were present celebrated the Passover at that time and observed the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days. 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. 19 This Passover was celebrated in the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign.
The Death of Josiah(R)
20 After all this, when Josiah had set the temple in order, Necho king of Egypt went up to fight at Carchemish(S) on the Euphrates,(T) and Josiah marched out to meet him in battle. 21 But Necho sent messengers to him, saying, “What quarrel is there, king of Judah, between you and me? It is not you I am attacking at this time, but the house with which I am at war. God has told(U) me to hurry; so stop opposing God, who is with me, or he will destroy you.”
22 Josiah, however, would not turn away from him, but disguised(V) himself to engage him in battle. He would not listen to what Necho had said at God’s command but went to fight him on the plain of Megiddo.
23 Archers(W) shot King Josiah, and he told his officers, “Take me away; I am badly wounded.” 24 So they took him out of his chariot, put him in his other chariot and brought him to Jerusalem, where he died. He was buried in the tombs of his ancestors, and all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for him.
25 Jeremiah composed laments for Josiah, and to this day all the male and female singers commemorate Josiah in the laments.(X) These became a tradition in Israel and are written in the Laments.(Y)
26 The other events of Josiah’s reign and his acts of devotion in accordance with what is written in the Law of the Lord— 27 all the events, from beginning to end, are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.
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