2 Chronicles 35:1-19

Josiah Keeps the Passover

35¹ And Josiah maketh in Jerusalem a passover to Jehovah, and they slaughter the passover-offering on the fourteenth of the first month, ² and he stationeth the priests over their charges, and strengtheneth them for the service of the house of Jehovah, ³ and saith to the Levites—who are teaching all Israel—who are sanctified to Jehovah, 'Put the holy ark in the house that Solomon son of David king of Israel built; it is not to you a burden on the shoulder. 'Now, serve Jehovah your God, and His people Israel, ⁴ and prepare, by the house of your fathers, according to your courses, by the writing of David king of Israel, and by the writing of Solomon his son, ⁵ and stand in the sanctuary, by the divisions of the house of the fathers of your brethren, sons of the people, and the portion of the house of a father of the Levites, ⁶ and slaughter the passover-offering and sanctify yourselves, and prepare for your brethren, to do according to the word of Jehovah by the hand of Moses.' ⁷ And Josiah lifteth up to the sons of the people a flock of lambs and young goats, the whole for passover-offerings, for every one who is found, to the number of thirty thousand, and oxen three thousand: these 'are' from the substance of the king. ⁸ And his heads, for a willing-offering to the people, to the priests, and to the Levites, have lifted up; Hilkiah, and Zechariah, and Jehiel, leaders in the house of God, to the priests have given for passover-offerings two thousand and six hundred, and oxen three hundred; ⁹ and Conaniah, and Shemaiah, and Nethaneel, his brethren, and Hashabiah, and Jeiel, and Jozabad, heads of the Levites, have lifted up to the Levites, for passover-offerings, five thousand, and oxen five hundred. ¹⁰ And the service is prepared, and the priests stand on their station, and the Levites on their courses, according to the command of the king, ¹¹ and they slaughter the passover-offering, and the priests sprinkle out of their hand, and the Levites are striping; ¹² and they turn aside the burnt-offering, to put them by the divisions of the house of the fathers of the sons of the people, to bring near to Jehovah, as it is written in the book of Moses—and so to the oxen. ¹³ And they cook the passover with fire, according to the ordinance, and the sanctified things they have cooked in pots, and in kettles, and in pans—for all the sons of the people. ¹⁴ And afterward they have prepared for themselves, and for the priests: for the priests, sons of Aaron, 'are' in the offering up of the burnt-offering and of the fat till night; and the Levites have prepared for themselves, and for the priests, sons of Aaron. ¹⁵ And the singers, sons of Asaph, 'are' on their station, according to the command of David, and Asaph, and Heman, and Jeduthun seer of the king, and the gate keepers 'are' at gate and gate; it is not for them to turn aside from off their service, for their brethren the Levites have prepared for them. ¹⁶ And all the service of Jehovah is prepared on that day, to keep the passover, and to cause to ascend burnt-offering upon the altar of Jehovah, according to the command of king Josiah. ¹⁷ And the sons of Israel who are found make the passover at that time, and the feast of unleavened things, seven days. ¹⁸ And there hath not been made a passover like it in Israel from the days of Samuel the prophet, and none of the kings of Israel made such a passover as Josiah hath made, and the priests, and the Levites, and all Judah and Israel who are found, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. ¹⁹ In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah hath this passover been made.