Josiah Celebrates the Passover Feast
1Josiah celebrated the Passover Feast in Jerusalem to honor the Lord. The Passover lamb was killed on the 14th day of the first month. 2Josiah appointed the priests to their duties. He cheered them up as they served the Lord at his temple. 3The 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. 4Prepare yourselves by families in your groups. Do it based on the directions written by David, the king of Israel, and by his son Solomon.
5“Stand at the temple. Stand there with a group of Levites for each group of families among your people. 6Kill the Passover lambs. Set yourselves apart to the Lord. Prepare the lambs for your people. Do what the Lord commanded through Moses.”
7Josiah 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.
8His 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. 9Konaniah 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.
10The Passover service was arranged. The priests stood in their places. The Levites were in their groups. That’s what the king had ordered. 11The Passover lambs were killed. The priests splashed against the altar the blood handed to them. The Levites skinned the animals. 12They 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. 13They 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. 14After 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.
15Those 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.
16So 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. 17The Israelites who were there celebrated the Passover Feast at that time. They observed the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days. 18The 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. 19That Passover Feast was celebrated in the 18th year of Josiah’s rule.
Josiah Dies
20Josiah 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. 21But 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.”
22But 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.
23Men who had bows shot arrows at King Josiah. After he was hit, he told his officers, “Take me away. I’m badly wounded.” 24So 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.
25Jeremiah 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.
26Josiah 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. 27All the events from beginning to end are written down. They are written in the records of the kings of Israel and Judah.
Yosia Di Twam Afahyɛ
1Afei, Yosia bɔɔ dawuro sɛ, wɔbɛdi Awurade Twam Afahyɛ no wɔ Yerusalem wɔ bosome a ɛdi ɛkan no da a ɛtɔ so dunan. Wɔkunkumm Twam Afahyɛ nnwammaa no da no wɔ ɛberɛ a owia rekɔtɔ. 2Yosia maa asɔfoɔ no kɔɔ wɔn nnwuma so, na ɔhyɛɛ wɔn nkuran wɔ wɔn dwumadie mu wɔ Awurade Asɔredan mu hɔ. 3Ɔhyɛɛ Lewifoɔ a wɔayi wɔn asi hɔ sɛ wɔnsom Awurade, na wɔyɛ akyerɛkyerɛfoɔ wɔ Israel no sɛ, “Esiane sɛ seesei Apam Adaka no wɔ Salomo Asɔredan mu, na ɛho nhia sɛ mobɛsoa no mo mmati so de adi akɔneaba enti, momfa mo mmerɛ nsom Awurade, mo Onyankopɔn ne ne nkurɔfoɔ Israel. 4Monkɔ mo nnwuma so sɛdeɛ mo agyanom mmusua nkyekyɛmu teɛ, ne sɛdeɛ Israelhene Dawid ne ne babarima Salomo ahyɛdeɛ a wɔatwerɛ no kyerɛ.
5“Afei, monnyinagyina kronkronbea a wɔayi ama mo no, na mommoa mmusua a wɔde wɔn ahyɛ mo nsa no wɔ ɛberɛ a wɔde wɔn afɔdeɛ aba Asɔredan mu no. 6Monkum Twam Afahyɛ nnwammaa no, na monnwira mo ho, na mommoa wɔn a wɔbɛba no. Ahyɛdeɛ biara a Awurade nam Mose so de maeɛ no, monni so.”
7Na Yosia firii deɛ ɔwɔ mu, maa nnwammaa ne mmirekyie mma ɔpeduasa ne anantwinini mpem mmiɛnsa sɛ nnipa no Twam Afahyɛ afɔrebɔdeɛ.
8Ɔhene no mpanimfoɔ nso firi wɔn pɛ mu, boaa ɔmanfoɔ, asɔfoɔ ne Lewifoɔ no. Hilkia, Sakaria ne Yehiel a wɔyɛ Onyankopɔn Asɔredan no ho mpanimfoɔ nso maa asɔfoɔ no nnwammaa ne mmirekyie mma mpem mmienu ne ahansia ne anantwinini ahasa sɛ Twam Afahyɛ afɔrebɔdeɛ. 9Lewifoɔ ntuanofoɔ Kenania ne ne nuanom mmarima Semaia, Netanel, Hasabia, Yeiel ne Yosabad maa Lewifoɔ nnwammaa ne mmirekyie mma mpem enum ne anantwinini ahanum sɛ wɔn Twam Afahyɛ afɔrebɔdeɛ.
