Josiah Celebrate di Great Passover
Josiah keep one Passover wey nobody don keep like am since Samuel time; he himself provide thousands of animals, and he put every priest, Levite, singer and gatekeeper for him post. Then he insist say he go fight Neco, he ignore one warning wey dem tell am say na from our Papa, and he die for Megiddo.
35 1Josiah keep Passover to our Papa for Jerusalem; dem kill di Passover lamb for di fourteenth day of di first month. 2E give di priests dia work and encourage dem for di service of our Papa house. 3E tell di Levites wey dey teach all Israel and wey dey holy to our Papa: “Put di holy ark for di house wey Solomon di pikin of David, king of Israel, build. Una no need to carry am for una shoulder again. Now serve una Papa and im people Israel. 4Prepare unaself by una fathers houses, by una divisions, follow di written instructions of David king of Israel, and di instructions of im pikin Solomon. 5Stand for di holy place by di family groups of una lay brothers, one Levite division for each group. 6Kill di Passover lamb, dedicate unaself, and prepare for una brothers, dey follow di word of our Papa wey come through Moses.”
7Josiah give di lay people 30,000 lambs and young goats, 3,000 bulls, for Passover offerings—for everybody wey dey there, from im own property. 8Im officials sef give willingly to di people, di priests, and di Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, di chief officers of our Papa house, give di priests 2,600 Passover offerings and 300 bulls. 9Conaniah, wit im brothers Shemaiah and Nethanel, and Hashabiah, Jeiel, and Jozabad, di Levite leaders, give di Levites 5,000 Passover offerings and 500 bulls.
10Dem set di service; di priests stand for dia posts, di Levites by dia divisions, as di king command. 11Dem kill di Passover lambs; di priests sprinkle di blood wey dem give dem, and di Levites dey skin dem. 12Dem set aside di burnt offerings, dey share dem by family division among di common people, so dem go offer am to our Papa as e dey written for di book of Moses; na so dem do di bulls too. 13Dem roast di Passover lamb for fire as e suppose be, boil di holy offerings for pots, kettles, and pans, and quick-quick carry dem give all di common people. 14After, dem prepare for demself and for di priests, because di priests, di sons of Aaron, dey busy dey offer di burnt offerings and di fat portions till night; so di Levites prepare for demself and for di priests, di sons of Aaron. 15Di singers, di sons of Asaph, stand for dia posts as David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun di king seer bin command. Di gatekeepers stay for each gate; dem no need to leave dia work, because dia fellow Levites prepare for dem.
16So all di service of our Papa dem arrange am dat day: to keep Passover and to offer burnt offerings for di altar of our Papa, by di command of King Josiah. 17Di Israelites wey dey there keep Passover dat time, and di Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days. 18No Passover like am dem bin keep for Israel since di days of Samuel di prophet; none of di kings of Israel keep Passover like Josiah own, wit di priests, di Levites, all Judah and Israel wey dey there, and di people wey dey live for Jerusalem. 19Dem keep dis Passover for di eighteenth year of Josiah reign.
Josiah Fall for War for Megiddo
20After all dis, wen Josiah don prepare di temple, Neco di king of Egypt march up go fight for Carchemish for di River Euphrates, and Josiah come out go meet am. 21But Neco send messengers to am, sey, “Wetin be between me and you, king of Judah? No be against you I dey come today, but against di house wey I dey fight. God tell me make I hurry—stop to dey stand against God, wey dey wit me, if not e go destroy you.”
22Josiah no turn commot from am, but e disguise imself to fight am. E no gree hear Neco words wey come from di mouth of our Papa, and e go fight for di plain of Megiddo. a a v22 Di warning of our Papa reach Josiah even through di mouth of foreign king, but Josiah no gree listen — and di thing wey suppose protect am, dem no take am serious. 23Di archers shoot King Josiah; e tell im servants, “Carry me commot—I don wound bad well well.”
24Im servants move am from di chariot go im second chariot and carry am go Jerusalem, where e die and dem bury am for di tombs of im fathers. All Judah and Jerusalem mourn Josiah.
25Jeremiah compose laments for Josiah, and till today all di singers, di men and di women, dey sing laments for Josiah. Dis one turn to custom for Israel, and e dey written for di Laments. 26Di rest of Josiah acts, and im faithful deeds wey follow wetin dey written for di law of our Papa. 27Im acts, from first to last, dey written for di Book of di Kings of Israel and Judah.
