(2) The king went up to the House of GOD, together with the entire citizenry of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests and prophets—all the people, young and old. And he read to them the entire text of the covenant scroll that had been found in the House of GOD. (3) The king stood by the pillar and solemnized the covenant before GOD: that they would follow GOD and observe God’s commandments, injunctions, and laws with all their heart and soul; that they would fulfill all the terms of this covenant as inscribed upon the scroll. And all the people entered into the covenant. (4) Then the king ordered the high priest Hilkiah, the priests of the second rank, and the guards of the threshold to bring out of the Temple of GOD all the objects made for Baal and Asherah and all the host of heaven. He burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and he removed the ashes to Bethel. (5) He suppressed the idolatrous priests whom the kings of Judah had appointed to make offerings at the shrines in the towns of Judah and in the environs of Jerusalem, and those who made offerings to Baal, to the sun and moon and constellations—all the host of heaven. (6) He brought out the [image of] Asherah from the House of GOD to the Kidron Valley outside Jerusalem, and burned it in the Kidron Valley; he beat it to dust and scattered its dust over the burial ground of the common people.

(8) He brought all the priests from the towns of Judah [to Jerusalem] and defiled the shrines where the priests had been making offerings—from Geba to Beer-sheba. He also demolished the shrines of the gates that were at the entrance of the gate of Joshua, the city prefect—which were on the left as one [entered] the city gate. (9) The priests of the shrines, however, did not ascend the altar of GOD in Jerusalem, but they ate unleavened bread along with their kinsmen. (10) He also defiled Topheth, which is in the Valley of Ben-hinnom, so that no one might consign their son or daughter to the fire of Molech.

(1)Were not permitted to ascend. The priests who burned incense on the high places to idols, were not permitted to ascend anymore to serve on the Altar of Adonoy. (2)They would eat matzohs. I.e., but in this thing they would not be disqualified from their priesthood, that they are allowed to eat hallowed things. They are like blemished [kohanim] and they share and eat [of the sacrifice], but they may not offer [sacrifices]. (3)They would eat matzohs. Meal-offerings, and similarly, all hallowed things.

(1)The Tophes. This was the Molech, it is named [תפת] because priests would bang on drums [=תופים] so that the father should not hear the groans of the child when he was burned by the pagan image, Molech, they called it Tophes.

(11) He did away with the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun, at the entrance of the House of GOD, near the chamber of the eunuch Nathan-melech, which was in the precincts. He burned the chariots of the sun.

(1)The horses. Those [people] who prostrated themselves to the sun, had horses ready in the morning to go out toward the sun. (2)Nesan Melech. That was its name. (3)In the outskirts. I do not know what they are.

(13) The king also defiled the shrines facing Jerusalem, to the south of the Mount of the Destroyer, which King Solomon of Israel had built for Ashtoreth, the abomination of the Sidonians, for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, and for Milcom, the detestable thing of the Ammonites.

(16) Josiah turned and saw the graves that were there on the hill; and he had the bones taken out of the graves and burned on the altar. Thus he defiled it, in fulfillment of the word of GOD foretold by the agent of God who foretold these happenings. (17) He asked, “What is the marker I see there?” And the townspeople replied, “That is the grave of the agent of God who came from Judah and foretold these things that you have done to the altar of Bethel.” (18) “Let him be,” he said. “Absolutely no one must disturb his bones.” So they left his bones undisturbed together with the bones of the prophet who came from Samaria.

(1)”What is this marker?” He saw a grave, one side of which was overgrown with thorns and thistles, and whose other side was graced with myrtles and spices. He wondered about it and said, “What is this?” And they replied. (2)”It is the grave of the man of God.” And the false prophet, who commanded his sons that they bury him next to him.

(1)”What is this marker?” He saw a grave, one side of which was overgrown with thorns and thistles, and whose other side was graced with myrtles and spices. He wondered about it and said, “What is this?” And they replied. (2)”It is the grave of the man of God.” And the false prophet, who commanded his sons that they bury him next to him.

(20) He slew on the altars all the priests of the shrines who were there, and he burned human bones on them. Then he returned to Jerusalem.

(21) The king commanded all the people, “Offer the passover sacrifice to the ETERNAL your God as prescribed in this scroll of the covenant.” (22) Now the passover sacrifice had not been offered in that manner in the days of the chieftains who ruled Israel, or during the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah.

