Josiah Celebrates the Passover
(2 Kings 23.21-23)1 King Josiah celebrated the Passover at Jerusalem in honor of the Lord; on the fourteenth day of the first month they killed the animals for the festival. 2 He assigned to the priests the duties they were to perform in the Temple and encouraged them to do them well. 3 He also gave these instructions to the Levites, the teachers of Israel, who were dedicated to the Lord: “Put the sacred Covenant Box in the Temple that King Solomon, the son of David, built. You are no longer to carry it from place to place, but you are to serve the Lord your God and his people Israel. 4 Take your places in the Temple by clans, according to the responsibilities assigned to you by King David and his son King Solomon, 5 and arrange yourselves so that some of you will be available to help each family of the people of Israel. 6 You are to kill the Passover lambs and goats. Now make yourselves ritually clean and prepare the sacrifices in order that your fellow Israelites may follow the instructions which the Lord gave through Moses.”
7 For the use of the people at the Passover, King Josiah contributed from his own herds and flocks 30,000 sheep, lambs, and young goats, and 3,000 bulls. 8 His officials also made contributions for the people, the priests, and the Levites to use. And the officials in charge of the Temple—Hilkiah, the High Priest, Zechariah, and Jehiel—gave the priests 2,600 lambs and young goats and 300 bulls for sacrifices during the festival. 9 The leaders of the Levites—Conaniah, Shemaiah and his brother Nethanel, Hashabiah, Jeiel, and Jozabad—contributed 5,000 lambs and young goats and 500 bulls for the Levites to offer as sacrifices.
10 When everything was arranged for the Passover, the priests and the Levites took their posts, as commanded by the king. 11 After the lambs and goats had been killed, the Levites skinned them, and the priests sprinkled the blood on the altar. 12 Then they divided among the people, by family groups, the animals for burnt offerings, so that they could offer them according to the instructions in the Law of Moses. 13 The Levites roasted the Passover sacrifices over the fire, according to the regulations, and boiled the sacred offerings in pots, kettles, and pans, and quickly distributed the meat to the people. 14 After this was done, the Levites provided meat for themselves and for the priests descended from Aaron, for the priests were kept busy until night, burning the animals that were burned whole and the fat of the sacrifices. 15 The following musicians of the Levite clan of Asaph were in the places assigned to them by King David's instructions: Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, the king's prophet. The guards at the Temple gates did not need to leave their posts, because the other Levites prepared the Passover for them. 16 So, as King Josiah had commanded, everything was done that day for the worship of the Lord, the keeping of the Passover Festival, and the offering of burnt offerings on the altar. 17 For seven days all the people of Israel who were present celebrated the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread. 18 Since the days of the prophet Samuel, the Passover had never been celebrated like this. None of the former kings had ever celebrated a Passover like this one celebrated by King Josiah, the priests, the Levites, and the people of Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem 19 in the eighteenth year of Josiah's reign.
The End of Josiah's Reign
(2 Kings 23.28-30)20 After King Josiah had done all this for the Temple, King Neco of Egypt led an army to fight at Carchemish on the Euphrates River. Josiah tried to stop him, 21 but Neco sent Josiah this message: “This war I am fighting does not concern you, King of Judah. I have not come to fight you, but to fight my enemies, and God has told me to hurry. God is on my side, so don't oppose me, or he will destroy you.” 22 But Josiah was determined to fight. He refused to listen to what God was saying through King Neco, so he disguised himself and went into battle on the plain of Megiddo.
23 During the battle King Josiah was struck by Egyptian arrows. He ordered his servants, “Take me away; I'm badly hurt!” 24 They lifted him out of his chariot, placed him in a second chariot which he had there, and took him to Jerusalem. There he died and was buried in the royal tombs. All the people of Judah and Jerusalem mourned his death.
25 The prophet Jeremiah composed a lament for King Josiah. It has become a custom in Israel for the singers, both men and women, to use this song when they mourn for him. The song is found in the collection of laments.
26 Everything that Josiah did—his devotion to the Lord, his obedience to the Law, 27 and his history from beginning to end—is all recorded in The History of the Kings of Israel and Judah.
Josija ma tjiti omukandi wOpaska
(2Ozo 23:21-23)1 Ombara Josija wa tjitira omukandi wOpaska mOjerusalem kondjozikiro ya Muhona; nu meyuva oritjamurongo na yane komueze omutenga ovandu otji va zepa ovinamuinyo komukandi mbwi. 2 Eye wa yandja oviungura kovapristeri, mbi ve sokuungura mondjuwo ya Muhona, ne ve yanḓiparisa kutja ve vi ungure nawa. 3 Wina wa yandja omaronga nga kOvalevi, mbaa ve hongo Ovaisrael avehe, nu mba yapurirwa Muhona, ama tja: “Hitiseye Otjipwikiro tjOmerikutiropamwe mondjuwo ya Muhona ndja tungirwe i ombara Salomo, omuzandu wa David. Amu tji tjindi rukwao koviṱuve vyeṋu, ooimba na mbeni, nungwari karereye Muhona, Ndjambi weṋu, notjiwaṋa tje Israel. 4 Kurameye potuveze tweṋu mondjuwo ya Muhona otja kozonganda zeṋu komuhingo woviungura mbi mwa perwe i ombara David, nomuzandu we ombara Salomo, 5 nu riṱuneye oveni mOtjouyapuke, kokutja tjiva veṋu ve yenene okuvatera eṱunḓu arihe peke motjiwaṋa tja Israel. 6 Zepeye ozondjona zOpaska nozongombo, nu mu riyapure! Rongereye ozombunguhiro, kokutja Ovaisrael ovakweṋu ve yenenise omaraerero aehe Muhona nga yandjere notjinyo tja Moses.”
