2 Chronicles 35:1

THE MESSAGE

Josiah celebrated the Passover to God in Jerusalem. They killed the Passover lambs on the fourteenth day of the first month. He gave the priests detailed instructions and encouraged them in the work of leading worship in The Temple of God . He also told the Levites who were in charge of teaching and guiding Israel in all matters of worship (they were especially consecrated for this), "Place the sacred Chest in The Temple that Solomon son of David, the king of Israel, built. You don't have to carry it around on your shoulders any longer! Serve God and God's people Israel. Organize yourselves by families for your respective responsibilities, following the instructions left by David king of Israel and Solomon his son.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Josiah observed the Lord’s Passover and slaughtered the Passover lambs on the fourteenth day of the first month.

Hebrew Names Version
Yoshiyahu kept a Pesach to the LORD in Yerushalayim: and they killed the Pesach on the fourteenth [day] of the first month.

King James Version
Moreover Josiah kept a passover unto the Lord in Jerusalem: and they killed the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month.

English Standard Version
Josiah kept a Passover to the Lord in Jerusalem. And they slaughtered the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the first month.

New Century Version
King Josiah celebrated the Passover to the Lord in Jerusalem. The Passover lamb was killed on the fourteenth day of the first month.

New English Translation
Josiah observed a Passover festival for the Lord in Jerusalem. They slaughtered the Passover lambs on the fourteenth day of the first month.

Amplified Bible
Josiah celebrated the Passover to the LORD in Jerusalem; they slaughtered the Passover lambs on the fourteenth day of the first month.

New American Standard Bible
Then Josiah celebrated the Passover to the LORD in Jerusalem, and they slaughtered the Passover animals on the fourteenth day of the first month.

World English Bible
Josiah kept a Passover to Yahweh in Jerusalem: and they killed the Passover on the fourteenth [day] of the first month.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Moreouer Iosiah kept a Passeouer vnto the Lord in Ierusalem, & they slewe the Passeouer in the fourtenth day of the first moneth.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then Josiah celebrated the Passover to Yahweh in Jerusalem, and they slaughtered the Passover animals on the fourteenth day of the first month.

Berean Standard Bible
Then Josiah celebrated the Passover to the LORD in Jerusalem, and the Passover lamb was slaughtered on the fourteenth day of the first month.

Contemporary English Version
Josiah commanded that Passover be celebrated in Jerusalem to honor the Lord . So, on the fourteenth day of the first month, the lambs were killed for the Passover celebration.

Complete Jewish Bible
Yoshiyahu kept Pesach to Adonai in Yerushalayim. They slaughtered the Pesach lamb on the fourteenth day of the first month.

Darby Translation
And Josiah held a passover to Jehovah in Jerusalem; and they slaughtered the passover on the fourteenth of the first month.

Easy-to-Read Version
King Josiah celebrated the Passover to the Lord in Jerusalem. The Passover lamb was killed on the 14th day of the first month.

George Lamsa Translation
MOREOVER Josiah kept a passover to the LORD in Jerusalem; and he celebrated the feast on the fourteenth day of the first month.

Good News Translation
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.

Lexham English Bible
Josiah kept the Passover to Yahweh in Jerusalem. And they slaughtered the Passover sacrifice on the fourteenth day of the first month.

Literal Translation
And Josiah performed a Passover in Jerusalem to Jehovah, and they killed the passover offering on the fourteenth of the first month.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And Iosias kepte Passeouer vnto the LORDE at Ierusalem, and slewe the Passeouer on the fourtenth daye off the first moneth,

American Standard Version
And Josiah kept a passover unto Jehovah in Jerusalem: and they killed the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month.

Bible in Basic English
And Josiah kept a Passover to the Lord in Jerusalem; on the fourteenth day of the first month they put the Passover lamb to death.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And Iosia helde the [feast of] passouer vnto the Lorde in Hierusalem, & they slue passouer in the fourteenth day of the first moneth.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And Josiah kept a passover unto the LORD in Jerusalem; and they killed the passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the first month.

King James Version (1611)
Moreouer Iosiah kept a Passeouer vnto ye Lord in Ierusalem: and they killed the Passeouer on the fourteenth day of the first moneth.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Josias kept a passover to the Lord his God; and sacrificed the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month.

