II Kings 23

vayyishlakh hammelekh vayya'asfu elayw kol-ziqne yehudah virushalai͏m

At the king’s summons, all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem assembled before him.

vayya'al hammelekh bet-Adonai vekhol-ish yehudah vekhol-yosheve yerushalai͏m itto vehakkohanim vehannevi'im vekhol-ha'am lemiqqaton ve'ad-gadol vayyiqra ve'oznehem et-kol-divre sefer habberit hannimtsa bevet Adonai

The king went up to the House of GOD, together with the entire citizenry of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests and prophets—all the people, young and old. And he read to them the entire text of the covenant scroll that had been found in the House of GOD.

vayya'amod hammelekh al-ha'ammud vayyikhrot et-habberit lifne Adonai lalekhet akhar Adonai velishmor mitsvotayw ve'et-edevotayw ve'et-khuqqotayw bekhol-lev uvekhol-nefesh lehaqim et-divre habberit hazzot hakketuvim al-hassefer hazzeh vayya'amod kol-ha'am babberit

The king stood by the pillar and solemnized the covenant before GOD: that they would follow GOD and observe God’s commandments, injunctions, and laws with all their heart and soul; that they would fulfill all the terms of this covenant as inscribed upon the scroll. And all the people entered into the covenant.

vayetsav hammelekh et-khilqiyyahu hakkohen haggadol ve'et-kohane hammishneh ve'et-shomere hassaf lehotsi mehekhal Adonai et kol-hakkelim ha'asuyim labba'al vela'asherah ulekhol tseva hashamayim vayyisrefem mikhuts lirushalai͏m beshadmot qidron venasa et-afaram bet-el

Then the king ordered the high priest Hilkiah, the priests of the second rank, and the guards of the threshold to bring out of the Temple of GOD all the objects made for Baal and Asherah and all the host of heaven. He burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and he removed the ashes to Bethel.

vehishbit et-hakkemarim asher natenu malkhe yehudah vayeqatter babbamot be'are yehudah umesibbe yerushalai͏m ve'et-hameqatterim labba'al lashemesh velayyareakh velammazzalot ulekhol tseva hashamayim

He suppressed the idolatrous priests whom the kings of Judah had appointed to make offerings at the shrines in the towns of Judah and in the environs of Jerusalem, and those who made offerings to Baal, to the sun and moon and constellations—all the host of heaven.

vayyotse et-ha'asherah mibbet Adonai mikhuts lirushalai͏m el-nakhal qidron vayyisrof otah benakhal qidron vayyadeq le'afar vayyashlekh et-afarah al-qever bene ha'am

He brought out the [image of] Asherah from the House of GOD to the Kidron Valley outside Jerusalem, and burned it in the Kidron Valley; he beat it to dust and scattered its dust over the burial ground of the common people.

vayyittots et-batte haqqedeshim asher bevet Adonai asher hannashim oregot sham battim la'asherah

He tore down the cubicles of the consecrated workers in the House of GOD, at the place where the women wove coverings for Asherah.

vayyave et-kol-hakkohanim me'are yehudah vayetamme et-habbamot asher qitteru-shammah hakkohanim miggeva ad-be'er shava venatats et-bamot hashe'arim asher-petakh sha'ar yehoshua sar-ha'ir asher-al-semovl ish besha'ar ha'ir

He brought all the priests from the towns of Judah [to Jerusalem] and defiled the shrines where the priests had been making offerings—from Geba to Beer-sheba. He also demolished the shrines of the gates that were at the entrance of the gate of Joshua, the city prefect—which were on the left as one [entered] the city gate.

akh lo ya'alu kohane habbamot el-mizbakh Adonai birushalai͏m ki im-okhlu matsot betokh akhehem

The priests of the shrines, however, did not ascend the altar of GOD in Jerusalem, but they ate unleavened bread along with their kinsmen.

vetimme et-hattofet asher bege (vny) [ven-]hinnom levilti leha'avir ish et-beno ve'et-bitto ba'esh lammolekh

He also defiled Topheth, which is in the Valley of Ben-hinnom, so that no one might consign their son or daughter to the fire of Molech.

vayyashbet et-hassusim asher natenu malkhe yehudah lashemesh mibbo vet-Adonai el-lishkat netan-melekh hassaris asher bapparvarim ve'et-markevot hashemesh saraf ba'esh

He did away with the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun, at the entrance of the House of GOD, near the chamber of the eunuch Nathan-melech, which was in the precincts. He burned the chariots of the sun.

