aThen the king sent
, and they gathered
to him all
the elders
of Judah
and of Jerusalem
.
The king went
up to the house
of the LORD
and all
the men
of Judah
and all
the inhabitants
of Jerusalem
with him, and the priests
and the prophets
and all
the people
, both
small
and great
; and ahe read
in their hearing
all
the words
of the book
of the covenant
bwhich was found
in the house
of the LORD
.
aThe king stood
by the pillar
and made
a covenant
before
the LORD
, bto walk
after
the LORD
, and to keep
His commandments
and His testimonies
and His statutes
with all
his heart
and all
his soul
, to carry
out the words
of this
covenant
that were written
in this
book
. And all
the people
1entered
into the covenant
.
Then the king commanded
Hilkiah
the high
priest
and athe priests
of the second
order and the 1doorkeepers
, bto bring
out of the temple
of the LORD
all
the vessels
that were made
for Baal
, for 2Asherah
, and for all
the host
of heaven
; and che burned
them outside
Jerusalem
in the fields
of the Kidron
, and carried
their ashes
to Bethel
.
He did away
with the idolatrous
priests
whom
the kings
of Judah
had appointed
to burn
incense
in the high
places
in the cities
of Judah
and in the surrounding
area
of Jerusalem
, also those who burned
incense
to Baal
, to the sun
and to the moon
and to the constellations
and to all
the ahost
of heaven
.
He brought out the Asherah
from the house
of the LORD
outside
Jerusalem
to the brook
Kidron
, and burned
it at the brook
Kidron
, and aground
it to dust
, and bthrew
its dust
on the graves
of the 1common
people
.
He also broke down
the houses
of the amale cult
prostitutes
which
were in the house
of the LORD
, where
bthe women
were weaving
1hangings
for the Asherah
.
Then he brought all
the priests
from the cities
of Judah
, and defiled
the high
places
where
the priests
had burned
incense
, from aGeba
to Beersheba
; and he broke
down
the high
places
of the gates
which
were at the entrance
of the gate
of Joshua
the governor
of the city
, which
were on one's
left
at the city
gate
.
Nevertheless athe priests
of the high
places
did not go
up to the altar
of the LORD
in Jerusalem
, but they ate
unleavened
bread
among
their brothers
.
aHe also defiled 1Topheth
, which
is in the valley
of the son
of Hinnom
, bthat no
man
might make his son
or his daughter
pass
through the fire
for cMolech
.
He did away
with the horses
which
the kings
of Judah
had given
to the asun
, at the entrance
of the house
of the LORD
, by the chamber
of Nathan-melech
the official
, which
was in the precincts
; and he burned
the chariots
of the sun
with fire
.
aThe altars which
were on the roof
, the upper
chamber
of Ahaz
, which
the kings
of Judah
had made
, and bthe altars
which
Manasseh
had made
in the two
courts
of the house
of the LORD
, the king
broke
down
; and he 1smashed
them there
and cthrew
their dust
into the brook
Kidron
.
The high places
which
were before
Jerusalem
, which
were on the right
of athe mount
of destruction
which
Solomon
the king
of Israel
had built
for bAshtoreth
the abomination
of the Sidonians
, and for cChemosh
the abomination
of Moab
, and for Milcom
the abomination
of the sons
of Ammon
, the king
defiled
.
aHe broke in pieces
the sacred pillars
and cut
down
the Asherim
and bfilled
their places
with human
bones
.
Furthermore, athe altar
that was at Bethel
and the bhigh
place
which
Jeroboam
the son
of Nebat
, who
made Israel
sin
, had made
, even
that altar
and the high
place
he broke
down
. Then he 1 cdemolished
its stones, ground
them to dust
, and burned
the Asherah
.
Now when Josiah turned
, he saw
the graves
that were there
on the mountain
, and he sent
and took
the bones
from the graves
and burned
them on the altar
and defiled
it aaccording to the word
of the LORD
which
the man
of God
proclaimed
, who
proclaimed
these
things
.
