2 Chronicles 35

NEW JERUSALEM	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 Josiah then celebrated a Passover to Yahweh in Jerusalem. The Passover victims were slaughteredon the fourteenth day of the first month.	1 Now Josiah kept the Passover to the Lord in Jerusalem, and it was immolated on the fourteenth day of the first month.
2 He assigned the priests to their posts, encouraging them to do their duty in the Temple of Yahweh.	2 And he appointed the priests in their offices, and he exhorted them to minister in the house of the Lord.
3 Then he said to the Levites, who had understanding for al Israel and were consecrated to Yahweh,'Put the sacred ark in the Temple built by Solomon son of David, king of Israel. You need not carry it about on your shoulders any more. Now serve Yahweh your God and Israel his people!	3 Also, he spoke with the Levites, by whose instruction all of Israel was sanctified to the Lord, saying: “Place the ark in the sanctuary of the temple, which Solomon, the son of David, the king of Israel, built. For never again shall you carry it. Instead, now you shall minister to the Lord your God, and to his people Israel.
4 Prepare yourselves by families according to your orders, as laid down in the decree of David king ofIsrael and that of Solomon his son,	4 And prepare yourselves by your houses and families, within each division, just as David, the king of Israel, instructed, and just as his son Solomon has written.
5 and take up positions in the sanctuary corresponding to the family divisions of your brothers the laity,so that there are Levites for each family division.	5 And minister in the sanctuary, by the Levitical families and companies.
6 Slaughter the Passover, sanctify yourselves and prepare it so that your brothers can observe it in theway the word of Yahweh through Moses requires.'	6 And having been sanctified, immolate the Passover. And then prepare your brothers, so that they may be able to act in accord with the words which the Lord has spoken by the hand of Moses.”
7 For the laity Josiah provided small livestock, that is, lambs and young goats -- everything for thePassover offerings for al who attended -- to the number of thirty thousand, as well as three thousand bul ocks;these were from the king's own possessions.	7 After this, Josiah gave to all the people, those who had been found there at the solemnity of the Passover, thirty thousand lambs and young goats from the flocks, and other kinds of small cattle, and also three thousand oxen. All these were from the substance of the king.
8 His officials also made voluntary contributions for the people, the priests and the Levites; and Hilkiah,Zechariah and Jehiel, the chiefs of the Temple of God, gave two thousand six hundred lambs and three hundredbullocks to the priests for the Passover offerings;	8 Also, his rulers offered what they had vowed freely, as much for the people as for the priests and Levites. Moreover, Hilkiah, and Zechariah, and Jehiel, rulers of the house of the Lord, gave to the priests, in order to observe the Passover, two thousand six hundred small cattle, and three hundred oxen.
9 while Conaniah, Shemaiah, Nethanel his brother, Hashabiah, Jeiel and Jozabad, the head Levites,provided five thousand lambs and five hundred bul ocks as Passover offerings for the Levites.	9 And Conaniah, with Shemaiah and Nethanel, his brothers, indeed also Hashabiah and Jeiel and Jozabad, rulers of the Levites, gave to the rest of the Levites, in order to celebrate the Passover, five thousand small cattle, and five hundred oxen.
10 So the service was arranged, the priests stood in their places and the Levites in their orders as theking had commanded.	10 And the ministry was prepared. And the priests stood in their office, and the Levites also stood in their companies, according to the order of the king.
11 Then they slaughtered the Passover victims and while the priests sprinkled the blood as theyreceived it from the Levites, the latter did the skinning.	11 And the Passover was immolated. And the priests sprinkled the blood with their hand, and the Levites drew away the pelts of the holocausts.
12 Next they put the burnt offering aside for presentation to the family divisions of the laity, so that theycould offer it to Yahweh in the way prescribed in the Book of Moses; they did the same with the bul ocks.	12 And they put these aside, so that they might give them to each one, by their houses and families, and so that they might be offered to the Lord, just as it was written in the book of Moses. And with the oxen, they acted similarly.
13 They roasted the Passover victim over an open fire in accordance with the regulation and boiled theconsecrated offerings in pots, kettles and pans, which they then distributed to al the laity as quickly as theycould.	13 And they roasted the Passover above fire, in accord with what was written in the law. Yet truly, the victims of peace offerings they boiled in cauldrons and kettles and pots. And they promptly distributed these to all the common people.