ve'et-hammizbekhot asher al-haggag aliyyat akhaz asher-asu malkhe yehudah ve'et-hammizbekhot asher-asah menasheh bishte khatsrot bet-Adonai natats hammelekh vayyarots misham vehishlikh et-afaram el-nakhal qidron

And the king tore down the altars made by the kings of Judah on the roof by the upper chamber of Ahaz, and the altars made by Manasseh in the two courts of the House of GOD. He removed them quickly from there and scattered their rubble in the Kidron Valley.

ve'et-habbamot asher al-pene yerushalai͏m asher mimin lehar-hammashkhit asher banah shelomoh melekh-yisra'el le'ashtoret shiqquts tsidonim velikhmosh shiqquts mo'av ulemilkom to'avat bene-ammon timme hammelekh

The king also defiled the shrines facing Jerusalem, to the south of the Mount of the Destroyer, which King Solomon of Israel had built for Ashtoreth, the abomination of the Sidonians, for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, and for Milcom, the detestable thing of the Ammonites.

veshibbar et-hammatsevot vayyikhrot et-ha'asherim vayemalle et-meqomam atsmot adam

He shattered their pillars and cut down their sacred posts and covered their sites with human bones.

vegam et-hammizbeakh asher bevet-el habbamah asher asah yarovam ben-nevat asher hekheti et-yisra'el gam et-hammizbeakh hahu ve'et-habbamah natats vayyisrof et-habbamah hedaq le'afar vesaraf asherah

As for the altar in Bethel [and] the shrine made by Jeroboam son of Nebat who caused Israel to sin—that altar, too, and the shrine as well, he tore down. He burned down the shrine and beat it to dust, and he burned the sacred post.

vayyifen yoshiyyahu vayyar et-haqqevarim asher-sham bahar vayyishlakh vayyiqqakh et-ha'atsamot min-haqqevarim vayyisrof al-hammizbeakh vayetamme'ehu kidvar Adonai asher qara ish ha'elohim asher qara et-haddevarim ha'elleh

Josiah turned and saw the graves that were there on the hill; and he had the bones taken out of the graves and burned on the altar. Thus he defiled it, in fulfillment of the word of GOD foretold by the agent of God who foretold these happenings.

vayyomer mah hatsiyyun hallaz asher ani ro'eh vayyomeru elayw anshe ha'ir haqqever ish-ha'elohim asher-ba mihudah vayyiqra et-haddevarim ha'elleh asher asita al hammizbakh bet-el

He asked, “What is the marker I see there?” And the townspeople replied, “That is the grave of the agent of God who came from Judah and foretold these things that you have done to the altar of Bethel.”

vayyomer hannikhu lo ish al-yana atsmotayw vayemalletu atsmotayw et atsmot hannavi asher-ba mishomeron

“Let him be,” he said, “let no one disturb his bones.” So they left his bones undisturbed together with the bones of the prophet who came from Samaria.

vegam et-kol-batte habbamot asher be'are shomeron asher asu malkhe yisra'el lehakhis hesir yoshiyyahu vayya'as lahem kekhol-hamma'asim asher asah bevet-el

Josiah also abolished all the cult places that the kings of Israel had built in the towns of Samaria, vexing [GOD]. He dealt with them just as he had done to Bethel:

vayyizbakh et-kol-kohane habbamot asher-sham al-hammizbekhot vayyisrof et-atsmot adam alehem vayyashov yerushalai͏m

He slew on the altars all the priests of the shrines who were there, and he burned human bones on them. Then he returned to Jerusalem.

vayetsav hammelekh et-kol-ha'am lemor asu fesakh la-Adonai elohekhem kakkatuv al sefer habberit hazzeh

The king commanded all the people, “Offer the passover sacrifice to the ETERNAL your God as prescribed in this scroll of the covenant.”

ki lo na'asah kappesakh hazzeh mime hashofetim asher shafetu et-yisra'el vekhol yeme malkhe yisra'el umalkhe yehudah

Now the passover sacrifice had not been offered in that manner in the days of the chieftains who ruled Israel, or during the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah.

ki im-bishmoneh esreh shanah lammelekh yoshiyyahu na'asah happesakh hazzeh la-Adonai birushalai͏m

Only in the eighteenth year of King Josiah was such a passover sacrifice offered in that manner to GOD in Jerusalem.

vegam et-ha'ovot ve'et-hayyidde'onim ve'et-hatterafim ve'et-haggillulim ve'et kol-hashiqqutsim asher niru be'erets yehudah uvirushalai͏m bi'er yoshiyyahu lema'an haqim et-divre hattorah hakketuvim al-hassefer asher matsa khilqiyyahu hakkohen bet Adonai

