Josiah

1Moreover Josiah kept a passover unto the LORD in Jerusalem: and they killed the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month.

King Josiah held the Passover for the LORD in Jerusalem. Passover is a feast that remembers how God brought Israel out of Egypt. They killed the Passover lambs on the fourteenth day of the first month.

2And he set the priests in their charges, and encouraged them to the service of the house of the LORD,

Josiah gave the priests their jobs. He cheered them on in their work at the LORD's house, the temple.

3And said unto the Levites that taught all Israel, which were holy unto the LORD, Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David king of Israel did build; it shall not be a burden upon your shoulders: serve now the LORD your God, and his people Israel,

The Levites were helpers at the temple, and they taught all Israel. Josiah said to them, "Put the holy ark in the temple that Solomon built. Solomon was the son of David, king of Israel. You do not need to carry the ark on your shoulders anymore. Now serve the LORD your God and his people Israel.

4And prepare yourselves by the houses of your fathers, after your courses, according to the writing of David king of Israel, and according to the writing of Solomon his son.

"Get yourselves ready, family by family, in your work groups. Follow the written orders of King David and his son Solomon."

5And stand in the holy place according to the divisions of the families of the fathers of your brethren the people, and after the division of the families of the Levites.

"Stand in the holy place. Match your family groups of Levites to the family groups of the people."

6So kill the passover, and sanctify yourselves, and prepare your brethren, that they may do according to the word of the LORD by the hand of Moses.

"Kill the Passover lambs. Make yourselves clean for God. Get everything ready for the people. Do what the LORD told Moses to say."

7And Josiah gave to the people, of the flock, lambs and kids, 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.

Josiah gave the people 30,000 lambs and young goats for the Passover offerings. He gave 3,000 bulls too. Every animal came from his own flocks and herds.

8And his princes gave willingly unto the people, to the priests, and to the Levites: Hilkiah and Zechariah and Jehiel, rulers of the house of God, gave unto the priests for the passover offerings two thousand and six hundred small cattle, and three hundred oxen.

His leaders gave gladly to the people, the priests, and the Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel were in charge of God's house. They gave the priests 2,600 sheep and goats and 300 bulls.

9Conaniah also, and Shemaiah and Nethaneel, his brethren, and Hashabiah and Jeiel and Jozabad, chief of the Levites, gave unto the Levites for passover offerings five thousand small cattle, and five hundred oxen.

Conaniah gave too, with his brothers Shemaiah and Nethaneel. So did Hashabiah, Jeiel, and Jozabad, who led the Levites. They gave the Levites 5,000 sheep and goats and 500 bulls.

10So the service was prepared, and the priests stood in their place, and the Levites in their courses, according to the king’s commandment.

So everything was ready. The priests stood in their places. The Levites stood in their groups, just as the king had said.

11And they killed the passover, and the priests sprinkled the blood from their hands, and the Levites flayed them.

They killed the Passover lambs. The priests took the blood and sprinkled it. The Levites took the skins off the animals.

12And they removed the burnt offerings, that they might give according to the divisions of the families of the people, to offer unto the LORD, as it is written in the book of Moses. And so did they with the oxen.

They set aside the animals for burnt offerings. These were handed out to the family groups of the people to offer to the LORD. The book of Moses said to do it this way. They did the same with the bulls.

13And they roasted the passover with fire according to the ordinance: but the other holy offerings sod they in pots, and in caldrons, and in pans, and divided them speedily among all the people.

They roasted the Passover meat over fire, the way the rule said. They boiled the other holy offerings in pots, kettles, and pans. Then they handed the food out quickly to all the people.

14And afterward they made ready for themselves, and for the priests: because the priests the sons of Aaron were busied in offering of burnt offerings and the fat until night; therefore the Levites prepared for themselves, and for the priests the sons of Aaron.

After that, the Levites made food ready for themselves and for the priests. The priests come from the family of Aaron. They were busy burning offerings and fat until night. So the Levites did the work for them.

15And the singers the sons of Asaph were in their place, according to the commandment of David, and Asaph, and Heman, and Jeduthun the king’s seer; and the porters waited at every gate; they might not depart from their service; for their brethren the Levites prepared for them.

The singers from Asaph's family stood in their places. King David had set this up with Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun. Jeduthun was the king's seer, a man who heard messages from God. The gatekeepers stayed at every gate. They did not have to leave, because other Levites brought their food.