English Revised Version
And Josiah kept a passover unto the LORD in Jerusalem: and they killed the passover on the fourteenth [day] of the first month.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Forsothe Josie made pask to the Lord in Jerusalem, that was offrid in the fourtenthe dai of the firste monethe;

Update Bible Version
And Josiah kept a passover to Yahweh in Jerusalem: and they killed the passover on the fourteenth [day] of the first month.

Webster's Bible Translation
Moreover, Josiah kept a passover to the LORD in Jerusalem: and they killed the passover on the fourteenth [day] of the first month.

New King James Version
2 Kings 23:21-23">[xr] Now Josiah kept a Passover to the LORD in Jerusalem, and they slaughtered the Passover lambs on the fourteenth day of the first month.

New Living Translation
Then Josiah announced that the Passover of the Lord would be celebrated in Jerusalem, and so the Passover lamb was slaughtered on the fourteenth day of the first month.

New Life Bible
Then Josiah kept the Passover to the Lord in Jerusalem. They killed the Passover animals on the fourteenth day of the first month.

New Revised Standard
Josiah kept a passover to the Lord in Jerusalem; they slaughtered the passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the first month.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And Josiah kept, in Jerusalem, a passover unto Yahweh, - and they slaughtered the passover, on the fourteenth of the first month.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And Josias kept a phase to the Lord in Jerusalem, and it was sacrificed on the fourteenth day of the first month.

Revised Standard Version
Josi'ah kept a passover to the LORD in Jerusalem; and they killed the passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the first month.

Young's Literal Translation
And Josiah maketh in Jerusalem a passover to Jehovah, and they slaughter the passover-offering on the fourteenth of the first month,

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then Josiah celebrated the Passover to the LORD in Jerusalem, and they slaughtered the Passover animals on the fourteenth day of the first month.

Contextual Overview

¹Josiah celebrated the Passover to God in Jerusalem. They killed the Passover lambs on the fourteenth day of the first month. He gave the priests detailed instructions and encouraged them in the work of leading worship in The Temple of God . He also told the Levites who were in charge of teaching and guiding Israel in all matters of worship (they were especially consecrated for this), "Place the sacred Chest in The Temple that Solomon son of David, the king of Israel, built. You don't have to carry it around on your shoulders any longer! Serve God and God's people Israel. Organize yourselves by families for your respective responsibilities, following the instructions left by David king of Israel and Solomon his son. ⁵"Take your place in the sanctuary—a team of Levites for every grouping of your fellow citizens, the laity. Your job is to kill the Passover lambs, then consecrate yourselves and prepare the lambs so that everyone will be able to keep the Passover exactly as God commanded through Moses." ⁷Josiah personally donated thirty thousand sheep, lambs, and goats and three thousand bulls—everything needed for the Passover celebration was there. His officials also pitched in on behalf of the people, including the priests and the Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, leaders in The Temple of God, gave twenty-six hundred lambs and three hundred bulls to the priests for the Passover offerings. Conaniah, his brothers Shemaiah and Nethanel, along with the Levitical chiefs Hashabiah, Jeiel, and Jozabad, donated five thousand lambs and five hundred bulls to the Levites for the Passover offerings. ¹⁰Preparations were complete for the service of worship; the priests took up their positions and the Levites were at their posts as instructed by the king. They killed the Passover lambs, and while the priests sprinkled the blood from the lambs, the Levites skinned them out. Then they set aside the Whole-Burnt-Offering for presentation to the family groupings of the people so that each group could offer it to God following the instructions in the Book of Moses. They did the same with the cattle. They roasted the Passover lamb according to the instructions and boiled the consecrated offerings in pots and kettles and pans and promptly served the people. ¹⁴ After the people had eaten the holy meal, the Levites served themselves and the Aaronite priests—the priests were busy late into the night making the offerings at the Altar. ¹⁵ The Asaph singers were all in their places following the instructions of David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king's seer. The security guards were on duty at each gate—the Levites also served them because they couldn't leave their posts. ¹⁶Everything went without a hitch in the worship of God that day as they celebrated the Passover and the offering of the Whole-Burnt-Offering on the Altar of God . It went just as Josiah had ordered. The Israelites celebrated the Passover, also known as the Feast of Unraised Bread, for seven days. The Passover hadn't been celebrated like this since the days of Samuel the prophet. None of the kings had done it. But Josiah, the priests, the Levites, all Judah and Israel who were there that week, plus the citizens of Jerusalem—they did it. In the eighteenth year of the rule of King Josiah, this Passover was celebrated.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Josiah: The whole solemnity was performed with great exactness according to the law, and upon that account there was none like it since Samuel's time; for even in Hezekiah's passover there were several irregularities. Bp. Patrick observes, that in this also it exceeded the other passovers which preceding things had kept, that though Josiah was by no means so rich as David, or Solomon, or Jehoshaphat, yet he furnished the congregation with beasts for sacrifice, both paschal and eucharistical, at his own proper cost and charge, which was more than any king ever did before. 2 Chronicles 30:1-27, 2 Kings 23:21-23

