CHAPTER 23
And he
went up
to the house
of the LORD
with all
the people
of Judah
and
Jerusalem,
as well as
the priests
and the prophets—
all
the people
small
and
great—
and in their hearing
he read
all
the words
of the Book
of the Covenant
that had been found
in the house
of the LORD.
So the king
stood
by
the pillar
and made
a covenant
before
the LORD
to follow
the LORD
and to keep
His commandments,
decrees,
and statutes
with all
his heart
and all
his soul,
and to carry out
the words
of this
covenant
that were written
in
this
book.
And all
the people
entered
into the covenant.
Then the king
commanded
Hilkiah
the high
priest,
the priests
second in rank,
and the doorkeepers
to remove
from the temple
of the LORD
all
the articles
made
for Baal,
Asherah,
and all
the host
of heaven.
And he burned them
outside
Jerusalem
in the fields
of the Kidron
and carried
their ashes
to Bethel.
Josiah also did away with
the idolatrous priests
ordained
by the kings
of Judah
to burn incense
on the high places
of the cities
of Judah
and in the places all around
Jerusalem—
those who had burned incense
to Baal,
to the sun
and moon,
to the constellations,
and to all
the host
of heaven.
He brought
the Asherah pole
from the house
of the LORD
to
the Kidron
Valley
outside
Jerusalem,
and there
he burned
it,
ground
it to powder,
and threw
its dust
on
the graves
of the common
people.
He also tore down
the quarters
of the male cult prostitutes
that were
in the house
of the LORD,
where
the women
had woven
tapestries
for Asherah.
Then Josiah brought
all
the priests
from the cities
of Judah
and desecrated
the high places,
from
Geba
to
Beersheba,
where
the priests
had burned incense.
He tore down
the high places
of the gates
at the entrance
of the gate
of Joshua,
the governor
of the city,
which was
to
the left
of the city
gate.
Although
the priests
of the high places
did not
come up
to
the altar
of the LORD
in Jerusalem,
they ate
unleavened bread
with
their fellow priests.
He also desecrated
Topheth
in the Valley of Ben-hinnom
so that no
one
could sacrifice
his son
or daughter
in the fire
to Molech.
And he removed
from the entrance
to the house
of the LORD
the horses
that
the kings
of Judah
had dedicated
to the sun.
They were
in the court
near
the chamber
of
an official
named Nathan-melech.
And
Josiah burned up
the chariots
of the sun.
He pulled down
the altars
that
the kings
of Judah
had set up
on
the roof
near the upper chamber
of Ahaz,
and the altars
Manasseh
had set up
in the two
courtyards
of the house
of the LORD.
The king
pulverized
them there
and threw
their dust
into
the Kidron
Valley.
The king
also desecrated
the high places
east
of
Jerusalem,
to the south
of the Mount
of Corruption,
which
King
Solomon
of Israel
had built
for Ashtoreth
the abomination
of the Sidonians,
for Chemosh
the abomination
of the Moabites,
and for Molech
the abomination
of the Ammonites.
He smashed the sacred pillars
to pieces,
cut down
the Asherah poles,
and covered
the sites
with human
bones.
He even
pulled down
the altar
at Bethel,
the high place
set up
by Jeroboam
son
of Nebat,
who
had caused Israel
to sin.
Then he burned
the high place,
ground it
to powder,
and burned
the Asherah pole.
And as Josiah
turned,
he saw
the tombs
there
on the hillside,
and he sent
someone to take
the bones
out of
the tombs,
and he burned
them on
the altar
to defile it,
according to the word
the LORD
proclaimed
by the man
of God
who
had foretold
these
things.
Then the king asked,
“What
is this
monument
I
see?”
And the men
of the city
replied,
“It is the tomb
of the man
of God
who
came
from Judah
and pronounced
these
things
that
you have done
to
the altar
of
Bethel.”
“Let him rest,”
said Josiah.
“Do not
let anyone
disturb
his bones.”
So they left his bones
undisturbed,
along with those
of the prophet
who
had come
from Samaria.
Just as Josiah
had done
at Bethel,
he
also
removed
all
the shrines
of the high places
which
the kings
of Israel
had set up
in the cities
of Samaria,
provoking the LORD to anger.
On
the altars
he slaughtered
all
the priests
of the high places,
and he burned
human
bones
on them.
Then he returned
to Jerusalem.
The king
commanded
all
the people,
“Keep
the Passover
of the LORD
your God,
as it is written
in
this
Book
of the Covenant.”
No
such
Passover
had been observed
from the days
of the judges
who
had governed
Israel
through all
the days
of the kings
of Israel
and Judah.
But
in the eighteenth
year
of the reign
of Josiah
this
Passover
was observed
to the LORD
in Jerusalem.
Furthermore,
Josiah
removed
the mediums
and
spiritists,
the household gods
and
idols,
and all
the abominations
that
were seen
in the land
of Judah
and in Jerusalem.
He did this
to carry out
the words
of the law
written
in
the book
that
Hilkiah
the priest
had found
in the house
of the LORD.
Neither
before
nor
after Josiah
was there
any king
like him,
who
turned
to
the LORD
with all
his heart
and with all
his soul
and with all
his strength,
according to all
the Law
of Moses.
Nevertheless,
the LORD
did not
turn away
from the fury
of His burning
anger,
which
was kindled
against Judah
because of
all
that
Manasseh
had done
to provoke Him to anger.
For the LORD
had said,
“I will also
remove
Judah
from
My sight,
just as
I have removed
Israel.
I will reject
this
city
Jerusalem,
which
I have chosen,
and the temple
of which
I said,
'My Name
shall be
there.'"
As for the rest
of the acts
of Josiah,
along with all
his accomplishments,
are they not written
in the Book
of the Chronicles
of the Kings
of Judah?
At the end of Josiah's reign,
Pharaoh
Neco
king
of Egypt
marched up
to
help the king
of Assyria
at
the Euphrates
River.
King
Josiah
went out
to confront him,
but Neco faced
him
and killed him
at Megiddo.
From Megiddo
his servants
carried his body
in a chariot,
brought him to
Jerusalem,
and buried
him in his own tomb.
Then the people
of the land
took
Jehoahaz
son
of Josiah,
anointed him,
and made him king
in place of
his father.
Jehoahaz
was twenty-three
years old
when he became king,
and he reigned
in Jerusalem
three
months.
His mother’s
name
was Hamutal
daughter
of Jeremiah;
she was from Libnah.
And Pharaoh
Neco
imprisoned Jehoahaz
at Riblah
in the land
of Hamath
so that he could not reign
in Jerusalem,
and he imposed
on
Judah
a levy
of a hundred
talents
of silver
and a talent
of gold.
Then Pharaoh
Neco
made Eliakim
son
of Josiah
king
in place of
his father
Josiah,
and he changed
Eliakim’s name
to Jehoiakim.
But Neco took
Jehoahaz
and carried him off
to Egypt,
where he died.
So Jehoiakim
paid
the silver
and gold
to Pharaoh Neco,
but
to meet
Pharaoh's
demand
he taxed
the land
and exacted
the silver
and the gold
from the people,
each
according to his wealth.
Jehoiakim
was twenty-five
years old
when he became king,
and he reigned
in Jerusalem
eleven
years.
His mother’s
name
was Zebidah
daughter
of Pedaiah;
she was from
Rumah.