Josiah reads The Book of God's Law

(2 Chronicles 34.29-33)

1King Josiah called together the older leaders of Judah and Jerusalem. 2Then he went to the LORD's temple, together with the people of Judah and Jerusalem, the priests, and the prophets. Finally, when everybody was there, he read aloud The Book of God's Law23.2 The Book of God's Law: The Hebrew text has “The Book of God's Agreement”, which is the same as “The Book of God's Law” in 22.8,11. In traditional translations this is called “The Book of the Covenant”. that had been found in the temple.

3After Josiah had finished reading, he stood by one of the columns. He asked the people to promise in the LORD's name to obey the LORD faithfully and to follow his commands. The people agreed to do everything written in the book.

Josiah follows the teachings of God's Law

(2 Chronicles 34.3-7)

4Josiah told Hilkiah the priest, the assistant priests, and the guards at the temple door to go into the temple and bring out the things used to worship Baal, Asherah, and the stars. Josiah had these things burnt in Kidron Valley just outside Jerusalem, and he had the ashes carried away to the town of Bethel.23.4-6: 2 K 21.3; 2 Ch 33.3.

5Josiah also got rid of the pagan priests at the local shrines in Judah and around Jerusalem. These were the men whom the kings of Judah had appointed to offer sacrifices to Baal and to the sun, moon, and stars. 6Josiah had the sacred pole23.6 sacred pole: See the note at 13.6,7. for Asherah brought out of the temple and taken to Kidron Valley, where it was burnt. He then had its ashes ground into dust and scattered over the public cemetery there. 7He had the buildings torn down where the male prostitutes23.7 male prostitutes: Young men or boys sometimes served as prostitutes in the worship of Canaanite gods, but the LORD had forbidden the people of Israel and Judah to worship in this way (see Deuteronomy 23.17,18). lived next to the temple, and where the women wove sacred robes23.7 sacred robes: Or “coverings”. for the idol of Asherah.

8In almost every town in Judah, priests had been offering sacrifices to the LORD at local shrines.23.8 local shrines: See the note at 12.3. Josiah brought these priests to Jerusalem and had their shrines made unfit for worship—every shrine from Geba just north of Jerusalem to Beersheba in the south. He even tore down the shrine at Beersheba that was just to the left of Joshua Gate, which was named after the highest official of the city. 9Those local priests could not serve at the LORD's altar in Jerusalem, but they were allowed to eat sacred bread,23.9 sacred bread: The Hebrew text has “thin bread”, which may be either the pieces of thin bread made without yeast to be eaten during the Passover Festival (see verses 21-23) or the baked flour used in sacrifices to give thanks to the LORD (see Leviticus 2.4,5). just like the priests from Jerusalem.

10Josiah sent some men to Hinnom Valley just outside Jerusalem with orders to make the altar there unfit for worship. That way, people could no longer use it for sacrificing their children to the god Molech.23.10: a Jr 7.31; 19.1-6; 32.35; b Lv 18.21. 11He also got rid of the horses that the kings of Judah used in their ceremonies to worship the sun, and he destroyed the chariots along with them. The horses had been kept near the entrance to the LORD's temple, in a courtyard23.11 in a courtyard: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text. close to where an official named Nathan-Melech lived.

12Some of the kings of Judah, especially Manasseh, had built altars in the two courts of the temple and in the room that Ahaz had built on the palace roof. Josiah had these altars torn down and smashed to pieces, and he had the pieces thrown into Kidron Valley, just outside Jerusalem.23.12: 2 K 21.5; 2 Ch 33.5. 13After that, he closed down the shrines that Solomon had built east of Jerusalem and south of Spoil Hill to honour Astarte the disgusting goddess of Sidon, Chemosh the disgusting god of Moab, and Milcom the disgusting god of Ammon.23.13 the shrines…Ammon: See 1 Kings 11.5-7.23.13: 1 K 11.7. 14He tore down the stone images of foreign gods and cut down the sacred pole used in the worship of Asherah. Then he had the whole area covered with human bones.23.14 Then he…human bones: This made the whole area unfit for the worship of any god.

