God

that ADONAI says this: 'I am going to bring calamity on this place and on its inhabitants, all the curses written in the scroll they read to the king of Y'hudah;

because they have abandoned me and offered to other gods, in order to provoke me with everything they do. Therefore my anger is poured out on this place and will not be quenched.'

"But you are to tell the king of Y'hudah, who sent you to consult ADONAI, that ADONAI the God of Isra'el also says this: 'In regard to the words you have heard,

because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before God when you heard his words against this place and its inhabitants - you humbled yourself before me, tore your clothes and cried before me - I have also heard you,' says ADONAI.

'Here, I will gather you to your ancestors; you will go to your grave in peace; and your eyes will not see all the calamity I am going to bring on this place and its inhabitants.'" So they brought back word to the king.

The king went up to the house of ADONAI with all the men of Y'hudah, those living in Yerushalayim, the cohanim, the L'vi'im and all the people, both great and small; and he read in their hearing everything written in the scroll of the covenant that had been found in the house of ADONAI.

The king stood in his place and made a covenant in the presence of ADONAI to live following ADONAI, observing his mitzvot, instructions and laws wholeheartedly and with all his being, so as to perform the words of the covenant written in this scroll.

Then, after he had all the people in Yerushalayim and Binyamin stand in affirmation of it, the inhabitants of Yerushalayim acted in accordance with the covenant of God, the God of their ancestors.

Yoshiyahu removed all the abominable idols from all the territories belonging to the people of Isra'el, and he made everyone in Isra'el serve ADONAI their God. Throughout his lifetime, they did not stop following ADONAI, the God of their ancestors.

Yoshiyahu kept Pesach to ADONAI in Yerushalayim. They slaughtered the Pesach lamb on the fourteenth day of the first month.

He assigned the cohanim to their posts and encouraged them to perform the service of the house of ADONAI.

To the L'vi'im who were teaching all Isra'el and were holy for ADONAI he said, "Put the holy ark in the house which Shlomo the son of David, king of Isra'el, built; after this, you will not have to carry it again. Now serve ADONAI your God and his people Isra'el.

Then slaughter the Pesach lamb, consecrate yourselves, prepare what your kinsmen need, and act according to the word of ADONAI given through Moshe."

Also his leading men voluntarily gave to the people and to the cohanim and L'vi'im. Hilkiyah, Z'kharyahu and Yechi'el, the rulers of the house of God, gave the cohanim 2,600 [lambs and kids] and 300 oxen for Pesach offerings.

They removed the portions to be burned, in order to give them to the divisions of the clans of the ordinary people to present to ADONAI, as written in the scroll of Moshe. They did the same with the oxen.

Thus all the service of ADONAI was prepared the same day for observing Pesach and offering burnt offerings on the altar of ADONAI, in accordance with the order of King Yoshiyahu.

but N'kho sent envoys to him with this message: "Do I have a conflict with you, king of Y'hudah? No, I am not coming today to attack you, but to attack the dynasty with whom I am at war. God has ordered to speed me along; so don't meddle with God, who is with me; so that he won't destroy you."

Nevertheless, Yoshiyahu was determined to go after him. He disguised himself in order to fight against him and wouldn't listen to what N'kho said, which was from the mouth of God. Then he went to fight in the Megiddo Valley.

Other activities of Yoshiyahu and all his good deeds in keeping with what is written in the Torah of ADONAI,

Y'hoyakim was twenty-five years old when he began his reign, and he ruled for eleven years in Yerushalayim. He did what was evil from the perspective of ADONAI his God.

N'vukhadnetzar also carried the articles in the house of ADONAI away to Bavel and put them in his temple in Bavel.

Y'hoyakhin was eight years old when he began his reign, and he ruled in Yerushalayim for three months and ten days. He did what was evil from ADONAI's perspective.

In the spring, King N'vukhadnetzar sent and had him brought to Bavel together with the valuable articles from the house of ADONAI, and made Tzedekyah his brother king over Y'hudah and Yerushalayim.

He did what was evil from the perspective of ADONAI his God. He did not humble himself before Yirmeyahu the prophet speaking on behalf of ADONAI.

He also rebelled against King N'vukhadnetzar, who had made him swear loyalty to him by God; instead, he became stiffnecked and hardhearted, refusing to turn to ADONAI the God of Isra'el.