2 Kings 23:4-37

4Then the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, 1the priests of the second order, and the 2doorkeepers 3to bring out of the temple of the Lord all the utensils that had been made for Baal, for 4Asherah, and for all the heavenly 5lights; and 6he burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron Valley, and carried their ashes to Bethel. 5Then he did away with the idolatrous priests whom the kings of Judah had appointed to burn incense on the high places in the cities of Judah and in the surrounding area of Jerusalem, as well as those who burned incense to Baal, to the sun, to the moon, to the constellations, and to all the remaining 7heavenly 8lights. 6He also brought out the Asherah from the house of the Lord outside Jerusalem to the brook Kidron, and burned it at the brook Kidron, and 9ground it to dust, and 10threw its dust on the graves of the 11common people. 7And he tore down the cubicles of the 12male cult prostitutes which were in the house of the Lord, where 13the women were weaving 14hangings for the Asherah. 8Then he brought all the priests from the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had burned incense, from 15Geba to Beersheba; and he tore down the high places of the gates that were at the entrance of the gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which were on one’s left at the city gate. 9Nevertheless 16the 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. 1017He also defiled 18Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, 19so that no one would make his son or his daughter pass through the fire for 20Molech. 11And he did away with the horses that the kings of Judah had given to the 21sun, at the entrance of the house of the Lord, by the chamber of Nathan-melech the official, which was at the 22covered courtyard; and he burned the chariots of the sun with fire. 12The king also tore down 23the altars that were on the roof, the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and 24the altars which Manasseh had made in the two courtyards of the house of the Lord; and he 25smashed them there and 26threw their dust into the brook Kidron. 13And the king defiled the high places that were opposite Jerusalem, which were on the right of 27the mount of destruction which Solomon the king of Israel had built for 28Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians, for 29Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Milcom the abomination of the sons of Ammon. 1430He also smashed to pieces the memorial stones and cut down the 31Asherim, and 32filled their places with human bones.

15Furthermore, 33the altar that was at Bethel and the 34high place which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who misled Israel into sin, had made, even that altar and the high place he tore down. Then he 35burned the high place, ground the remains to dust, and burned the Asherah. 16Now when Josiah turned, he saw the graves that were there on the mountain, and he sent men and took the bones from the graves, and burned them on the altar and defiled it 36in accordance with the word of the Lord which the man of God proclaimed, the one who proclaimed these things. 17Then he said, “What is this gravestone there that I see?” And the men of the city told him, “37It 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.” 18And he said, “Leave him alone; no one is to disturb his bones.” So they left his bones undisturbed 38with the bones of the prophet who came from Samaria. 19Then Josiah also removed all the houses of the high places which were 39in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had constructed, 40provoking the Lord to anger; and he did to them 41just as he had done in Bethel. 20And 42he slaughtered all the priests of the high places who were there on the altars, and burned human bones on them; then he returned to Jerusalem.

21Then the king commanded all the people, saying, “43Celebrate the Passover to the Lord your God 44as it is written in this Book of the Covenant.” 2245Truly such a Passover had not been celebrated since the days of the judges who judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah. 23But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, this Passover was celebrated to the Lord in Jerusalem.

24Moreover, Josiah removed 46the mediums, the spiritists, the 4748household idols, 49the idols, and all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, 50so that he might 51fulfill the words of the Law which were written 52in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the Lord. 25Before him there was no king 53like him who turned to the Lord with all his heart, all his soul, and all his might, in conformity to all the Law of Moses; nor did any like him arise after him.

26Nevertheless, the Lord did not turn from the fierceness of His great wrath with which His anger burned against Judah, 54because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked Him. 27And the Lord said, “I will also remove Judah from My sight, 55just as I have removed Israel. And 56I will reject this city which I have chosen, Jerusalem, and the 57temple of which I said, ‘My name shall be there!’”

28Now 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? 2958In his days 59Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt went up to the king of Assyria at the river Euphrates. And King Josiah went to meet him, and when Pharaoh Neco saw him he killed him at 60Megiddo. 3061His servants carried 62his body in a chariot from Megiddo, and brought him to Jerusalem and buried him in his own tomb. 63Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah and anointed him and made him king in place of his father.

3164Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned for three months in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was 65Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 32He did evil in the sight of the Lord, 66in accordance with all that his forefathers had done. 33And 67Pharaoh Neco imprisoned him at 68Riblah in the land of 69Hamath, so that he would not reign in Jerusalem; and he imposed on the land a fine of 70a hundred talents of silver and 71a talent of gold. 34Then Pharaoh Neco made 72Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the place of his father Josiah, and he 73changed his name to Jehoiakim. But he took Jehoahaz and 7475brought him to Egypt, and he died there. 35So Jehoiakim 76gave the silver and gold to Pharaoh, but he assessed the land in order to give the money at the 77command of Pharaoh. He collected the silver and gold from the people of the land, each according to his assessment, to give to Pharaoh Neco.

3678Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Zebidah the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah. 37He did evil in the sight of the Lord, 79in accordance with all that his forefathers had done.