2 Chronicles 35

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

Josiah faithfully celebrated the Passover in honor of the LORD in Jerusalem. On the fourteenth day of the first month, they solemnly sacrificed the Passover lamb.

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

He assigned roles to the priests, inspiring them to serve in the Lord's house with passion and dedication.

And 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, Israel's spiritual guides, set apart for the Lord, were instructed, "Place the sacred ark in the temple built by Solomon, David's son and Israel's king. You no longer need to carry it on your shoulders. Now serve the Lord your God and His people, Israel."

And 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 ready by your families, in your divisions, following the guidance laid out by King David of Israel and his son Solomon.

And 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 with reverence in the sacred space, grouped by your ancestral families, alongside your kin and the Levite clans.

So 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.

Slaughter the Passover lambs, purify yourselves, and make everything ready for your brothers, so they may follow God's instructions given through Moses.

And 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.

With a generous heart, Josiah gifted the people with lambs and kids for their Passover offerings. He provided for everyone present, a total of thirty thousand, and even gave three thousand bullocks from his own wealth.

And 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.

The leaders, moved by generosity, freely gave to the people, priests, and Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, the guardians of God's house, gifted the priests with 2,600 small livestock and 300 oxen for the Passover sacrifice.

Conaniah 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, Shemaiah, Nethaneel, and their brothers, Hashabiah, Jeiel, and Jozabad, who were the leaders of the Levites, generously donated to their fellow Levites. They gave 5000 small livestock and 500 oxen for the Passover celebration.

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

The ceremony was ready, the priests took their positions, and the Levites followed their roles, all in accordance with the king's orders.

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

They solemnly sacrificed the Passover lamb, the priests, with reverence, scattered the blood from their hands, while the Levites skillfully prepared the offering.

And 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 respectfully took away the burnt offerings, intending to distribute them among the people's families, as a sacred offering to the LORD, following Moses' written instructions. They did the same with the oxen, all with a sense of reverence and devotion.

And 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 passionately prepared the Passover meal, following the sacred rules, using fire. The other holy offerings were quickly cooked in pots, cauldrons, and pans, then promptly shared among everyone.

And 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.

Afterwards, they prepared for themselves and the priests, as the priests, Aaron's sons, were busy making burnt offerings until nightfall. So, the Levites also got ready for themselves and for Aaron's sons, the priests.

And 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 choir, led by Asaph's sons, stood ready as commanded by David, Asaph, Heman, and the king's prophet, Jeduthun. The gatekeepers remained at their posts, unwavering in their duty, while their fellow Levites prepared for the service.

So 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.

On that day, every act of worship was ready to honor the Passover and present offerings on God's altar, all in line with King Josiah's decree.

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

At that moment, the Israelites present faithfully celebrated the Passover and joyfully observed the seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread.

And 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.

Never before had there been a Passover celebration in Israel as grand as the one led by Josiah, since the time of Prophet Samuel. Not even the mightiest kings of Israel had hosted such a feast. It was a remarkable event, attended by priests, Levites, and everyone from Judah and Israel, including the residents of Jerusalem.

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

During the eighteenth year of Josiah's rule, the Passover was solemnly observed.

After 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 Josiah had lovingly restored the temple, Necho, the Egyptian king, advanced to battle at Charchemish near the Euphrates. Bravely, Josiah confronted him.

But 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.

He sent messengers, asking, "Why are we at odds, King of Judah? I'm not here for you today, but for the house I'm at war with. God told me to hurry. Don't interfere with God's plan for me, lest you face destruction."

Nevertheless 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.

Despite warnings, Josiah stubbornly chose to face his enemy in disguise, ignoring God's message through Necho. He was determined to battle in the valley of Megiddo.

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

The arrows rained down on King Josiah. In pain, he pleaded with his aides, "Take me away, I'm gravely injured."

His 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.

His loyal aides gently moved him from his royal carriage to a simpler one. They escorted him to Jerusalem, where he breathed his last and was laid to rest in his ancestral tomb. The entire land of Judah and Jerusalem wept for their beloved Josiah.

And 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 wept deeply for Josiah. Every singer, both men and women, mourned him through their songs. These sorrowful tunes became a tradition in Israel, and their words are preserved in the book of lamentations.

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

The remaining deeds of Josiah, and his kindness, were all in line with the Lord's law.

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

Every action he took, from beginning to end, is recorded in the history books of Israel and Judah.