t[See ver. 13 above]
ar[See ver. 6 above]
ck[See ver. 29 above]
cp[See ver. 29 above]
ct[See ver. 29 above]
cy[See ver. 32 above]
dc[See ver. 3 above]
dh[See ver. 3 above]
dn[See ver. 6 above]
dr[See ver. 9 above]
dw[See ver. 21 above]

2 Kings 21:25-26

25Now the rest of the acts of Amon that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 26And he was buried in his tomb ain the garden of Uzza, and Josiah his son reigned in his place.

2 Kings 22

Josiah Reigns in Judah

1 bJosiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah of cBozkath. 2And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and walked in all the way of David his father, dand he did not turn aside to the right or to the left.

Josiah Repairs the Temple

3In the eighteenth year of King Josiah, the king sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, son of Meshullam, the secretary, to the house of the Lord, saying, 4“Go up to eHilkiah the high priest, that he may count the money fthat has been brought into the house of the Lord, which gthe keepers of the threshold have collected from the people. 5 hAnd let it be given into the hand of the workmen who have the oversight of the house of the Lord, and let them give it to the workmen who are at the house of the Lord, repairing the house 6(that is, to the carpenters, and to the builders, and to the masons), and let them use it for buying timber and quarried stone to repair the house. 7But ino accounting shall be asked from them for the money that is delivered into their hand, for they deal honestly.”

Hilkiah Finds the Book of the Law

8And Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found jthe Book of the Law in the house of the Lord.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it. 9And Shaphan the secretary came to the king, and reported to the king, “Your servants have emptied out the money that was found in the house and have delivered it into the hand of the workmen who have the oversight of the house of the Lord.” 10Then Shaphan the secretary told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read it before the king.

11When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, khe tore his clothes. 12And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and lAhikam the son of Shaphan, and mAchbor the son of nMicaiah, and Shaphan the secretary, and Asaiah the king’s servant, saying, 13Go, inquire of the Lord for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that has been found. For great is othe wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us.”

14So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asaiah went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of pTikvah, son of qHarhas, keeper of the wardrobe (now she lived in Jerusalem in rthe Second Quarter), and they talked with her. 15And she said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘Tell the man who sent you to me, 16Thus says the Lord, Behold, I will bring disaster upon this place and upon its inhabitants, all the words of the book that the king of Judah has read. 17 sBecause they have forsaken me and have made offerings to other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the work of their hands, therefore tmy wrath will be kindled against this place, and it will not be quenched. 18But to the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, thus shall you say to him, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Regarding the words that you have heard, 19 ubecause your heart was penitent, and you vhumbled yourself before the Lord, when you heard how I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants, that they should become wa desolation and xa curse, and you yhave torn your clothes and wept before me, I also have heard you, declares the Lord. 20Therefore, behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and zyou shall be gathered to your grave in peace, and your eyes shall not see all the disaster that I will bring upon this place.’” And they brought back word to the king.

2 Kings 23

Josiah’s Reforms

1 aaThen the king sent, and all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem were gathered to him. 2And the king went up to the house of the Lord, and with him all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the priests and the prophets, all the people, both small and great. And abhe read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant acthat had been found in the house of the Lord. 3And the king stood adby the pillar and aemade a covenant before the Lord, afto walk after the Lord and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people joined in the covenant.

