9. And the army commanders — Conaniah, Shemaiah and his brother Nethanel, Hashabiah, Ochiel, and Joram — contributed 5,000 sheep and 700 calves for the Levites to offer as sacrifices.
12. The Levites roasted the Passover sacrifices and then boiled them in pots and cauldrons, making a pleasant smell.
13. Then they distributed the meat to all the people. After that was done, they took meat for themselves and for the priests, the descendants of Aaron,
14. because the priests were kept busy until night burning the fat of the sacrifices.
19. All the people of Israel who were present at that time kept the Passover and observed the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days.
20. Since the days of the prophet Samuel, the Passover had never been celebrated so faithfully.
23. The Lord was pleased with everything Josiah did, for he was a deeply religious man.
24. But the ancient records also tell the story of those who sinned and rebelled against the Lord during Josiah's reign. They sinned more than any other nation or kingdom and did things that offended the Lord so much that his judgement fell on the people of Israel.
25. After Josiah had done all these things, the king of Egypt led an army to fight at Carchemish on the River Euphrates. Josiah tried to stop him,
26. but the king of Egypt sent Josiah this message: “The war I am fighting does not concern you, King of Judah.
27. The Lord God did not send me to fight you; my battle is on the Euphrates. The Lord is with me, and he is urging me on; so withdraw your troops and don't oppose the Lord.”
28. But Josiah did not go back to his chariot and withdraw. He refused to listen to what the Lord had said through the prophet Jeremiah and decided to fight.
29. He went into battle on the plain of Megiddo, and the Egyptian commanders attacked him.