1995 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

2 Kings 23

1 Josiah causeth the book to be read in a solemn assembly. 3 He reneweth the Covenant of the LORD. 4 He destroyeth idolatry. 15 He burneth dead men's bones upon the altar of Beth-el, as was foreprophesied. 21 He keepeth a most solemn Passover. 24 He putteth away witches and all abomination. 26 God's final wrath against Judah. 29 Josiah, provoking Pharaoh-nechoh, is slain at Megiddo. 31 Jehoahaz, succeeding him, is imprisoned by Pharaoh-nechoh, who maketh Jehoiakim king. 36 Jehoiakim's wicked reign.

 23:1 Then the king 4428 sent 7971, and they gathered 622 to him all 3605 the elders 2205 of Judah 3063 and of Jerusalem 3389.

 23:2 The king 4428 went 5927 up to the house 1004 of the LORD 3068 and all 3605 the men 376 of Judah 3063 and all 3605 the inhabitants 3427 of Jerusalem 3389 with him, and the priests 3548 and the prophets 5030 and all 3605 the people 5971a, both 4480 small 6996b and great 1419; and he read 7121 in their hearing 241 all 3605 the words 1697 of the book 5612 of the covenant 1285 which was found 4672 in the house 1004 of the LORD 3068.

 23:3 The king 4428 stood 5975 by the pillar 5982 and made 3772 a covenant 1285 before 6440 the LORD 3068, to walk 1980 after 310 the LORD 3068, and to keep 8104 His commandments 4687 and His testimonies 5715 and His statutes 2708 with all 3605 [his] heart 3820 and all 3605 [his] soul 5315, to carry 6965 out the words 1697 of this 2088 covenant 1285 that were written 3789 in this 2088 book 5612. And all 3605 the people 5971a entered 5975 into the covenant 1285.

 23:4 ¶ Then the king 4428 commanded 6680 Hilkiah 2518 the high 1419 priest 3548 and the priests 3548 of the second 4932 order and the doorkeepers 8104 5592b, to bring 3318 out of the temple 1964 of the LORD 3068 all 3605 the vessels 3627 that were made 6213a for Baal 1168a, for Asherah 842, and for all 3605 the host 6635 of heaven 8064; and he burned 8313 them outside 4480 2351 Jerusalem 3389 in the fields 7709 of the Kidron 6939, and carried 5375 their ashes 6083 to Bethel 1008.

 23:5 He did 7673a away 7673a with the idolatrous 3649 priests 3649 whom 834 the kings 4428 of Judah 3063 had appointed 5414 to burn 6999 incense 6999 in the high 1116 places 1116 in the cities 5892b of Judah 3063 and in the surrounding 4524 area 4524 of Jerusalem 3389, also those who burned 6999 incense 6999 to Baal 1168a, to the sun 8121 and to the moon 3394 and to the constellations 4208 and to all 3605 the host 6635 of heaven 8064.

 23:6 He brought 3318 out the Asherah 842 from the house 1004 of the LORD 3068 outside 4480 2351 Jerusalem 3389 to the brook 5158a Kidron 6939, and burned 8313 it at the brook 5158a Kidron 6939, and ground 1854 [it] to dust 6083, and threw 7993 its dust 6083 on the graves 6913 of the common 1121 people 5971a.

 23:7 He also broke 5422 down 5422 the houses 1004 of the [male] cult 6945 prostitutes 6945 which 834 [were] in the house 1004 of the LORD 3068, where 834 8033 the women 802 were weaving 707 hangings 1004 for the Asherah 842.

 23:8 Then he brought 935 all 3605 the priests 3548 from the cities 5892b of Judah 3063, and defiled 2930 the high 1116 places 1116 where 834 8033 the priests 3548 had burned 6999 incense 6999, from Geba 1387 to Beersheba 884; and he broke 5422 down 5422 the high 1116 places 1116 of the gates 8179 which 834 [were] at the entrance 6607 of the gate 8179 of Joshua 3091 the governor 8269 of the city 5892b, which 834 [were] on one’s 376 left 8040 at the city 5892b gate 8179.

 23:9 Nevertheless 389 the priests 3548 of the high 1116 places 1116 did not go 5927 up to the altar 4196 of the LORD 3068 in Jerusalem 3389, but they ate 398 unleavened 4682 bread 4682 among 8432 their brothers 251.

 23:10 He also defiled 2930 Topheth 8612, which 834 is in the valley 1516 of the son 1121 of Hinnom 2011, that no 1115 man 376 might make his son 1121 or his daughter 1323 pass 5674a through the fire 784 for Molech 4432.

