Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh. Manasseh was the father of Amon. Amon was the father of Josiah.

希西家生玛拿西；玛拿西生亚们；亚们生约西亚；

希西家生玛拿西，玛拿西生亚们，亚们生约西亚，

希西家生玛拿西，玛拿西生亚们，亚们生约西亚，

希西迦生玛拿西，玛拿西生亚们，亚们生约西亚，

希西家生玛拿西，玛拿西生亚们，亚们生约西亚，

希西家生玛拿西，玛拿西生阿蒙，阿蒙生约西亚，

希西家生瑪拿西；瑪拿西生亞們；亞們生約西亞；

希西家生瑪拿西，瑪拿西生亞們，亞們生約西亞，

希西家生瑪拿西，瑪拿西生亞們，亞們生約西亞，

希西迦生瑪拿西，瑪拿西生亞們，亞們生約西亞，

希西家生瑪拿西，瑪拿西生亞們，亞們生約西亞，

希西家生瑪拿西；瑪拿西生亞們；亞們生約西亞；

希西家生瑪拿西，瑪拿西生阿蒙，阿蒙生約西亞，

希西家生瑪拿西、瑪拿西生亞們、亞們生約西亞、

希西家生馬拿西、馬拿西生亞門、亞門生約西亞、

希西家生瑪拿西、瑪拿西生亞們、亞們生約西亞、

厄瑟基亞生瑪納瑟、瑪納瑟生亞蒙、亞蒙生若西亞、

Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, Amon the father of Josiah,

and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah,

Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh. Manasseh was the father of Amon. Amon was the father of Josiah.

Hezekiah fathered Manasseh, Manasseh fathered Amon, Amon fathered Josiah,

Hezekiah fathered Manasseh, Manasseh fathered Amon, and Amon fathered Josiah.

Hezekiah begot Manasseh, Manasseh begot Amon, and Amon begot Josiah.

and Hezekiah begat Manasseh; and Manasseh begat Amon; and Amon begat Josiah;

Hezekiah fathered Manasseh, Manasseh fathered Amon, Amon fathered Josiah,

And Ezekias begat Manasses; and Manasses begat Amon; and Amon begat Josias;

Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, Amon the father of Josiah,

Hezekiah became the father of Manasseh. Manasseh became the father of Amon. Amon became the father of Josiah.

The man cried out. He shouted a message from the Lord against the altar. He said,“ Altar! Altar! The Lord says,‘ A son named Josiah will be born into the royal family of David. Altar, listen to me! Josiah will sacrifice the priests of the high places on you. They will be the children of the priests who are offering sacrifices here. So human bones will be burned on you.’ ”

These things happened to Judah in keeping with what the Lord had commanded. He brought enemies against his people in order to remove them from his land. He removed them because of all the sins Manasseh had committed.Manasseh had spilled the blood of many people who weren’t guilty of doing anything wrong. In fact, he spilled so much of their blood that he filled Jerusalem with it. So the Lord refused to forgive him.

A message from the Lord came to Jeremiah. It came in the 13th year that Josiah was king over Judah. Josiah was the son of Amon.After Josiah, his son Jehoiakim was king over Judah. The Lord’ s message also came to Jeremiah during the whole time Jehoiakim ruled. The Lord continued to speak to Jeremiah while Zedekiah was king over Judah. He did this until the fifth month of the 11th year of Zedekiah’s rule. That’s when the people of Jerusalem were forced to leave their country. Zedekiah was the son of Josiah. Here is what Jeremiah said.

Ahaz was the son of Jotham. Hezekiah was the son of Ahaz. Manasseh was the son of Hezekiah.Amon was the son of Manasseh. Josiah was the son of Amon.Josiah’s first son was Johanan. Jehoiakim was his second son. Zedekiah was the third son. Shallum was the fourth son.

Hezekiah joined the members of his family who had already died. Hezekiah’s son Manasseh became the next king after him.Manasseh was 12 years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for 55 years. His mother’s name was Hephzibah.Manasseh did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord. He followed the practices of the nations. The Lord hated those practices. He had driven those nations out to make room for the Israelites.Manasseh rebuilt the high places. His father Hezekiah had destroyed them. Manasseh also set up altars to the god named Baal. He made a pole used to worship the female god named Asherah. Ahab, the king of Israel, had done those same things. Manasseh even bowed down to all the stars. And he worshiped them.He built altars in the Lord’ s temple. The Lord had said about his temple,“ I will put my Name there in Jerusalem.”In the two courtyards of the Lord’ s temple Manasseh built altars to honor all the stars.He sacrificed his own son in the fire to another god. He practiced all kinds of evil magic. He got messages from those who had died. He talked to the spirits of the dead. He did many things that were evil in the eyes of the Lord. Manasseh made the Lord very angry.Manasseh had carved a pole used to worship the female god named Asherah. He put it in the temple. The Lord had spoken to David and his son Solomon about the temple. He had said,“ My Name will be in this temple and in Jerusalem forever. Out of all the cities in the tribes of Israel I have chosen Jerusalem.I gave this land to your people who lived long ago. I will not make the Israelites wander away from it again. But they must be careful to do everything I commanded them. They must obey the whole Law that my servant Moses gave them.”But the people didn’t pay any attention. Manasseh led them astray. They did more evil things than the nations the Lord had destroyed. He had destroyed them to make room for the Israelites.The Lord spoke through his servants the prophets. He said,“ Manasseh, the king of Judah, has committed terrible sins. I hate them. Manasseh has done more evil things than the Amorites who were in the land before him. And he has led Judah to commit sin by worshiping his statues of gods.I am the Lord, the God of Israel. I tell you,‘ I am going to bring trouble on Jerusalem and Judah. It will be so horrible that the ears of everyone who hears about it will tingle.I will measure out punishment against Jerusalem, just as I did against Samaria. I used a plumb line against the royal family of Ahab. I used it to prove that they did not measure up to my standards. I will use the same plumb line against Jerusalem. I will wipe out Jerusalem, just as someone wipes a dish. I will wipe it and turn it upside down.I will desert those who remain among my people. I will hand them over to their enemies. All their enemies will rob them.That’s because my people have done what is evil in my sight. They have made me very angry. They have done that from the day their own people came out of Egypt until this day.’ ”Manasseh also spilled the blood of many people who weren’t guilty of doing anything wrong. He spilled so much blood that he filled Jerusalem with it from one end of the city to the other. And he caused Judah to commit sin. So they also did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord.The other events of the rule of Manasseh are written down. That includes the sin he committed. Everything he did is written in the official records of the kings of Judah.Manasseh joined the members of his family who had already died. He was buried in his palace garden. It was called the garden of Uzza. Manasseh’s son Amon became the next king after him.Amon was 22 years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for two years. His mother’s name was Meshullemeth. She was the daughter of Haruz. She was from Jotbah.Amon did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father Manasseh had done.He lived the way his father had lived. He worshiped the statues of the gods his father had worshiped. He bowed down to them.He deserted the Lord, the God of his people. He didn’t obey the Lord.Amon’s officials made plans against him. They murdered the king in his palace.Then the people of the land killed all those officials who had made plans against King Amon. Then the people of the land made his son Josiah king in his place.The other events of the rule of Amon are written down. Everything he did is written in the official records of the kings of Judah.Amon was buried in his grave in the garden of Uzza. Amon’s son Josiah became the next king after him.Josiah was eight years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for 31 years. His mother’s name was Jedidah. She was the daughter of Adaiah. She was from Bozkath.Josiah did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. He lived the way King David had lived. He didn’t turn away from it to the right or the left.King Josiah sent his secretary Shaphan to the Lord’ s temple. It was in the 18th year of Josiah’s rule. Shaphan was the son of Azaliah. Azaliah was the son of Meshullam. Josiah said,“ Go up to Hilkiah the high priest. Have him add up the money that has been brought into the Lord’ s temple. The men who guard the doors have collected it from the people.Have them put all the money in the