14 Afterwards they provided for themselves and the priests, since the Aaronite priests were kept busy tilnightfall making the burnt offerings and offering the fat; that was why the Levites prepared the Passover forthemselves and for the Aaronite priests.	14 Then afterward, they made preparations for themselves and for the priests. Indeed, the priests had been occupied in the oblations of the holocausts and the fat offerings, even until night. Therefore, the Levites made preparations for themselves and for the priests, the sons of Aaron, last.
15 The Asaphite singers were at their places, in accordance with the command of David and Asaph,Heman and Jeduthun the king's seer; so were the gatekeepers at each gate. Because they could not leave theirduties, their brothers the Levites prepared the Passover for them.	15 Now the singers, the sons of Asaph, were standing in their order, according to the instruction of David, and of Asaph and Heman and Jeduthun, the prophets of the king. Truly, the porters kept watch at each gate, so as not to depart from their ministry even for one moment. And for this reason, their brothers, the Levites, prepared foods for them.
16 So the whole service of Yahweh was arranged that day to celebrate the Passover and to bring burntofferings on the altar of Yahweh, in accordance with King Josiah's command.	16 And so, the entire worship ritual of the Lord was completed on that day, so that they observed the Passover and offered holocausts upon the altar of the Lord, in accord with the precept of king Josiah.
17 On that occasion the Israelites who were present celebrated the Passover and the feast ofUnleavened Bread for seven days.	17 And the sons of Israel, who had been found there, kept the Passover at that time, with the solemnity of unleavened bread, for seven days.
18 No Passover like this one had ever been celebrated in Israel since the days of the prophet Samuel,nor had any of the kings of Israel ever celebrated a Passover like the one celebrated by Josiah, the priests, theLevites, al Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.	18 There was no Passover similar to this one in Israel, from the days of Samuel the prophet. And neither did anyone, out of all the kings of Israel, keep such a Passover as did Josiah, the priests and Levites, and all those of Judah and Israel who had been found, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
19 This Passover was celebrated in the eighteenth year of Josiah's reign.	19 In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah, this Passover was celebrated.
20 After all this, when Josiah had provided for the Temple, Necho king of Egypt advanced to give battleat Carchemish on the Euphrates and Josiah went to intercept him.	20 After Josiah had repaired the temple, Neco, the king of Egypt, ascended to fight at Carchemish, beside the Euphrates. And Josiah went out to meet him.
21 Necho however sent him messengers to say, 'Why be concerned about me, king of Judah? I havenot come today to attack you; my quarrel is with another dynasty. God has commanded me to move quickly, sokeep wel clear of the god who is with me!'	21 But he sent messengers to him, saying: “What is there between me and you, O king of Judah? I have not come against you today. Instead, I am fighting against another house, to which God instructed me to go promptly. Refrain from acting against God, who is with me, otherwise he may kill you.”
22 But Josiah was not to be deflected from his determination to fight him, and would not listen toNecho's words, which came from the mouth of God. He gave battle in the plain of Megiddo.	22 Josiah was not willing to return. Instead, he prepared for war against him. Neither would he agree to the words of Neco from the mouth of God. In truth, he traveled so that he might do battle in the field of Megiddo.
23 The archers shot King Josiah. The king then said to his retainers, 'Take me away; I am badlywounded.'	23 And there, having been wounded by archers, he said to his servants: “Lead me away from the battle. For I have been severely wounded.”
24 So his retainers lifted him out of his own chariot, transferred him to one which he had in reserve andbrought him to Jerusalem, where he died and was buried in the tombs of his ancestors. Al Judah and Jerusalemheld mourning for Josiah.	24 And they took him from the chariot, into another chariot which was following him, as was the custom of kings. And they transported him to Jerusalem. And he died, and he was buried in the mausoleum of his fathers. And all of Judah and Jerusalem mourned for him,
25 Jeremiah composed a lament for Josiah and all the male and female singers to this day lamentJosiah in their dirges; they have made it a rule in Israel; they are recorded in the Lamentations.	25 most of all Jeremiah. All the singing men and women repeat his lamentations over Josiah, even to the present day. And this has become like a law in Israel. Behold, it is found written in the Lamentations.
26 The rest of the history of Josiah, his deeds of faithful love conforming to what is prescribed in theLaw of Yahweh,	26 Now the rest of the words of Josiah, and his mercies, which were instructed by the law of the Lord,
27 his history from first to last, are recorded in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah.	27 and also his works, the first and the last, have been written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.