by Septuagint
[8] And in the eighteenth year of his reign, after having cleansed the land, and the house, he sent Saphan the son of Ezelias, and Maasa prefect of the city, and Juach son of Joachaz his recorder, to repair the house of the Lord his God. [9] And they came to Chelcias the high priest, and gave the money that was brought into the house of God, which the Levites who kept the gate collected of the hand of Manasse and Ephraim, and of the princes, and of every one that was left in Israel, and of the children of Juda and Benjamin, and of the dwellers in Jerusalem. [10] And they gave it into the hand of the workmen, who were appointed in the house of the Lord, and they gave it to the workmen who wrought in the house of the Lord, to repair and strengthen the house. [11] They gave it also to the carpenters and builders, to buy squared stones, and timber for beams to cover the houses which the kings of Juda had destroyed. [12] And the men were faithfully engaged in the works: and over them were superintendents, Jeth and Abdias, Levites of the sons of Merari, and Zacharias and Mosollam, of the sons of Caath, appointed to oversee; and every Levite, and every one that understood how to play on musical instruments. [13] And overseers were over the burden-bearers, and over all the workmen in the respective works; and of the Levites were appointed scribes, and judges, and porters.
[14] And when they brought forth the money that had been brought into the house of the Lord, Chelcias the priest found a book of the law of the Lord given by the hand of Moses. [15] And Chelcias answered and said to Saphan the scribe, I have found a book of the law in the house of the Lord. And Chelcias gave the book to Saphan. [16] And Saphan brought in the book to the king, and moreover gave an account to the king, saying, This is all the money given into the hand of thy servants that work. [17] And they have collected the money that was found in the house of the Lord, and given it into the hand of the overseers, and into the hand of them that do the work.
[18] And Saphan the scribe brought word to the king, saying, Chelcias the priest has given me a book. And Saphan read it before the king. [19] And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the law, that he rent his garments. [20] And the king commanded Chelcias, and Achicam the son of Saphan, and Abdom the son of Michaias, and Saphan the scribe, and Asia the servant of the king, saying, [21] Go, enquire of the Lord for me, and for every one that is left in Israel and Juda, concerning the words of the book that is found: for great is the wrath of the Lord which has been kindled amongst us, because our fathers have not hearkened to the words of the Lord, to do according to all the things written in this book.
[22] And Chelcias went, and the others whom the king told, to Olda the prophetess, the wife of Sellem son of Thecoe, son of Aras, who kept the commandments; and she dwelt in Jerusalem in the second quarter: and they spoke to her accordingly.
[23] And she said to them, Thus has the Lord God of Israel said, Tell the man who sent you to me, [24] Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I bring evil upon this place, even all the words that are written in the book that was read before the king of Juda: [25] because they have forsaken me, and burnt incense to strange gods, that they might provoke me by all the works of their hands; and my wrath is kindled against this place, and it shall not be quenched. [26] And concerning the king of Juda, who sent you to seek the Lord, — thus shall ye say to him, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, As for the words which thou has heard, [27] forasmuch as thy heart was ashamed, and thou was humbled before me when thou heardest my words against this place, and against the inhabitants of it, and thou wast humbled before me, and didst rend thy garments, and didst weep before me; I also have heard, saith the Lord. [28] Behold, I will gather thee to thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered to thy grave in peace, and thine eyes shall not look upon all the evils which I am bringing upon this place, and upon the inhabitants of it. And they brought back word to the king.
[29] And the king sent and gathered the elders of Juda and Jerusalem. [30] And the king went up to the house of the Lord, he and all Juda, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests, and the Levites, and all the people great and small: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant that were found in the house of the Lord. [31] And the king stood at a pillar, and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk before the Lord, to keep his commandments and testimonies, and his ordinances, with all his heart and with all his soul, so as to perform the words of the covenant that were written in this book. [32] And he caused all that were found in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand; and the inhabitants of Jerusalem made a covenant in the house of the Lord God of their fathers.
