1
The name of Josiah is like blended incense prepared by the skill of the perfumer; his memory is as sweet as honey to every mouth, and like music at a banquet of wine.
2
He did what was right by reforming the people, and removing the wicked abominations.
3
He kept his heart fixed on the Lord; in lawless times he made godliness prevail.
4
Except for David and Hezekiah and Josiah, all of them were great sinners, for they abandoned the law of the Most High; the kings of Judah came to an end.
5
They gave their power to others, and their glory to a foreign nation,
6
who set fire to the chosen city of the sanctuary, and made its streets desolate, as Jeremiah had foretold.
7
For they had mistreated him, who even in the womb had been consecrated a prophet, to pluck up and ruin and destroy, and likewise to build and to plant.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.