Josiah keeps a most solemn passover, 1-19. Provoking Pharaoh-necho, he is slain at Megiddo, 20-24. Lamentations for Josiah, 25-27.
1 Moreover, Josiah kept a passover to the LORD in Jerusalem. And they killed the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month. 2 And he set the priests in their charges and encouraged them to the service of the house of the LORD, 3 And said to the Levites who taught all Israel, who were holy to the LORD, "Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David king of Israel built. It shall not be a burden upon your shoulders. Now serve the LORD your God and his people Israel, 4 And prepare yourselves by the houses of your fathers after your courses, according to the writing of David king of Israel and according to the writing of Solomon his son. 5 And stand in the holy place according to the divisions of the families of the fathers of your brothers the people and after the division of the families of the Levites. 6 And kill the passover, sanctify yourselves, and prepare your brothers, so that they may do according to the word of the LORD by the hand of Moses."
7 And Josiah gave to the people lambs and kids from the flock, all for the passover-offerings, for all who were present, to the number of thirty thousand, and three thousand bulls. These were of the king's substance. 8 And his princes gave willingly to the people, to the priests, and to the Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, rulers of the house of God, gave to the priests for the passover-offerings two thousand and six hundred small cattle, and three hundred oxen. 9 And also Conaniah, Shemaiah, Nethaneel, his brothers, and Hashabiah, Jehiel, and Jozabad, chief of the Levites, gave to the Levites for passover-offerings five thousand small cattle, and five hundred oxen.
10 So the service was prepared and the priests stood in their place and the Levites in their courses, according to the king's commandment. 11 And they killed the passover, and the priests sprinkled the blood from their hands, and the Levites flayed them. 12 And they removed the burnt-offerings so that they might give according to the divisions of the families of the people to offer to the LORD, as it is written in the book of Moses. And they did so with the oxen. 13 And they roasted the passover with fire according to the ordinance, but the other holy offerings they boiled in pots, in cauldrons, and in pans, and divided them speedily among all the people. 14 And afterward, they made ready for themselves and for the priests, because the priests the sons of Aaron were busied in offering burnt-offerings and the fat until night; therefore, the Levites prepared for themselves and for the priests the sons of Aaron. 15 And the singers the sons of Asaph were in their place according to the commandment of David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king's seer. And the gatekeepers waited at every gate. They did not need to depart from their service, for their brothers the Levites prepared for them.
16 So all the service of the LORD was prepared the same day to keep the passover and to offer burnt-offerings upon the altar of the LORD according to the commandment of king Josiah. 17 And the children of Israel who were present kept the passover at that time, and the feast of unleavened bread seven days. 18 And there was no passover like that kept in Israel from the days of Samuel the prophet, neither did all the kings of Israel keep such a passover as Josiah kept, with the priests, the Levites, all Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 19 In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah this passover was kept.
20 After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Necho king of Egypt came up to fight against Charchemish by the Euphrates. And Josiah went out against him. 21 But he sent ambassadors to him, saying, "What have I to do with you, king of Judah? I do not come against you this day, but against the house with which I have war. For God commanded me to make haste. Forbear from meddling with God, who is with me, so that he may not destroy you." 22 Nevertheless, Josiah would not turn his face from him, but disguised himself that he might fight with him, and did not listen to the words of Necho from the mouth of God and came to fight in the valley of Megiddo. 23 And the archers shot at king Josiah, and the king said to his servants, "Take me away, for I am severely wounded." 24 His servants therefore took him out of that chariot and put him in the second chariot that he had. And they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died and was buried in one of the sepulchers of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah. 25 And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah. And all the singing men and the singing women have spoken of Josiah in their lamentations to this day. And they made them an ordinance in Israel. And behold, they are written in the lamentations. 26 Now the rest of the acts of Josiah and his goodness according to that which was written in the law of the LORD, 27 And his deeds, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.
Matthew Henry Commentary - 2nd Chronicles, Chapter 35[➚]