1. King Josiah celebrated the Passover at Jerusalem in honour of the Lord; on the fourteenth day of the first month they killed the animals for the festival.
2. He assigned to the priests the duties they were to perform in the Temple and encouraged them to do them well.
3. He also gave these instructions to the Levites, the teachers of Israel, who were dedicated to the Lord: “Put the sacred Covenant Box in the Temple that King Solomon, the son of David, built. You are no longer to carry it from place to place, but you are to serve the Lord your God and his people Israel.
4. Take your places in the Temple by clans, according to the responsibilities assigned to you by King David and his son King Solomon,
5. and arrange yourselves so that some of you will be available to help each family of the people of Israel.
6. You are to kill the Passover lambs and goats. Now make yourselves ritually clean and prepare the sacrifices in order that your fellow-Israelites may follow the instructions which the Lord gave through Moses.”