2 Tawarikh 35:1-27
Konteks35:1 Josiah observed a Passover festival for the Lord in Jerusalem. 1 They slaughtered the Passover lambs on the fourteenth day of the first month. 35:2 He appointed the priests to fulfill their duties and encouraged them to carry out their service in the Lord’s temple. 35:3 He told the Levites, who instructed all Israel about things consecrated to the Lord, “Place the holy ark in the temple which King Solomon son of David of Israel built. Don’t carry it on your shoulders. Now serve the Lord your God and his people Israel! 35:4 Prepare yourselves by your families according to your divisions, as instructed 2 by King David of Israel and his son Solomon. 35:5 Stand in the sanctuary and, together with the Levites, represent the family divisions of your countrymen. 3 35:6 Slaughter the Passover lambs, consecrate yourselves, and make preparations for your countrymen to do what the Lord commanded through Moses.” 4
35:7 From his own royal flocks and herds, Josiah supplied the people with 30,000 lambs and goats for the Passover sacrifice, as well as 3,000 cattle. 5 35:8 His officials also willingly contributed to the people, priests, and Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, the leaders of God’s temple, supplied 2,600 Passover sacrifices and 300 cattle. 35:9 Konaniah and his brothers Shemaiah and Nethanel, along with Hashabiah, Jeiel, and Jozabad, the officials of the Levites, supplied the Levites with 5,000 Passover sacrifices and 500 cattle. 35:10 Preparations were made, 6 and the priests stood at their posts and the Levites in their divisions as prescribed by the king. 35:11 They slaughtered the Passover lambs and the priests splashed the blood, 7 while the Levites skinned the animals. 35:12 They reserved the burnt offerings and the cattle for the family divisions of the people to present to the Lord, as prescribed in the scroll of Moses. 8 35:13 They cooked the Passover sacrifices over the open fire as prescribed and cooked the consecrated offerings in pots, kettles, and pans. They quickly served them to all the people. 35:14 Afterward they made preparations for themselves and for the priests, because the priests, the descendants of Aaron, were offering burnt sacrifices and fat portions until evening. The Levites made preparations for themselves and for the priests, the descendants of Aaron. 35:15 The musicians, the descendants of Asaph, manned their posts, as prescribed by David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king’s prophet. 9 The guards at the various gates did not need to leave their posts, for their fellow Levites made preparations for them. 35:16 So all the preparations for the Lord’s service were made that day, as the Passover was observed and the burnt sacrifices were offered on the altar of the Lord, as prescribed by King Josiah. 35:17 So the Israelites who were present observed the Passover at that time, as well as the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days. 35:18 A Passover like this had not been observed in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet. None of the kings of Israel had observed a Passover like the one celebrated by Josiah, the priests, the Levites, all the people of Judah and Israel who were there, and the residents of Jerusalem. 35:19 This Passover was observed in the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign.
35:20 After Josiah had done all this for the temple, 10 King Necho of Egypt marched up to do battle at Carchemish on the Euphrates River. 11 Josiah marched out to oppose him. 35:21 Necho 12 sent messengers to him, saying, “Why are you opposing me, O king of Judah? 13 I am not attacking you today, but the kingdom with which I am at war. 14 God told me to hurry. Stop opposing God, who is with me, or else he will destroy you.” 15 35:22 But Josiah did not turn back from him; 16 he disguised himself for battle. He did not take seriously 17 the words of Necho which he had received from God; he went to fight him in the Plain of Megiddo. 18 35:23 Archers shot King Josiah; the king ordered his servants, “Take me out of this chariot, 19 for I am seriously wounded.” 35:24 So his servants took him out of the chariot, put him in another chariot that he owned, and brought him to Jerusalem, 20 where he died. He was buried in the tombs of his ancestors; 21 all the people of Judah and Jerusalem mourned Josiah. 35:25 Jeremiah composed laments for Josiah which all the male and female singers use to mourn Josiah to this very day. It has become customary in Israel to sing these; they are recorded in the Book of Laments.
35:26 The rest of the events of Josiah’s reign, including the faithful acts he did in obedience to what is written in the law of the Lord 22 35:27 and his accomplishments, from start to finish, are recorded 23 in the Scroll of the Kings of Israel and Judah.
2 Tawarikh 25:1-28
Konteks25:1 Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. 24 His mother was Jehoaddan, who was from Jerusalem. 25:2 He did what the Lord approved, 25 but not with wholehearted devotion. 26
25:3 When he had secured control of the kingdom, 27 he executed the servants who had assassinated his father. 28 25:4 However, he did not execute their sons. He obeyed the Lord’s commandment as recorded in the law scroll of Moses, 29 “Fathers must not be executed for what their sons do, 30 and sons must not be executed for what their fathers do. 31 A man must be executed only for his own sin.” 32
25:5 Amaziah assembled the people of Judah 33 and assigned them by families to the commanders of units of a thousand and the commanders of units of a hundred for all Judah and Benjamin. He counted those twenty years old and up and discovered there were 300,000 young men of fighting age 34 equipped with spears and shields. 35 25:6 He hired 100,000 Israelite warriors for a hundred talents 36 of silver.
