1 Another reading is,

were.

passover two thousand and six hundred sheep,
and three hundred calves. And Jeconias, and 9
Samaias, and Nathanael his brother, and Sa-
bias, and Ochielus, and Joram, captains over
thousands, gave to the Levites for the passover
five thousand sheep, and seven hundred calves.
And when these things were done, the priests 10
and Levites, having the unleavened bread,
stood in comely order according to the kin-
dreds, and according to the several divisions 11
by fathers' houses, before the people, to offer
to the Lord, as it is written in the book of
Moses; and thus did they in the morning. And 12
they roasted the passover with fire, as apper-
taineth: and the sacrifices they sod in the brasen
vessels and caldrons with a good savour, and 13
set them before all the people: and afterward
they prepared for themselves, and for the priests
their brethren, the sons of Aaron. For the 14
priests offered the fat until night: and the Le-
vites prepared for themselves, and for the
priests their brethren, the sons of Aaron. The 15
holy singers also, the sons of Asaph, were in
their order, according to the appointment of
David, to wit, Asaph, Zacharias, and Eddinus,
who 'was of the king's retinue. Moreover the 16
porters were at every gate; none had need
to depart from his daily course : for their
brethren the Levites prepared for them. Thus 17
were the things that belonged to the sacrifices
of the Lord accomplished in that day, in
holding the passover, and offering sacrifices 18
upon the altar of the Lord, according to the
commandment of king Josias. So the children 19
of Israel which were present at that time held
the passover, and the feast of unleavened bread
seven days. And such a passover was not held 20
in Israel since the time of the prophet Samuel.

21 Yea, all the kings of Israel held not such a passover as Josias, and the priests, and the Levites, and the Jews, held with all Israel that were present in their dwelling place at Jeru22 salem. In the eighteenth year of the reign of 23 Josias was this passover held. And the works

of Josias were upright before his Lord with a 24 heart full of godliness. Moreover the things that came to pass in his days have been written in times past, concerning those that sinned, and did wickedly against the Lord above every people and kingdom, and how they grieved him 1exceedingly, so that the words of the Lord Or, sensibly were confirmed against Israel.

25

1

Jud. xvi. 17.

2 Chr. xxxv. 20, &c.

Another reading is, his

2 Now after all these acts of Josias it came to pass, that Pharaoh the king of Egypt came to raise war at Carchemish upon Euphrates: and 26 Josias went out against him. But the king of Egypt sent to him, saying, What have I to do 27 with thee, O king of Judæa? I am not sent out from the Lord God against thee; for my war is upon Euphrates: and now the Lord is with me, yea, the Lord is with me hasting me forward depart from me, and be not against 28 the Lord. Howbeit Josias did not turn back 3unto his chariot, but undertook to fight with him, not regarding the words of the prophet 29 Jeremy spoken by the mouth of the Lord: but him. joined battle with him in the plain of Megiddo, and the princes came down against king Josias. 30 Then said the king unto his servants, Carry me away out of the battle; for I am very weak. And immediately his servants carried him away 31 out of the host. Then gat he up upon his second chariot; and being brought back to Jerusalem he died, and was buried in the sepulchre 32 of his fathers. And in all Jewry they mourned for Josias; and Jeremy the prophet lamented for

chariot from

Josias, and the chief men with the women made
lamentation for him, unto this day: and this
was given out for an ordinance to be done con-
tinually in all the nation of Israel.
These 33
things are written in the book of the histories
of the kings of Judæa, and every one of the
acts that Josias did, and his glory, and his un-
derstanding in the law of the Lord, and the
things that he had done before, and the things
now recited, are reported in the book of the
kings of Israel and Judah.

And the people took Joachaz the son of 34
Josias, and made him king instead of Josias
his father, when he was twenty and three years
old. And he reigned in Judah and in Jeru- 35
salem three months: and then the king of
Egypt deposed him from reigning in Jeru-
salem. And he set a tax upon the people of 36
a hundred talents of silver and one talent of
gold. The king of Egypt also made king 37
Joakim his brother king of Judæa and Jeru-
salem. And Joakim bound the nobles: but 38
Zarakes his brother he apprehended, and
brought him up out of Egypt.

