Josiah Celebrates the Passover
1Josiah celebrated the Passover to the Lord in Jerusalem, and the Passover lamb was slaughtered on the fourteenth day of the first month. 2He appointed the priests to their duties and encouraged them in the service of the Lord’s temple. 3He said to the Levites, who instructed all Israel and who had been consecrated to the Lord: “Put the sacred ark in the temple that Solomon son of David king of Israel built. It is not to be carried about on your shoulders. Now serve the Lord your God and his people Israel. 4Prepare yourselves by families in your divisions, according to the instructions written by David king of Israel and by his son Solomon.
5“Stand in the holy place with a group of Levites for each subdivision of the families of your fellow Israelites, the lay people. 6Slaughter the Passover lambs, consecrate yourselves and prepare the lambs for your fellow Israelites, doing what the Lord commanded through Moses.”
7Josiah provided for all the lay people who were there a total of thirty thousand lambs and goats for the Passover offerings, and also three thousand cattle—all from the king’s own possessions.
8His officials also contributed voluntarily to the people and the priests and Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah and Jehiel, the officials in charge of God’s temple, gave the priests twenty-six hundred Passover offerings and three hundred cattle. 9Also Konaniah along with Shemaiah and Nethanel, his brothers, and Hashabiah, Jeiel and Jozabad, the leaders of the Levites, provided five thousand Passover offerings and five hundred head of cattle for the Levites.
10The service was arranged and the priests stood in their places with the Levites in their divisions as the king had ordered. 11The Passover lambs were slaughtered, and the priests splashed against the altar the blood handed to them, while the Levites skinned the animals. 12They set aside the burnt offerings to give them to the subdivisions of the families of the people to offer to the Lord, as it is written in the Book of Moses. They did the same with the cattle. 13They roasted the Passover animals over the fire as prescribed, and boiled the holy offerings in pots, caldrons and pans and served them quickly to all the people. 14After this, they made preparations for themselves and for the priests, because the priests, the descendants of Aaron, were sacrificing the burnt offerings and the fat portions until nightfall. So the Levites made preparations for themselves and for the Aaronic priests.
15The musicians, the descendants of Asaph, were in the places prescribed by David, Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun the king’s seer. The gatekeepers at each gate did not need to leave their posts, because their fellow Levites made the preparations for them.
16So at that time the entire service of the Lord was carried out for the celebration of the Passover and the offering of burnt offerings on the altar of the Lord, as King Josiah had ordered. 17The Israelites who were present celebrated the Passover at that time and observed the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days. 18The Passover had not been observed like this in Israel since the days of the prophet Samuel; and none of the kings of Israel had ever celebrated such a Passover as did Josiah, with the priests, the Levites and all Judah and Israel who were there with the people of Jerusalem. 19This Passover was celebrated in the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign.
The Death of Josiah
20After all this, when Josiah had set the temple in order, Necho king of Egypt went up to fight at Carchemish on the Euphrates, and Josiah marched out to meet him in battle. 21But Necho sent messengers to him, saying, “What quarrel is there, king of Judah, between you and me? It is not you I am attacking at this time, but the house with which I am at war. God has told me to hurry; so stop opposing God, who is with me, or he will destroy you.”
22Josiah, however, would not turn away from him, but disguised himself to engage him in battle. He would not listen to what Necho had said at God’s command but went to fight him on the plain of Megiddo.
23Archers shot King Josiah, and he told his officers, “Take me away; I am badly wounded.” 24So they took him out of his chariot, put him in his other chariot and brought him to Jerusalem, where he died. He was buried in the tombs of his ancestors, and all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for him.
25Jeremiah composed laments for Josiah, and to this day all the male and female singers commemorate Josiah in the laments. These became a tradition in Israel and are written in the Laments.
26The other events of Josiah’s reign and his acts of devotion in accordance with what is written in the Law of the Lord— 27all the events, from beginning to end, are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.
