2 Chronicles 35:1–17

Josiah Celebrates the Passover

¹Then Josiah ^acelebrated the Passover to Yahweh in Jerusalem, and ^bthey slaughtered the Passover animals on the fourteenth day of the first month.

²And he caused the priests to stand in their responsibilities and ^astrengthened them in the service of the house of Yahweh.

³He also said to ^athe Levites who provided understanding to all Israel and who were holy to Yahweh, “Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David king of Israel built; ^bit will be a burden on your shoulders no longer. Now serve Yahweh your God and His people Israel.

⁴“^aSo prepare yourselves by your fathers’ households in your divisions, according to the writing of David king of Israel and ^baccording to the writing of his son Solomon.

⁵“Moreover, ^astand in the holy place according to the sections of the fathers’ households of your brothers the ¹lay people, and according to the Levites, by division of a father’s household.

⁶“Now ^aslaughter the Passover animals, ^bsanctify yourselves and prepare for your brothers to do according to the word of Yahweh by the hand of Moses.”

⁷And Josiah contributed to the lay people, to all who were present, flocks of lambs and young goats, all for the Passover offerings, numbering 30,000 plus 3,000 bulls; these were from the king’s possessions.

⁸His officials also contributed a freewill offering to the people, the priests, and the Levites. Hilkiah and Zechariah and Jehiel, ^athe officers of the house of God, gave to the priests for the Passover offerings 2,600 from the flocks and 300 bulls.

^9aConaniah also, and Shemaiah and Nethanel, his brothers, and Hashabiah and Jeiel and Jozabad, the ¹officials of the Levites, contributed to the Levites for the Passover offerings 5,000 from the flocks and 500 bulls.

¹⁰So the service was prepared, and ^athe priests stood at their stations and the Levites by their divisions according to the king’s commandment.

^11aAnd ¹they slaughtered the Passover animals, and while ^bthe priests splashed ²the blood received from their hand, ^cthe Levites skinned them.

¹²Then they took away the portions for the burnt offerings that they might give them to the sections of the fathers’ households of the lay people to bring near to Yahweh, as it is written in the book of Moses. They did this also with the bulls.

¹³So ^athey roasted the Passover animals on the fire according to the legal judgment, and they boiled ^bthe holy things in pots, in kettles, in pans, and carried them speedily to all the lay people.

¹⁴Afterwards they prepared for themselves and for the priests, because the priests, the sons of Aaron, were offering the burnt offerings and the fat until night; therefore the Levites prepared for themselves and for the priests, the sons of Aaron.

¹⁵The singers, the sons of Asaph, were also at their stations ^aaccording to the commandment of David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king’s seer; and ^bthe gatekeepers at each gate did not have to turn aside from their service, because the Levites their brothers prepared for them.

¹⁶So all the service of Yahweh was prepared on that day to celebrate the Passover, and to offer burnt offerings on the altar of Yahweh according to the commandment of King Josiah.

¹⁷Thus ^athe sons of Israel who were present celebrated the Passover at that time, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days.