2 Kings 23

NEW JERUSALEM	DOUAI-RHEIMS
1 The king then had al the elders of Judah and of Jerusalem summoned to him,	1 And they brought the king word again what she had said. And he sent: and all the ancients of Juda and Jerusalem were assembled to him.
2 and the king went up to the Temple of Yahweh with al the people of Judah and al the inhabitants ofJerusalem, priests, prophets and the whole populace, high and low. In their hearing he read out the entirecontents of the Book of the Covenant discovered in the Temple of Yahweh.	2 And the king went up to the temple of the Lord, and all the men of Juda, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, the priests and the prophets, and all the people both little and great: and in the hearing of them all he read all the words of the book of the covenant, which was found in the house of the Lord.
3 The king then, standing on the dais, bound himself by the covenant before Yahweh, to fol ow Yahweh,to keep his commandments, decrees and laws with al his heart and soul, and to carry out the terms of thecovenant as written in this book. Al the people pledged their allegiance to the covenant.	3 And the king stood upon the step: and made a covenant with the Lord, to walk after the Lord, and to keep his commandments, and his testimonies and his ceremonies, with all their heart, and with all their soul, and to perform the words of this covenant, which were written in that book: and the people agreed to the covenant.
4 The king ordered Hilkiah with the priest next in rank and the guardians of the threshold to remove althe cult objects which had been made for Baal, Asherah and the whole array of heaven; he burnt them outsideJerusalem in the fields of the Kidron and had the ashes taken to Bethel.	4 And the king commanded Helcias the high priest, and the priests of the second order, and the doorkeepers, to cast out of the temple of the Lord all the vessels that had been made for Baal, and for the grove, and for all the host of heaven: and he burnt them without Jerusalem in the valley of Cedron, and he carried the ashes of them to Bethel.
5 He exterminated the spurious priests whom the kings of Judah had appointed and who offered sacrificeon the high places, in the towns of Judah and the neighbourhood of Jerusalem; also those who offered sacrificeto Baal, to the sun, the moon, the constel ations and the whole array of heaven.	5 And he destroyed the soothsayers, whom the kings of Juda had appointed to sacrifice in the high places in the cities of Juda, and round about Jerusalem: them also that burnt incense to Baal, and to the sun, and to the moon, and to the twelve signs, and to all the host of heaven.
6 And from the Temple of Yahweh he took the sacred pole outside Jerusalem to the Kidron val ey and inthe Kidron valley he burnt it, reducing it to ashes and throwing its ashes on the common burial-ground.	6 And he caused the grove to be carried out from the house of the Lord without Jerusalem to the valley of Cedron, and he burnt it there, and reduced it to dust, and cast the dust upon the graves of the common people.
7 He pulled down the house of the sacred male prostitutes which was in the Temple of Yahweh andwhere the women wove veils for Asherah.	7 He destroyed also the pavilions of the effeminate, which were in the house of the Lord, for which the women wove as it were little dwellings for the grove.
8 He brought all the priests in from the towns of Judah, and from Geba to Beersheba he renderedunsanctified the high places where these priests had offered sacrifice. He pul ed down the High Place of theGates, which stood at the gate of Joshua, the governor of the city, to the left of the entry to the city.	8 And he gathered together all the priests out of the cities of Juda: and he defiled the high places, where the priests offered sacrifice, from Gabaa to Bersabee: and he broke down the altars of the gates that were in the entering in of the gate of Josue governor of tile city, which was on the left hand of the gate of the city.
9 The priests of the high places, however, did not officiate at the altar of Yahweh in Jerusalem, althoughthey did share the unleavened bread of their brother-priests.	9 However the priests of the high places came not up to the altar of the Lord in Jerusalem: but only ate of the unleavened bread among their brethren.
10 He rendered unsanctified Tophet in the Valley of Ben-Hinnom, so that no one could pass his son ordaughter through the fire of sacrifice to Molech.	10 And he defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the son of Ennom: that no man should consecrate there his son or his daughter through fire to Moloch.
11 He destroyed the horses which the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun at the entrance to theTemple of Yahweh, near the apartment of Nathan-Melech the official, in the precincts, and he burned the solarchariot.	11 And he took away the horses which the kings of Juda had given to the sun, at the entering in of the temple of the Lord, near the chamber of Nathanmelech the eunuch, who was in Pharurim: and he burnt the chariots of the sun with fire.
