of Levi, every one skilled in instrumental musick was over the bearers of burdens, and over all the men who executed the works, one to every piece of work, and some of the Levites were 14 scribes and judges and keepers of the gates. Now when they were carrying out the money, which had been brought into the house of the Lord, Chelkias the priest found a book of 15 the law of the Lord, by the hand of Moses. Whereupon Chelkias addressing Saphan the scribe said, I have found a book of the law in the house of the Lord. So Chelkias gave the 16 book to Saphan, and Saphan carried it to the king. Now he had given him also for the king, an account intitled, All the 17 money delivered to thy servants the workmen. For when they had melted the silver found in the house of the Lord, they gave it into the hand of the overseers and into the hand of 18 them who executed the work. So when Saphan the scribe

had explained the account to the king, he said, Chelkias the 19 priest hath given me a book. And Saphan read it before the

king. And when the king heard the words of the law, he rent 20 his clothes. Then the king gave orders to Chelkias, and to Achikam, son of Saphan, and to Abdom son of Michaias, and to Saphan the scribe, and Asaias the king's servant, saying, 21 Go and inquire of the Lord for me, and for all the remnant

of Israel and Juda, touching the words of this book which is found; for great must be the wrath of the Lord, which is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened to these words of the Lord, to do according to all that are written in 22 this book. Thereupon Chelkias, with those whom the king ordered, went to Olda the prophetess, the wife of Sellem son of Thekoe son of Aras. She kept the commandments and 23 dwelt at Jerusalem in the Masanai. And when they spoke to her to that effect she said to them, Thus saith the Lord the 24 God of Israel, Say to the man who sent you to me, Thus saith

the Lord, Behold I am going to bring upon this place evils-all the things which are written in the book read before the king 25 of Juda. Because they have forsaken me, and burned incense

to strange gods, to provoke me to wrath with all the works of their hands, therefore my anger is kindled against this place 26 and cannot be quenched. But to the king of Juda, who hath

sent you to inquire of the Lord, thus shall you say, Thus saith

27 the Lord the God of Israel, With regard to the words which thou hast heard, as thy heart was affected, and thou didst humble thyself before me when thou heardst these words of mine against this place, and against the inhabitants thereofAs thou hast humbled thyself before me, and hast rent thy garments and wept before me-I have heard saith the Lord. 28 Behold I will gather thee to thy fathers, and thou shalt be carried to thy grave in peace, and thine eyes shall not see all the evils which I am going to bring upon this place, and upon 29 them who dwell therein. And when they brought back word to the king, the king sent and assembled the elders of Juda 30 and Jerusalem; and went up to the house of the Lord, with all the chiefs of Juda and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and with the priests and the Levites, and all the people small and great, and read in their hearing all the words of the book of 31 the covenant found in the house of the Lord. Then the king stood on the pillar, and made a covenant before the Lord to walk before the Lord and to keep his commandments, and his testimonies, and his statutes, with his whole heart, and his whole soul, so as to perform all the terms of the covenant, writ32 ten in that book; and he caused all who were in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand to it. And when the inhabitants of Jerusalem, had made a covenant in the house of the Lord God 33 of their fathers, Josias removed all the abominations out of all the land, which belonged to the children of Israel, and caused all who were in Jerusalem, and in Israel, to serve the Lord their God. During all his days he turned not aside from following the Lord God of his fathers.

XXXV.

When Josias celebrated the passover to the Lord his God, he caused the paschal lamb to be slain, on the four2 teenth day of the first month. For having set the priests in their watches and encouraged them to the works of the house of the Lord, he ordered all the Levites who were heads of families throughout all Israel to hallow themselves to the Lord. 3 And as they had placed the holy ark in the house which Solomon son of David king of Israel had built, the king said, You have nothing to carry on your shoulders; now therefore at4 tend to the service of the Lord your God, and of his people

Israel; and be ready according to the houses of your fami

lies, and according to your courses, as prescribed by David, 5 king of Israel, and by his son Solomon; and attend in the house, according to the divisions of the houses of your fami6 lies, on your brethren the people; and a portion of a patriarchal house, on the Levites; and kill ye the paschal lambs and prepare them for your brethren, that they may do according 7 to the word of the Lord by the ministry of Moses. Moreover Josias dedicated for the people sheep and lambs and kids, all for the passover, even for all who were in Jerusalem, to the amount of thirty thousand. He dedicated also three thousand 8 beeves, these were of the king's own substance. His chiefs also made dedications for the people, and for the priests, and for the Levites. And Chelkias and Zacharias, and Jeiel, the chiefs, gave for the priests of the house of God-they gave for the passover two thousand six hundred sheep, lambs and kids, 9 and three hundred beeves, and Chonenias and Banaias, and Samaias and Nathaniel, his brother, and Asabias, and Jeiel and Jozabad, chiefs of the Levites, dedicated for the Levites five 10 thousand sheep and five hundred beeves for the passover. So the service commenced, and the priests stood in their station, and the Levites in their divisions, according to the command of 11 the king. And when these killed the paschal lambs, the