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.

So that day the whole service for the LORD was done. They kept the Passover and burned offerings on the LORD's altar. King Josiah had told them to do it.

17And the children of Israel that were present kept the passover at that time, and the feast of unleavened bread seven days.

The people of Israel who were there kept the Passover that day. They also kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days. That is bread made without yeast, so it does not rise.

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 that were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

No Passover like this one had been kept in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet. A prophet told people what God said. No king of Israel had ever kept a Passover like Josiah's. He kept it with the priests, the Levites, all Judah, the Israelites who came, and the people of Jerusalem.

19In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah was this passover kept.

This Passover was kept in the eighteenth year that Josiah was king.

20After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Necho king of Egypt came up to fight against Charchemish by Euphrates: and Josiah went out against him.

After all this, Josiah had the temple in good order. Then Necho, king of Egypt, marched out to fight at Carchemish by the Euphrates River. Josiah went out to stop him.

21But he sent ambassadors to him, saying, What have I to do with thee, thou king of Judah? I come not against thee this day, but against the house wherewith I have war: for God commanded me to make haste: forbear thee from meddling with God, who is with me, that he destroy thee not.

Necho sent messengers to Josiah. They said, "Why are you fighting me, king of Judah? I did not come to fight you today. I came to fight another royal family. God told me to hurry. Stop standing against God, who is with me, or he will destroy you."

22Nevertheless Josiah would not turn his face from him, but disguised himself, that he might fight with him, and hearkened not unto the words of Necho from the mouth of God, and came to fight in the valley of Megiddo.

But Josiah would not turn back. He put on a disguise so he could fight. He did not listen to Necho's words, which came from God. He went to fight on the plain of Megiddo.

23And the archers shot at king Josiah; and the king said to his servants, Have me away; for I am sore wounded.

The archers shot King Josiah with arrows. The king said to his servants, "Take me away. I am badly hurt."

24His servants therefore took him out of that chariot, and put him in the second chariot that he had; and they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died, and was buried in one of the sepulchres of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.

So his servants lifted him out of his chariot. They put him in his other chariot and brought him to Jerusalem. There he died. They buried him in a tomb where his family was buried. All Judah and Jerusalem cried for Josiah.

25And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah: and all the singing men and the singing women spake of Josiah in their lamentations to this day, and made them an ordinance in Israel: and, behold, they are written in the lamentations.

Jeremiah sang a sad song for Josiah. Even now, men and women singers sing sad songs about him. Israel made this a rule to keep. Those songs are written in the book of sad songs.

26Now the rest of the acts of Josiah, and his goodness, according to that which was written in the law of the LORD,

The rest of what Josiah did is written down. So is the kind and faithful way he followed the LORD's law.

27And his deeds, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.

Everything he did, from first to last, is written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.

11For thus saith the LORD touching Shallum the son of Josiah king of Judah, which reigned instead of Josiah his father, which went forth out of this place; He shall not return thither any more:

The LORD says this about Shallum son of Josiah, king of Judah. He became king after his father Josiah. Then he was taken away from this place. He will never come back here.

12But he shall die in the place whither they have led him captive, and shall see this land no more.

He will die in the land where they took him. He will never see this land again.

13Woe unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers by wrong; that useth his neighbour’s service without wages, and giveth him not for his work;

How sad for the man who builds his palace by cheating. He builds his upper rooms by doing wrong. He makes his own people work for nothing. He never pays them what they earned.

14That saith, I will build me a wide house and large chambers, and cutteth him out windows; and it is cieled with cedar, and painted with vermilion.

He says, "I will build myself a big palace with large upper rooms." He cuts windows into it. He covers the walls with cedar wood. He paints it bright red.

15Shalt thou reign, because thou closest thyself in cedar? did not thy father eat and drink, and do judgment and justice, and then it was well with him?

Does fine cedar wood make you a king? Your father had plenty to eat and drink. He was fair and did what was right. So things went well for him.

16He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well with him: was not this to know me? saith the LORD.

He made sure poor and needy people were treated fairly. So things went well for him. Isn't this what it means to know me? says the LORD.

17But thine eyes and thine heart are not but for thy covetousness, and for to shed innocent blood, and for oppression, and for violence, to do it.

But your eyes and your heart want only one thing. You want money you have no right to. You want to kill innocent people. You want to bully and hurt others.