care of certain men. These men have been put in charge of the work on the Lord’ s temple. Have them pay the workers who repair it.Have them pay the builders and those who work with wood. Have them pay those who lay the stones. Also have them buy lumber and blocks of stone to repair the temple.But they don’t have to report how they use the money that is given to them. That’s because they are completely honest.”Hilkiah the high priest spoke to Shaphan the secretary. Hilkiah said,“ I’ve found the Book of the Law in the Lord’ s temple.” Hilkiah gave it to Shaphan, who read it.Then Shaphan went to King Josiah. Shaphan told him,“ Your officials have paid out the money that was in the Lord’ s temple. They’ve put it in the care of the workers and directors there.”Shaphan continued,“ Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” Shaphan read some of it to the king.The king heard the words of the Book of the Law. When he did, he tore his royal robes.He gave orders to Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Akbor, Shaphan the secretary and Asaiah. Ahikam was the son of Shaphan. Akbor was the son of Micaiah. And Asaiah was the king’s attendant. Josiah commanded them,“ Go. Ask the Lord for advice. Ask him about what is written in this book that has been found. Do it for me. Also do it for the people and the whole nation of Judah. The Lord is very angry with us. That’s because our people who have lived before us didn’t obey the words of this book. They didn’t do everything written there about us.”Hilkiah the priest went to speak to Huldah the prophet. So did Ahikam, Akbor, Shaphan and Asaiah. Huldah was the wife of Shallum. Shallum was the son of Tikvah. Tikvah was the son of Harhas. Shallum took care of the sacred robes. Huldah lived in the New Quarter of Jerusalem.Huldah said to them,“ The Lord is the God of Israel. He says,‘ Here is what you must tell the man who sent you to me.Tell him,“ The Lord says,‘ I am going to bring horrible trouble on this place and its people. Everything written in the book the king of Judah has read will take place.That’s because the people have deserted me. They have burned incense to other gods. They have made me very angry because of the statues of gods their hands have made. So my anger will burn like a fire against this place. And the fire of my anger will not be put out.’ ” ’The king of Judah sent you to ask the Lord for advice. Tell him,‘ The Lord is the God of Israel. He has a message for you about the things you heard. He says,“ Your heart was tender. You made yourself humble in the eyes of the Lord. You heard what I spoke against this place and its people. I said they would be under a curse. I told them they would be destroyed. You tore your royal robes and wept in front of me. And I have heard you,” announces the Lord.“ You will join the members of your family who have already died. You will be buried in peace. Your eyes will not see all the trouble I am going to bring on this place.” ’ ” Huldah’s answer was taken back to the king.Then the king called together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem.He went up to the Lord’ s temple. The people of Judah and Jerusalem went with him. So did the priests and prophets. All of them went, from the least important of them to the most important. The king had all the words of the Book of the Covenant read to them. The book had been found in the Lord’ s temple.The king stood next to his pillar. He agreed to the terms of the covenant in front of the Lord. The king promised to serve the Lord and obey his commands, directions and rules. He promised to obey them with all his heart and with all his soul. So he agreed to the terms of the covenant written down in that book. Then all the people committed themselves to the covenant as well.Certain things in the Lord’ s temple had been made to honor other gods. They were the god named Baal, the female god named Asherah and all the stars in the sky. The king ordered Hilkiah the high priest to remove those things. The king ordered the priests who were next in rank and the men who guarded the doors to help Hilkiah. Josiah took those things that had been in the Lord’ s temple and burned them outside Jerusalem. He burned them in the fields in the Kidron Valley. And he took the ashes to Bethel.Josiah got rid of the priests who served other gods. The kings of Judah had appointed those priests to burn incense. They burned the incense on the high places of the towns of Judah. And they burned it on the high places around Jerusalem. They burned incense to honor Baal and the sun and moon. They burned it to honor all the stars.Josiah removed the Asherah pole from the Lord’ s temple. It had been used to worship the female god named Asherah. He took it to the Kidron Valley outside Jerusalem. There he burned it. He ground it into powder. And he scattered it over the graves of the ordinary people.He also tore down the rooms where the male temple prostitutes stayed. Those rooms were in the Lord’ s temple. Women had made cloth for Asherah in them.Josiah brought all the priests from the towns of Judah and destroyed the high places. He destroyed them from Geba all the way to Beersheba. The priests had burned incense on them. Josiah broke down the gate at the entrance of the Gate of Joshua. It was on the left side of