the fourteenth: Exodus 12:6, Numbers 9:3, Deuteronomy 16:1-8, Ezra 6:19, Ezekiel 45:21, Josiah's solemnization of the passover, which is merely alluded to at 2 Kings 23:21, is very particularly related her, while the destruction of idolatry is largely related in the Kings, and here only touched upon. The feasts of the Lord God, appointed by the ceremonial law, were very numerous; but the passover was the chief. It was the first which was solemnized in the night wherein Israel came out of Egypt, and ushered in those which were afterwards instituted, and it was the last great feast which was held in the night wherein Christ was betrayed, before the vail of the temple was rent in twain. Be means of this feast, both Josiah and Hezekiah revived religion in their day.

Reciprocal: Numbers 9:2 - his appointed Jeremiah 3:10 - Judah Matthew 1:10 - Josias

Cross-References

Genesis 12:8
He moved on from there to the hill country east of Bethel and pitched his tent between Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. He built an altar there and prayed to God .

Genesis 22:14
Abraham named that place God -Yireh ( God -Sees-to-It). That's where we get the saying, "On the mountain of God , he sees to it."

Genesis 31:3
That's when God said to Jacob, "Go back home where you were born. I'll go with you."

Genesis 35:4
They turned over to Jacob all the alien gods they'd been holding on to, along with their lucky-charm earrings. Jacob buried them under the oak tree in Shechem. Then they set out. A paralyzing fear descended on all the surrounding villages so that they were unable to pursue the sons of Jacob.

Genesis 35:6
Jacob and his company arrived at Luz, that is, Bethel, in the land of Canaan. He built an altar there and named it El-Bethel (God-of-Bethel) because that's where God revealed himself to him when he was running from his brother.

Exodus 2:15
Pharaoh heard about it and tried to kill Moses, but Moses got away to the land of Midian. He sat down by a well.

Deuteronomy 32:36
Yes, God will judge his people, but oh how compassionately he'll do it. When he sees their weakened plight and there is no one left, slave or free, He'll say, "So where are their gods, the rock in which they sought refuge, The gods who feasted on the fat of their sacrifices and drank the wine of their drink-offerings? Let them show their stuff and help you, let them give you a hand!

Psalms 46:1
A Song of the Sons of Korah God is a safe place to hide, ready to help when we need him. We stand fearless at the cliff-edge of doom, courageous in seastorm and earthquake, Before the rush and roar of oceans, the tremors that shift mountains. Jacob-wrestling God fights for us, God -of-Angel-Armies protects us.

Nahum 1:15
Look! Striding across the mountains— a messenger bringing the latest good news: peace! A holiday, Judah! Celebrate! Worship and recommit to God! No more worries about this enemy. This one is history. Close the books.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Moreover, Josiah kept a passover unto the Lord in Jerusalem,.... Where only it was to be kept:

and they killed the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month; the month Nisan, as the Targum, which was the exact time of killing the passover lamb, according to the law of Moses, Exodus 12:6, in the Vulgate Latin version of the Apocrypha in:

"And Josias held the feast of the passover in Jerusalem unto his Lord, and offered the passover the fourteenth day of the first month;'' (1 Esdras 1:1)

it is called the fourteenth moon of the first month; a phrase often used in ecclesiastical writers, when speaking of the time of the passover; and so we now call one of the days of the week "dies lunae", Monday.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

CHAPTER XXXV

Josiah celebrates a passover, 1;

regulates the courses of the priests; assigns them, the

Levites, and the people, their portions; and completes the

greatest passover ever celebrated since the days of Solomon,

2-19.

Pharaoh Necho passes with his army through Judea, 20.

Josiah meets and fights with him at Megiddo, and is mortally

wounded, 21-23.

He is carried to Jerusalem, where he dies, 24.

Jeremiah laments for him, 25.

Of his acts and deeds, and where recorded, 26, 27.

NOTES ON CHAP. XXXV