Five and twenty years old was 'Joakim when 39 he began to reign in Judæa and Jerusalem; and he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord. And against him Nabuchodo- 40 nosor the king of Babylon came up, and bound him with a chain of brass, and carried him unto Babylon. Nabuchodonosor also took of the 41 holy vessels of the Lord, and carried them away, and set them up in his own temple at Babylon. But those things that are reported 42 of him, and of his uncleanness and impiety, are written in the chronicles of the kings.

And Joakim his son reigned in his stead: for 43 when he was made king he was 'eighteen years

44 old; and he reigned three months and ten
days in Jerusalem; and did that which was evil
before the Lord.

45 So after a year Nabuchodonosor sent and
caused him to be brought unto Babylon with
46 the holy vessels of the Lord; and made
Sedekias king of Judæa and Jerusalem, when
he was one and twenty years old; and he
47 reigned eleven years: and he also did that
which was evil in the sight of the Lord, and
cared not for the words that were spoken by
Jeremy the prophet from the mouth of the
48 Lord. And after that
And after that king Nabuchodonosor
had made him to swear by the name of the
Lord, he forswore himself, and rebelled; and
hardening his neck, and his heart, he trans-
gressed the laws of the Lord, the God of Israel.
49 Moreover the governors of the people and of
the priests did many things wickedly, 1and
passed all the pollutions of all nations, and
defiled the temple of the Lord, which was
50 sanctified in Jerusalem. And the God of their
fathers sent by his messenger to call them back,
because he had compassion on them and on
51 his dwelling place. But they mocked his mes-
sengers; and in the day when the Lord spake
52 unto them, they scoffed at his prophets: so
far forth, that he, being wroth with his people
for their great ungodliness, commanded to
bring up the kings of the Chaldeans against
53 them; who slew their young men with the
sword, round about their holy temple, and
spared neither young man nor maid, old man
nor child; but he delivered all into their hands.
54 And they took all the holy vessels of the Lord,
both great and small, with the vessels of the
ark of the Lord, and the king's treasures, and
55 carried them away unto Babylon. And they

Another

reading is,

even above all.

Another reading is, the

arks of the

Lord.

12 Chr. xxxvi. 22, 23; Ezra i. I, &c.

2 Another reading is, let his Lord be &c.

burnt the house of the Lord, and brake down the walls of Jerusalem, and burnt the towers thereof with fire: and as for her glorious 56 things, they never ceased till they had brought them all to nought: and the people that were not slain with the sword he carried unto Babylon and they were servants unto him and to 57 his children, till the Persians reigned, to fulfil the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremy: Until the land hath enjoyed her sabbaths, the 58 whole time of her desolation shall she keep sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years.

In the 'first year of Cyrus king of the Per- 1 2 sians, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremy might be accomplished, the Lord 2 stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of the Persians, and he made proclamation through all his kingdom, and also by writing, saying, 3 Thus saith Cyrus king of the Persians; The Lord of Israel, the Most High Lord, hath made me king of the whole world, and commanded 4 me to build him a house at Jerusalem that is in Judæa. If therefore there be any of you that 5 are of his people, 'let the Lord, even his Lord, be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem that is in Judæa, and build the house of the Lord of Israel: he is the Lord that dwelleth in Jerusalem. Of such therefore as dwell in divers 6 places, let them that are in his own place help each one with gold, and with silver, with gifts, 7 with horses also and cattle, beside the other things which have been added by vow for the temple of the Lord which is in Jerusalem.

Then the chief of the families of Judah and 8 of the tribe of Benjamin stood up; the priests also, and the Levites, and all they whose spirit the Lord had stirred to go up, to build the house for the Lord which is in Jerusalem.