2 Tawarikh 35:20-27

Josiah’s Reign Ends

35:20 After Josiah had done all this for the temple, ¹  King Necho of Egypt marched up to do battle at Carchemish on the Euphrates River. ²  Josiah marched out to oppose him. 35:21 Necho ³  sent messengers to him, saying, “Why are you opposing me, O king of Judah? ⁴  I am not attacking you today, but the kingdom with which I am at war. ⁵  God told me to hurry. Stop opposing God, who is with me, or else he will destroy you.” ⁶  35:22 But Josiah did not turn back from him; ⁷  he disguised himself for battle. He did not take seriously ⁸  the words of Necho which he had received from God; he went to fight him in the Plain of Megiddo. ⁹  35:23 Archers shot King Josiah; the king ordered his servants, “Take me out of this chariot, ¹⁰  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, ¹¹  where he died. He was buried in the tombs of his ancestors; ¹²  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 ¹³  35:27 and his accomplishments, from start to finish, are recorded ¹⁴  in the Scroll of the Kings of Israel and Judah.

[35:20]  ¹ tn Heb “After all this, [by] which Josiah prepared the temple.”

[35:20]  ² tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[35:21]  ³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Neco) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[35:21]  ⁴ tn Heb “What to me and to you, king of Judah?”

[35:21]  ⁵ tn Heb “Not against you, you, today, but against the house of my battle.”

[35:21]  ⁶ tn Heb “Stop yourself from [opposing] God who is with me and let him not destroy you.”

[35:22]  ⁷ tn Heb “and Josiah did not turn his face from him.”

[35:22]  ⁸ tn Heb “listen to.”

[35:22]  ⁹ map For location see Map1 D4; Map2 C1; Map4 C2; Map5 F2; Map7 B1.

[35:23]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “carry me away.”

[35:24]  ¹¹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[35:24]  ¹² tn Heb “fathers.”

[35:26]  ¹³ tn Heb “and his faithful acts according to what is written in the law of the Lord.”

[35:27]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “look, they are written.”