📖 2 Kings — Chapter 23 (KJV)
Read the complete King James Version chapter below, then explore the passage sections, check what you remember, and keep your private study notes.
Scripture source: Project Gutenberg KJV, ebook 10.
2 Kings 23:1 And Rthe king sent, and they gathered unto him all the elders of Judah and of Jerusalem.
2 Kings 23:2 And the king went up into the house of the LORD, and all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the people, RTboth small and great: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the house of the LORD.
2 Kings 23:3 And the king stood by a pillar, and Rmade a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD, and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all their heart and all their soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people stood to the covenant.
2 Kings 23:4 And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, and the Rpriests of the second order, and the keepers of the door, to bring forth out of the temple of the LORD all the vessels that were made for Baal, and for the grove, and for all the host of heaven: and he burned them without Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and carried the ashes of them unto Bethel.
2 Kings 23:5 And he Tput down Rthe Tidolatrous priests, whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high places in the cities of Judah, and in the places round about Jerusalem; them also that burned incense unto Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to the Tplanets, and to all the host of heaven.
2 Kings 23:6 And he brought out Rthe grove from the house of the LORD, without Jerusalem, unto the brook Kidron, and burned it at the brook Kidron, and stamped it small to powder, and cast the powder thereof upon the graves of the children of the people.
2 Kings 23:7 And he brake down the houses of Rthe sodomites, that were by the house of the LORD, where the women wove Thangings for the grove.
2 Kings 23:8 And he brought all the priests out of the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had burned incense, from RGeba to Beersheba, and brake down the high places of the gates that were in the entering in of the gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which were on a man’s left hand at the gate of the city.
2 Kings 23:9 Nevertheless Rthe priests of the high places came not up to the altar of the LORD in Jerusalem, but they did eat of the unleavened bread among their brethren.
2 Kings 23:10 And he defiled RTopheth, which is in the valley of the children of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire to Molech.
2 Kings 23:11 And he took away the horses that the kings of Judah had given to the sun, at the entering in of the house of the LORD, by the chamber of Nathanmelech the Tchamberlain, which was in the suburbs, and burned the chariots of the sun with fire.
2 Kings 23:12 And the altars that were Ron the top of 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 LORD, did the king beat down, and Tbrake them down from thence, and cast the dust of them into the brook Kidron.
2 Kings 23:13 And the high places that were before Jerusalem, which were on the right hand of Tthe mount of corruption, which RSolomon the king of Israel had builded for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Zidonians, and for Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, and for Milcom the abomination of the children of Ammon, did the king defile.
2 Kings 23:14 And Rhe brake in pieces the Timages, and cut down the groves, and filled their places with the bones of men.
2 Kings 23:15 Moreover Rthe altar that was at Bethel, and the high place which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, had made, both that altar and the high place he brake down, and burned the high place, and stamped it small to powder, and burned the grove.
2 Kings 23:16 And as Josiah turned himself, he spied the sepulchres that were there in the mount, and sent, and took the bones out of the sepulchres, and Rburned them upon the altar, and polluted it, according to the word of the LORD which the man of God proclaimed, who proclaimed these words.
2 Kings 23:17 Then he said, What title is that that I see? And the men of the city told him, RIt is the sepulchre of the man of God, which came from Judah, and proclaimed these things that thou hast done against the altar of Bethel.
2 Kings 23:18 And he said, Let him alone; let no man move his bones. So they let his Tbones alone, with Rthe bones of the prophet that came out of Samaria.
2 Kings 23:19 And all Rthe houses also of the high places that were in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made to provoke the Lord to anger, Josiah took away, and did to them according to all the acts that he had done in Bethel.
2 Kings 23:20 And Rhe Tslew all the priests of the high places that were there upon the altars, and burned men’s bones upon them, and returned to Jerusalem.
2 Kings 23:21 And the king commanded all the people, saying, RKeep the passover unto the LORD your God, as it is written in the book of this covenant.
2 Kings 23:22 RSurely there was not holden such a passover from the days of the judges that judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel, nor of the kings of Judah;
2 Kings 23:23 But in the eighteenth year of king Josiah, wherein this passover was holden to the LORD in Jerusalem.
2 Kings 23:24 Moreover Rthe workers with familiar spirits, and the wizards, and the Timages, and the idols, and all the abominations that were spied in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, did Josiah put away, 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 LORD.
2 Kings 23:25 And like Runto him was there no king before him, that turned to the LORD with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after him arose there any like him.
2 Kings 23:26 RNotwithstanding the LORD turned not from the fierceness of his great wrath, wherewith his anger was kindled against Judah, because of all the Tprovocations that Manasseh had provoked him withal.