Mfalme Yosia Anaadhimisha Pasaka
(2 Wafalme 23:21-23)
135:1 Kut 12:1-30; Hes 9:3; Eze 45:21; Ezr 6:17; 2Fal 23:21Yosia akaadhimisha Pasaka kwa Bwana katika Yerusalemu, mwana-kondoo wa Pasaka akachinjwa siku ya kumi na nne ya mwezi wa kwanza. 235:2 Ezr 6:18-19; 2Nya 23:18; 29:11Akawaweka makuhani kwenye wajibu wao na kuwatia moyo katika utumishi wa Hekalu la Bwana. 335:3 Kum 33:10; 1Nya 23:26; 2Nya 34:14; 30:22; 5:7Akawaambia Walawi, waliowafundisha Waisraeli wote na waliokuwa wamejiweka wakfu kwa ajili ya kazi ya Bwana, “Liwekeni hilo Sanduku takatifu katika Hekalu lile alilojenga Solomoni mwana wa Daudi mfalme wa Israeli. Halipaswi kubebwa huku na huko mabegani mwenu. Sasa mtumikieni Bwana Mungu wenu na watu wake Israeli. 435:4 1Nya 9:10-13; Ezr 6:15; 2Nya 8:14Jiandaeni kwa kufuata jamaa zenu katika migawanyo yenu, kufuatana na maelezo yaliyoandikwa na Daudi mfalme wa Israeli na mwanawe Solomoni.
5“Simameni mahali patakatifu kwa kufuata migawanyo ya jamaa za baba zenu kulingana na koo zenu na pawepo Walawi kwa ajili ya kila mgawanyo wa nyumba ya baba zenu. 635:6 Law 11:44; 2Nya 29:5-15; Kut 19:10; Ebr 9:13-14; Kut 19:10; Ezr 6:20; Za 51:7; Yoe 2:16; 2Nya 30:3, 15Chinjeni mwana-kondoo wa Pasaka, jitakaseni, nanyi kwa niaba ya koo zenu fanyeni maandalizi, mkitenda sawasawa na neno la Bwana kwa mkono wa Mose.”
735:7 2Nya 30:24; Mik 6:7; 2Nya 31:3Ndipo Yosia akawapa watu wote wana-mbuzi waliokuwepo jumla ya kondoo wapatao 30,000 kwa ajili ya sadaka ya Pasaka, pia na ngʼombe 10,000, vyote hivi kutoka mali binafsi ya mfalme.
835:8 1Nya 29:3; 6:13; 2Kor 9:7Pia maafisa wake, wakatoa kwa hiari yao wakawapa watu, makuhani na Walawi. Hilkia, Zekaria na Yehieli, waliokuwa maafisa wakuu wa Hekalu la Mungu, wakawapa makuhani sadaka za Pasaka wana-kondoo na wana-mbuzi 2,600 na mafahali 300. 935:9 2Nya 31:12-13Konania na nduguze wawili, Shemaya na Nethaneli, pamoja na Hashabia, Yeieli na Yozabadi waliokuwa viongozi wa Walawi, nao pia wakawapa Walawi wana-kondoo na wana-mbuzi 5,000 na mafahali 500, kwa ajili ya sadaka za Pasaka.
1035:10 Ezr 6:18; 2Nya 30:16Huduma ilipomalizika kuandaliwa makuhani wakasimama mahali pao na Walawi katika migawanyo yao kama mfalme alivyokuwa ameamuru. 1135:11 2Nya 29:22; 30:17Wana-kondoo wa Pasaka wakachinjwa, nao makuhani wakanyunyiza ile damu waliyokabidhiwa, wakati Walawi wakiwa wanawachuna wale wanyama ngozi. 1235:12 Law 3:3Wakatenga sadaka za kuteketezwa ili waweze kugawia ili migawanyo kwa kufuata jamaa za baba zao ili watoe sadaka kwa Bwana kama ilivyoandikwa katika Kitabu cha Mose. Wakafanya vivyo hivyo kwa wale mafahali. 1335:13 Law 6:25; 1Sam 2:13-15; Kut 12:8; 13:6; Law 23:5-6; 2Nya 30:21; 1Kor 5:7-8Wakawaoka wale wanyama wa Pasaka kwenye moto kama ilivyoamriwa, wakachemsha zile sadaka takatifu kwenye vyungu, masufuria makubwa na vikaango na kuwagawia watu wote upesi. 1435:14 Kut 29:13Hatimaye wakafanya maandalizi kwa ajili yao wenyewe na kwa ajili ya makuhani, kwa sababu wale makuhani, yaani, wazao wa Aroni, walikuwa wanatoa sadaka za kuteketezwa pamoja na zile sehemu zilizonona mpaka usiku. Hivyo Walawi wakafanya maandalizi kwa ajili yao wenyewe na kwa ajili ya makuhani wa uzao wa Aroni.