priests received the blood at their hands and poured it out, 12 and the Levites flayed them, and prepared the whole burnt offering, to be delivered according to the division by houses of families to the heads of the people, that they might offer it to the Lord as it is written in the book of Moses, and so till the 13 morning. Then they roasted the paschal lambs with fire, according to the ordinance, and boiled the holy meats in the brasen cauldrons and kettles. And when all was ready, they ran with them to all the heads of the people. And after this prepa14 ration for them, they prepared also for the priests. Because the priests were employed in offering up the whole burnt offerings and the suet, continually till night, therefore the Levites prepared for themselves and for their brethren, the sons of 15 Aaron. And with regard to the musicians, the sons of Asaph, who were in their station, according to the commands of David, both Asaph and Aiman and Idithun the king's prophets; and the chiefs and the keepers of the gates, they were not at liberty to move from their holy services, for their brethren the

16 Levites prepared for them. So all the service of the Lord being arranged and set in order on that day, to keep the passover, and to offer up the whole burnt offerings on the altar of the Lord 17 according to the command of king Josias; all the Israelites who were present kept the passover, at that time, and the festival 18 of unleavened bread, seven days. There had not been such a passover as this in Israel from the days of Samuel the prophet. They had not, under any king of Israel, kept such a passover as that kept by Josias and the priests, and the Levites, and all Juda and Israel who were present, and by all the inhabitants of 19 Jerusalem, to the Lord. This passover was kept in the eighteenth year of the reign of Josias.

20

After all these things which Josias did in the house, king Josias burned with fire the belly speakers and the diviners, and the theraphins and the idols, and the karesims, which were in the land of Juda and in Jerusalem, in order that he might establish the words of the law, which were written in the book which Chelkias the priest had found in the house of the Lord. Before him there was none like him, who turned to the Lord with his whole heart, and with his whole soul, and with all his strength, according to all the law of Moses; nor after him did there arise his like. Nevertheless the Lord turned not away from his great wrath, with which he was incensed against Juda, for all the provocations with which Manasses had provoked him, and the Lord said, I will remove Juda from my presence, as I have removed Israel-I have cast off Jerusalem, the city which I chose, and the house of which I said, My name shall be there.

Now when Pharao Nechao was going up against the king of the Assyrians to the river Euphrates, king Josias went out to meet him. Whereupon he sent messengers to him, saying, What hast thou, O king of Juda, to do with me? I am not now coming to war against thee; and God hath commanded me to make haste. Forbear meddling with God, who is with 22. me, lest he destroy thee. But Josias would not turn his face from him, but strengthened himself to fight him. He hearkened not to the words of Nechao from the mouth of God, but 23 came to an engagement in the plain of Mageddo. And the archers having discharged a volley at king Josias, the king said

24 to his servants, Carry me away, for I am badly wounded. So his servants took him out of his chariot and put him into his second chariot, which attended him, and brought him to Jeru25 salem, and he died and was buried with his fathers. And all Juda and Jerusalem mourned for Josias. And Jeremias composed a song of lamentation for Josias, which all the heads of families, both men and women, sung over him, and which they continue to sing to this day; for they established it for an ordinance to Israel. And behold it is written among the 26 funereal odes. Now the rest of the acts of Josias, and his faith in respect to what were written in the law of the Lord, 27 and his acts, first and last, behold they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Juda. XXXVI.

Then the people of the land took Joachaz son of Josias and anointed him, and made him king over Jerusalem in 2 the room of his father. Joachaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem, and his mother's name was Amital. She was a daughter of Jeremias of Lobna. And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his fathers had done. And Pharao Nechao bound him at Deblatha in the land of Aimath, that he should 3 not reign in Jerusalem. And the king carried him with him to Egypt, and imposed on the country a tribute of a hundred ta4 lents of silver and a talent of gold. And Pharao Nechao, made Eliakim son of Josias, king over Juda, in the room of his father, and changed his name to Joakim. And as Pharao Nechao took his brother Joachaz, who was carried to Egypt and died there, he paid the silver and the gold to Pharao. Then the land began to be taxed to give the money at the command of Pharao. And every one according to his rank, demanded silver and gold from the people of the land, to pay Pharao Nechao.

5

Joakim was twenty five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem, and his mother's name was Zechora. She was a daughter of Nerias of Rama. And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his fathers had done. In his days Nabuchodonosar, the king of Babylon, came into the land, and he was his servant three years, and then revolted. Now after that, when they re volted, the Lord sent against them the Chaldeans, and predato