1MOREOVER Josiah kept a passover to the LORD in Jerusalem; and he celebrated the feast on the fourteenth day of the first month. 2And he set the priests in their charges, and appointed them over the service of the house of the LORD, 3And he said to the Levites who dwelt in all Israel. Sanctify yourselves to the LORD, and put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David king of Israel did build; for you have no longer to carry it upon your shoulders; serve now the LORD your God and his people Israel, 4And prepare your hearts and the heart of your fathers, according to the writing of David, king of Israel, and according to the writing of Solomon his son, 5And stand in the holy place according to the divisions of the families of your fathers and of your brethren the people, and after the divisions of the families of the Levites, 6And kill the passover and sanctify yourselves and prepare the hearts of your brethren, that they may do according to the word of the LORD by the hand of Moses.

7Then Josiah gave to the people sheep, lambs, and kids of the goats, all for the passover offerings, for all that were present, to the number of thirty thousand, and three thousand bullocks; these were of the king's substance. 8And his princes gave willingly to the people and to the priests and to the Levites; Hilkiah and Zechariah and Nehiel, rulers of the house of the LORD, gave to the priests for the passover offerings two thousand and six hundred sheep and three hundred oxen. 9Conaniah, also, and Shemaiah his nephew and Hashabiah and Jadiel gave to the Levites for passover offerings five thousand sheep and five hundred oxen.

10So the service was prepared, and the priests stood in their places and the Levites in their courses, 11And they killed the passover according to the king's command, and the priests sprinkled some of the blood. 12And the Levites flayed the victims and gave the burnt offerings to the divisions of the families of the people, to offer to the LORD, as it is written in the law of Moses. And so they did every morning. 13And they roasted the passover with fire according to the ordinance; but the other holy offerings they cooked in pots and in caldrons and in pans, and divided them speedily among all the people. 14And afterward they prepared for themselves and for the priests, because the priests the sons of Aaron were busied in offering the burnt offerings and the fat until the Levites were through; then the Levites prepared for themselves and for the priests the sons of Aaron, who ministered. 15And the singers the sons of Asaph were in their place, according to the commandment of David, and Haman and Jerithon, the king's seers; and the porters remained at every gate; they might not depart from their service; for their brethren the Levites served them.

16So all the service of the LORD was prepared the same day, to keep the passover and to offer burnt offerings upon the altar of the LORD, according to the commandment of King Josiah. 17And the children of Israel who were present kept the passover at that time, and the feast of the unleavened bread seven days. 18And there was no passover like to that kept in Israel from the days of Samuel the prophet; neither did all the kings of Israel keep such a passover as Josiah kept, and the priests and the Levites and all Judah and Israel who were present in Jerusalem. 19In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah was this passover kept.

20After all this, when Josiah had prepared the affairs of the temple, Pharaoh the lame king of Egypt came up to fight against Mabog by Euphrates; and Josiah went out against him. 21But he sent ambassadors to him, saying, What have I to do with you, O king of Judah? I am not coming against you this day, O king of Judah; for indeed I have not come to fight against you. The LORD has told you to frighten me; cease from meddling with God, who is with me, that he may not destroy you. 22Nevertheless Josiah would not turn his face from him; for he had gone to fight with him. And he did not listen to the words of Pharaoh the lame; for Josiah did not know that it was from the LORD, so he went forth to fight against him in the plain of Megiddo. 23Then Pharaoh the lame shot two arrows at Josiah; and the king said to his servants, Take me away; for I am severely wounded. 24So his servants took him out of the chariot, and put him into his own royal chariot; and they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died and was buried in the sepulchres of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.

25And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah, saying, All righteous men and righteous women, weep in your lamentations for Josiah. And he made them an ordinance in Israel, to this day; and, behold, these lamentations are written in the Book of Lamentations. 26Now the rest of the acts of Josiah and his goodness, according to that which is written in the law of the LORD, 27And his deeds, first and last, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah.