Josiah revives the Passover
1 Josiah celebrated the Passover to the Lord in Jerusalem. He sacrificed the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the first month.
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He gave the priests, dressed in religious robes, their daily assignments in the Lord's temple.
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He said to the Levites serving in Israel's temple: "Dedicate yourselves to the Lord for placing the Lord's holy chest in the house that David's son King Solomon built. You don't need to carry it on your shoulders anymore.
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Now worship the Lord your God and serve Israel, God's people. Prepare yourselves according to your families and tribes, and according to the plan of King David and the greatness of his son Solomon.
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Take your positions in the temple according to your inherited priestly groups, serving before your people the Israelites.
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Sacrifice the Passover lamb and prepare sacrifices for your people, and conduct the Passover ceremony according to the rules that the Lord gave to Moses."
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Josiah gave to the people a gift of thirty thousand lambs and kid goats and three thousand calves. These came as promised from the king's own possessions to the people, priests, and Levites.
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Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel (the chief officials of the temple) gave to the priests for the Passover twenty-six hundred sheep and three hundred calves.
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Jeconiah, Shemaiah and his brother Nethanel, Hashabiah, Ochiel, and Joram, military commanders, gave to the Levites five thousand sheep and seven hundred calves for the Passover.
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This is what happened. Early in the morning the priests and Levites,
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holding the unleavened bread, stood in the proper order of their tribes
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and by their inherited groups. They brought the offerings to the Lord according to the scroll from Moses.
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They roasted the Passover lamb over fire as required. They boiled the sacrifices, with a sweet aroma, in copper pots and kettles and carried them over to all the people.
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Later on, the Levites prepared the Passover meal for themselves and for their fellow priests, Aaron's sons, since the priests were offering the fat of the sacrifices until late into the night.
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The temple singers, Asaph's sons, were in their designated positions according to the instructions set down by David and by Asaph, Zechariah, and Eddinus, the king's advisors. The city gatekeepers were at each gate. No one needed to change his daily routine, because the Levites had prepared the Passover meal for them.
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Everything for the Lord's sacrifice was accomplished on that day. They celebrated the Passover and offered sacrifices on the Lord's altar according to King Josiah's command.
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The Israelites celebrated the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days.
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No Passover like it had been celebrated in Israel since the time of the prophet Samuel.
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Nor had any of the kings of Israel ever celebrated a Passover like that celebrated by Josiah, the priests, the Levites, the Judeans, and all of Israel who were living in Jerusalem.
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In the eighteenth year of the rule of Josiah this Passover was celebrated.
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Josiah did the right thing in the Lord's presence, because his heart was devoted to God.
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The story of his rule was officially recorded in ancient times. The records include those who sinned and committed ungodly acts toward the Lord, beyond those of any other nation and kingdom. Their acts intentionally grieved the Lord, so that the Lord spoke against Israel.