Jerusalem’s city gate. Joshua was the city governor.The priests of the high places didn’t serve at the Lord’ s altar in Jerusalem. In spite of that, they ate with the other priests. All of them ate bread made without yeast.Josiah destroyed the high place at Topheth in the Valley of Ben Hinnom. He didn’t want anyone to use the high place to sacrifice his son or daughter in the fire to the god named Molek.Josiah removed the statues of horses from the entrance to the Lord’ s temple. The kings of Judah had set them apart to honor the sun. The statues were in the courtyard. They were near the room of an official named Nathan- Melek. Josiah burned the chariots that had been set apart to honor the sun.He pulled down the altars the kings of Judah had set up. They had put them on the palace roof near the upstairs room of Ahaz. Josiah also pulled down the altars Manasseh had built. They were in the two courtyards of the Lord’ s temple. Josiah removed the altars from there. He smashed them to pieces. Then he threw the broken pieces into the Kidron Valley.The king also destroyed the high places that were east of Jerusalem. They were at the southern end of the Mount of Olives. They were the ones Solomon, the king of Israel, had built. He had built a high place for worshiping Ashtoreth. She was the evil female god of the people of Sidon. Solomon had also built one for worshiping Chemosh. He was the evil god of Moab. And Solomon had built one for worshiping Molek. He was the god of the people of Ammon. The Lord hated that god.Josiah smashed the sacred stones. He cut down the poles used to worship the female god named Asherah. Then he covered all those places with human bones.There was an altar at Bethel. It was at the high place made by Jeroboam, the son of Nebat. Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit sin. Even that altar and high place were destroyed by Josiah. He burned the high place. He ground it into powder. He also burned the Asherah pole.Then Josiah looked around. He saw the tombs on the side of the hill. He had the bones removed from them. And he burned them on the altar to make it“ unclean.” That’s what the Lord had said would happen. He had spoken that message through a man of God. The man had announced those things long before they took place.The king asked,“ What’s that stone on the grave over there?” The people of the city said,“ It marks the tomb where the man of God is buried. He came from Judah. He spoke against the altar at Bethel. He announced the very things you have done to it.”“ Leave it alone,” Josiah said.“ Don’t let anyone touch his bones.” So they spared his bones. They also spared the bones of the prophet who had come from the northern kingdom of Israel.Josiah did in the rest of the northern kingdom the same things he had done at Bethel. He removed all the small temples at the high places. He made them“ unclean.” The kings of Israel had built them in the towns of the northern kingdom. The people in those towns had made the Lord very angry.Josiah killed all the priests of those high places on the altars. He burned human bones on the altars. Then he went back to Jerusalem.The king gave an order to all the people. He said,“ Celebrate the Passover Feast to honor the Lord your God. Do what is written in this Book of the Covenant.”A Passover Feast like that one had not been held for a long time. There hadn’t been any like it in the days of the judges who led Israel. And there hadn’t been any like it during the whole time the kings of Israel and Judah were ruling.King Josiah celebrated the Passover Feast in Jerusalem to honor the Lord. It was in the 18th year of his rule.And that’s not all. Josiah got rid of those who got messages from people who had died. He got rid of those who talked to the spirits of people who had died. He got rid of the statues of family gods and the statues of other gods. He got rid of everything else the Lord hates that was in Judah and Jerusalem. He did it to carry out what the law required. That law was written in the book that Hilkiah the priest had found in the Lord’ s temple.There was no king like Josiah either before him or after him. None of them turned to the Lord as he did. He obeyed the Lord with all his heart and all his soul. He obeyed him with all his strength. He did everything the Law of Moses required.In spite of that, the Lord didn’t turn away from his great anger against Judah. That’s because of everything Manasseh had done to make him very angry.So the Lord said,“ I will remove Judah from my land. I will do to them what I did to Israel. I will turn my back on Jerusalem. It is the city I chose. I will also turn my back on this temple. I spoke about it. I said,‘ I will put my Name there.’ ”( 1 Kings 8:29)The other events of the rule of Josiah are written down. Everything he did is written in the official records of the kings of Judah.Pharaoh Necho was king of Egypt. He marched up to the Euphrates River. He went there to help the king of Assyria. It happened while Josiah was king. Josiah marched out to meet Necho in battle. When Necho saw him at Megiddo, he killed him.Josiah’s servants brought his body in a chariot from Megiddo to Jerusalem. They buried him in his own tomb. Then the people of the land went and got Jehoahaz. They anointed him as king in place of his father Josiah.

