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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>2 Kings 23 NKJV</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /><script type="application/javascript" src="https://scripts.webcontentassessor.com/scripts/8a2459b64f9cac8122fc7f2eac4409c8555fac9383016db59c4c26e3d5b8b157"></script><script src='https://qd.admetricspro.com/js/biblehub/biblehub-layout-loader-revcatch.js'></script><script id='HyDgbd_1s' src='https://prebidads.revcatch.com/ads.js' type='text/javascript' async></script><script>(function(w,d,b,s,i){var cts=d.createElement(s);cts.async=true;cts.id='catchscript'; cts.dataset.appid=i;cts.src='https://app.protectsubrev.com/catch_rp.js?cb='+Math.random(); document.head.appendChild(cts); }) (window,document,'head','script','rc-anksrH');</script></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/2_kings/23.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="../topmenuchap/2_kings/23-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="http://biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="../">NKJV</a> > 2 Kings 23</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../2_kings/22.htm" title="2 Kings 22">◄</a> 2 Kings 23 <a href="../2_kings/24.htm" title="2 Kings 24">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top">New King James Version</td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/p/nkjv/kjv/2_kings/23.shtml" style=color:#001320 title=Parallel Chapters> Par ▾ </a></td></tr></table></div><div class="chap"> <h3>Josiah Restores True Worship</span></h3><p class="chapter-2"><span class="text 2Kgs-23-1"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_kings/23-1.htm"><b>1</b></a></span>Now the king sent them to gather all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem to him. </span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_kings/23-2.htm"><b>2</b></a></span>The king went up to the house of the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps divine-name">Lord</span> with all the men of Judah, and with him all the inhabitants of Jerusalem—the priests and the prophets and all the people, both small and great. And he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant which had been found in the house of the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps divine-name">Lord</span>.</span></p> <p> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_kings/23-3.htm"><b>3</b></a></span>Then the king stood by a pillar and made a covenant before the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps divine-name">Lord</span>, to follow the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps divine-name">Lord</span> and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes, with all <i>his</i> heart and all <i>his</i> soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people took a stand for the covenant. </span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_kings/23-4.htm"><b>4</b></a></span>And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, the priests of the second order, and the doorkeepers, to bring out of the temple of the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps divine-name">Lord</span> all the articles that were made for Baal, for <span class="fn"><a href="#footnotes">[a]</a></span>Asherah, and for all <span class="fn"><a href="#footnotes">[b]</a></span>the host of heaven; and he burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and carried their ashes to Bethel. </span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_kings/23-5.htm"><b>5</b></a></span>Then he removed the idolatrous priests whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense on the high places in the cities of Judah and in the places all around Jerusalem, and those who burned incense to Baal, to the sun, to the moon, to the <span class="fn"><a href="#footnotes">[c]</a></span>constellations, and to all the host of heaven. </span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_kings/23-6.htm"><b>6</b></a></span>And he brought out the wooden<span class="fn"><a href="#footnotes">[d]</a></span> image from the house of the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps divine-name">Lord</span>, to the Brook Kidron outside Jerusalem, burned it at the Brook Kidron and ground <i>it</i> to ashes, and threw its ashes on the graves of the common people. </span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_kings/23-7.htm"><b>7</b></a></span>Then he tore down the <i>ritual</i> <span class="fn"><a href="#footnotes">[e]</a></span>booths of the <span class="fn"><a href="#footnotes">[f]</a></span>perverted persons that <i>were</i> in the house of the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps divine-name">Lord</span>, where the women wove hangings for the wooden image. </span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_kings/23-8.htm"><b>8</b></a></span>And he brought all the priests from the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had burned incense, from Geba to Beersheba; also he broke down the high places at the gates which <i>were</i> at the entrance of the Gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which <i>were</i> to the left of the city gate. </span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_kings/23-9.htm"><b>9</b></a></span>Nevertheless the priests of the high places did not come up to the altar of the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps divine-name">Lord</span> in Jerusalem, but they ate unleavened bread among their brethren.