1
King Josiah summoned all the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem,
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and together they went to the Temple, accompanied by the priests and the prophets and all the rest of the people, rich and poor alike. Before them all the king read aloud the whole book of the covenant which had been found in the Temple.
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He stood by the royal column and made a covenant with the LORD to obey him, to keep his laws and commands with all his heart and soul, and to put into practice the demands attached to the covenant, as written in the book. And all the people promised to keep the covenant.
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Then Josiah ordered the High Priest Hilkiah, his assistant priests, and the guards on duty at the entrance to the Temple to bring out of the Temple all the objects used in the worship of Baal, of the goddess Asherah, and of the stars. The king burned all these objects outside the city near Kidron Valley and then had the ashes taken to Bethel.
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He removed from office the priests that the kings of Judah had ordained to offer sacrifices on the pagan altars in the cities of Judah and in places near Jerusalem---all the priests who offered sacrifices to Baal, to the sun, the moon, the planets, and the stars.
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He removed from the Temple the symbol of the goddess Asherah, took it out of the city to Kidron Valley, burned it, pounded its ashes to dust, and scattered it over the public burying ground.
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He destroyed the living quarters in the Temple occupied by the temple prostitutes. (It was there that women wove robes used in the worship of Asherah.)
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He brought to Jerusalem the priests who were in the cities of Judah, and throughout the whole country he desecrated the altars where they had offered sacrifices. He also tore down the altars dedicated to the goat demons near the gate built by Joshua, the city governor, which was to the left of the main gate as one enters the city.
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Those priests were not allowed to serve in the Temple, but they could eat the unleavened bread provided for their fellow priests.
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King Josiah also desecrated Topheth, the pagan place of worship in Hinnom Valley, so that no one could sacrifice his son or daughter as a burnt offering to the god Molech.
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He also removed the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the worship of the sun, and he burned the chariots used in this worship. (These were kept in the temple courtyard, near the gate and not far from the living quarters of Nathan Melech, a high official.)
12
The altars which the kings of Judah had built on the palace roof above King Ahaz' quarters, King Josiah tore down, along with the altars put up by King Manasseh in the two courtyards of the Temple; he smashed the altars to bits and threw them into Kidron Valley.
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Josiah desecrated the altars that King Solomon had built east of Jerusalem, south of the Mount of Olives, for the worship of disgusting idols---Astarte the goddess of Sidon, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Molech the god of Ammon.
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King Josiah broke the stone pillars to pieces, cut down the symbols of the goddess Asherah, and the ground where they had stood he covered with human bones.
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Josiah also tore down the place of worship in Bethel, which had been built by King Jeroboam son of Nebat, who led Israel into sin. Josiah pulled down the altar, broke its stones into pieces, and pounded them to dust; he also burned the image of Asherah.
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Then Josiah looked around and saw some tombs there on the hill; he had the bones taken out of them and burned on the altar. In this way he desecrated the altar, doing what the prophet had predicted long before during the festival as King Jeroboam was standing by the altar. King Josiah looked around and saw the tomb of the prophet who had made this prediction.
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"Whose tomb is that?" he asked. The people of Bethel answered, "It is the tomb of the prophet who came from Judah and predicted these things that you have done to this altar."
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"Leave it as it is," Josiah ordered. "His bones are not to be moved." So his bones were not moved, neither were those of the prophet who had come from Samaria.
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In every city of Israel King Josiah tore down all the pagan places of worship which had been built by the kings of Israel, who thereby aroused the LORD's anger. He did to all those altars what he had done in Bethel.
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He killed all the pagan priests on the altars where they served, and he burned human bones on every altar. Then he returned to Jerusalem.
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King Josiah ordered the people to celebrate the Passover in honor of the LORD their God, as written in the book of the covenant.
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No Passover like this one had ever been celebrated by any of the kings of Israel or of Judah, since the time when judges ruled the nation.
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Now at last, in the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah, the Passover was celebrated in Jerusalem.
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In order to enforce the laws written in the book that the High Priest Hilkiah had found in the Temple, King Josiah removed from Jerusalem and the rest of Judah all the mediums and fortunetellers, and all the household gods, idols, and all other pagan objects of worship.
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There had never been a king like him before, who served the LORD with all his heart, mind, and strength, obeying all the Law of Moses; nor has there been a king like him since.
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But the LORD's fierce anger had been aroused against Judah by what King Manasseh had done, and even now it did not die down.
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The LORD said, "I will do to Judah what I have done to Israel: I will banish the people of Judah from my sight, and I will reject Jerusalem, the city I chose, and the Temple, the place I said was where I should be worshiped."
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Everything else that King Josiah did is recorded in The History of the Kings of Judah.