[33] And Josias removed all the abominations out of the whole land which belonged to the children of Israel, and caused all that were found in Jerusalem and in Israel, to serve the Lord their God all his days: he departed not from following the Lord God of his fathers.
Chapter 35
[1] And Josias kept a passover to the Lord his God; and sacrificed the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month. [2] And he appointed the priests at their charges, and encouraged them for the services of the house of the Lord. [3] And he told the Levites that were able to act in all Israel, that they should consecrate themselves to the Lord: and they put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David king of Israel built: and the king said, Ye must not carry anything on your shoulders: now then minister to the Lord your God, and to his people Israel. [4] And prepare yourselves according to the houses of your families, and according to your daily courses, according to the writing of David king of Israel, and the order by the hand of his son Solomon. [5] And stand ye in the house according to the divisions of the houses of your families for your brethren the sons of the people; so also let there be for the Levites a division of the house of their family. [6] And kill ye the passover, and prepare it for your brethren, to do according to the word of the Lord, by the hand of Moses.
[7] And Josias gave as an offering to the children of the people, sheep, and lambs, and kids of the young of the goats, all for the passover, even for all that were found, in number amounting to thirty thousand, and three thousand calves, these were of the substance of the king. [8] And his princes gave an offering to the people, and to the priests, and to the Levites: and Chelcias and Zacharias and Jeiel the chief men gave to the priests of the house of God, they even gave for the passover sheep, and lambs, and kids, two thousand six hundred, and three hundred calves. [9] And Chonenias, and Banaeas, and Samaeas, and Nathanael his brother, and Asabias, and Jeiel, and Jozabad, heads of the Levites, gave an offering to the Levites for the passover, of five thousand sheep and five hundred calves.
[10] And the service was duly ordered, and the priests stood in their place, and the Levites in their divisions, according to the command of the king. [11] And they slew the passover, and the priests sprinkled the blood from their hand, and the Levites flayed the victims. [12] And they prepared the whole-burnt-offering to give to them, according to the division by the houses of families, even to the sons of the people, to offer to the Lord, as it is written in the book of Moses. [13] And thus they did till the morning. And they roasted the passover with fire according to the ordinance; and boiled the holy pieces in copper vessels and caldrons, and the feast went on well, and they quickly served all the children of the people.
[14] And after they had prepared for themselves and for the priests, for the priests were engaged in offering the whole-burnt-offerings and the fat until night, then the Levites prepared for themselves, and for their brethren the sons of Aaron. [15] And the sons of Asaph the psalm-singers were at their post according to the commands of David, and Asaph, and Æman, and Idithom, the prophets of the king: also, the chiefs and the porters of the several gates; — it was not for them to stir from the service of the holy things, for their brethren the Levites prepared for them. [16] So all the service of the Lord was duly ordered and prepared in that day, for keeping the passover, and offering the whole-burnt-sacrifices on the altar of the Lord, according to the command of king Josias. [17] And the children of Israel that were present kept the p
assover at that time, and the feast of unleavened bread seven days.
[18] And there was no passover like it in Israel from the days of Samuel the prophet, or any king of Israel: they kept not such a passover as Josias, and the priests, and the Levites, and all Juda and Israel that were present, and the dwellers in Jerusalem, kept to the Lord. [19] In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josias this passover was kept, after all these things that Josias did in the house. And king Josias burnt those who had in them a divining spirit, and the wizards, and the images, and the idols, and the sodomites which were in the land of Juda and in Jerusalem, that he might confirm the words of the law that were written in the book which Chelcias the priest found in the house of the Lord. There was no king like him before him, who turned to the Lord with all his heart, and all his soul, and all his strength, according to all the law of Moses, and after him there rose up none like him. Nevertheless the Lord turned not from the anger of his fierce wrath, wherewith the Lord was greatly angry against Juda, for all the provocations wherewith Manasses provoked him: and the Lord said, I will even remove Juda also from my presence, as I have removed Israel, and I have rejected the city which I chose, even Jerusalem, and thehouse of which I said, My name shall be there.