 23:11 He did 7673a away 7673a with the horses 5483b which 834 the kings 4428 of Judah 3063 had given 5414 to the sun 8121, at the entrance 935 of the house 1004 of the LORD 3068, by the chamber 3957 of Nathan-melech 5419 the official 5631, which 834 [was] in the precincts 6503; and he burned 8313 the chariots 4818 of the sun 8121 with fire 784.

 23:12 The altars 4196 which 834 [were] on the roof 1406, the upper 5944 chamber 5944 of Ahaz 271, which 834 the kings 4428 of Judah 3063 had made 6213a, and the altars 4196 which 834 Manasseh 4519 had made 6213a in the two 8147 courts 2691a of the house 1004 of the LORD 3068, the king 4428 broke 5422 down 5422; and he smashed 7323 them there 8033 and threw 7993 their dust 6083 into the brook 5158a Kidron 6939.

 23:13 The high 1116 places 1116 which 834 [were] before 5921 6440 Jerusalem 3389, which 834 [were] on the right 3225 of the mount 2022 of destruction 4889 which 834 Solomon 8010 the king 4428 of Israel 3478 had built 1129 for Ashtoreth 6252b the abomination 8251 of the Sidonians 6722, and for Chemosh 3645 the abomination 8251 of Moab 4124, and for Milcom 4445b the abomination 8441 of the sons 1121 of Ammon 5983, the king 4428 defiled 2930.

 23:14 He broke 7665 in pieces 7665 the [sacred] pillars 4676 and cut 3772 down 3772 the Asherim 842 and filled 4390 their places 4725 with human 120 bones 6106.

 23:15 ¶ Furthermore 1571, the altar 4196 that [was] at Bethel 1008 [and] the high 1116 place 1116 which 834 Jeroboam 3379 the son 1121 of Nebat 5028, who 834 made Israel 3478 sin 2398, had made 6213a, even 1571 that altar 4196 and the high 1116 place 1116 he broke 5422 down 5422. Then he demolished 7665 its stones, ground 1854 them to dust 6083, and burned 8313 the Asherah 842.

 23:16 Now when Josiah 2977 turned 6437, he saw 7200 the graves 6913 that [were] there 8033 on the mountain 2022, and he sent 7971 and took 3947 the bones 6106 from the graves 6913 and burned 8313 [them] on the altar 4196 and defiled 2930 it according to the word 1697 of the LORD 3068 which 834 the man 376 of God 430 proclaimed 7121, who 834 proclaimed 7121 these 428 things 1697.

 23:17 Then he said 559, “What 4100 is this 1975 monument 6725 that I see 7200?” And the men 376 of the city 5892b told 559 him, “It is the grave 6913 of the man 376 of God 430 who 834 came 935 from Judah 3063 and proclaimed 7121 these 428 things 1697 which 834 you have done 6213a against 5921 the altar 4196 of Bethel 1008.”

 23:18 He said 559, “Let 5117 him alone 5117; let no 408 one 376 disturb 5128 his bones 6106.” So they left 4422 his bones 6106 undisturbed 4422 with the bones 6106 of the prophet 5030 who 834 came 935 from Samaria 8111.

 23:19 Josiah 2977 also 1571 removed 5493 all 3605 the houses 1004 of the high 1116 places 1116 which 834 [were] in the cities 5892b of Samaria 8111, which 834 the kings 4428 of Israel 3478 had made 6213a provoking 3707 the LORD 3068; and he did 6213a to them just 3605 4639 as he had done 6213a in Bethel 1008.

 23:20 All 3605 the priests 3548 of the high 1116 places 1116 who 834 [were] there 8033 he slaughtered 2076 on the altars 4196 and burned 8313 human 120 bones 6106 on them; then he returned 7725 to Jerusalem 3389.

 23:21 ¶ Then the king 4428 commanded 6680 all 3605 the people 5971a saying 559, “Celebrate 6213a the Passover 6453 to the LORD 3068 your God 430 as it is written 3789 in this 2088 book 5612 of the covenant 1285.”

 23:22 Surely 3588 such 2088 a Passover 6453 had not been celebrated 6213a from the days 3117 of the judges 8199 who 834 judged 8199 Israel 3478, nor 3808 in all 3605 the days 3117 of the kings 4428 of Israel 3478 and of the kings 4428 of Judah 3063.

 23:23 But in the eighteenth 8083 6240 year 8141 of King 4428 Josiah 2977, this 2088 Passover 6453 was observed 6213a to the LORD 3068 in Jerusalem 3389.