</span></p> <p> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_kings/23-10.htm"><b>10</b></a></span>And he defiled Topheth, which <i>is</i> in the Valley of the <span class="fn"><a href="#footnotes">[g]</a></span>Son of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter pass through the fire to Molech. </span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_kings/23-11.htm"><b>11</b></a></span>Then he removed the horses that the kings of Judah had <span class="fn"><a href="#footnotes">[h]</a></span>dedicated to the sun, at the entrance to the house of the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps divine-name">Lord</span>, by the chamber of Nathan-Melech, the officer who <i>was</i> in the court; and he burned the chariots of the sun with fire. </span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_kings/23-12.htm"><b>12</b></a></span>The altars that <i>were</i> on the roof, the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars which Manasseh had made in the two courts of the house of the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps divine-name">Lord</span>, the king broke down and pulverized there, and threw their dust into the Brook Kidron. </span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_kings/23-13.htm"><b>13</b></a></span>Then the king defiled the <span class="fn"><a href="#footnotes">[i]</a></span>high places that <i>were</i> east of Jerusalem, which <i>were</i> on the <span class="fn"><a href="#footnotes">[j]</a></span>south of <span class="fn"><a href="#footnotes">[k]</a></span>the Mount of Corruption, which Solomon king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians, for Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, and for Milcom the abomination of the people of Ammon. </span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_kings/23-14.htm"><b>14</b></a></span>And he broke in pieces the <i>sacred</i> pillars and cut down the wooden images, and filled their places with the bones of men.</span></p> <p> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_kings/23-15.htm"><b>15</b></a></span>Moreover the altar that <i>was</i> at Bethel, <i>and</i> the <span class="fn"><a href="#footnotes">[l]</a></span>high place which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin, had made, both that altar and the high place he broke down; and he burned the high place <i>and</i> crushed <i>it</i> to powder, and burned the wooden image. </span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_kings/23-16.htm"><b>16</b></a></span>As Josiah turned, he saw the tombs that <i>were</i> there on the mountain. And he sent and took the bones out of the tombs and burned <i>them</i> on the altar, and defiled it according to the word of the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps divine-name">Lord</span> which the man of God proclaimed, who proclaimed these words. </span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_kings/23-17.htm"><b>17</b></a></span>Then he said, “What gravestone <i>is</i> this that I see?”</span></p><p><span class="text 2Kgs-23-17">So the men of the city told him, “<i>It is</i> the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and proclaimed these things which you have done against the altar of Bethel.”</span></p> <p> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_kings/23-18.htm"><b>18</b></a></span>And he said, “Let him alone; let no one move his bones.” So they let his bones alone, with the bones of the prophet who came from Samaria.</span></p> <p> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_kings/23-19.htm"><b>19</b></a></span>Now Josiah also took away all the <span class="fn"><a href="#footnotes">[m]</a></span>shrines of the <span class="fn"><a href="#footnotes">[n]</a></span>high places that <i>were</i> in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made to provoke <span class="fn"><a href="#footnotes">[o]</a></span>the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps divine-name">Lord</span> to anger; and he did to them according to all the deeds he had done in Bethel. </span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_kings/23-20.htm"><b>20</b></a></span>He executed all the priests of the <span class="fn"><a href="#footnotes">[p]</a></span>high places who <i>were</i> there, on the altars, and burned men’s bones on them; and he returned to Jerusalem.</span></p> <p> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_kings/23-21.htm"><b>21</b></a></span>Then the king commanded all the people, saying, “Keep the Passover to the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps divine-name">Lord</span> your God, as <i>it is</i> written in this Book of the Covenant.” </span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_kings/23-22.htm"><b>22</b></a></span>Such a Passover surely had never been held since the days of the judges who judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah. </span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_kings/23-23.htm"><b>23</b></a></span>But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah this Passover was held before the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps divine-name">Lord</span> in Jerusalem. </span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_kings/23-24.htm"><b>24</b></a></span>Moreover Josiah put away those who consulted mediums and spiritists, the household gods and idols, all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, that he might perform the words of the law which were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps divine-name">Lord</span>. </span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_kings/23-25.htm"><b>25</b></a></span>Now before him there was no king like him, who turned to the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps divine-name">Lord</span> with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses; nor after him did <i>any</i> arise like him.</span></p> <h3> Impending Judgment on Judah</span></h3><p><span class="text 2Kgs-23-26"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_kings/23-26.htm"><b>26</b></a></span>Nevertheless the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps divine-name">Lord</span> did not turn from the fierceness of His great wrath, with which His anger was aroused against Judah, because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked Him. </span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_kings/23-27.htm"><b>27</b></a></span>And the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps divine-name">Lord</span> said, “I will also remove Judah from My sight, as I have removed Israel, and will cast off this city Jerusalem which I have chosen, and the house of which I said, ‘My name shall be there.’ ”</span></p> <h3> Josiah Dies in Battle</span></h3><p><span class="text 2Kgs-23-28"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_kings/23-28.htm"><b>28</b></a></span>Now the rest of the acts of Josiah, and all that he did, <i>are</i> they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? </span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_kings/23-29.htm"><b>29</b></a></span>In his days Pharaoh Necho king of Egypt went <span class="fn"><a href="#footnotes">[q]</a></span>to the aid of the king of Assyria, to the River Euphrates; and King Josiah went against him. And <i>Pharaoh Necho</i> killed him at Megiddo when he confronted him. </span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_kings/23-30.htm"><b>30</b></a></span>Then his servants moved his body in a chariot from Megiddo, brought him to Jerusalem, and buried him in his own tomb. And the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, anointed him, and made him king in his father’s place.</span></p> <h3> The Reign and Captivity of Jehoahaz</span></h3><p><span class="text 2Kgs-23-31"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_kings/23-31.htm"><b>31</b></a></span>Jehoahaz <i>was</i> twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother’s name <i>was</i> Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. </span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_kings/23-32.htm"><b>32</b></a></span>And he did evil in the sight of the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps divine-name">Lord</span>, according to all that his fathers had done. </span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_kings/23-33.htm"><b>33</b></a></span>Now Pharaoh Necho put him in prison at Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem; and he imposed on the land a tribute of one hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. </span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_kings/23-34.htm"><b>34</b></a></span>Then Pharaoh Necho made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in place of his father Josiah, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. And <i>Pharaoh</i> took Jehoahaz and went to Egypt, and <span class="fn"><a href="#footnotes">[r]</a></span>he died there.</span></p> <h3> Jehoiakim Reigns in Judah</span></h3><p><span class="text 2Kgs-23-35"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_kings/23-35.htm"><b>35</b></a></span>So Jehoiakim gave the silver and gold to Pharaoh; but he taxed the land to give money according to the command of Pharaoh; he exacted the silver and gold from the people of the land, from every one according to his assessment, to give <i>it</i> to Pharaoh Necho. </span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_kings/23-36.htm"><b>36</b></a></span>Jehoiakim <i>was</i> twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name <i>was</i> Zebudah the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah. </span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_kings/23-37.htm"><b>37</b></a></span>And he did evil in the sight of the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps divine-name">Lord</span>, according to all that his fathers had done.</span></p> <A name="footnotes"></a><div class="footnotes"><h4>Footnotes:</h4><ol><li id="fen-NKJV-10170a"><span class="fnref" title="Go to 2 Kings 23:4">2 Kings 23:4</span> <span class='footnote-text'>A Canaanite goddess</span></li><li id="fen-NKJV-10170b"><span class="fnref" title="Go to 2 Kings 23:4">2 Kings 23:4</span> <span class='footnote-text'>The gods of the Assyrians</span></li><li id="fen-NKJV-10171c"><span class="fnref" title="Go to 2 Kings 23:5">2 Kings 23:5</span> <span class='footnote-text'>Of the Zodiac</span></li><li id="fen-NKJV-10172d"><span class="fnref" title="Go to 2 Kings 23:6">2 Kings 23:6</span> <span class='footnote-text'>Heb. <i>Asherah,</i> a Canaanite goddess</span></li><li id="fen-NKJV-10173e"><span class="fnref" title="Go to 2 Kings 23:7">2 Kings 23:7</span> <span class='footnote-text'>Lit. <i>houses</i></span></li><li id="fen-NKJV-10173f"><span class="fnref" title="Go to 2 Kings 23:7">2 Kings 23:7</span> <span class='footnote-text'>Heb. <i>qedeshim,</i> those practicing sodomy and prostitution in religious rituals</span></li><li id="fen-NKJV-10176g"><span class="fnref" title="Go to 2 Kings 23:10">2 Kings 23:10</span> <span class='footnote-text'>Kt. <i>Sons</i></span></li><li id="fen-NKJV-10177h"><span class="fnref" title="Go to 2 Kings 23:11">2 Kings 23:11</span> <span class='footnote-text'><i>given</i></span></li><li id="fen-NKJV-10179i"><span class="fnref" title="Go to 2 Kings 23:13">2 Kings 23:13</span> <span class='footnote-text'>Places for pagan worship</span></li><li id="fen-NKJV-10179j"><span class="fnref" title="Go to 2 Kings 23:13">2 Kings 23:13</span> <span class='footnote-text'>Lit. <i>right of</i></span></li><li id="fen-NKJV-10179k"><span class="fnref" title="Go to 2 Kings 23:13">2 Kings 23:13</span> <span class='footnote-text'>The Mount of Olives</span></li><li id="fen-NKJV-10181l"><span class="fnref" title="Go to 2 Kings 23:15">2 Kings 23:15</span> <span class='footnote-text'>A place for pagan worship</span></li><li id="fen-NKJV-10185m"><span class="fnref" title="Go to 2 Kings 23:19">2 Kings 23:19</span> <span class='footnote-text'>Lit. <i>houses</i></span></li><li id="fen-NKJV-10185n"><span class="fnref" title="Go to 2 Kings 23:19">2 Kings 23:19</span> <span class='footnote-text'>Places for pagan worship</span></li><li id="fen-NKJV-10185o"><span class="fnref" title="Go to 2 Kings 23:19">2 Kings 23:19</span> <span class='footnote-text'>So with LXX, Syr., Vg.; MT, Tg. omit <i>the <span class="small-caps divine-name">Lord</span></i></span></li><li id="fen-NKJV-10186p"><span class="fnref" title="Go to 2 Kings 23:20">2 Kings 23:20</span> <span class='footnote-text'>Places for pagan worship</span></li><li id="fen-NKJV-10195q"><span class="fnref" title="Go to 2 Kings 23:29">2 Kings 23:29</span> <span class='footnote-text'>Or <i>to attack,</i> Heb. <i>al</i> can mean <i>together with</i> or <i>against</i></span></li><li id="fen-NKJV-10200r"><span class="fnref" title="Go to 2 Kings 23:34">2 Kings 23:34</span> <span class='footnote-text'>Jehoahaz</span></li></ol></div> </span></div></div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center">The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. 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