15But Josiah had not finished yet. At Bethel he destroyed the shrine and the altar that Jeroboam son of Nebat had built and that had caused the Israelites to sin. Josiah had the shrine and the Asherah pole burnt and ground into dust.23.15: 1 K 12.33. 16As he looked around, he saw graves on the hillside. He had the bones in them dug up and burnt on the altar, so that it could no longer be used. This happened just as God's prophet had said when Jeroboam was standing at the altar, celebrating a festival.23.16 just…festival: See 1 Kings 13.1,2.23.16: 1 K 13.2.

Then Josiah saw the grave of the prophet who had said this would happen 17and he asked,23.16,17 said when Jeroboam…asked: One ancient translation; Hebrew “said. 17 Then Josiah asked”. “Whose grave is that?”23.17: 1 K 13.30-32.

Some people who lived nearby answered, “It belongs to the prophet from Judah who told what would happen to this altar.”

18Josiah replied, “Then leave it alone. Don't dig up his bones.” So they did not disturb his bones or the bones of the old prophet from Israel who had also been buried there.23.18 old prophet…there: See 1 Kings 13.11-32.

19Some of the Israelite kings had made the LORD angry by building pagan shrines all over Israel. So Josiah sent troops to destroy these shrines just as he had done to the one in Bethel. 20He killed the priests who served at them and burnt their bones on the altars.

After all that, Josiah went back to Jerusalem.

Josiah and the people of Judah celebrate Passover

(2 Chronicles 35.1-19)

21Josiah told the people of Judah, “Celebrate Passover in honour of the LORD your God, just as it says in The Book of God's Law.”23.21 The Book of God's Law: See the note at verse 2.

22This festival had not been celebrated in this way since kings ruled Israel and Judah. 23But in Josiah's eighteenth year as king of Judah, everyone came to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover.

The LORD is still angry with the people of Judah

24Josiah got rid of every disgusting person and thing in Judah and Jerusalem—including magicians, fortune-tellers, and idols. He did his best to obey every law written in the book that the priest Hilkiah found in the LORD's temple. 25No other king before or after Josiah tried as hard as he did to obey the Law of Moses.

26But the LORD was still furious with the people of Judah because Manasseh had done so many things to make him angry. 27The LORD said, “I will desert the people of Judah, just as I deserted the people of Israel. I will reject Jerusalem, even though I chose it to be mine. And I will abandon this temple built to honour me.”

Josiah dies in battle

(2 Chronicles 35.20—36.1)

28Everything else Josiah did while he was king is written in The History of the Kings of Judah. 29During Josiah's rule, King Neco of Egypt led his army north to the River Euphrates to help the king of Assyria. Josiah led his troops north to fight Neco, but when they met in battle at Megiddo, Josiah was killed.23.29 killed: At this time, King Neco of Egypt (609-595 BC) was fighting on the side of the Assyrians. He marched north to fight the Babylonian army and help Assyria keep control of its land. Since Josiah considered Assyria an enemy, he set out to stop Neco and the Egyptian troops. 30A few of Josiah's servants put his body in a chariot and took it back to Jerusalem, where they buried it in his own tomb. Then the people of Judah found his son Jehoahaz and poured olive oil on his head to show that he was their new king.

The last kings of Judah

King Jehoahaz of Judah

(2 Chronicles 36.2-4)

31Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled from Jerusalem only three months. His mother Hamutal was the daughter of Jeremiah from Libnah. 32Jehoahaz disobeyed the LORD, just as some of his ancestors had done.

33King Neco of Egypt had Jehoahaz arrested and put in prison at Riblah23.33 Riblah: An important town in Syria on the River Orontes. near Hamath. Then he forced the people of Judah to pay him three thousand four hundred kilogrammes of silver and thirty-four kilogrammes of gold as taxes. 34Neco appointed Josiah's son Eliakim king of Judah, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. He took Jehoahaz as a prisoner to Egypt, where he died.23.34: Jr 22.11,12.

35Jehoiakim forced the people of Judah to pay higher taxes, so he could give Neco the silver and gold he demanded.

King Jehoiakim of Judah

(2 Chronicles 36.5-8)

36Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he was appointed king, and he ruled eleven years from Jerusalem. His mother Zebidah was the daughter of Pedaiah from Rumah.23.36: Jr 22.18,19; 26.1-6; 35.1-19. 37Jehoiakim disobeyed the LORD by following the example of his ancestors.