4And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest and the priests agof the second order and the keepers of the threshold to bring out of the temple of the Lord all the vessels made for ahBaal, for aiAsherah, and for all the host of heaven. ajHe burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron and carried their ashes to Bethel. 5And he deposed the priests whom the kings of Judah had ordained to make offerings in the high places at the cities of Judah and around Jerusalem; those also who burned incense to Baal, to the sun and the moon and the constellations akand all the host of the heavens. 6And he brought out althe Asherah from the house of the Lord, outside Jerusalem, to the brook Kidron, amand burned it at the brook Kidron anand beat it to dust and cast the dust of it upon the graves aoof the common people. 7And he broke down the houses of apthe male cult prostitutes who were in the house of the Lord, aqwhere the women wove hangings for arthe Asherah. 8And he brought all the priests out of the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had made offerings, from asGeba to Beersheba. And he broke down the high places of the gates that were at the entrance of the gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which were on one’s left at the gate of the city. 9 atHowever, the priests of the high places did not come up to the altar of the Lord in Jerusalem, but they ate unleavened bread among their brothers. 10And he defiled auTopheth, which is avin the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, awthat no one might burn his son or his daughter as an offering to axMolech.
Hebrew might cause his son or daughter to pass through the fire for Molech
11And he removed the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun, at the entrance to the house of the Lord, by the chamber of Nathan-melech the chamberlain, which was in the precincts.
The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
And he burned the chariots of the sun with fire.
12And the altars baon the roof of the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars bbthat Manasseh had made in the two courts of the house of the Lord, he pulled down and broke in pieces
Hebrew  pieces from there
and cast the dust of them bdinto the brook Kidron.
13And the king defiled the high places that were east of Jerusalem, to the south of bethe mount of corruption, which Solomon the king of Israel had built for bfAshtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians, and for bgChemosh the abomination of Moab, and for bhMilcom the abomination of the Ammonites. 14And he broke in pieces the bipillars and cut down the Asherim and filled their places with the bones of men.

15Moreover, the altar at Bethel, the high place erected bjby Jeroboam the son of Nebat, bkwho made Israel to sin, blthat altar with the high place he pulled down and burned,
Septuagint broke in pieces its stones
reducing it to dust. He also burned the Asherah.
16And as Josiah turned, he saw the tombs there on the mount. And he sent and took the bones out of the tombs and burned them on the altar and defiled it, bnaccording to the word of the Lord that the man of God proclaimed, who had predicted these things. 17Then he said, “What is that monument that I see?” And the men of the city told him, bo“It is the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and predicted
Hebrew called
these things that you have done against the altar at Bethel.”
18And he said, “Let him be; let no man move his bones.” So they let his bones alone, with the bones bqof the prophet who came out of Samaria. 19And Josiah removed all the shrines also of the high places that were brin the cities of Samaria, which kings of Israel had made, provoking the Lord to anger. He did to them according to all that he had done at Bethel. 20And bshe sacrificed all the priests of the high places who were there, on the altars, btand burned human bones on them. Then he returned to Jerusalem.

Josiah Restores the Passover

21And the king commanded all the people, buKeep the Passover to the Lord your God, bvas it is written in this Book of the Covenant.” 22 bwFor no such Passover had been kept since the days of the judges who judged Israel, or during all the days of the kings of Israel or of the kings of Judah. 23But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah this Passover was kept to the Lord in Jerusalem.

24Moreover, Josiah put away bxthe mediums and the necromancers and bythe household gods and bzthe idols and all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, that he might establish cathe words of the law that were written in the book cbthat Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the Lord. 25 ccBefore him there was no king like him, who turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses, nor did any like him arise after him.

26Still the Lord did not turn from the burning of his great wrath, by which his anger was kindled against Judah, cdbecause of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked him. 27And the Lord said, “I will remove Judah also out of my sight, ceas I have removed Israel, and I will cast off this city that I have chosen, Jerusalem, cfand the house of which I said, My name shall be there.”

Josiah’s Death in Battle

28Now the rest of the acts of Josiah and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 29 cgIn his days chPharaoh Neco king of Egypt went up to the king of Assyria to the river Euphrates. King Josiah went to meet him, and Pharaoh Neco killed him at ciMegiddo, as soon as he saw him. 30 cjAnd his servants carried him dead in a chariot from ckMegiddo and brought him to Jerusalem and buried him in his own tomb. clAnd the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and anointed him, and made him king in his father’s place.

Jehoahaz’s Reign and Captivity

31 cmJehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was cnHamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 32And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, coaccording to all that his fathers had done. 33And cpPharaoh Neco put him in bonds at cqRiblah in the land of crHamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem, and laid on the land a tribute of a hundred talents
A  talent was about 75 pounds or 34 kilograms
of silver and a talent of gold.
34And ctPharaoh Neco made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the place of Josiah his father, and cuchanged his name to Jehoiakim. But he took Jehoahaz away, cvand he came to Egypt and died there. 35And Jehoiakim cwgave the silver and the gold to Pharaoh, but he taxed the land to give the money according to the command of Pharaoh. He exacted the silver and the gold of the people of the land, from everyone according to his assessment, to give it to Pharaoh Neco.