1535:15 Neh 12:46; Za 68:25Waimbaji, wazao wa Asafu, walikuwa katika nafasi zao, kama ilivyoagizwa na Mfalme Daudi, Asafu, Hemani na Yeduthuni mwonaji wa Mfalme. Mabawabu katika kila lango hawakuhitaji kuacha nafasi zao kwa sababu Walawi wenzao walifanya maandalizi kwa ajili yao.
1635:16 2Nya 3:10; Za 35:16; Yer 5:12; 32:3Kwa hiyo wakati ule huduma yote ya Bwana ilifanyika katika kuadhimisha Pasaka, kutoa sadaka za kuteketezwa juu ya madhabahu ya Bwana kama alivyoamuru Mfalme Yosia. 1735:17 Kut 12:15; Hes 28:16-17; Kum 16:3-8Waisraeli waliokuwepo wakaadhimisha Pasaka wakati huo na Sikukuu ya Mikate Isiyotiwa Chachu kwa siku saba. 1835:18 2Fal 23:22-23Kulikuwa hakujafanyika Pasaka kama hii katika Israeli tangu siku za nabii Samweli wala hakukuwa na mfalme yeyote wa Israeli ambaye kamwe alishaadhimisha Pasaka kama ile aliyofanya Mfalme Yosia, akiwa na makuhani, Walawi na watu wote wa Yuda na watu wa Israeli waliokuwepo huko, pamoja na watu wa Yerusalemu. 19Pasaka iliadhimishwa katika mwaka wa kumi na nane wa utawala wa Mfalme Yosia.
Kifo Cha Yosia
(2 Wafalme 23:28-30)
2035:20 Isa 10:9; Yer 46:2; Mwa 2:14; 2Fal 23:29; 25:11Baada ya haya yote, Yosia alipomaliza kulitengeneza vizuri Hekalu, Neko mfalme wa Misri, akapanda ili kupigana huko Karkemishi katika Mto Frati, naye Yosia akatoka kwenda kupigana naye. 2135:21 2Fal 18:25; Dan 4:35; 1Fal 13:18; Isa 36:10; Yer 25:9Lakini Neko akamtumia wajumbe kusema, “Kuna ugomvi gani kati yangu mimi na wewe, Ee Mfalme wa Yuda? Si wewe ninayekushambulia wakati huu, bali ile nyumba ambayo nina vita nayo, Mungu ameniambia niharakishe, kwa hivyo acha kumpinga Mungu, ambaye yuko pamoja nami, la sivyo atakuangamiza.”
2235:22 Amu 5:19; 1Sam 28:8; 1Fal 22:30; 14:2; 2Nya 18:29Lakini hata hivyo, Yosia hakukubali kumwacha, bali alijibadilisha ili kupigana naye vita. Hakusikiliza yale Neko aliyokuwa amemwambia kwa agizo la Mungu bali alikwenda kupigana naye katika tambarare ya Megido.
2335:23 1Fal 22:34; Dan 2:21Wapiga upinde wakampiga Mfalme Yosia, naye akawaambia maafisa wake, “Niondoeni, nimejeruhiwa vibaya sana.” 2435:24 2Fal 23:30; Zek 12:11Kwa hiyo wakamshusha kutoka kwenye gari lake la farasi, wakamweka kwenye gari lingine alilokuwa nalo na kumleta Yerusalemu, ambako alifia. Akazikwa katika makaburi ya baba zake, nayo Yuda yote na Yerusalemu wakamwombolezea Yosia.
2535:25 Mwa 50:10; Yer 22:10-16; Mao 4:20; Mt 9:23; Amo 5:16; Mhu 12:5; Yer 9:17Nabii Yeremia akatunga maombolezo kwa ajili ya kifo chake, nao waimbaji wote, wanaume kwa wanawake, hufanya ukumbusho wa Yosia katika maombolezo hadi leo. Haya yakafanywa desturi katika Israeli, nayo yameandikwa katika Maombolezo.
2635:26 Za 112:6; Mit 10:7; 22:1Matukio mengine ya utawala wa Yosia na matendo yake mema, kulingana na yale yaliyoandikwa katika sheria ya Bwana: 27matukio yote, kuanzia mwanzo hadi mwisho, yameandikwa katika kitabu cha wafalme wa Israeli na Yuda.
