2 Kings 23

Josiah's Covenant

1 1Then the king sent, and they gathered to him all the elders of Judah and of Jerusalem.
2 The king went up to the house of the LORD and all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, and the priests and the prophets and all the people, both small and great; and 2he read in their hearing all the words of the book of the covenant 3which was found in the house of the LORD.
3 4The king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the LORD, 5to walk after the LORD, and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to carry out the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people entered into the covenant.

Reforms under Josiah

4 Then the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest and 6the priests of the second order and the doorkeepers, 7to bring out of the temple of the LORD all the vessels that were made for Baal, for Asherah, and for all the host of heaven; and 8he burned them outside * Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron, and carried their ashes to Bethel
5 He did away with the idolatrous priests whom the kings of Judah had appointed to burn incense in the high places in the cities of Judah and in the surrounding area of Jerusalem, also those who burned incense to Baal, to the sun and to the moon and to the constellations and to all the 9host of heaven.
6 He brought out the Asherah from the house of the LORD outside * Jerusalem to the brook Kidron, and burned it at the brook Kidron, and 10ground it to dust, and 11threw its dust on the graves of the common people.
7 He also broke down the houses of the 12male cult prostitutes which were in the house of the LORD, where * 13the women were weaving hangings for the Asherah.
8 Then he brought all the priests from the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where * the priests had burned incense, from 14Geba to Beersheba; and he broke down the high places of the gates which were at the entrance of the gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which were on one's left at the city gate.
9 Nevertheless 15the priests of the high places did not go up to the altar of the LORD in Jerusalem, but they ate unleavened bread among their brothers.
10 16He also defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, 17that no man might make his son or his daughter pass through the fire for 18Molech.
11 He did away with the horses which the kings of Judah had given to the 19sun, at the entrance of the house of the LORD, by the chamber of Nathan-melech the official, which was in the precincts; and he burned the chariots of the sun with fire.
12 20The altars which were on the roof, the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and 21the altars which Manasseh had made in the two courts of the house of the LORD, the king broke down; and he smashed them there and 22threw their dust into the brook Kidron.
13 The high places which were before * Jerusalem, which were on the right of 23the mount of destruction which Solomon the king of Israel had built for 24Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians, and for 25Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Milcom the abomination of the sons of Ammon, the king defiled.
14 26He broke in pieces the sacred pillars and cut down the Asherim and 27filled their places with human bones
15 Furthermore, 28the altar that was at Bethel and the 29high place which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin, had made, even that altar and the high place he broke down. Then he 30demolished its stones, ground them to dust, and burned the Asherah.
16 Now when Josiah turned, he saw the graves that were there on the mountain, and he sent and took the bones from the graves and burned them on the altar and defiled it 31according to the word of the LORD which the man of God proclaimed, who proclaimed these things.
17 Then he said, "What is this monument that I see?" And the men of the city told him, "32It is the grave of the man of God who came from Judah and proclaimed these things which you have done against the altar of Bethel."
18 He said, "Let him alone; let no one disturb his bones." So they left his bones undisturbed 33with the bones of the prophet who came from Samaria.
19 Josiah also removed all the houses of the high places which were 34in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made provoking the LORD; and he did to them just * as he had done in Bethel
20 All the priests of the high places who were there 35he slaughtered on the altars and burned human bones on them; then he returned to Jerusalem.

Passover Reinstituted

21 Then the king commanded all the people saying, "36Celebrate the Passover to the LORD your God 37as it is written in this book of the covenant.
22 38Surely such a Passover had not been celebrated from the days of the judges who judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel and of the kings of Judah.
23 But in the eighteenth * year of King Josiah, this Passover was observed to the LORD in Jerusalem.
24 Moreover, Josiah removed 39the mediums and the spiritists and the 40teraphim and 41the idols and all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, 42that he might confirm the words of the law which were written 43in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the LORD.
25 Before him there was no king 44like him who turned to the LORD with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; nor did any like him arise after him.
26 However, the LORD did not turn from the fierceness of His great wrath with which His anger burned against Judah, 45because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked Him.
27 The LORD said, "I will remove Judah also from My sight, 46as I have removed Israel. And 47I will cast off Jerusalem, this city which I have chosen, and the temple of which I said, 'My name shall be there.' "

Jehoahaz Succeeds Josiah

28 Now the rest of the acts of Josiah and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles * of the Kings of Judah?
29 48In his days 49Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt went up to the king of Assyria to the river Euphrates. And King Josiah went to meet him, and when Pharaoh Neco saw him he killed him at 50Megiddo.
30 51His servants drove his body in a chariot from Megiddo, and brought him to Jerusalem and buried him in his own tomb. 52Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah and anointed him and made him king in place of his father.
31 53Jehoahaz was twenty-three * years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was 54Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.
32 He did evil in the sight of the LORD, 55according to all that his fathers had done.
33 56Pharaoh Neco imprisoned him at 57Riblah in the land of 58Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem; and he imposed on the land a fine of one hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold.