Hezekiah joined the members of his family who had already died. He was buried on the hill where the tombs of David’s family are. The whole nation of Judah honored him when he died. So did the people of Jerusalem. Hezekiah’s son Manasseh became the next king after him.Manasseh was 12 years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for 55 years.Manasseh did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord. He followed the practices of the nations. The Lord hated those practices. The Lord had driven out those nations to make room for the Israelites.Manasseh rebuilt the high places. His father Hezekiah had destroyed them. Manasseh also set up altars to the gods that were named Baal. He made poles used to worship the female god named Asherah. He even bowed down to all the stars and worshiped them.He built altars in the Lord’ s temple. The Lord had said about his temple,“ My Name will remain in Jerusalem forever.”In the two courtyards of the Lord’ s temple Manasseh built altars to honor all the stars in the sky.He sacrificed his children in the fire to other gods. He did it in the Valley of Ben Hinnom. He practiced all kinds of evil magic. He took part in worshiping evil powers. He got messages from people who had died. He talked to the spirits of people who have died. He did many things that were evil in the eyes of the Lord. Manasseh made the Lord very angry.Manasseh had carved a statue of a god. He put it in God’s temple. God had spoken to David and his son Solomon about the temple. He had said,“ My Name will be in this temple and in Jerusalem forever. Out of all the cities in the tribes of Israel I have chosen Jerusalem.I gave this land to your people who lived long ago. I will not make the Israelites leave it again. But they must be careful to do everything I commanded them. They must follow all the laws, directions, and rules I gave them through Moses.”But Manasseh led Judah and the people of Jerusalem astray. They did more evil things than the nations the Lord had destroyed to make room for the Israelites.The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people. But they didn’t pay any attention to him.So the Lord brought the army commanders of the king of Assyria against them. They took Manasseh as a prisoner. They put a hook in his nose. They put him in bronze chains. And they took him to Babylon.When Manasseh was in trouble, he asked the Lord his God to help him. He made himself very humble in the sight of the God of his people.Manasseh prayed to him. When he did, the Lord felt sorry for him. He answered his prayer. The Lord brought Manasseh back to Jerusalem and his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord is God.After that, Manasseh rebuilt the outer wall of the City of David. It was west of the Gihon spring in the valley. It reached all the way to the entrance of the Fish Gate. It went around the entire hill of Ophel. Manasseh also made the wall much higher. He stationed military commanders in all the cities in Judah that had high walls around them.Manasseh got rid of the false gods. He removed the statue of one of those gods from the Lord’ s temple. He also removed all the altars he had built on the temple hill and in Jerusalem. He threw them out of the city.Then he made the Lord’ s altar look like new again. He sacrificed friendship offerings and thank offerings on it. He told the people of Judah to serve the Lord, the God of Israel.The people continued to offer sacrifices at the high places. But they offered them only to the Lord their God.The other events of Manasseh’s rule are written down in the official records of the kings of Judah. These records include his prayer to his God. They also include the words the prophets spoke to him in the name of the Lord, the God of Israel.Everything about Manasseh is written in the records of the prophets. That includes his prayer and the fact that God felt sorry for him. It includes everything he did before he made himself humble in the Lord’ s sight. It includes all his sins and the fact that he wasn’t faithful to the Lord. It includes the locations where he built high places. It includes the places where he set up poles used to worship the female god named Asherah. And it includes the places where he set up statues of other gods.Manasseh joined the members of his family who had already died. He was buried in his palace. Manasseh’s son Amon became the next king after him.Amon was 22 years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for two years.Amon did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father Manasseh had done. Amon worshiped and offered sacrifices to all the statues of gods that Manasseh had made.He didn’t make himself humble in the Lord’ s sight as his father Manasseh had done. So Amon became even more guilty.Amon’s officials made plans against him. They murdered him in his palace.Then the people of the land killed all those who had made plans against King Amon. They made his son Josiah king in his place.Josiah was eight years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for 31 years.He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. He lived the way King David had lived. He didn’t turn away from it to the right or the left.While he was still young, he began to worship the God of King David. It was the eighth year of Josiah’s rule. In his 12th year Josiah began to get rid of the high places in Judah and Jerusalem. He removed the poles used to worship the female god named Asherah. He also removed the statues of other false gods.He ordered the altars of the gods that were named Baal to be torn down. Josiah cut to pieces the altars above them that were used for burning incense. He smashed the Asherah