Josiah Promises Again to Obey the Covenant
1Then the king called together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 2He 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. 3The 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.
4Certain 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. 5Josiah 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. 6Josiah 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. 7He 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.
8Josiah 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. 9The 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.
10Josiah 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. 11Josiah 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.
12He 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. 13The 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. 14Josiah 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.
15There 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. 16Then 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.
17The 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.”
18“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.
19Josiah 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. 20Josiah killed all the priests of those high places on the altars. He burned human bones on the altars. Then he went back to Jerusalem.
21The 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.” 22A 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. 23King Josiah celebrated the Passover Feast in Jerusalem to honor the Lord. It was in the 18th year of his rule.
24And 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. 25There 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.
26In 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. 27So 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)
28The other events of the rule of Josiah are written down. Everything he did is written in the official records of the kings of Judah.
29Pharaoh 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. 30Josiah’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.
Jehoahaz King of Judah
31Jehoahaz was 23 years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for three months. His mother’s name was Hamutal. She was the daughter of Jeremiah. She was from Libnah. 32Jehoahaz did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord. He did just as the kings who had ruled before him had done. 33Pharaoh Necho put him in chains at Riblah in the land of Hamath. That kept him from ruling in Jerusalem. Necho made the people of Judah pay him a tax of almost four tons of silver and 75 pounds of gold. 34Pharaoh Necho made Eliakim king in place of his father Josiah. Necho changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim. But he took Jehoahaz with him to Egypt. And that’s where Jehoahaz died. 35Jehoiakim paid Pharaoh Necho the silver and gold he required. To get the money, Jehoiakim taxed the land. He forced the people to give him the silver and gold. He made each one pay him what he required.
Jehoiakim King of Judah
36Jehoiakim was 25 years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for 11 years. His mother’s name was Zebidah. She was the daughter of Pedaiah. She was from Rumah. 37Jehoiakim did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord. He did just as the kings who had ruled before him had done.
約西亞的改革
1於是，王召集猶大和耶路撒冷的所有長老， 2與祭司、先知、猶大人、耶路撒冷的居民等全體民眾，不論貴賤，一同上到耶和華的殿。王把在殿中發現的約書唸給他們聽。 3王站在柱旁，在耶和華面前立約，要全心全意地跟隨耶和華，遵從祂的一切誡命、法度和律例，履行約書上的規定。民眾都答應守約。
4王吩咐大祭司希勒迦及其副手和殿門守衛清除耶和華殿裡用來祭拜巴力、亞舍拉及天上萬象的一切器具，將其搬到耶路撒冷城外汲淪溪旁的田野燒掉，又把灰燼帶到伯特利。 5從前，猶大各王任命祭司在猶大各城和耶路撒冷周圍的邱壇燒香。現在，約西亞除掉那些祭司，又除掉向巴力、日、月、星辰及天上萬象燒香的祭司。 6他將亞舍拉神像從耶和華的殿裡搬到耶路撒冷城外汲淪溪旁燒掉，磨成灰撒在平民的墳墓上。 7他又拆毀耶和華的殿內男廟妓的房屋，就是婦女為亞舍拉編織帳幔的地方。 8他召集猶大各城中的祭司，污瀆從迦巴到別示巴的各邱壇，那些祭司曾在那裡燒香。他拆毀耶路撒冷城門左邊、約書亞總督門前的邱壇。 9但在邱壇燒香的祭司不能在耶路撒冷耶和華的祭壇那裡事奉，只可以和其他祭司一起吃無酵餅。 10他污瀆欣嫩子谷中的陀斐特，使人們不能焚燒自己的兒女獻給摩洛。 11他從耶和華的殿門口除掉猶大各王獻給太陽神的馬匹，這些馬匹在太監拿單·米勒房子旁邊的院子裡。他燒掉了那些獻給太陽神的戰車。 12他推倒猶大各王在亞哈斯樓頂上建造的祭壇，摧毀瑪拿西在耶和華殿的兩個院子裡所築的祭壇，把它們打碎，把灰丟進汲淪溪。 13他污瀆耶路撒冷東面、敗壞山南面的邱壇。這些邱壇都是以色列王所羅門為西頓人可憎的神明亞斯她錄、摩押人可憎的神明基抹和亞捫人可憎的神明米勒公建造的。 14他砸碎神柱，砍倒亞舍拉神像，用死人骨頭填滿那些地方。
15他拆掉伯特利高崗上的祭壇，即尼八的兒子耶羅波安誘使以色列人犯罪時建造的祭壇，把祭壇燒毀，搗碎成灰，又焚燒亞舍拉神像。 16約西亞轉身看見山上的墳墓，就派人取出墓中的屍骨，放在那祭壇上焚燒，污瀆了那祭壇，應驗了耶和華藉祂的僕人所說的預言。 17約西亞問：「我看到的那墓碑是誰的？」那城裡的人告訴他：「是上帝僕人的，他曾從猶大來預言你對伯特利祭壇所做的這些事。」 18他說：「不要動他，不要動他的屍骨。」於是，他們沒有動那位先知和撒瑪利亞來的先知的屍骨。 19他拆毀以色列各王從前建在撒瑪利亞各城高崗上、惹耶和華發怒的邱壇，就像他在伯特利所做的一樣。 20他在祭壇上殺死那些邱壇的祭司，又在壇上焚燒死人骨頭。之後，他返回耶路撒冷。
約西亞守逾越節
21約西亞王吩咐民眾：「你們應當依照約書的記載慶祝逾越節，以尊崇你們的上帝耶和華。」 22-23約西亞執政第十八年，他們在耶路撒冷慶祝逾越節，以尊崇耶和華。自士師治理以色列起，至以色列和猶大列王統治期間，都沒有這樣慶祝過逾越節。
24為了遵守祭司希勒迦在耶和華殿裡找到的律法書上的話，約西亞徹底清除了耶路撒冷和猶大境內的靈媒、巫師、家庭神像及其他一切可憎之物。 25約西亞全心、全意、全力歸向耶和華，遵行摩西的一切律法，在猶大列王中空前絕後。
26然而，瑪拿西所行的一切惹怒耶和華，耶和華對猶大仍盛怒未息。 27耶和華說：「我要像驅逐以色列人一樣將猶大人從我面前趕走。我要撇棄我所揀選的耶路撒冷和我名常在的殿。」
28約西亞其他的事及作為都記在猶大的列王史上。 29約西亞執政期間，埃及王尼哥前往幼發拉底河援助亞述王，約西亞出兵迎戰尼哥，在米吉多被殺。 30他的臣僕用車把他的屍體從米吉多運回耶路撒冷，安葬在他的墓穴裡。民眾膏立他兒子約哈斯做王。
約哈斯做猶大王
31約哈斯二十三歲登基，在耶路撒冷執政三個月。他母親叫哈慕她，是立拿人耶利米的女兒。 32約哈斯像他祖先一樣做耶和華視為惡的事。 33埃及王尼哥把約哈斯囚禁在哈馬的利比拉，不准他在耶路撒冷做王，又罰猶大國三點四噸銀子和三十四公斤金子。
約雅敬做猶大王
34埃及王尼哥立約西亞的另一個兒子以利亞敬為王，給他改名為約雅敬。約哈斯被尼哥帶到埃及，並死在那裡。 35為了繳納法老索要的金銀，約雅敬向全國徵稅，按照民眾家產的多少徵收金銀。 36約雅敬二十五歲登基，在耶路撒冷執政十一年。他母親叫西布妲，是魯瑪人毗大雅的女兒。 37他像他祖先一樣做耶和華視為惡的事。