7 Ombara Josija wa yandja ozonyanda, okutja ozondjona nozongombona, azehe kumwe nḓa ri 30,000, kovandu kutja ve ze zepere Opaska; wina wa yandja ozongombe 3,000, azehe nḓa okuza motupanda twe. 8 Ovahongore ve wina va yandja oviyandjewa nombango yawo oveni kotjiwaṋa na kovapristeri na kOvalevi. OoHilkija na Sakaria na Jehiel, ovahongore ovatjevere vondjuwo ya Ndjambi, va yandja ozondjona nozongombona 2 600, nozongombe omasere yetatu, kovapristeri kutja ve ze punguhire Opaska. 9 Ovanane vOvalevi, ooKonanja na Semaja nomuangu we Netanel, na Hasabja na Jeiel na Josabad va yandja ozondjona nozongombona 5,000, nozongombe omasere yetano kOvalevi kutja ve ze punguhire Opaska.
10 Oviṋa avihe tji vya za nokuṱuninwa Opaska, ovapristeri nOvalevi otji va kakurama potuveze twawo otja ombara pu ye ve rakiza. 11 Ozondjona nozongombona tji za za nokuṱa, ovapristeri va pamenena ombinḓu kotjipunguhiro, ndjaave pewa i Ovalevi, Ovalevi ngunda amave ze purura. 12 Tjazumba va twa onyama yozombunguhiro ozoningiririsiwa peke kutja ve i yandje kovandu otja komaṱunḓu pekepeke, kokutja ve i punguhire Muhona komuhingo womaraerero nge ri mOmatwako wa Moses. 13 Ovalevi va tereka ondjona yOpaska pomakara otja komatjangwa, noviyambo oviyapuke vyozombunguhiro ve vi tereka mozonyungu na motuungu na moviterekero ovipapi, nave hakahana okuhaṋa onyama movandu. 14 Oviṋa mbi tji vya za nokutjitwa, Ovalevi otji ve ritoororera onyama yOpaska nave toororere ovapristeri, ozondekurona za Aron, wina, orondu ovapristeri va kara noviungura tjinene nga kouṱuku, amave punguha ozombunguhiro ozoningiririsiwa nozonḓura. 15 Ovaimbure vonganda ya Asaf va kurama potuveze tu va perwe otja komaraerero wombara David. Onganda ya Asaf noya Heman noya Jedutun, ombuke yombara, novatjevere vopomivero vyondjuwo ya Muhona kave zire po poviungura vyawo, Ovalevi tjinga ave ve ṱunina Opaska. 16 Oviungura avihe vya Muhona vya ungurwa meyuva ndo, okuṱakamisa Opaska nokupunguhira ozombunguhiro ozoningiririsiwa kotjipunguhiro tja Muhona otja ombara Josija pa rakizire. 17 Ovaisrael avehe, mba ri poṋa mbo, va tjita Opaska nomukandi wOzomboroto nḓe hi nosurise oure womayuva hambombari. 18 Okuza koruveze rwomuprofete Samuel, Opaska otja indji kai na pu ya tjitirwe nai. Kape nozombara ozongwao nḓa tjitire Opaska otja indji ndja tjitwa i ombara Josija novapristeri nOvalevi novandu va Juda nOvaisrael novature va Jerusalem, 19 mombura oitjamurongo na hambondatu youhona wa Josija.
Ondjandero youhona wa Josija
(2Ozo 23:28-30)20 Ombara Josija tja za nokumana omatungururiro aehe wondjuwo ya Muhona, Neko, ombara ya Engipte, otja hongorera otjimbumba tjovita okukarwira mOkarkemis, tji tji ri pomukuro wonḓonḓu Eufrat. Josija wa kondja okumutjaera, 21 nungwari Neko wa hinda ombuze ndji ku Josija, a tja: “Ovita mbi ami mbi me ru kavi notjiṋa na ove, mbara ya Juda. Ami hi ere okukurwisa, nungwari mbe ere okurwisa ovanavita na ami; nu Ndjambi we ndji raera kutja mbi hakahane. Ndjambi u ri komunda wandje, o mu sekamene, tjapo eye ngee ku nyono.” 22 Nungwari Josija we rimana okurwa, notje riteturura na i kotjirwa. Eye wa panḓa okupuratena ku imbi Ndjambi mbya hungira notjinyo tjombara Neko, na karwa ovita morutjandja rwa Megido.
23 Ombara Josija wa yahwa noviku vyOvaengipte motjirwa; notja rakiza kovakarere ve ama tja: “Ndji tooreye mu ndji ise po! Mba yahwa tjinene.” 24 Owo ve mu herura metemba re rovita, ave mu twa mekwao nda ri na ro mbo, nave mu twara kOjerusalem. Josija wa kakokera ngo, na pakwa momaendo wooihe mukururume. Ovandu avehe va Juda nova Jerusalem ve kemutjitira omutambo.
25 Omuprofete Jeremia wa tjitira ombara Josija eimburiro romutambo; novaimbure, ovarumendu novakazendu, nga ndinondi ve imbura eimburiro ndi, tji mave mu riri. Ihi tja rira ongarero mOisrael, neimburiro ndi ri ri momatjangwa wOmaimburiro wOmitambo.
26 Omeriyamekero wa Josija ku Muhona, nokukara nonḓuviro kwe kOmatwako wa Muhona, 27 nekuruhungi re okuza kombutiro nga kondjandero, notjiṋa ngamwa atjihe tja tjita, avihe mbi vya tjangwa mEkuruhungi rOzombara za Israel noza Juda.