Jehoiakim Made King by Pharaoh

34 Pharaoh Neco made 59Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the place of Josiah his father, and 60changed his name to Jehoiakim. But he took Jehoahaz away and 61brought him to Egypt, and he died there.
35 So Jehoiakim 62gave the silver and gold to Pharaoh, but he taxed the land in order to give the money at the command of Pharaoh. He exacted the silver and gold from the people of the land, each according to his valuation, to give it to Pharaoh Neco.
36 63Jehoiakim was twenty-five * years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven * years in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Zebidah the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah
37 He did evil in the sight of the LORD, 64according to all that his fathers had done.

Cross References 64

  • 1. 2 Chronicles 34:29-32
  • 2. Deuteronomy 31:10-13
  • 3. 2 Kings 22:8
  • 4. 2 Kings 11:14, 17
  • 5. Deuteronomy 13:4
  • 6. 2 Kings 25:18; Jeremiah 52:24
  • 7. 2 Kings 21:3, 7; 2 Chronicles 33:3
  • 8. 2 Kings 23:15
  • 9. 2 Kings 21:3
  • 10. 2 Kings 23:15
  • 11. 2 Chronicles 34:4
  • 12. 1 Kings 14:24; 1 Kings 15:12
  • 13. Exodus 35:25, 26; Ezekiel 16:16
  • 14. Joshua 21:17; 1 Kings 15:22
  • 15. Ezekiel 44:10-14
  • 16. Isaiah 30:33; Jeremiah 7:31, 32; Jeremiah 19:4-6
  • 17. Leviticus 18:21
  • 18. 1 Kings 11:7
  • 19. Deuteronomy 4:19; Job 31:26; Ezekiel 8:16
  • 20. Jeremiah 19:13; Zephaniah 1:5
  • 21. 2 Kings 21:5; 2 Chronicles 33:5
  • 22. 2 Kings 23:4, 6
  • 23. 1 Kings 11:7
  • 24. 1 Kings 11:5
  • 25. Numbers 21:29
  • 26. Deuteronomy 7:5, 25
  • 27. 2 Kings 23:16
  • 28. 1 Kings 13:1
  • 29. 1 Kings 12:28-33
  • 30. 2 Kings 23:6
  • 31. 1 Kings 13:2
  • 32. 1 Kin 13:1, 30, 31
  • 33. 1 Kings 13:11, 31
  • 34. 2 Chronicles 34:6, 7
  • 35. 2 Kings 10:25; 2 Kings 11:18
  • 36. 2 Chronicles 35:1-17
  • 37. Numbers 9:2-4; Deuteronomy 16:2-8
  • 38. 2 Chronicles 35:18, 19
  • 39. Leviticus 19:31; 2 Kings 21:6
  • 40. Gen 31:19 mg
  • 41. 2 Kings 21:11, 21
  • 42. Deuteronomy 18:10-22
  • 43. 2 Kings 22:8
  • 44. 2 Kings 18:5
  • 45. 2 Kings 21:11-13; Jeremiah 15:4
  • 46. 2 Kings 18:11
  • 47. 2 Kings 21:13, 14
  • 48. 2 Chronicles 35:20-24
  • 49. Jeremiah 46:2
  • 50. Judges 5:19
  • 51. 2 Kings 9:28
  • 52. 2 Chronicles 36:1-4
  • 53. 1 Chronicles 3:15; Jeremiah 22:11
  • 54. 2 Kings 24:18
  • 55. 2 Kings 21:2-7
  • 56. 2 Kings 23:29
  • 57. 2 Kings 25:6
  • 58. 1 Kings 8:65
  • 59. 1 Chronicles 3:15
  • 60. 2 Kings 24:17; 2 Chronicles 36:4
  • 61. Jeremiah 22:11, 12; Ezekiel 19:3, 4
  • 62. 2 Kings 23:33
  • 63. 2 Chronicles 36:5; Jeremiah 22:18, 19; Jeremiah 26:1
  • 64. 2 Kings 23:32

Footnotes 17

  • [a]. Lit "took a stand in"
  • [b]. Lit "keepers of the threshold"
  • [c]. I.e. a wooden symbol of a female deity, and so throughout the ch
  • [d]. Lit "sons of the people"
  • [e]. Or "tents;" lit "houses"
  • [f]. I.e. place of burning
  • [g]. Or "ran from there"
  • [h]. So the Gr; Heb "burned the high place"
  • [i]. Lit "let his bones escape with"
  • [j]. So with ancient versions
  • [k]. Lit "according to all the acts"
  • [l]. Lit "consumed"
  • [m]. Or "perform"
  • [n]. Lit "house"
  • [o]. Lit "him, dead"
  • [p]. So with Gr; Heb "he came"
  • [q]. Lit "mouth"

2 Kings 23 Commentaries

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