(1)Such a Pesach sacrifice had not been offered. So many people had not assembled at any Pesach sacrifice as had assembled at this one. (2)Since the time of the Judges. ”Since the time of Shmuel,” In Divrei Hayomim, it is written, because Shmuel, too, led Yisroel to improve their ways, and he assembled them to Mitzpoh. Alternatively, such a Pesach had not been offered to God in Yerusholayim, [i.e.,] (but) when the kings of Yisroel and the kings of Yehudah reigned, all Yisroel did not perform a Pesach sacrifice in Yerusholayim, because the kingdom had been divided in two since Yorovom, and they would go to the calf in Beis Eil and in Dan until now, that the ten tribes were exiled, and Yirmiyohu brought them back, and Yoshiyahu reigned over them, and they all came to Yerusholayim.

(24) Josiah also did away with the necromancers and the mediums, the oracle idols and the fetishes—all the detestable things that were to be seen in the land of Judah and Jerusalem. Thus he fulfilled the terms of the Teaching recorded in the scroll that the priest Hilkiah had found in the House of GOD. (25) There was no king like him before who turned back to GOD with all his heart and soul and might, in full accord with the Teaching of Moses; nor did any like him arise after him. (26) However, GOD did not turn away from the awesome wrath that had blazed up against Judah because of all the things Manasseh did to provoke God’s anger. (27) GOD said, “I will also banish Judah from My presence as I banished Israel; and I will reject the city of Jerusalem that I chose and the House where I said My name would abide.”

(1) The teraphim. Images that speak through sorcery, and the one who make them must determine a certain time in the year, and a certain year that is appropriate for this.

(29) In his days, Pharaoh Neco, king of Egypt, marched against the king of Assyria to the River Euphrates; King Josiah marched toward him, but when he confronted him at Megiddo, [Pharaoh Neco] slew him. (30) His servants conveyed his body in a chariot from Megiddo to Jerusalem, and they buried him in his tomb. Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz; they anointed him and made him king in place of his father.

(32) He did what was displeasing to GOD, just as his predecessors had done. (33) Pharaoh Neco imprisoned him in Riblah in the region of Hamath, to keep him from reigning in Jerusalem. And he imposed on the land an indemnity of one hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. (34) Then Pharaoh Neco appointed Eliakim son of Josiah king in place of his father Josiah, changing his name to Jehoiakim. He took Jehoahaz and brought him to Egypt, where he died. (35) Jehoiakim gave Pharaoh the silver and the gold, and he made an assessment on the land to pay the money demanded by Pharaoh. He exacted from the people of the land the silver and gold to be paid Pharaoh Neco, each [holding] according to its assessment.

(1) In his days, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his vassal for three years. Then he turned and rebelled against him. (2) GOD let loose against him the raiding bands of the Chaldeans, Arameans, Moabites, and Ammonites—letting them loose against Judah to destroy it, in accordance with the word that GOD had spoken through the prophets—God’s servants. (3) All this befell Judah at the command of GOD, who banished [them] from the divine presence because of all the sins that Manasseh had committed, (4) and also because of the blood of the innocent that he shed. For he filled Jerusalem with the blood of the innocent, and GOD would not forgive.

(6) The following individuals do not have a portion in the world to come. Rather, their [souls] are cut off and they are judged for their great wickedness and sins, forever: the Minim, the Epicursim, those who deny the Torah, those who deny the resurrection of the dead and the coming of the [Messianic] redeemer, those who rebel [against God], those who cause the many to sin, those who separate themselves from the community, those who proudly commit sins in public as Jehoyakim did, those who betray Jews to gentile authorities, those who cast fear upon the people for reasons other than the service of God, murderers, slanderers, one who extends his foreskin [so as not to appear circumcised].

When Manasse became king, he was wild after Isaiah; he wanted to kill him, but he fled before him. He fled to a cedar tree, the cedar swallowed him, except to a ṣiṣit of his coat. They came and reported it before him. He said, go and cut down the cedar. They cut down the cedar and blood was seen flowing. But the Eternal did not want to pardon: from here that he has no part in the Future World. And is it not written, in addition to the sins of Manasse ben Hezekias, the king of Jehudah. Let us say, before he changed his ways. Because of all the rages by which Manasse enraged him. Let us say, before he repented. But is it not written: For he, Amon, increased in criminality. He did not add, but he found new ways. And is there not written: Also innocent blood did Manasse spill, a great deal, until he filled Jerusalem from mouth to mouth? How is it possible for flesh and blood to fill Jerusalem with innocent blood from mouth to mouth? But he slew Isaiah who was equal to Moses, about whom is written: Mouth to mouth I would speak to him.