[20] And Pharao Nechao king of Egypt went up against the king of the Assyrians to the river Euphrates, and king Josias went to meet him. [21] And he sent messengers to him, saying, What have I to do with thee, O king of Juda? I am not come to-day to war against thee; and God has told me to hasten: beware of the God that is with me, lest he destroy thee. [22] However, Josias turned not his face from him, but strengthened himself to fight against him, and hearkened not to the words of Nechao by the mouth of God, and he came to fight in the plain of Mageddo. [23] And the archers shot at king Josias; and the king said to his servants, Take me away, for I am severely wounded. [24] And his servants lifted him out of the chariot, and put him in the second chariot which he had, and brought him to Jerusalem; and he died, and was buried with his fathers: and all Juda and Jerusalem lamented over Josias. [25] And Jeremias mourned over Josias, and all the chief men and chief women uttered a lamentation over Josias until this day: and they made it an ordinance for Israel, and, behold, it is written in the lamentations.
[26] And the rest of the acts of Josias, and his hope, are written in the law of the Lord. [27] And his acts, the first and the last, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.
Chapter 36
[1] And the people of the land took Joachaz the son of Josias, and anointed him, and made him king over Jerusalem in the room of his father. [2] Joachaz was twenty-three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem: and his mother’s name was Amital, daughter of Jeremias of Lobna. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his fathers had done. And Pharao Nechao bound him in Deblatha in the land of Æmath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem. [3] And the king brought him over to Egypt; and imposed a tribute on the land, a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. [4] And Pharao Nechao made Eliakim the son of Josias king over Juda in the room of his father Josias, and changed his name to Joakim. And Pharao Nechao took his brother Joachaz and brought him into Egypt, and he died there: but he had given the silver and gold to Pharao. At that time the land began to be taxed to give the money at the command of Pharao; and every one as he could borrowed the silver and the gold of the people of the land, to give to Pharao Nechao.
[5] Joachim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: and his mother’s name was Zechora, daughter of Nerias of Rama. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his fathers did. In his days came Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon into the land, and he served him three years, and then revolted from him. And the Lord sent against them the Chaldeans, and plundering parties of Syrians, and plundering parties of the Moabites, and of the children of Ammon, and of Samaria; but after this they departed, according to the word of the Lord by the hand of his servants the prophets. Nevertheless the wrath of the Lord was upon Juda, so that they should be removed from his presence, because of the sins of Manasses in all that he did, and for the innocent blood which Joakim shed, for he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; yet the Lord would not utterly destroy them. [6] And Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon came up against him, and bound him with brazen fetters, and carried him away to Babylon. [7] And he carried away a part of the vessels of the house of the Lord to Babylon, and put them in his temple in Babylon.
[8] And the rest of the acts of Joakim, and all that he did, behold, are not these things written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Juda? And Joakim slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in Ganozae: and Jechonias his son reigned in his stead.
[9] Jechonias was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem, and did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord. [10] And at the turn of the year, king Nabuchodonosor sent, and brought him to Babylon, with the precious vessels of the house of the Lord, and made Sedekias his father’s brother king over Juda and Jerusalem.
[11] Sedekias was twenty-one years old when he began to reign, and be reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. [12] And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord his God: he was not ashamed before the prophet Jeremias, nor because of the word of the Lord; [13] in that he rebelled against king Nabuchodonosor, which he adjured him by God not to do: but he stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart, so as not to return to the Lord God of Israel. [14] And all the great men of Juda, and the priests, and the people of the land transgressed abundantly in the abominations of the heathen, and polluted the house of the Lord which was in Jerusalem. [15] And the Lord God of their fathers sent by the hand of his prophets; rising early and sending his messengers, for he spared his people, and his sanctuary. [16] Nevertheless they sneered at his messengers, and set at nought his words, and mocked his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord rose up against his people, till there was no remedy.