Then he said, "What
is this
monument
that I see
?" And the men
of the city
told
him, " aIt is the grave
of the man
of God
who
came
from Judah
and proclaimed
these
things
which
you have done
against
the altar
of Bethel
."
He said, "Let
him alone
; let no
one
disturb
his bones
." So they 1left
his bones
undisturbed
awith the bones
of the prophet
who
came
from Samaria
.
Josiah also
removed
all
the houses
of the high
places
which
were ain the cities
of Samaria
, which
the kings
of Israel
had made
provoking
1the LORD
; and he did
to them 2just
as he had done
in Bethel
.
All the priests
of the high
places
who
were there
ahe slaughtered
on the altars
and burned
human
bones
on them; then he returned
to Jerusalem
.
Then the king commanded
all
the people
saying
, " aCelebrate
the Passover
to the LORD
your God
bas it is written
in this
book
of the covenant
."
aSurely such
a Passover
had not been celebrated
from the days
of the judges
who
judged
Israel
, nor
in all
the days
of the kings
of Israel
and of the kings
of Judah
.
But in the eighteenth year
of King
Josiah
, this
Passover
was observed
to the LORD
in Jerusalem
.
Moreover, Josiah
1removed
athe mediums
and the spiritists
and the bteraphim
and cthe idols
and all
the abominations
that were seen
in the land
of Judah
and in Jerusalem
, dthat he might 2confirm
the words
of the law
which were written
ein the book
that Hilkiah
the priest
found
in the house
of the LORD
.
Before him there was no
king
alike
him who
turned
to the LORD
with all
his heart
and with all
his soul
and with all
his might
, according to all
the law
of Moses
; nor
did any like
him arise
after
him.
However, the LORD
did not turn
from the fierceness
of His great
wrath
with which
His anger
burned
against Judah
, abecause
of all
the provocations
with which
Manasseh
had provoked
Him.
The LORD said
, "I will remove
Judah
also
from My sight
, aas I have removed
Israel
. And bI will cast
off
Jerusalem
, this
city
which
I have chosen
, and the 1temple
of which
I said
, `My name
shall be there
.' "
Now the rest of the acts
of Josiah
and all
that he did
, are they not written
in the Book
of the Chronicles
of the Kings
of Judah
?
aIn his days bPharaoh
Neco
king
of Egypt
went
up to the king
of Assyria
to the river
Euphrates
. And King
Josiah
went
to meet
him, and when Pharaoh Neco saw
him he killed
him at cMegiddo
.
aHis servants drove
1his body
in a chariot
from Megiddo
, and brought
him to Jerusalem
and buried
him in his own tomb
. bThen the people
of the land
took
Jehoahaz
the son
of Josiah
and anointed
him and made
him king
in place
of his father
.
aJehoahaz was twenty-three
years
old
when he became
king
, and he reigned
three
months
in Jerusalem
; and his mother's
name
was bHamutal
the daughter
of Jeremiah
of Libnah
.
He did evil
in the sight
of the LORD
, aaccording to all
that his fathers
had done
.
aPharaoh Neco
imprisoned
him at bRiblah
in the land
of cHamath
, that he might not reign
in Jerusalem
; and he imposed
on the land
a fine
of one hundred
talents
of silver
and a talent
of gold
.
Pharaoh Neco
made
aEliakim
the son
of Josiah
king
in the place
of Josiah
his father
, and bchanged
his name
to Jehoiakim
. But he took
Jehoahaz
away and 1 cbrought
him to Egypt
, and he died
there
.
So Jehoiakim agave
the silver
and gold
to Pharaoh
, but he taxed
the land
in order to give
the money
at the 1command
of Pharaoh
. He exacted
the silver
and gold
from the people
of the land
, each
according to his valuation
, to give
it to Pharaoh
Neco
.
aJehoiakim was twenty-five
years
old
when he became
king
, and he reigned
eleven
years
in Jerusalem
; and his mother's
name
was Zebidah
the daughter
of Pedaiah
of Rumah
.
He did evil
in the sight
of the LORD
, aaccording to all
that his fathers
had done
.