35King Josiah celebrated the Passover at Jerusalem in honor of the LORD; on the fourteenth day of the first month they killed the animals for the festival.H2977H6213H6453H3068H3389H7819H6453H702H6240H7223H23202He assigned to the priests the duties they were to perform in the Temple and encouraged them to do them well.H5975H3548H4931H2388H5656H1004H30683He also gave these instructions to the Levites, the teachers of Israel, who were dedicated to the LORD: "Put the sacred Covenant Box in the Temple that King Solomon, the son of David, built. You are no longer to carry it from place to place, but you are to serve the LORD your God and his people Israel.H559H3881H995H4000H3478H6918H3068H5414H6944H727H1004H8010H1121H1732H4428H3478H1129H4853H3802H5647H3068H430H5971H34784Take your places in the Temple by clans, according to the responsibilities assigned to you by King David and his son King Solomon,H3559H3559H1004H1H4256H3791H1732H4428H3478H4385H8010H11215and arrange yourselves so that some of you will be available to help each family of the people of Israel.H5975H6944H6391H1004H1H251H1121H5971H2515H1H1004H38816You are to kill the Passover lambs and goats. Now make yourselves ritually clean and prepare the sacrifices in order that your fellow Israelites may follow the instructions which the LORD gave through Moses."H7819H6453H6942H3559H251H6213H1697H3068H3027H48727For the use of the people at the Passover, King Josiah contributed from his own herds and flocks 30,000 sheep, lambs, and young goats, and 3,000 bulls.H2977H7311H1121H5971H6629H3532H1121H5795H6453H4672H4557H7970H505H7969H505H1241H4428H73998His officials also made contributions for the people, the priests, and the Levites to use. And the officials in charge of the Temple - Hilkiah, the High Priest, Zechariah, and Jehiel - gave the priests 2,600 lambs and young goats and 300 bulls for sacrifices during the festival.H8269H7311H5071H5971H3548H3881H2518H2148H3171H5057H1004H430H5414H3548H6453H505H8337H3967H7969H3967H12419The leaders of the Levites - Conaniah, Shemaiah and his brother Nethanel, Hashabiah, Jeiel, and Jozabad - contributed 5,000 lambs and young goats and 500 bulls for the Levites to offer as sacrifices.H3562H8098H5417H251H2811H3273H3107H8269H3881H7311H3881H6453H2568H505H2568H3967H124110When everything was arranged for the Passover, the priests and the Levites took their posts, as commanded by the king.H5656H3559H3548H5975H5977H3881H4256H4428H468711After the lambs and goats had been killed, the Levites skinned them, and the priests sprinkled the blood on the altar.H7819H6453H3548H2236H3027H3881H658412Then they divided among the people, by family groups, the animals for burnt offerings, so that they could offer them according to the instructions in the Law of Moses.H5493H5930H5414H4653H1H1004H1121H5971H7126H3068H3789H5612H4872H124113The Levites roasted the Passover sacrifices over the fire, according to the regulations, and boiled the sacred offerings in pots, kettles, and pans, and quickly distributed the meat to the people.H1310H6453H784H4941H6944H1310H5518H1731H6745H7323H1121H597114After this was done, the Levites provided meat for themselves and for the priests descended from Aaron, for the priests were kept busy until night, burning the animals that were burned whole and the fat of the sacrifices.H310H3559H3548H3548H1121H175H5927H5930H2459H3915H3881H3559H3548H1121H17515The following musicians of the Levite clan of Asaph were in the places assigned to them by King David's instructions: Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, the king's prophet. The guards at the Temple gates did not need to leave their posts, because the other Levites prepared the Passover for them.H7891H1121H623H4612H4687H1732H623H1968H3038H4428H2374H7778H8179H5493H5656H251H3881H355916So, as King Josiah had commanded, everything was done that day for the worship of the LORD, the keeping of the Passover Festival, and the offering of burnt offerings on the altar.H5656H3068H3559H3117H6213H6453H5927H5930H4196H3068H4687H4428H297717For seven days all the people of Israel who were present celebrated the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread.H1121H3478H4672H6213H6453H6256H2282H4682H7651H311718Since the days of the prophet Samuel, the Passover had never been celebrated like this. None of the former kings had ever celebrated a Passover like this one celebrated by King Josiah, the priests, the Levites, and the people of Judah, Israel, and JerusalemH6453H3644H6213H3478H3117H8050H5030H6213H4428H3478H6213H6453H2977H6213H3548H3881H3063H3478H4672H3427H338919in the eighteenth year of Josiah's reign.H8083H6240H8141H4438H2977H6453H621320After King Josiah had done all this for the Temple, King Neco of Egypt led an army to fight at Carchemish on the Euphrates River. Josiah tried to stop him,H310H2977H3559H1004H5224H4428H4714H5927H3898H3751H6578H2977H3318H712521but Neco sent Josiah this message: "This war I am fighting does not concern you, King of Judah. I have not come to fight you, but to fight my enemies, and God has told me to hurry. God is on my side, so don't oppose me, or he will destroy you."H7971H4397H559H4428H3063H3117H1004H4421H430H559H926H2308H430H784322But Josiah was determined to fight. He refused to listen to what God was saying through King Neco, so he disguised himself and went into battle on the plain of Megiddo.H2977H5437H6440H2664H3898H8085H1697H5224H6310H430H935H3898H1237H402323During the battle King Josiah was struck by Egyptian arrows. He ordered his servants, "Take me away; I'm badly hurt!"H3384H3384H4428H2977H4428H559H5650H5674H3966H247024They lifted him out of his chariot, placed him in a second chariot which he had there, and took him to Jerusalem. There he died and was buried in the royal tombs. All the people of Judah and Jerusalem mourned his death.H5650H5674H4818H7392H4932H7393H3212H3389H4191H6912H6913H1H3063H3389H56H297725The prophet Jeremiah composed a lament for King Josiah. It has become a custom in Israel for the singers, both men and women, to use this song when they mourn for him. The song is found in the collection of laments.H3414H6969H2977H7891H7891H559H2977H7015H3117H5414H2706H3478H3789H701526Everything that Josiah did - his devotion to the LORD, his obedience to the Law,H3499H1697H2977H2617H3789H8451H306827and his history from beginning to end - is all recorded in The History of the Kings of Israel and Judah.H1697H7223H314H3789H5612H4428H3478H3063
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