25:7 But a prophet 37 visited him and said: “O king, the Israelite troops must not go with you, for the Lord is not with Israel or any of the Ephraimites. 38 25:8 Even if you go and fight bravely in battle, God will defeat you 39 before the enemy. God is capable of helping or defeating.” 40 25:9 Amaziah asked the prophet: 41 “But what should I do about the hundred talents of silver I paid the Israelite troops?” The prophet 42 replied, “The Lord is capable of giving you more than that.” 25:10 So Amaziah dismissed the troops that had come to him from Ephraim and sent them home. 43 They were very angry at Judah and returned home incensed. 25:11 Amaziah boldly led his army to the Valley of Salt, 44 where he defeated 45 10,000 Edomites. 46 25:12 The men 47 of Judah captured 10,000 men alive. They took them to the top of a cliff and threw them over. 48 All the captives 49 fell to their death. 50 25:13 Now the troops Amaziah had dismissed and had not allowed to fight in the battle 51 raided 52 the cities of Judah from Samaria 53 to Beth Horon. They killed 54 3,000 people and carried off a large amount of plunder.
25:14 When Amaziah returned from defeating the Edomites, he brought back the gods of the people 55 of Seir and made them his personal gods. 56 He bowed down before them and offered them sacrifices. 25:15 The Lord was angry at Amaziah and sent a prophet to him, who said, “Why are you following 57 these gods 58 that could not deliver their own people from your power?” 59 25:16 While he was speaking, Amaziah 60 said to him, “Did we appoint you to be a royal counselor? Stop prophesying or else you will be killed!” 61 So the prophet stopped, but added, “I know that the Lord has decided 62 to destroy you, because you have done this thing and refused to listen to my advice.”
25:17 After King Amaziah of Judah consulted with his advisers, 63 he sent this message to the king of Israel, Joash son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, “Come, face me on the battlefield.” 64 25:18 King Joash of Israel sent this message back to King Amaziah of Judah, “A thorn bush in Lebanon sent this message to a cedar in Lebanon, ‘Give your daughter to my son as a wife.’ Then a wild animal of Lebanon came by and trampled down the thorn bush. 65 25:19 You defeated Edom 66 and it has gone to your head. 67 Gloat over your success, 68 but stay in your palace. Why bring calamity on yourself? Why bring down yourself and Judah along with you?” 69
25:20 But Amaziah did not heed the warning, 70 for God wanted to hand them over to Joash because they followed the gods of Edom. 71 25:21 So King Joash of Israel attacked. He and King Amaziah of Judah faced each other on the battlefield 72 in Beth Shemesh of Judah. 25:22 Judah was defeated by Israel, and each man ran back home. 73 25:23 King Joash of Israel captured King Amaziah of Judah, son of Joash son of Jehoahaz, in Beth Shemesh and brought him to Jerusalem. He broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate – a distance of about six hundred feet. 74 25:24 He took away all the gold and silver, all the items found in God’s temple that were in the care of Obed-Edom, the riches in the royal palace, and some hostages. Then he went back to Samaria.
25:25 King Amaziah son of Joash of Judah lived for fifteen years after the death of King Joash son of Jehoahaz of Israel. 25:26 The rest of the events of Amaziah’s reign, from start to finish, are recorded in the Scroll of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 75 25:27 From the time Amaziah turned from following the Lord, conspirators plotted against him in Jerusalem, 76 so he fled to Lachish. But they sent assassins after him 77 and they killed him there. 25:28 His body was carried back by horses, 78 and he was buried in Jerusalem with his ancestors 79 in the City of David. 80
[35:1] 1 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[35:5] 3 tn Heb “and stand in the sanctuary by the divisions of the house of the fathers for your brothers, the sons of the people, and a division of the house of a father for the Levites.”
[35:6] 4 tn Heb “according to the word of the
[35:7] 5 tn Heb “and Josiah supplied for the sons of the people sheep, lambs and sons of goats, the whole for the Passover sacrifices for everyone who was found according to the number of thirty thousand, and three thousand cattle. These were from the property of the king.”
[35:10] 6 tn Heb “and the service was prepared.”
[35:11] 7 tn Heb “from their hand.”
[35:12] 8 tn Heb “and they put aside the burnt offering[s] to give them to the divisions of the house of the fathers for the sons of the people to bring near to the
[35:20] 10 tn Heb “After all this, [by] which Josiah prepared the temple.”
[35:20] 11 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[35:21] 12 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Neco) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[35:21] 13 tn Heb “What to me and to you, king of Judah?”
[35:21] 14 tn Heb “Not against you, you, today, but against the house of my battle.”
[35:21] 15 tn Heb “Stop yourself from [opposing] God who is with me and let him not destroy you.”
[35:22] 16 tn Heb “and Josiah did not turn his face from him.”
[35:22] 17 tn Heb “listen to.”
[35:22] 18 map For location see Map1 D4; Map2 C1; Map4 C2; Map5 F2; Map7 B1.