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While Josiah was king, King Neco of Egypt led an army to the Euphrates River to help the emperor of Assyria. King Josiah tried to stop the Egyptian army at Megiddo and was killed in battle.
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His officials placed his body in a chariot and took it back to Jerusalem, where he was buried in the royal tombs. The people of Judah chose Josiah's son Joahaz and anointed him king.
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Joahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for three months. His mother was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah from the city of Libnah.
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Following the example of his ancestors, he sinned against the LORD.
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His reign ended when King Neco of Egypt took him prisoner in Riblah, in the land of Hamath, and made Judah pay 7,500 pounds of silver and 75 pounds of gold as tribute.
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King Neco made Josiah's son Eliakim king of Judah as successor to Josiah, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. Joahaz was taken to Egypt by King Neco, and there he died.
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King Jehoiakim collected a tax from the people in proportion to their wealth, in order to raise the amount needed to pay the tribute demanded by the king of Egypt.
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Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for eleven years. His mother was Zebidah, the daughter of Pedaiah from the town of Rumah.
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Following the example of his ancestors, Jehoiakim sinned against the LORD.
1
King Josiah celebrated the Passover at Jerusalem in honor of the LORD; on the fourteenth day of the first month they killed the animals for the festival.
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He assigned to the priests the duties they were to perform in the Temple and encouraged them to do them well.
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He also gave these instructions to the Levites, the teachers of Israel, who were dedicated to the LORD: "Put the sacred Covenant Box in the Temple that King Solomon, the son of David, built. You are no longer to carry it from place to place, but you are to serve the LORD your God and his people Israel.
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Take your places in the Temple by clans, according to the responsibilities assigned to you by King David and his son King Solomon,
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and arrange yourselves so that some of you will be available to help each family of the people of Israel.
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You are to kill the Passover lambs and goats. Now make yourselves ritually clean and prepare the sacrifices in order that your fellow Israelites may follow the instructions which the LORD gave through Moses."
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For the use of the people at the Passover, King Josiah contributed from his own herds and flocks 30,000 sheep, lambs, and young goats, and 3,000 bulls.
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His officials also made contributions for the people, the priests, and the Levites to use. And the officials in charge of the Temple---Hilkiah, the High Priest, Zechariah, and Jehiel---gave the priests 2,600 lambs and young goats and 300 bulls for sacrifices during the festival.
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The leaders of the Levites---Conaniah, Shemaiah and his brother Nethanel, Hashabiah, Jeiel, and Jozabad---contributed 5,000 lambs and young goats and 500 bulls for the Levites to offer as sacrifices.
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When everything was arranged for the Passover, the priests and the Levites took their posts, as commanded by the king.
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After the lambs and goats had been killed, the Levites skinned them, and the priests sprinkled the blood on the altar.
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Then they divided among the people, by family groups, the animals for burnt offerings, so that they could offer them according to the instructions in the Law of Moses.
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The Levites roasted the Passover sacrifices over the fire, according to the regulations, and boiled the sacred offerings in pots, kettles, and pans, and quickly distributed the meat to the people.
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After this was done, the Levites provided meat for themselves and for the priests descended from Aaron, for the priests were kept busy until night, burning the animals that were burned whole and the fat of the sacrifices.
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The following musicians of the Levite clan of Asaph were in the places assigned to them by King David's instructions: Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, the king's prophet. The guards at the Temple gates did not need to leave their posts, because the other Levites prepared the Passover for them.
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So, as King Josiah had commanded, everything was done that day for the worship of the LORD, the keeping of the Passover Festival, and the offering of burnt offerings on the altar.
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For seven days all the people of Israel who were present celebrated the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread.
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Since the days of the prophet Samuel, the Passover had never been celebrated like this. None of the former kings had ever celebrated a Passover like this one celebrated by King Josiah, the priests, the Levites, and the people of Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem
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in the eighteenth year of Josiah's reign.
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After King Josiah had done all this for the Temple, King Neco of Egypt led an army to fight at Carchemish on the Euphrates River. Josiah tried to stop him,
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but Neco sent Josiah this message: "This war I am fighting does not concern you, King of Judah. I have not come to fight you, but to fight my enemies, and God has told me to hurry. God is on my side, so don't oppose me, or he will destroy you."
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But Josiah was determined to fight. He refused to listen to what God was saying through King Neco, so he disguised himself and went into battle on the plain of Megiddo.
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During the battle King Josiah was struck by Egyptian arrows. He ordered his servants, "Take me away; I'm badly hurt!"
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They lifted him out of his chariot, placed him in a second chariot which he had there, and took him to Jerusalem. There he died and was buried in the royal tombs. All the people of Judah and Jerusalem mourned his death.