10Ɛberɛ a Twam Afahyɛ no ho ahosiesie baa awieeɛ no, asɔfoɔ ne Lewifoɔ no gyinagyinaa wɔn afa sɛdeɛ ɔhene no ahyehyɛ ama akuakuo no. 11Lewifoɔ no kunkumm Twam Afahyɛ nnwammaa no, na wɔde mogya no maa asɔfoɔ no, na wɔde petee afɔrebukyia no so wɔ ɛberɛ a na Lewifoɔ no redwa mmoa no. 12Wɔkyekyɛɛ ɔhyeɛ afɔrebɔdeɛ no maa ɔmanfoɔ no sɛdeɛ wɔn mmusua nkyekyɛmu no teɛ, na wɔatumi de abɔ afɔdeɛ ama Awurade, sɛdeɛ mmara a wɔatwerɛ agu Mose nwoma no mu kyerɛ. Saa ara na wɔyɛɛ anantwinini no nso. 13Afei, wɔtotoo Twam Afahyɛ nnwammaa no sɛdeɛ wɔakyerɛ no, na wɔnoaa afɔrebɔdeɛ kronkron no wɔ nkukuo, nnadesɛn ne nkyɛnsee mu, de baa ntɛm so sɛdeɛ ɔmanfoɔ no bɛtumi awe. 14Akyire yi, Lewifoɔ yɛɛ wɔn ne asɔfoɔ no aduane, ɛfiri sɛ, na asɔfoɔ no ayɛ adwuma firi anɔpa kɔsi anadwo a wɔrebɔ ɔhyeɛ afɔdeɛ no na wɔrehye sradeɛ no. Saa ahosiesie yi nyinaa, Lewifoɔ no na wɔgye too wɔn ho so yɛeɛ.
15Asaf asefoɔ nnwom ho nimdefoɔ no nso, na wɔwɔ wɔn nnwuma so, sɛdeɛ Dawid, Asaf, Heman ne Yedutun, ɔhene adehunumuni no kyerɛɛ wɔn no. Aponoanohwɛfoɔ no wɛnee apono no a na ɛho nhia sɛ wɔfiri wɔn nnwuma so, ɛfiri sɛ, na wɔn mfɛfoɔ Lewifoɔ no de wɔn nnuane kɔma wɔn wɔ hɔ.
16Awurade Twam Afahyɛ no baa awieeɛ da no. Wɔbɔɔ ɔhyeɛ afɔdeɛ no nyinaa wɔ Awurade afɔrebukyia no so, sɛdeɛ ɔhene Yosia hyɛeɛ no. 17Israelfoɔ a wɔwɔ Yerusalem de nnanson dii Twam Afahyɛ ne Apiti Afahyɛ no. 18Ɛfiri odiyifoɔ Samuel berɛ so no, wɔnnii Twam Afahyɛ sei da. Israel ahemfo no mu biara mpo anni Twam Afahyɛ sɛdeɛ Yosia yɛeɛ a ɔmaa asɔfoɔ, Lewifoɔ, ɔmanfoɔ a wɔwɔ Yerusalem ne nnipa a wɔfiri Yuda ne Israel nyinaa bɛkaa ho. 19Wɔdii saa Twam Afahyɛ yi wɔ Yosia ahennie mfirinhyia dunwɔtwe so.35.19 Afe a ɛtɔ so dunwɔtwe. Afe korɔ no ara mu na wɔhunuu Mmara Nwoma no (34.8,14).
Yosia Wu Wɔ Akono
20Yosia siesiee Asɔredan no wieeɛ no, Misraimhene Neko dii nʼakodɔm anim firii Misraim, sɛ wɔrebɛko wɔ Karkemis wɔ asuo Eufrate ano. Na Yosia ne nʼakodɔm nso sii mu sɛ wɔne no rekɔko. 21Nanso, ɔhene Neko tuu ananmusifoɔ, de nkra yi kɔmaa Yosia sɛ, “Ɛdeɛn na wo Yudahene hwehwɛ afiri me nkyɛn? Me ne wo nni akasakasa ɛnnɛ! Deɛ mehwehwɛ ne sɛ, me ne ɔman a matu ne so sa no bɛko. Na Onyankopɔn aka akyerɛ me sɛ, menyɛ no ntɛm. Ntwintwane Onyankopɔn a ɔka me ho no anan mu, anyɛ saa a ɔbɛsɛe wo.”
22Nanso, Yosia antie Neko a Onyankopɔn akasa akyerɛ no ampa ara no, annane nʼani. Mmom, ɔdii nʼakodɔm anim, kɔkoo wɔ Megido tata so. Ɔworɔɔ nʼahentadeɛ no guu nkyɛn baabi sɛdeɛ atamfoɔ no renhunu no.
23Nanso, atamfoɔ agyantofoɔ no too bɛmma ma ɛwɔɔ ɔhene Yosia, piraa no. Ɔteaam frɛɛ ne mmarima sɛ, “Momfa me mfiri akono ha, ɛfiri sɛ, mapira pira bɔne.” 24Enti, wɔyii Yosia firi ne teaseɛnam mu, de no too teaseɛnam foforɔ mu. Na wɔde no kɔɔ Yerusalem, na ɛhɔ na ɔwuiɛ. Wɔsiee no hɔ wɔ adehyeɛ amusieeɛ. Na Yuda ne Yerusalem nyinaa yɛɛ no ayie.
25Odiyifoɔ Yeremia too kwadwom maa Yosia, na ɛbɛsi ɛnnɛ yi, nnwomtofoɔ to saa kwadwom a ɛfa ne owuo no ho no. Saa kwadwom yi abɛyɛ amanneɛ a wɔatwerɛ ahyɛ Kwadwom Nwoma mu.
26Yosia ahennie ho nsɛm nkaeɛ ne nʼahofama sɛdeɛ Awurade mmara teɛ no, 27firi ahyɛaseɛ kɔsi awieeɛ no, wɔatwerɛ agu Israel ne Yuda Ahemfo Nwoma mu.