[35:23] 19 tn Heb “carry me away.”
[35:24] 20 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[35:26] 22 tn Heb “and his faithful acts according to what is written in the law of the
[35:27] 23 tn Heb “look, they are written.”
[25:1] 24 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[25:2] 25 tn Heb “he did what was proper in the eyes of the
[25:2] 26 tn Heb “a complete heart.”
[25:3] 27 tn Heb “when the kingdom was secure upon him.”
[25:3] 28 tn Heb “he killed his servants, the ones who had struck down the king, his father.”
[25:4] 29 tn Heb “as it is written in the scroll of the law of Moses which the
[25:4] 30 tn Heb “on account of sons.”
[25:4] 31 tn Heb “on account of fathers.”
[25:4] 32 sn This law is recorded in Deut 24:16.
[25:5] 33 tn Heb “Judah.” The words “the people of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew text uses the name “Judah” by metonymy here for the people of Judah.
[25:5] 34 tn Heb “young men going out to war.”
[25:5] 35 tn Heb “holding a spear and a shield.”
[25:6] 36 tn The Hebrew word כִּכַּר (kikar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or, by extension, to a standard unit of weight. According to the older (Babylonian) standard the “talent” weighed 130 lbs. (58.9 kg), but later this was lowered to 108.3 lbs. (49.1 kg). More recent research suggests the “light” standard talent was 67.3 lbs. (30.6 kg). Using this as the standard for calculation, the weight of the silver was 6,730 lbs. (3,060 kg).
[25:7] 37 tn Heb “man of God.”
[25:7] 38 tn Heb “Israel, all the sons of Ephraim.”
[25:8] 39 tn Heb “cause you to stumble.”
[25:8] 40 tn Heb “to cause to stumble.”
[25:9] 41 tn Heb “said to the man of God.”
[25:9] 42 tn Heb “man of God.”
[25:10] 43 tn Heb “and Amaziah separated them, the troops who came to him from Ephraim, to go to their place.”
[25:11] 44 tn Heb “and Amaziah strengthened himself and led his people and went to the Valley of Salt.”
[25:11] 45 tn Or “struck down.”
[25:11] 46 tn Heb “sons of Seir.”
[25:12] 48 tn Heb “and threw them from the top of the cliff.”
[25:12] 49 tn Heb “all of them.”
[25:12] 50 tn Heb “smashed in pieces.”
[25:13] 51 tn Heb “had sent back from going with him to the battle.”
[25:13] 53 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[25:13] 54 tn Heb “struck down.”
[25:14] 56 tn Heb “caused them to stand for him as gods.”
[25:15] 57 tn Heb “seeking,” perhaps in the sense of “consulting [an oracle from].”
[25:15] 58 tn Heb “the gods of the people.”
[25:16] 60 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Amaziah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[25:16] 61 tn Heb “Stop yourself! Why should they strike you down?”
[25:16] 62 tn The verb יָעַץ (ya’ats, “has decided”) is from the same root as יוֹעֵץ (yo’ets, “counselor”) in v. 16 and עֵצָה (’etsah, “advice”) later in v. 16. The wordplay highlights the appropriate nature of the divine punishment. Amaziah rejected the counsel of God’s prophet; now he would be the victim of God’s “counsel.”
[25:17] 63 tn The words “with his advisers” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[25:17] 64 tn Heb “let us look at each other [in the] face.” The expression refers here not to a visit but to meeting in battle. See v. 21.
[25:18] 65 sn The thorn bush in the allegory is Judah. Amaziah’s success had deceived him into thinking he was on the same level as the major powers in the area (symbolized by the cedar). In reality he was not capable of withstanding an attack by a real military power such as Israel (symbolized by the wild animal).
[25:19] 66 tn Heb “you say [to yourself], ‘look, you have defeated Edom.’”
[25:19] 67 tn Heb “and your heart is lifted up.”
[25:19] 68 tn Heb “to glorify.”
[25:19] 69 tn Heb “Why get involved in calamity and fall, you and Judah with you?”
[25:20] 70 tn Heb “did not listen.”
[25:20] 71 tn Heb “because it was from God in order to give them into the hand because they sought the gods of Edom.”
[25:21] 72 tn Heb “looked at each other [in the] face.” See the note on the expression “Come on, face me on the battlefield” in v. 17.
[25:22] 73 tn Heb “and Judah was struck down before Israel and they fled, each to his tent.”
[25:23] 74 tn Heb “400 cubits.” Assuming a cubit of 18 inches (45 cm), the distance would have been about 600 feet (180 m).
[25:26] 75 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Amaziah, the former and the latter, are they not – behold, they are written on the scroll of the kings of Judah and Israel.”
[25:27] 76 tn Heb “and they conspired against him [with] a conspiracy in Jerusalem.”
[25:27] 77 tn Heb “and they sent after him to Lachish.”
[25:28] 78 tn Heb “and they carried him on horses.”
[25:28] 80 tc The Hebrew text has “Judah,” but some medieval
[25:28] sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