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The prophet Jeremiah composed a lament for King Josiah. It has become a custom in Israel for the singers, both men and women, to use this song when they mourn for him. The song is found in the collection of laments.
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Everything that Josiah did---his devotion to the LORD, his obedience to the Law,
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and his history from beginning to end---is all recorded in The History of the Kings of Israel and Judah.
1
After this, Jesus traveled in Galilee; he did not want to travel in Judea, because the Jewish authorities there were wanting to kill him.
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The time for the Festival of Shelters was near,
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so Jesus' brothers said to him, "Leave this place and go to Judea, so that your followers will see the things that you are doing.
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People don't hide what they are doing if they want to be well known. Since you are doing these things, let the whole world know about you!"
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(Not even his brothers believed in him.)
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Jesus said to them, "The right time for me has not yet come. Any time is right for you.
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The world cannot hate you, but it hates me, because I keep telling it that its ways are bad.
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You go on to the festival. I am not going to this festival, because the right time has not come for me."
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He said this and then stayed on in Galilee.
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After his brothers had gone to the festival, Jesus also went; however, he did not go openly, but secretly.
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The Jewish authorities were looking for him at the festival. "Where is he?" they asked.
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There was much whispering about him in the crowd. "He is a good man," some people said. "No," others said, "he fools the people."
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But no one talked about him openly, because they were afraid of the Jewish authorities.
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The festival was nearly half over when Jesus went to the Temple and began teaching.
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The Jewish authorities were greatly surprised and said, "How does this man know so much when he has never been to school?"
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Jesus answered, "What I teach is not my own teaching, but it comes from God, who sent me.
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Whoever is willing to do what God wants will know whether what I teach comes from God or whether I speak on my own authority.
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Those who speak on their own authority are trying to gain glory for themselves. But he who wants glory for the one who sent him is honest, and there is nothing false in him.
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Moses gave you the Law, didn't he? But not one of you obeys the Law. Why are you trying to kill me?"
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"You have a demon in you!" the crowd answered. "Who is trying to kill you?"
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Jesus answered, "I performed one miracle, and you were all surprised.
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Moses ordered you to circumcise your sons (although it was not Moses but your ancestors who started it), and so you circumcise a boy on the Sabbath.
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If a boy is circumcised on the Sabbath so that Moses' Law is not broken, why are you angry with me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath?
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Stop judging by external standards, and judge by true standards."
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Some of the people of Jerusalem said, "Isn't this the man the authorities are trying to kill?
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Look! He is talking in public, and they say nothing against him! Can it be that they really know that he is the Messiah?
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But when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from. And we all know where this man comes from."
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As Jesus taught in the Temple, he said in a loud voice, "Do you really know me and know where I am from? I have not come on my own authority. He who sent me, however, is truthful. You do not know him,
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but I know him, because I come from him and he sent me."
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Then they tried to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come.
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But many in the crowd believed in him and said, "When the Messiah comes, will he perform more miracles than this man has?"
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The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering these things about Jesus, so they and the chief priests sent some guards to arrest him.
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Jesus said, "I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I shall go away to him who sent me.
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You will look for me, but you will not find me, because you cannot go where I will be."
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The Jewish authorities said among themselves, "Where is he about to go so that we shall not find him? Will he go to the Greek cities where our people live, and teach the Greeks?
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He says that we will look for him but will not find him, and that we cannot go where he will be. What does he mean?"
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On the last and most important day of the festival Jesus stood up and said in a loud voice, "Whoever is thirsty should come to me, and
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whoever believes in me should drink. As the scripture says, 'Streams of life-giving water will pour out from his side.' "
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Jesus said this about the Spirit, which those who believed in him were going to receive. At that time the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not been raised to glory.
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Some of the people in the crowd heard him say this and said, "This man is really the Prophet!"
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Others said, "He is the Messiah!" But others said, "The Messiah will not come from Galilee!
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The scripture says that the Messiah will be a descendant of King David and will be born in Bethlehem, the town where David lived."
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So there was a division in the crowd because of Jesus.
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Some wanted to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him.
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When the guards went back, the chief priests and Pharisees asked them, "Why did you not bring him?"
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The guards answered, "Nobody has ever talked the way this man does!"
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"Did he fool you, too?" the Pharisees asked them.
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"Have you ever known one of the authorities or one Pharisee to believe in him?
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This crowd does not know the Law of Moses, so they are under God's curse!"
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One of the Pharisees there was Nicodemus, the man who had gone to see Jesus before. He said to the others,
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"According to our Law we cannot condemn people before hearing them and finding out what they have done."
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"Well," they answered, "are you also from Galilee? Study the Scriptures and you will learn that no prophet ever comes from Galilee."