Jehoiakim Reigns in Judah

36 cxJehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zebidah the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah. 37And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, cyaccording to all that his fathers had done.

2 Chronicles 34

Josiah Reigns in Judah

1 czJosiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. 2And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, and walked in the ways of David his father; and he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. 3For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet a boy, he began to seek the God of David his father, and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the daAsherim, and the carved and the metal images. 4And they chopped down the altars of the Baals in his presence, and he cut down the dbincense altars that stood above them. And he broke in pieces the dcAsherim and the carved and the metal images, and he made dust of them and ddscattered it over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. 5 deHe also burned the bones of the priests on their altars and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem. 6And in the dfcities of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, and as far as Naphtali, in their ruins
The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
all around,
7he broke down the altars and beat the dhAsherim and the images diinto powder and cut down all the incense altars throughout all the land of Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem.

The Book of the Law Found

8 djNow in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had cleansed the land and the house, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah the dkgovernor of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz, dlthe recorder, to repair the house of the Lord his God. 9They came to dmHilkiah the high priest and gave him the money that had been brought into the house of God, which the Levites, the keepers of the threshold, had collected from dnManasseh and Ephraim and from all the remnant of Israel and from all Judah and Benjamin and from the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 10And they gave it to the workmen who were working in the house of the Lord. And the workmen who were working in the house of the Lord gave it for repairing and restoring the house. 11They gave it to the carpenters and the builders to buy quarried stone, and timber for binders and dobeams for the buildings that the kings of Judah had let go to ruin. 12And the men did the work faithfully. Over them were set Jahath and Obadiah the Levites, of the sons of Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam, of the sons of the Kohathites, to have oversight. dpThe Levites, all who were skillful with instruments of music, 13were over dqthe burden-bearers and directed all who did work in every kind of service, and some of the Levites were scribes and officials and gatekeepers.

14While they were bringing out the money that had been brought into the house of the Lord, drHilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the Lord given through Moses. 15Then Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the Lord.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan. 16Shaphan brought the book to the king, and further reported to the king, “All that was committed to your servants they are doing. 17They have emptied out the money that was found in the house of the Lord and have given it into the hand of the overseers and the workmen.” 18Then Shaphan the secretary told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read from it before the king.

19And when the king heard the words of the Law, dshe tore his clothes. 20And the king commanded Hilkiah, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Abdon the son of Micah, Shaphan the secretary, and Asaiah the king’s servant, saying, 21Go, inquire of the Lord for me and for those who are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book that has been found. For great is dtthe wrath of the Lord that is poured out on us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord, to do according to all that is written in this book.”

Huldah Prophesies Disaster

22So Hilkiah and those whom the king had sent
Syriac, Vulgate; Hebrew lacks  had sent
went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tokhath, son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe (now she lived in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter) and spoke to her to that effect.
23And she said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘Tell the man who sent you to me, 24Thus says the Lord, Behold, I will bring disaster upon this place and upon its inhabitants, all the curses that are written in the book that was read before the king of Judah. 25Because they have forsaken me and dvhave made offerings to other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands, therefore dwmy wrath will be poured out on this place and will not be quenched. 26But to the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, thus shall you say to him, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Regarding the words that you have heard, 27because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God when you heard his words against this place and its inhabitants, and you have humbled yourself before me and have torn your clothes and wept before me, I also have heard you, declares the Lord. 28Behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace, and your eyes shall not see all the disaster that I will bring upon this place and its inhabitants.’” And they brought back word to the king.

29 dxThen the king sent and gathered together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 30And the king went up to the house of the Lord, with all the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the priests and the Levites, all the people both great and small. And he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant that had been found in the house of the Lord. 31And the king dystood in his place dzand made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes, with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant that were written in this book. 32Then he made all who were present in Jerusalem and in Benjamin join in it. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers. 33And Josiah took away eaall the abominations from all the territory that belonged to the people of Israel and made all who were present in Israel serve the Lord their God. All his days they did not turn away from following the Lord, the God of their fathers.

