1 And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the LORD unto Beth-el: and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense.
2 And he cried against the altar in the word of the LORD, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith the LORD; Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men's bones shall be burnt upon thee.
3 And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign which the LORD hath spoken; Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out.
4 And it came to pass, when king Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, which had cried against the altar in Beth-el, that he put forth his hand from the altar, saying, Lay hold on him. And his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not pull it in again to him.
5 The altar also was rent, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the LORD.

Josiah reigns in righteousness in Judah—Hilkiah repairs the temple, and finds the book of the law—Josiah sorrows because of the wickedness of his fathers—Huldah prophesies wrath upon the people but blessings upon Josiah.

Jerusalem besieged and taken by Nebuchadnezzar—Many of Judah carried captive into Babylon—Zedekiah becomes king in Jerusalem—He rebels against Babylon.

Josiah destroys idolatry in Judah—They repair the house of the Lord—Hilkiah finds a book of the law—Huldah, the prophetess, reveals the desolations to come upon the people—Josiah and the people covenant to serve the Lord.

Josiah and all Judah keep a most solemn passover—Josiah slain by the Egyptians at Megiddo.

 ¶ And the king commanded all the people, saying, Keep the ^apassover^• unto the LORD your God, as it is written in the book of this covenant.

 Surely there was not holden such a ^apassover^• from the days of the judges that judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel, nor of the kings of Judah;

 But in the eighteenth year of king Josiah, wherein this passover was holden to the LORD in Jerusalem.

 ¶ And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found the ^abook of the law in the house of the LORD. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it.

 And Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan the scribe, I have found the ^abook of the law in the house of the LORD. And Hilkiah delivered the book to Shaphan.

 ¶ After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Necho king of Egypt came up to fight against Carchemish by Euphrates: and Josiah went out against him.

 But he sent ambassadors to him, saying, What have I to do with thee, thou king of Judah? I come not against thee this day, but against the house wherewith I have war: for God commanded me to make haste: forbear thee from meddling with God, who is with me, that he destroy thee not.

 Nevertheless ^aJosiah^• would not turn his face from him, but disguised himself, that he might fight with him, and hearkened not unto the words of Necho from the mouth of God, and came to fight in the valley of Megiddo.

 And the archers shot at king Josiah; and the king said to his servants, Have me away; for I am sore wounded.

 His servants therefore took him out of that chariot, and put him in the second chariot that he had; and they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died, and was buried in one of the sepulchres of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.

 ¶ And Jeremiah ^alamented^• for Josiah: and all the singing men and the singing women spake of Josiah in their lamentations to this day, and made them an ordinance in Israel: and, behold, they are written in the lamentations.

 ¶ In his days ^aPharaoh^•-nechoh king of Egypt went up against the king of Assyria to the river Euphrates: and king ^bJosiah^• went against him; and he slew him at Megiddo, when he had seen him.

 And his servants carried him in a chariot dead from Megiddo, and brought him to Jerusalem, and buried him in his own sepulchre. And the people of the land took ^aJehoahaz^• the son of Josiah, and anointed him, and made him king in his father’s stead.

 ¶ Weep ye not for the dead, neither bemoan him: but weep sore for him that goeth away: for he shall return no more, nor see his native country.

 For thus saith the LORD touching ^aShallum^• the son of Josiah king of Judah, which reigned instead of Josiah his father, which went forth out of this place; He shall not return thither any more:

 But he shall die in the place whither they have led him captive, and shall see this land no more.

      •  •  •
 Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah; They shall not lament for him, saying, Ah my brother! or, Ah sister! they shall not lament for him, saying, Ah lord! or, Ah his glory!

 In that day shall there be a great ^amourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon.

 Take of them of the captivity, even of Heldai, of Tobijah, and of Jedaiah, which are come from Babylon, and come thou the same day, and go into the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah;