100IMMERSE•CHRONICLES2C| 35:11-24commanded. The Levites then slaughtered the Passover lambs and presented the blood to the priests, who sprinkled the blood on the altar whilethe Levites prepared the animals. They divided the burnt offerings amongthe people by their family groups, so they could offer them to the Lord asprescribed in the Book of Moses. They did the same with the cattle. Thenthey roasted the Passover lambs as prescribed; and they boiled the holyofferings in pots, kettles, and pans, and brought them out quickly so thepeople could eat them.Afterward the Levites prepared Passover offerings for themselves andfor the priests—the descendants of Aaron—because the priests had beenbusy from morning till night offering the burnt offerings and the fat portions. The Levites took responsibility for all these preparations.The musicians, descendants of Asaph, were in their assigned places, following the commands that had been given by David, Asaph, Heman, andJeduthun, the king’s seer. The gatekeepers guarded the gates and did notneed to leave their posts of duty, for their Passover offerings were preparedfor them by their fellow Levites.The entire ceremony for the Lord’s Passover was completed that day.All the burnt offerings were sacrificed on the altar of the Lord, as KingJosiah had commanded. All the Israelites present in Jerusalem celebratedPassover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days. Never sincethe time of the prophet Samuel had there been such a Passover. None ofthe kings of Israel had ever kept a Passover as Josiah did, involving all thepriests and Levites, all the people of Jerusalem, and people from all overJudah and Israel. This Passover was celebrated in the eighteenth year ofJosiah’s reign.After Josiah had finished restoring the Temple, King Neco of Egypt led hisarmy up from Egypt to do battle at Carchemish on the Euphrates River,and Josiah and his army marched out to fight him. But King Neco sentmessengers to Josiah with this message:“What do you want with me, king of Judah? I have no quarrel withyou today! I am on my way to fight another nation, and God has toldme to hurry! Do not interfere with God, who is with me, or he willdestroy you.”But Josiah refused to listen to Neco, to whom God had indeed spoken,and he would not turn back. Instead, he disguised himself and led his armyinto battle on the plain of Megiddo. But the enemy archers hit King Josiahwith their arrows and wounded him. He cried out to his men, “Take mefrom the battle, for I am badly wounded!”So they lifted Josiah out of his chariot and placed him in another chario t.ImmerseChronicles_NLT.indd 1006/21/2017 10:01:35 AM
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