2 Kings 23:21

Easy-to-Read Version

Then King Josiah gave a command to all the people. He said, "Celebrate the Passover for the Lord your God. Do this just as it is written in the Book of the Agreement."

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The king commanded all the people, “Observe the Passover of the Lord your God as written in the book of the covenant.”

Hebrew Names Version
The king commanded all the people, saying, Keep the Pesach to the LORD your God, as it is written in this book of the covenant.

King James Version
And the king commanded all the people, saying, Keep the passover unto the Lord your God, as it is written in the book of this covenant.

English Standard Version
And the king commanded all the people, "Keep the Passover to the Lord your God, as it is written in this Book of the Covenant."

New Century Version
The king commanded all the people, "Celebrate the Passover to the Lord your God as it is written in this Book of the Agreement."

New English Translation
The king ordered all the people, "Observe the Passover of the Lord your God, as prescribed in this scroll of the covenant."

Amplified Bible
Then the king commanded all the people, saying, "Celebrate the Passover to the LORD your God as it is written in this book of the covenant."

New American Standard Bible
Then the king commanded all the people, saying, "Celebrate the Passover to the LORD your God as it is written in this Book of the Covenant."

World English Bible
The king commanded all the people, saying, Keep the Passover to Yahweh your God, as it is written in this book of the covenant.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Then the king commanded all the people, saying, Keepe the passeouer vnto the Lorde your God, as it is written in the booke of this couenant.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then the king commanded all the people saying, "Celebrate the Passover to Yahweh your God as it is written in this book of the covenant."

Berean Standard Bible
The king commanded all the people, "Keep the Passover of the LORD your God, as it is written in this Book of the Covenant."

Contemporary English Version
Josiah told the people of Judah, "Celebrate Passover in honor of the Lord your God, just as it says in The Book of God's Law."

Complete Jewish Bible
The king issued this order to all the people: "Observe Pesach to Adonai your God, as written in this scroll of the covenant."

Darby Translation
And the king commanded all the people saying, Hold the passover to Jehovah your God, as it is written in this book of the covenant.

George Lamsa Translation
And the king commanded all the people, saying, Keep the passover to the LORD your God. as it is written in the book of this covenant.

Good News Translation
King Josiah ordered the people to celebrate the Passover in honor of the Lord their God, as written in the book of the covenant.

Lexham English Bible
Then the king commanded all of the people, saying, "Keep the Passover to Yahweh your God, as has been written on the scroll of this covenant."

Literal Translation
And the king commanded all the people, saying, Perform a Passover to Jehovah your God, as it is written in this Book of the covenant.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And the kynge commauded the people, and sayde: Kepe Easter vnto the LORDE youre God, as it is wrytten in the boke of this couenaunt.

American Standard Version
And the king commanded all the people, saying, Keep the passover unto Jehovah your God, as it is written in this book of the covenant.

Bible in Basic English
And the king gave orders to all the people, saying, Keep the Passover to the Lord your God, as it says in this book of the law.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the king commaunded all the people, saying: Kepe the feast of Passouer vnto the Lorde your God, as it is written in the booke of this couenaunt.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the king commanded all the people, saying: 'Keep the passover unto the LORD your God, as it is written in this book of the covenant.'

King James Version (1611)
And the King commanded all the people saying, Keepe the Passeouer vnto the Lord your God, as it is written in this booke of the Couenant.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the king commanded all the people, saying, Keep the passover to the Lord your God, as it is written in the book of this covenant.

English Revised Version
And the king commanded all the people, saying, Keep the passover unto the LORD your God, as it is written in this book of the covenant.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and comaundide to al the puple, and seide, Make ye pask to `youre Lord God, vp that, that is writun in the book of this boond of pees.

Update Bible Version
And the king commanded all the people, saying, Keep the passover to Yahweh your God, as it is written in this book of the covenant.

Webster's Bible Translation
And the king commanded all the people, saying, Keep the passover to the LORD your God, as [it is] written in the book of this covenant.

New King James Version
Then the king commanded all the people, saying, "Keep the Passover to the LORD your God, as it is written in this Book of the Covenant."

New Living Translation
King Josiah then issued this order to all the people: "You must celebrate the Passover to the Lord your God, as required in this Book of the Covenant."

New Life Bible
King Josiah told all the people, "Keep the Passover to the Lord your God, as it is written in this Book of the Law."

New Revised Standard
The king commanded all the people, "Keep the passover to the Lord your God as prescribed in this book of the covenant."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then did the king command all the people, saying, Keep ye a passover unto Yahweh, your God, - such as is written in this book of the covenant.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And he commanded all the people, saying: Keep the Phase to the Lord your God, according as it is written in the book of this covenant.

Revised Standard Version
And the king commanded all the people, "Keep the passover to the LORD your God, as it is written in this book of the covenant."

Young's Literal Translation
And the king commandeth the whole of the people, saying, `Make ye a passover to Jehovah your God, as it is written on this book of the covenant.'

THE MESSAGE
The king now commanded the people, "Celebrate the Passover to God , your God, exactly as directed in this Book of the Covenant."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then the king commanded all the people saying, "Celebrate the Passover to the LORD your God as it is written in this book of the covenant."

Contextual Overview

⁴ Then the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, the other priests, and the gatekeepers to bring out of the Lord 's Temple all the dishes and things that were made to honor Baal, Asherah, and the stars of heaven. Then Josiah burned those things outside Jerusalem in the fields in Kidron Valley. Then they carried the ashes to Bethel. ⁵ The kings of Judah had chosen some ordinary men to serve as priests. These false priests were burning incense at the high places in every city of Judah and all the towns around Jerusalem. They burned incense to honor Baal, the sun, the moon, the constellations, and all the stars in the sky. But Josiah stopped those false priests. ⁶ Josiah removed the Asherah pole from the Lord 's Temple. He took the Asherah pole outside the city to the Kidron Valley and burned it there. Then he beat the burned pieces into dust and scattered the dust over the graves of the common people. ⁷ Then King Josiah broke down the houses of the male prostitutes who were in the Lord 's Temple. Women also used these houses and made little tent covers to honor the false goddess Asherah. ⁸At that time the priests did not bring the sacrifices to Jerusalem and offer them on the Lord 's altar in the Temple. The priests lived in cities all over Judah. They burned incense and offered sacrifices at the high places in those cities. The high places were everywhere, from Geba to Beersheba. And the priests ate their unleavened bread in those towns with the ordinary people— not at the special place for priests in the Temple in Jerusalem . But King Josiah ruined the high places and brought the priests to Jerusalem. Josiah also destroyed the high places that were on the left side of the city gate, by the Gate of Joshua. (Joshua was the ruler of the city.) ¹⁰ Topheth was a place in the Valley of Hinnom's Son where people killed their children and burned them on an altar to honor the false god Molech. Josiah ruined that place so that no one could use it again. ¹¹ In the past the kings of Judah had put some horses and a chariot near the entrance to the Lord 's Temple. This was near the room of an important official named Nathan Melech. The horses and chariot were to honor the sun god. Josiah removed the horses and burned the chariot. ¹² In the past the kings of Judah had built altars on the roof of Ahab's building. King Manasseh had also built altars in the two courtyards of the Lord 's Temple. Josiah destroyed all the altars and threw the broken pieces into the Kidron Valley. ¹³ In the past King Solomon built some high places on Destroyer Hill near Jerusalem. The high places were on the south side of that hill. King Solomon built one of these places of worship to honor Ashtoreth, that horrible thing the people of Sidon worship. He also built one to honor Chemosh, that horrible thing the Moabites worship. And King Solomon built one high place to honor Milcom, that horrible thing the Ammonites worship. But King Josiah ruined all these places of worship. ¹⁴ He broke all the memorial stones and Asherah poles. Then he scattered dead men's bones over that place.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Keep: 2 Chronicles 35:1-19

as it is written: Exodus 12:3-20, Leviticus 23:5-8, Numbers 9:2-5, Numbers 28:16-25, Deuteronomy 16:1-8

Reciprocal: Exodus 12:14 - by an ordinance Exodus 12:21 - and take Exodus 23:15 - the feast 2 Chronicles 34:30 - the book 2 Chronicles 35:18 - there was no passover

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the king commanded all the people,.... Not at Jerusalem only, but throughout the whole kingdom: saying,

keep the passover unto the Lord your God, as it is written in this book of the covenant; which had been lately found and read, and they had agreed to observe, and in which this ordinance was strictly enjoined, and was a commemoration of their deliverance out of Egypt, and a direction of their faith to the Messiah, the antitype of the passover.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

See 2 Kings 23:4 note. With this verse the author returns to the narrative of what was done in Josiah’s 18th year. The need of the injunction, “as it was written in the book of this covenant,” was owing to the fact - not that Josiah had as yet held no Passover - but that the reading of the book had shown him differences between the existing practice and the letter of the Law - differences consequent upon negligence, or upon the fact that tradition had been allowed in various points to override the Law.