[17] And he brought against them the king of the Chaldeans, and slew their young men with the sword in the house of his sanctuary, and did not spare Sedekias, and had no mercy upon their virgins, and they led away their old men: he delivered all things into their hands. [18] And all the vessels of the house of God, the great and the small, and the treasures of the house of the Lord, and all the treasures of the king and the great men; he brought all to Babylon.
[19] And he burnt the house of the Lord, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt its palaces with fire, and utterly destroyed every beautiful vessel. [20] And he carried away the remnant to Babylon; and they were servants to him and to his sons until the establishment of the kingdom of the Medes. [21] That the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremias might be fulfilled, until the land should enjoy its sabbaths in resting and sabbath keeping all the days of its desolation, till the accomplishment of seventy years.
[22] In the first year of Cyrus king of the Persians, after the fulfillment of the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremias, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of the Persians, and told him to make proclamation in writing throughout all his kingdom, saying, [23] Thus says Cyrus king of the Persians to all the kingdoms of the earth, The Lord God of heaven has given me power, and he has commanded me to build a house to him in Jerusalem, in Judea. Who is there of you of all his people? His God shall be with him, and let him go up.
I Ezra
Chapter 1
[1] And Josias held the feast of the passover in Jerusalem unto his Lord, and offered the passover the fourteenth day of the first month; [2] Having set the priests according to their daily courses, being arrayed in long garments, in the temple of the Lord.
[3] And he spake unto the Levites, the holy ministers of Israel, that they should hallow themselves unto the Lord, to set the holy ark of the Lord in the house that king Solomon the son of David had built: [4] And said
, Ye shall no more bear the ark upon your shoulders: now therefore serve the Lord your God, and minister unto his people Israel, and prepare you after your families and kindreds, [5] According as David the king of Israel prescribed, and according to the magnificence of Solomon his son: and standing in the temple according to the several dignity of the families of you the Levites, who minister in the presence of your brethren the children of Israel, [6] Offer the passover in order, and make ready the sacrifices for your brethren, and keep the passover according to the commandment of the Lord, which was given unto Moses.
[7] And unto the people that was found there Josias gave thirty thousand lambs and kids, and three thousand calves: these things were given of the king’s allowance, according as he promised, to the people, to the priests, and to the Levites. [8] And Helkias, Zacharias, and Syelus, the governors of the temple, gave to the priests for the passover two thousand and six hundred sheep, and three hundred calves. [9] And Jeconias, and Samaias, and Nathanael his brother, and Assabias, and Ochiel, and Joram, captains over thousands, gave to the Levites for the passover five thousand sheep, and seven hundred calves.
[10] And when these things were done, the priests and Levites, having the unleavened bread, stood in very comely order according to the kindreds, [11] And according to the several dignities of the fathers, before the people, to offer to the Lord, as it is written in the book of Moses: and thus did they in the morning. [12] And they roasted the passover with fire, as appertaineth: as for the sacrifices, they sod them in brass pots and pans with a good savour, [13] And set them before all the people: and afterward they prepared for themselves, and for the priests their brethren, the sons of Aaron. [14] For the priests offered the fat until night: and the Levites prepared for themselves, and the priests their brethren, the sons of Aaron. [15] The holy singers also, the sons of Asaph, were in their order, according to the appointment of David, to wit, Asaph, Zacharias, and Jeduthun, who was of the king’s retinue. [16] Moreover the porters were at every gate; it was not lawful for any to go from his ordinary service: for their brethren the Levites prepared for them. [17] Thus were the things that belonged to the sacrifices of the Lord accomplished in that day, that they might hold the passover, [18] And offer sacrifices upon the altar of the Lord, according to the commandment of king Josias.