12 The king pulled down altars which the kings of Judah had built on the roof and those which Manassehhad built in the two courts of the Temple of Yahweh, and broke them to pieces on the spot, throwing their rubbleinto the Kidron val ey.	12 And the altars that were upon the top of the upper chamber of Achaz, which the kings of Juda had made, and the altars which Manasses had made in the two courts of the temple of the Lord, the king broke down: and he ran from thence, and cast the ashes of them into the torrent Cedron.
13 The king rendered unsanctified the high places facing Jerusalem, to the south of the Mount of Olives,which Solomon king of Israel had built for Astarte the Sidonian abomination, for Chemosh the Moabiteabomination, and for Milcom the Ammonite abomination.	13 The high places also that were at Jerusalem on the right side of the Mount of Offence, O which Solomon king of Israel had built to Astaroth the idol of the Sidonians, and to Chamos the scandal of Moab, and to Melchom the abomination of the children of Ammon, the king defiled.
14 He also smashed the sacred pil ars, cut down the sacred poles, and covered with human bones theplaces where they had stood.	14 And he broke in pieces the statues, and cut down the groves: and he filled their places with the bones of dead men.
15 As for the altar which was at Bethel, the high place built by Jeroboam son of Nebat who had led Israelinto sin, he demolished this altar and this high place as wel , in the same way, breaking up its stones andreducing them to powder. The sacred pole he burned.	15 Moreover the altar also that was at Bethel, and the high place, which Jeroboam the son of Nabat, who made Israel to sin, had made: both the altar, and the high place he broke down and burnt, and reduced to powder, and burnt the grove.
16 On looking round, Josiah saw the tombs there on the hil side; he had the bones fetched from thetombs and burned them on the altar. This he rendered unsanctified, in accordance with the word of Yahwehwhich the man of God had proclaimed when Jeroboam was standing by the altar at the time of the feast. Onlooking round, Josiah caught sight of the tomb of the man of God who had foretold these things.	16 And as Josias turned himself, he saw there the sepulchres that were in the mount: and he sent and took the bones out of the sepulchres, and burnt them upon the altar, and defiled it according to the word of the Lord, which the man of God spoke, who had foretold these things.
17 'What is that monument I see?' he asked. The townspeople replied, 'It is the tomb of the man of Godwho came from Judah and foretold what you have done to the altar.'	17 And he said: What is that monument which I see? And the men of that city answered: It is the sepulchre of the man of God, who came from Juda, and foretold these things which thou hast done upon the altar of Bethel.
18 'Let him rest,' the king said, 'and let no one disturb his bones.' So they left his bones untouched, withthe bones of the prophet who came from Samaria.	18 And he said: Let him alone, let no man move his bones. So his bones were left untouched with the bones of the prophet that came out of Samaria.
19 Josiah also destroyed all the shrines on the high places which were in the towns of Samaria andwhich the kings of Israel had built to provoke Yahweh's anger; he treated these places exactly as he had treatedthe one at Bethel.	19 Moreover all the temples of the high places, which were in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made to provoke the Lord, Josias took away: and he did to them according to all the acts that he had done in Bethel.
20 Al the priests of the high places who were there he slaughtered on the altars, and on those altarsburned human bones. Then he returned to Jerusalem.	20 And he slew all the priests of the high places, that were there, upon the altars: and he burnt men's bones upon them: and returned to Jerusalem.
21 The king gave this order to the whole people: 'Celebrate a Passover to Yahweh your God, asprescribed in this Book of the Covenant.'	21 And he commanded all the people, saying: Keep the phase to the Lord your God, according as it is written in the book of this covenant.
22 No Passover like this had ever been celebrated since the days when the judges ruled Israel, northroughout the entire period of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah.	22 Now there was no such a phase kept from the days of the judges, who judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel, and of the kings of Juda,
23 The eighteenth year of King Josiah was the only time when such a Passover was celebrated inYahweh's honour in Jerusalem.	23 As was this phase that was kept to the Lord in Jerusalem, in the eighteenth year of king Josias.