 23:24 ¶ Moreover 1571, Josiah 2977 removed 1197a the mediums 178 and the spiritists 3049 and the teraphim 8655 and the idols 1544 and all 3605 the abominations 8251 that were seen 7200 in the land 776 of Judah 3063 and in Jerusalem 3389, that he might confirm 6965 the words 1697 of the law 8451 which were written 3789 in the book 5612 that Hilkiah 2518 the priest 3548 found 4672 in the house 1004 of the LORD 3068.

 23:25 Before 6440 him there was no 3808 king 4428 like 3644 him who 834 turned 7725 to the LORD 3068 with all 3605 his heart 3824 and with all 3605 his soul 5315 and with all 3605 his might 3966, according to all 3605 the law 8451 of Moses 4872; nor 3808 did any like 3644 him arise 6965 after 310 him.

 23:26 ¶ However 389, the LORD 3068 did not turn 7725 from the fierceness 2740 of His great 1419 wrath 639 with which 834 His anger 639 burned 2734 against Judah 3063, because 5921 of all 3605 the provocations 3708a with which 834 Manasseh 4519 had provoked 3707 Him.

 23:27 The LORD 3068 said 559, “I will remove 5493 Judah 3063 also 1571 from My sight 6440, as I have removed 5493 Israel 3478. And I will cast 3988a off 3988a Jerusalem 3389, this 2088 city 5892b which 834 I have chosen 977, and the temple 1004 of which 834 I said 559, ‘My name 8034 shall be there 8033.’”

 23:28 ¶ Now the rest 3499a of the acts 1697 of Josiah 2977 and all 3605 that he did 6213a, are they not written 3789 in the Book 5612 of the Chronicles 1697 3117 of the Kings 4428 of Judah 3063?

 23:29 In his days 3117 Pharaoh 6549 Neco 6549 king 4428 of Egypt 4714 went 5927 up to the king 4428 of Assyria 804b to the river 5104 Euphrates 6578. And King 4428 Josiah 2977 went 1980 to meet 7122 him, and when [Pharaoh Neco] saw 7200 him he killed 4191 him at Megiddo 4023b.

 23:30 His servants 5650 drove 7392 his body 4191 in a chariot 7392 from Megiddo 4023b, and brought 935 him to Jerusalem 3389 and buried 6912 him in his own tomb 6900. Then the people 5971a of the land 776 took 3947 Jehoahaz 3059 the son 1121 of Josiah 2977 and anointed 4886 him and made 4427a him king 4427a in place 8478 of his father 1.

 23:31 ¶ Jehoahaz 3059 was twenty-three 6242 7969 years 8141 old 1121 when he became 4427a king 4427a, and he reigned 4427a three 7969 months 2320 in Jerusalem 3389; and his mother’s 517 name 8034 was Hamutal 2537 the daughter 1323 of Jeremiah 3414 of Libnah 3841.

 23:32 He did 6213a evil 7451a in the sight 5869 of the LORD 3068, according to all 3605 that his fathers 1 had done 6213a.

 23:33 Pharaoh 6549 Neco 6549 imprisoned 631 him at Riblah 7247 in the land 776 of Hamath 2574, that he might not reign 4427a in Jerusalem 3389; and he imposed 5414 on the land 776 a fine 6066 of one hundred 3967 talents 3603 of silver 3701 and a talent 3603 of gold 2091.

 23:34 Pharaoh 6549 Neco 6549 made 4427a Eliakim 471 the son 1121 of Josiah 2977 king 4427a in the place 8478 of Josiah 2977 his father 1, and changed 5437 his name 8034 to Jehoiakim 3079. But he took 3947 Jehoahaz 3059 away and brought 935 [him] to Egypt 4714, and he died 4191 there 8033.

 23:35 So Jehoiakim 3079 gave 5414 the silver 3701 and gold 2091 to Pharaoh 6547, but he taxed 6186b the land 776 in order to give 5414 the money 3701 at the command 6310 of Pharaoh 6547. He exacted 5065 the silver 3701 and gold 2091 from the people 5971a of the land 776, each 376 according to his valuation 6187, to give 5414 it to Pharaoh 6549 Neco 6549.

 23:36 ¶ Jehoiakim 3079 was twenty-five 6242 2568 years 8141 old 1121 when he became 4427a king 4427a, and he reigned 4427a eleven 259 6240 years 8141 in Jerusalem 3389; and his mother’s 517 name 8034 [was] Zebidah 2080 the daughter 1323 of Pedaiah 6305 of Rumah 7316.

 23:37 He did 6213a evil 7451a in the sight 5869 of the LORD 3068, according to all 3605 that his fathers 1 had done 6213a.