Douay Rheims Original ↷
2 Kings 23 📜 📕 ↷
Josiah Renews the Covenant
1 AND they reported to the king that which she had said. Who sent: and all the ancients of Juda and Jerusalem were assembled to him.📜💬📚
2 And the king went up to the temple of our Lord, & all the men of Juda, and all that dwelt in Jerusalem with him Priests and Prophets, and all the people from little to great: and in hearing of all he read all the words of the Book of the covenant, which was found in the house of our Lord.📜💬📚
3 And the king stood upon the step: and made a covenant with our Lord, to walk after our Lord, and keep his precepts, and testimonies, and ceremonies, with all their heart, and with all their soul, and to perform the words of this covenant, which were written in that Book: and the people agreed to the covenant:📜💬📚
Josiah Destroys Idolatry
4 And the king willed Helcias the high priest, and the priests of the second order, and all the porters that they should cast out of the temple of our Lord all the vessels that had been made to Baal, and in the grove, and to all the host of heaven: & he burnt them without Jerusalem in the Valley cedron, and carried the dust of them into Bethel.📜💬📚
5 And he destroyed the Soothsayers, which the kings of Juda had appointed to sacrifice in the excelses in the cities of Juda, and round about Jerusalem: and them that burnt incense to Baal, and to the Sun, and to the Moon, and to the twelve signs, and to all the host of heaven.📜💬📚
6 And he caused the grove to be carried forth out of the house of our Lord without Jerusalem in the Valley cedron, and he burnt it there, and brought it into dust, and threw it upon the sepulchres of the common people.📜💬📚
7 He destroyed also the little houses of the effeminates, which were in the house of our Lord, for the which the women wove as it were little houses of the grove.📜💬📚
8 And he gathered together all the priests of the cities of Juda: and he contaminated the excelses, where the priests did sacrifice from Gabaa unto Bersabee: and he destroyed the altars of the gates in the entrance of the door of Josue chief of the city, which was on the left hand of the gate of the city.📜💬📚
9 Howbeit the priests of the excelses went not up to the altar of our Lord in Jerusalem: but only they did eat azymes in the midst of their brethren.📜💬📚
10 He contaminated also Topheth, which is in the Valley of the son of Ennom: that no man should consecrate his son or daughter by fire to Moloch.📜💬📚
11 He took away also the horses, which the kings of Juda had given to the sun, in the entrance of the temple of our Lord, beside the chamber of Nathanmelech the eunuch, who was in Pharurim: and the chariots of the sun he burnt with fire.📜💬📚
12 The altars also that were upon the roofs of the upper chamber of Achaz, which the kings of Juda had made, and the altars which Manasses had made in the two courts of the temple of our Lord, the king destroyed: and he ran from thence, and sprinkled the ashes of them into the Torrent cedron.📜💬📚
13 The excelses also that were in Jerusalem, on the right side of the Mount of offence, which Salomon the king of Israel had built to Astaroth the idol of the Sidonians, and to Chamos the scandal of Moab, and to Melchom the abomination of the children of Ammon, the king destroyed.📜💬📚
14 And he brake in pieces the statues, and cut down the groves: and he filled their places with the bones of dead men.📜💬📚
15 Moreover the altar also, that was in Bethel, and the excelse, which Jeroboam the son of Nabat had made, who made Israel to sin: and that altar, and excelse he destroyed, and burnt, and brake into powder, and the grove also he burnt.📜💬📚
16 And Josias turning, saw there sepulchres, that were in the mount: and he sent & took the bones out of the sepulchres, and burnt them upon the altar, & polluted it according to the word of our Lord, which the man of God spake, who had foretold these things.📜💬📚
17 And he said: What title is that, which I see? And the citizens of that city answered: It is the sepulchre of the man of God, which came from Juda, and foretold these things which thou hast done upon the altar of Bethel.📜💬📚
18 And he said: Let him alone, let no man move his bones. And his bones remained untouched with the bones of the Prophet, that came out of Samaria.📜💬📚
19 Moreover all the temples of the excelses, which were in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made to provoke our Lord, Josias took away: and he did to them according to all the works, which he had done in Bethel.📜💬📚
20 And he slew all the Priests of the excelses, that were there upon the altars: and he burnt men's bones upon them: and turned into Jerusalem.📜💬📚
Josiah Restores the Passover
21 And he commanded all the people, saying: Make a Phase to our Lord your God, according as it is written in the Book of this covenant.📜💬📚
22 For there was not such a Phase made from the days of the Judges, which judged Israel, and of all the days of the kings of Israel, and of the kings of Juda.📜💬📚
23 as in the eighteenth year of king Josias this Phase was made to our Lord in Jerusalem.📜💬📚
24 Yea and the Pythons, and Soothsayers, and the images of idols, and the filths, and the abominations, that had been in the land of Juda and Jerusalem, Josias took away: that he might establish the words of the law, that were written in the Book, which Helcias the Priest found in the temple of our Lord.📜💬📚
25 There was no king before him like to him, that turned to our Lord in all his heart, and in all his soul, and in all his power according to all the law of Moyses: neither after him did there arise the like to him.📜💬📚
26 But yet our Lord was not averted from the wrath of his great fury, wherewith his fury was wrath against Juda: for the provocations, wherewith Manasses had provoked him.📜💬📚
27 Our Lord therefore said: Juda also will I take away from my face, as I have taken away Israel: and I will reject this city, which I chose, Jerusalem, and the house whereof I said: My name shall be there.📜💬📚
Death of Josiah
28 But the rest of the words of Josias, and all that he did, are not these things written in the Book of the words of the days of the kings of Juda?📜💬📚
29 In his days came up Pharao Nechao the king of AEgypt, against the king of Assyrians to the river Euphrates: and Josias the king went to meet him: and was slain in Mageddo, when he had seen him.📜💬📚
30 And his servants carried him dead from Mageddo: & they brought him into Jerusalem, and buried him in his sepulchre. And the people of the land took Joachaz the son of Josias: and they anointed him, and made him king for his father.📜💬📚
Jehoahaz Succeeds Josiah
31 Three and twenty years old was Joachaz when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem: the name of his mother was Amital, the daughter of Jeremie of Lobna.📜💬📚
32 And he did evil before our Lord, according to all things which his fathers had done.📜💬📚
33 And Pharao Nechao bound him in Rebla, which is in the land Emath, that he should not reign in Jerusalem: and he set a penalty upon the land, an hundred talents of silver, and a talent of gold.📜💬📚
34 And Pharao Nechao made Eliacim king, the son of Josias, for Josias his father: and turned his name Joakim. Moreover he took Joachaz and brought him into AEgypt, and he died there.📜💬📚
35 And Joakim gave the silver and the gold to Pharao, when he had taxed the land upon every man, that it might be paid according to the precept of Pharao: and he exacted of every man according to his ability, as well silver as gold of the people of the land: to give unto Pharao Nechao.📜💬📚
Jehoiakim Reigns in Judah
36 Five and twenty years old was Joakim, when he began to reign: and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: the name of his mother was Zebida the daughter of Phadaia of Ruma.📜💬📚
37 And he did evil before our Lord according to all things, which his fathers had done.📜💬📚
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