24 What is more, the spirit-guides and mediums, the household gods and idols, and al the abominationsto be seen in the country of Judah and in Jerusalem, were swept away by Josiah to give effect to the words ofthe Law written in the book found by the priest Hilkiah in the Temple of Yahweh.	24 Moreover the diviners by spirits, and soothsayers, and the figures of idols, and the uncleannesses, and the abominations, that had been in the land of Juda, and Jerusalem, Josias took away: that he might perform the words of the law, that were written in the book which Helcias the priest had found in the temple of the Lord.
25 No king before him turned to Yahweh as he did, with al his heart, all his soul, al his strength, inperfect loyalty to the Law of Moses; nor did any king like him arise again.	25 There was no king before him like unto him, that returned to the Lord with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with ail his strength, according to all the law of Moses: neither after him did there arise any like him.
26 Yet Yahweh did not renounce the heat of his great anger which had been aroused against Judah byal the provocations which Manasseh had caused him.	26 But yet the Lord turned not away from the wrath of his great indignation, wherewith his anger was kindled against Juda: because of the provocations, wherewith Manasses had provoked him.
27 Yahweh said, 'I shal thrust Judah away from me too, as I have already thrust Israel; I shall cast offJerusalem, this city which I have chosen, and the Temple of which I have said: My Name shal be there.'	27 And the Lord said: I will remove Juda also from before my face, as I have removed Israel: and I will cast off this city Jerusalem, which I chose, and the house, of which I said: My name shall be there.
28 The rest of the history of Josiah, his entire career, is this not recorded in the Book of the Annals of theKings of Judah?	28 Now the rest of the acts of Josias, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Juda?
29 In his times, Pharaoh Necho king of Egypt was advancing to meet the king of Assyria at the RiverEuphrates, and King Josiah went to intercept him; but Necho kil ed him at Megiddo in the first encounter.	29 In his days Pharao Nechao king of Egypt went up against the king of Assyria to the river Euphrates: and king Josias went to meet him: and was slain at Mageddo, when he had seen him.
30 His retainers carried his body from Megiddo by chariot; they brought him to Jerusalem and buried himin his own tomb. The people of the country then took Jehoahaz son of Josiah and anointed him, proclaiming himking in succession to his father.	30 And his servants carried him dead from Mageddo: and they brought him to Jerusalem, and buried him in Iris own sepulchre. And the people of the land took Joachaz the son of Josias: and they anointed him, and made him king in his father's stead.
31 Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he came to the throne, and he reigned for three months inJerusalem. His mother's name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah, of Libnah.	31 Joachaz was three and twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem: the name of his mother was Amital, the daughter of Jeremias of Lobna.
32 He did what is displeasing to Yahweh, just as his ancestors had done.	32 And he did evil before the Lord, according to all that his fathers had done.
33 Pharaoh Necho put him in chains at Riblah in Hamath, to prevent his reigning any longer inJerusalem, and imposed a levy of a hundred talents of silver and ten talents of gold on the country.	33 And Pharao Nechao bound him at Rebla, which is in the land of Emath, that he should not reign in Jerusalem: and he set a fine upon the land, of a hundred talents of silver, and a talent of gold.
34 Pharaoh Necho then made Eliakim son of Josiah king in succession to Josiah his father, and changedhis name to Jehoiakim. Carrying off Jehoahaz, he took him to Egypt, where he died.	34 And Pharao Nechao made Eliacim the son of Josias king in the room of Josias his father: and turned his name to Joakim. And he took Joachaz away and carried him into Egypt, and he died there.
35 Jehoiakim paid over the silver and gold to Pharaoh, but first had to tax the people of the countrybefore he could raise the sum which Pharaoh demanded: he levied the silver and gold to be paid over toPharaoh Necho from each according to his means.	35 And Joakim gave the silver and the gold to Pharao, after he had taxed the land for every man, to contribute according to the commandment of Pharao: and he exacted both the silver and the gold of the people of the land, of every man according to his ability: to give to Pharao Nechao.
36 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he came to the throne, and he reigned for eleven years inJerusalem. His mother's name was Zebidah daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah.	36 Joakim was five and twenty years old when he began to reign: and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: the name of his mother was Zebida the daughter of Phadaia of Ruma.
37 He did what is displeasing to Yahweh, just as his ancestors had done.	37 And he did evil before the Lord according to all that his fathers had done.