2 Kings 23:27 And the LORD said, RI will remove Judah also out of 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.
2 Kings 23:28 Now Rthe rest of the acts of Josiah, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
2 Kings 23:29 In his days Pharaohnechoh king of Egypt went up against the king of Assyria to the river REuphrates: and king Josiah went against him; and he slew him at Megiddo, when he had seen him.
2 Kings 23:30 And his Rservants carried him in a chariot dead from Megiddo, and brought him to Jerusalem, and buried him in his own sepulchre. And the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and anointed him, and made him king in his father’s stead.
2 Kings 23:31 RTJehoahaz was twenty and three years old when he began to reign; and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.
2 Kings 23:32 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his fathers had done.
2 Kings 23:33 And Pharaohnechoh Rput him in bands at Riblah in the land of Hamath, Tthat he might not reign in Jerusalem; and Tput the land to a tribute of an hundred talents of silver, and a talent of gold.
2 Kings 23:34 And Pharaohnechoh made REliakim the son of Josiah king in the room of Josiah his father, and turned his name to Jehoiakim, and took Jehoahaz away: and he came to Egypt, and died there.
2 Kings 23:35 And Jehoiakim gave the silver and the gold to Pharaoh; but he Rtaxed the land to give the money according to the commandment of Pharaoh: he exacted the silver and the gold of the people of the land, of every one according to his taxation, to give it unto Pharaohnechoh.
2 Kings 23:36 RJehoiakim was twenty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Zebudah, the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah.
2 Kings 23:37 And Rhe did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his fathers had done.
📚 Study This Chapter
📖 What We’re Reading
2 Kings 23:1–14 — The covenant renewed
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
Josiah reads the covenant publicly and commits himself to obeying the LORD with all his heart. He removes objects and places of false worship, including practices that harmed children. These ancient royal actions describe Judah's covenant setting; they do not authorize readers to use violence against others today.
Key Truth: Wholehearted obedience reaches public and private life.
Check What You Remember
1. What did Josiah read to the people? (2 Kings 23:2)
Find it in 2 Kings 23:2 (KJV).
2. With what did he promise to follow the LORD? (2 Kings 23:3)
Find it in 2 Kings 23:3 (KJV).
3. Which place did he defile to stop children passing through fire? (2 Kings 23:10)
Find it in 2 Kings 23:10 (KJV).
📖 What We’re Reading
2 Kings 23:15–25 — Reform and Passover
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
Josiah destroys the altar at Bethel, fulfilling the earlier prophetic word. He preserves the identified prophet's bones and extends the reform to Samaria. He then commands the Passover according to the covenant book. His zeal includes removing false worship and restoring the worship God actually commanded.
Key Truth: Reform should restore obedience to God's commands.
Check What You Remember
1. Whose altar at Bethel was broken down? (2 Kings 23:15)
Find it in 2 Kings 23:15 (KJV).
2. What feast did Josiah command the people to keep? (2 Kings 23:21)
Find it in 2 Kings 23:21 (KJV).
3. In which year of Josiah's reign was this Passover kept? (2 Kings 23:23)
Find it in 2 Kings 23:23 (KJV).
📖 What We’re Reading
2 Kings 23:26–37 — Judgment and changing kings
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
Josiah's reforms do not cancel the announced judgment associated with Judah's long rebellion. He dies after meeting Pharaoh-nechoh at Megiddo. Egypt removes Jehoahaz and places Jehoiakim on the throne. The rapid change of rulers reveals Judah's vulnerability, while the closing verdict again measures kings by their obedience.
Key Truth: Past rebellion has consequences beyond a single reign.
Check What You Remember
1. Where did Josiah die? (2 Kings 23:29)
Find it in 2 Kings 23:29 (KJV).
2. Who was made king immediately after Josiah? (2 Kings 23:30)
Find it in 2 Kings 23:30 (KJV).
3. What new name did Pharaoh give Eliakim? (2 Kings 23:34)
Find it in 2 Kings 23:34 (KJV).
Related Scripture (KJV)
Deuteronomy 6:5 — Josiah's wholehearted response reflects the command to love the LORD.
This related passage is selected for its connection with this chapter. It is separate from the chapter text.
Reflect and Apply
What needs to be removed or restored so that your obedience becomes more wholehearted?
Advanced Questions and Answers
Study this chapter’s wording, patterns, contrasts, and meaning in greater depth.
1. How broadly is the covenant reading addressed?
2. What does Josiah’s covenant commit him to?
3. Why are the horses and chariots associated with the sun removed?
4. How does the Bethel action connect to an earlier prophecy?
5. What limit remains despite Josiah’s exceptional reform?
Notes
Write what you want to remember, questions to explore, or Scriptures to look up later. Your saved notes are private to your account.
Loading your notes…
Chapter Navigation