Josiah also did away with the necromancers and the mediums, the oracle idols and the fetishes—all the detestable things that were to be seen in the land of Judah and Jerusalem. Thus he fulfilled the terms of the Teaching recorded in the scroll that the priest Hilkiah had found in the House of GOD.

vekhamohu lo-hayah lefanayw melekh asher-shav el-Adonai bekhol-levavo uvekhol-nafsho uvekhol-me'odo kekhol torat mosheh ve'akharayw lo-qam kamohu

There was no king like him before who turned back to GOD with all his heart and soul and might, in full accord with the Teaching of Moses; nor did any like him arise after him.

akh lo-shav Adonai mekharon appo haggadol asher-kharah appo bihudah al kol-hakke'asim asher hikhiso menasheh

However, GOD did not turn away from the awesome wrath that had blazed up against Judah because of all the things Manasseh did to provoke God’s anger.

vayyomer Adonai gam et-yehudah asir me'al panay ka'asher hasiroti et-yisra'el uma'asti et-ha'ir hazzot asher-bakharti et-yerushalai͏m ve'et-habbayit asher amarti yihyeh shemi sham

GOD said, “I will also banish Judah from My presence as I banished Israel; and I will reject the city of Jerusalem that I chose and the House where I said My name would abide.”

veyeter divre yoshiyyahu vekhol-asher asah halo-hem ketuvim al-sefer divre hayyamim lemalkhe yehudah

The other events of Josiah’s reign, and all his actions, are recorded in the Annals of the Kings of Judah.

beyamayw alah faroh nekhoh melekh-mitsrayim al-melekh ashur al-nehar-perat vayyelekh hammelekh yoshiyyahu liqrato vayemitehu bimgiddo kiroto oto

In his days, Pharaoh Neco, king of Egypt, marched against the king of Assyria to the River Euphrates; King Josiah marched toward him, but when he confronted him at Megiddo, [Pharaoh Neco] slew him.

vayyarkivuhu avadayw met mimmegiddo vayevi'uhu yerushalai͏m vayyiqberuhu biqvurato vayyiqqakh am-ha'arets et-yeho'akhaz ben-yoshiyyahu vayyimshekhu oto vayyamlikhu oto takhat aviv

His servants conveyed his body in a chariot from Megiddo to Jerusalem, and they buried him in his tomb. Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz; they anointed him and made him king in place of his father.

ben-esrim veshalosh shanah yeho'akhaz bemolkho usheloshah khodashim malakh birushalai͏m veshem immo khamutal bat-yirmeyahu millivnah

Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem; his mother’s name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.

vayya'as hara be'ene Adonai kekhol asher-asu avotayw

He did what was displeasing to GOD, just as his predecessors had done.

vayya'asrehu faroh nekhoh verivlah be'erets khamat (vmlkh) [mimmelokh] birushalai͏m vayyitten-onesh al-ha'arets me'ah khikkar-kesef vekhikkar zahav

Pharaoh Neco imprisoned him in Riblah in the region of Hamath, to keep him from reigning in Jerusalem. And he imposed on the land an indemnity of one hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold.

vayyamlekh paroh nekhoh et-elyaqim ben-yoshiyyahu takhat yoshiyyahu aviv vayyassev et-shemo yehoyaqim ve'et-yeho'akhaz laqakh vayyavo mitsrayim vayyamot sham

Then Pharaoh Neco appointed Eliakim son of Josiah king in place of his father Josiah, changing his name to Jehoiakim. He took Jehoahaz and brought him to Egypt, where he died.

vehakkesef vehazzahav natan yehoyaqim lefaroh akh he'erikh et-ha'arets latet et-hakkesef al-pi faroh ish ke'erko nagas et-hakkesef ve'et-hazzahav et-am ha'arets latet lefaroh nekhoh

Jehoiakim gave Pharaoh the silver and the gold, and he made an assessment on the land to pay the money demanded by Pharaoh. He exacted from the people of the land the silver and gold to be paid Pharaoh Neco, each [holding] according to its assessment.

ben-esrim vekhamesh shanah yehoyaqim bemolkho ve'akhat esreh shanah malakh birushalai͏m veshem immo (zvydh) [zevuddah] vat-pedayah min-rumah

Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem; his mother’s name was Zebudah daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah.

vayya'as hara be'ene Adonai kekhol asher-asu avotayw

He did what was displeasing to GOD, just as his ancestors had done.