Then Josiah announced that the Passover of the Lord should be celebrated in Jerusalem, and so the Passover Lamb was slaughtered on the fourteenth day of the first month. Josiah also assigned priests to their duties and encouraged them in their work at the Temple of the Lord. He issued this order to the Levites, who were to teach all Israel and who had be set apart to serve the Lord. “Put the holy Ark in the Temple that was built by Solomon son of David, the king of Israel. You no longer need to carry it back and forth on your shoulders. Now spend your time serving the Lord your God and His people Israel. Report or duty according to the family divisions of King David of Israel and his directions of his son Solomon.” (vv. 1-4, NLT)
The entire for the Lord’sPassover was completed that day. All the burnt offerings were sacrificed on the altar of the Lord, as King Josiah had commanded. All the Israelites present in Jerusalem celebrated Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days. Never since the time of the prophet Samuel had there been such a Passover. None of the kings of Israel had ever kept Passover as Josiah did, involving all the priests and Levites, all the people of Jerusalem, and all the people from all over Judah and Israel. This passover celebration took place in the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign. (vv. 16-19, NLT)