2 Chronicles 35

Josiah Keeps the Passover

1 ebJosiah kept a Passover to the Lord in Jerusalem. And they slaughtered the Passover lamb econ the fourteenth day of the first month. 2He appointed the priests to their offices edand encouraged them in the service of the house of the Lord. 3And he said to the Levites eewho taught all Israel and who were holy to the Lord, “Put the holy ark in the house that Solomon the son of David, king of Israel, built. You need not carry it on your shoulders. Now serve the Lord your God and his people Israel. 4Prepare yourselves efaccording to your fathershouses by your divisions, egas prescribed in the writing of David king of Israel ehand the document of Solomon his son. 5And eistand in the Holy Place ejaccording to the groupings of the fathershouses of your brothers the lay people, and according to the division of the Levites by fathershousehold. 6And slaughter the Passover lamb, and ekconsecrate yourselves, and prepare for your brothers, to do according to the word of the Lord by Moses.”

7Then Josiah contributed to the lay people, as Passover offerings for all who were present, lambs and young goats from the flock to the number of 30,000, and 3,000 bulls; elthese were from the king’s possessions. 8And his officials contributed willingly to the people, to the priests, and to the Levites. emHilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, the chief officers of the house of God, gave to the priests for the Passover offerings 2,600 Passover lambs and 300 bulls. 9Conaniah also, and Shemaiah and Nethanel his brothers, and Hashabiah and Jeiel and Jozabad, the chiefs of the Levites, gave to the Levites for the Passover offerings 5,000 lambs and young goats and 500 bulls.

10When the service had been prepared for, the priests enstood in their place, eoand the Levites in their divisions according to the king’s command. 11 epAnd they slaughtered the Passover lamb, and the priests eqthrew the blood that they received from them erwhile the Levites flayed the sacrifices. 12And they set aside the burnt offerings that they might distribute them according to the groupings of the fathershouses of the lay people, to offer to the Lord, as it is written in the Book of Moses. And so they did with the bulls. 13 esAnd they roasted the Passover lamb with fire according to the rule; and they etboiled the holy offerings in pots, in cauldrons, and in pans, and carried them quickly to all the lay people. 14And afterward they prepared for themselves and for the priests, because the priests, the sons of Aaron, were offering the burnt offerings and the fat parts until night; so the Levites prepared for themselves and for the priests, the sons of Aaron. 15The singers, the sons of Asaph, were in their place euaccording to the command of David, and Asaph, and Heman, and Jeduthun the king’s evseer; ewand the gatekeepers were at each gate. They did not need to depart from their service, for their brothers the Levites prepared for them.

16So all the service of the Lord was prepared that day, to keep the Passover and to offer burnt offerings on the altar of the Lord, according to the command of King Josiah. 17And the people of Israel who were present kept the Passover at that time, exand the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days. 18 eyNo Passover like it had been kept in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet. None of the kings of Israel had kept such a Passover as was kept by Josiah, and the priests and the Levites, and all Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 19In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah this Passover was kept.

Josiah Killed in Battle

20 ezAfter all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Neco king of Egypt went up to fight at faCarchemish on the Euphrates, and Josiah went out to meet him. 21But he sent envoys to him, saying, “What have we to do with each other, king of Judah? I am not coming against you this day, but against the house with which I am at war. And God has commanded me to hurry. Cease opposing God, who is with me, lest he destroy you.” 22Nevertheless, Josiah did not turn away from him, but fbdisguised himself in order to fight with him. He did not listen to the words of Neco from the mouth of God, but came to fight in the plain of fcMegiddo. 23And the archers shot King Josiah. And the king said to his servants, fd“Take me away, for I am badly wounded.” 24So his servants took him out of the chariot and carried him in his second chariot and brought him to Jerusalem. And he died and was buried in the tombs of his fathers. feAll Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah. 25 ffJeremiah also uttered a lament for Josiah; and all fgthe singing men and singing women have spoken of Josiah in their laments to this day. They made these a rule in Israel; behold, they are written in the Laments. 26Now the rest of the acts of Josiah, and his good deeds according to what is written in the Law of the Lord, 27and his acts, first and last, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah.

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