poles. He also smashed the statues of other false gods. Josiah broke all of them to pieces. He scattered the pieces over the graves of those who had offered sacrifices to those gods.He burned the bones of the priests on their altars. That’s the way he made Judah and Jerusalem pure and“ clean.”Josiah went to the towns of Manasseh, Ephraim and Simeon. He went all the way to Naphtali. He also went to the destroyed places around all those towns.Everywhere Josiah went he tore down the altars and the Asherah poles. He crushed the statues of gods to powder. He cut to pieces all the altars for burning incense. He destroyed all those things everywhere in Israel. Then he went back to Jerusalem.In the 18th year of Josiah’s rule, he decided to make the land and temple pure and“ clean.” So he sent Shaphan, Maaseiah and Joah to repair the temple of the Lord his God. Shaphan was the son of Azaliah. Maaseiah was ruler of the city. And Joah, the son of Joahaz, kept the records.These men went to Hilkiah the high priest. They gave him the money that had been brought into God’s temple. The Levites who guarded the gates had collected it. They had received some of the money from the people of Manasseh and Ephraim. They had also received some from the other people who remained in Israel. The rest of the money came from other people. It came from all the people of Judah and Benjamin and the people living in Jerusalem.Men were appointed to direct the work on the Lord’ s temple. All the money collected was given to them. These men paid the workers who repaired the temple. They made it look like new again.They also gave money to the builders and those who worked with wood. The workers used it to buy lumber and blocks of stone. The lumber was used for the supports and beams for the buildings. The kings of Judah had let the buildings fall down.The workers were faithful in doing the work. Jahath and Obadiah directed them. They were Levites from the family line of Merari. Zechariah and Meshullam also directed them. They were from the family line of Kohath. The Levites were skilled in playing musical instruments.They were in charge of the laborers. They directed all the workers from job to job. Some of the Levites were secretaries and writers. Other Levites guarded the gates.The money that had been taken into the Lord’ s temple was being brought out. At that time Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the Lord. It had been given through Moses.Hilkiah spoke to Shaphan the secretary. Hilkiah said,“ I’ve found the Book of the Law in the Lord’ s temple.” Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan.Then Shaphan took the book to King Josiah. He told him,“ Your officials are doing everything they’ve been asked to do.They have paid out the money that was in the Lord’ s temple. They’ve put it in the care of the directors and workers.”Shaphan continued,“ Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” Shaphan read some of it to the king.The king heard the words of the Law. When he did, he tore his royal robes.He gave orders to Hilkiah, Ahikam, Abdon, Shaphan the secretary and Asaiah. Ahikam was the son of Shaphan. Abdon was the son of Micah. And Asaiah was the king’s attendant. Josiah commanded them,“ Go. Ask the Lord for advice. Ask him about what is written in this book that has been found. Do it for me. Also do it for the people who remain in Israel and Judah. The Lord has been very angry with us. That’s because our people before us didn’t obey what the Lord had said. They didn’t do everything written in this book.”Hilkiah and the people the king had sent with him went to speak to Huldah the prophet. She was the wife of Shallum. Shallum was the son of Tokhath. Tokhath was the son of Hasrah. Shallum took care of the sacred robes. Huldah lived in the New Quarter of Jerusalem.Huldah said to them,“ The Lord is the God of Israel. He says,‘ Here is what you should tell the man who sent you to me.“ The Lord says,‘ I am going to bring horrible trouble on this place and its people. There are curses written down in the book that has been read to the king of Judah. All those curses will take place.That’s because the people have deserted me. They have burned incense to other gods. They have made me very angry because of everything their hands have made. So my anger will burn like a fire against this place. And the fire of my anger will not be put out.’ ” ’The king of Judah sent you to ask for advice. Tell him,‘ The Lord is the God of Israel. He has a message for you about the things you heard.The Lord says,“ Your heart was tender. You made yourself humble in my sight. You heard what I spoke against this place and its people. So you made yourself humble. You tore your royal robes and wept. And I have heard you,” announces the Lord.You will join the members of your family who have already died. You will be buried in peace. You will not see all the trouble I am going to bring. I am going to bring trouble on this place and the people who live here.’ ” Huldah’s answer was taken back to the king.Then the king called together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem.He went up to the Lord’ s temple. The people of Judah and Jerusalem went with him. So did the priests and Levites. All of them went, from the least important of them to the most important. The king had all the words of the Book of the Covenant read to them. The book had been found in the Lord’ s temple.The king stood next to his pillar. He agreed to the terms of the covenant in front of the Lord. The king promised to serve the Lord and obey his commands, directions and rules. He promised to obey them with all his heart and with all his soul. So the king promised to obey the terms of the covenant that were written in that book.Then he had everyone in Jerusalem and in Benjamin commit themselves to the covenant. The people of Jerusalem did it in keeping with the covenant of the God of Israel.Josiah removed all the statues of false gods from the whole territory that belonged to the Israelites. The Lord hated those statues. Josiah had everyone in Israel serve the Lord their God. As long as he lived, they didn’t fail to follow the Lord, the God of their people.Josiah celebrated the Passover Feast in Jerusalem to honor the Lord. The Passover lamb was killed on the 14th day of the first month.Josiah appointed the priests to their duties. He cheered them up as they served the Lord at his temple.The Levites taught all the people of Israel. The Levites had been set apart to the Lord. Josiah said to them,“ Put the sacred ark of the covenant in the temple Solomon built. He was the son of David and king of Israel. The ark must not be carried around on your shoulders. Serve the Lord your God. Serve his people Israel.Prepare yourselves by families in your groups. Do it based on the directions written by David, the king of Israel, and by his son Solomon.“ Stand at the temple. Stand there with a group of Levites for each group of families among your people.Kill the Passover lambs. Set yourselves apart to the Lord. Prepare the lambs for your people. Do what the Lord commanded through Moses.”Josiah provided animals for the Passover offerings. He gave them for all the people who were there. He gave a total of 30,000 lambs and goats and 3,000 oxen. He gave all of them from his own possessions.His officials also gave freely. They gave to the people and the priests and Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah and Jehiel were in charge of God’s temple. They gave the priests 2,600 Passover lambs and 300 oxen.Konaniah and his brothers Shemaiah and Nethanel also gave offerings. So did Hashabiah, Jeiel and Jozabad. All of them were the leaders of the Levites. They gave 5,000 Passover lambs and 500 oxen for the Levites.The Passover service was arranged. The priests stood in their places. The Levites were in their groups. That’s what the king had ordered.The Passover lambs were killed. The priests splashed against the altar the blood handed to them. The Levites skinned the animals.They set the burnt offerings to one side. These offerings were for the smaller family groups to offer to the Lord. That’s what was written in the Book of Moses. The Levites did the same thing with the oxen.They cooked the Passover animals over the fire, just as the law required. They boiled the holy offerings in pots, large kettles and pans. They served the offerings quickly to all the people.After that, they got things ready for themselves and the priests. That’s because the priests, who were from the family line of Aaron, were busy until dark. They were sacrificing the burnt offerings and the fat parts. The Levites got things ready for themselves and for the priests, who belonged to Aaron’s family line.Those who played music were from the family line of Asaph. They were in the places that had been set up by David, Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun. Jeduthun had been the king’s prophet. The guards at each gate didn’t have to leave their places. That’s because their brother Levites got things ready for them.So at that time the entire service to honor the Lord was carried out. The Passover Feast was celebrated. The burnt offerings were sacrificed on the Lord’ s altar. That’s what King Josiah had ordered.The Israelites who were there celebrated the Passover Feast at that time. They observed the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days.The Passover Feast hadn’t been observed like that in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet. None of the kings of Israel had ever celebrated a Passover Feast like Josiah’s. He celebrated it with the priests and Levites. All the people of Judah and Israel were there along with the people of Jerusalem. He celebrated it with them too.That Passover Feast was celebrated in the 18th year of Josiah’s rule.Josiah had put the temple in order. After all of that, Necho went up to fight at Carchemish. He was king of Egypt. Carchemish was on the Euphrates River. Josiah marched out to meet Necho in battle.But Necho sent messengers to him. They said,“ Josiah king of Judah, there isn’t any trouble between you and me. I’m not attacking you at this time. I’m at war with another country. God told me to hurry. He’s with me. So stop opposing him. If you don’t, he’ll destroy you.”But Josiah wouldn’t turn away from Necho. Josiah wore different clothes so people wouldn’t recognize him. He wanted to go to war against Necho. He wouldn’t listen to what God had commanded Necho to say. Instead, Josiah went out to fight him on the plains of Megiddo.Men who had bows shot arrows at King Josiah. After he was hit, he told his officers,“ Take me away. I’m badly wounded.”So they took him out of his chariot. They put him in his other chariot. They brought him to Jerusalem. There he died. He was buried in the tombs of his family. All the people of Judah and Jerusalem mourned for him.Jeremiah wrote songs of sadness about Josiah. To this day all the male and female singers remember Josiah by singing those songs. That became a practice in Israel. The songs are written down in the Book of the Songs of Sadness.Josiah did many things that showed he was faithful to the Lord. Those things and the other events of Josiah’s rule were in keeping with what is written in the Law of the Lord.All the events from beginning to end are written down. They are written in the records of the kings of Israel and Judah.