(7) The king of Egypt did not venture out of his country again, for the king of Babylon had seized all the land that had belonged to the king of Egypt, from the Wadi of Egypt to the River Euphrates. (8) Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem; his mother’s name was Nehushta daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. (9) He did what was displeasing to GOD, just as his father had done.

(1)Left his land. To aid Yehoyakim. (2)For the king of Bavel had taken, etc. For he defeated him in battle in the fourth year of Yehoyakim in Charchemish on the Euphrates River, as it is written in the Book of Yirmiyohu.

(11) King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon advanced against the city while his troops were besieging it. (12) Thereupon King Jehoiachin of Judah, along with his mother, and his courtiers, commanders, and officers, surrendered to the king of Babylon. The king of Babylon took him captive in the eighth year of his reign. (13) He carried off from Jerusalem all the treasures of the House of GOD and the treasures of the royal palace; he stripped off all the golden decorations in the Temple of GOD—which King Solomon of Israel had made—as GOD had warned. (14) He exiled all of Jerusalem: all the commanders and all the warriors—ten thousand exiles—as well as all the artisans and smiths; only the poorest people in the land were left.

(1)Craftsmen and gatekeepers. [Targum] Yonoson rendered the craftsmen and the sentries of the gates. But, our Rabbis said that these were great Torah scholars, that when one would begin [to speak], all remained silent [=חרש], as it is written, “Be silent before Me, O islands.” ”מסגר” [is one who] all sit before him and learn from him, as it is stated, ”And he will open, and no one will close, and he will close, and no one will open.”

(3)the craftsmen and the sentries of the gates Torah scholars who were exiled with Jeconiah, and I already explained in the Book of Kings (II 24:14) הֶחָרָש וְהַמַּסְגֵּר (les maitres, les portiers in French) the masters, the sentries of the gates. Another explanation: הֶחָרָש וְהַמַּסְגֵּר: הֶחָרָש is an expression of silence, וְהַמַּסְגֵּר is an expression of closing. That is to say, great sages in Torah, to the extent that when one of them would speak, everyone would remain silent. מַסְגֵּר means that when they would close the discussion, no one would reopen it.

(16) All the able men, to the number of seven thousand—all of them warriors, trained for battle—and a thousand artisans and smiths were brought to Babylon as exiles by the king of Babylon. (17) And the king of Babylon appointed Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s uncle, king in his place, changing his name to Zedekiah.

(1)Seven thousand. But above he states, “ten thousand.” The third verse comes to reconcile [the difference], in the Book of Yirmiyohu, ”This is the people whom Nevuchadnetzar exiled in the seventh year, three thousand Jews.” We deduce from here that three thousand were of the tribe of Yehudah and seven thousand were of Binyomin and the other tribes. Also in Seder Olam we learned this.

(1)And changed his name to Tzidkiyohu. May God justify the judgment upon you if you rebel against me.

(20) Indeed, Jerusalem and Judah were a cause of anger for GOD, so that they were cast out of the divine presence. Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

(1)Indeed the wrath of Adonoy was, etc. Therefore, Tzidkiyohu rebelled against the king of Bavel. The Holy One, Blessed Is He, gave him the desire to rebel against him in order that he would be exiled.

In the ninth year of King Zedekiah of Judah, in the tenth month, King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon moved against Jerusalem with his whole army, and they laid siege to it. And in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, on the ninth day of the fourth month, the [walls of] the city were breached. All the officers of the king of Babylon entered, and took up quarters at the middle gate—Nergal-sarezer, Samgar-nebo, Sarsechim the Rab-saris, Nergal-sarezer the Rab-mag, and all the rest of the officers of the king of Babylon. When King Zedekiah of Judah saw them, he and all the soldiers fled. They left the city at night, by way of the king’s garden, through the gate between the double walls; and he set out toward the Arabah. But the Chaldean troops pursued them, and they overtook Zedekiah in the steppes of Jericho. They captured him and brought him before King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon at Riblah in the region of Hamath; and he put him on trial. The king of Babylon had Zedekiah’s sons slaughtered at Riblah before his eyes; the king of Babylon had all the nobles of Judah slaughtered. Then the eyes of Zedekiah were put out and he was chained in bronze fetters, that he might be brought to Babylon. The Chaldeans burned down the king’s palace and the houses of the people by fire, and they tore down the walls of Jerusalem. The remnant of the people that was left in the city, and the defectors who had gone over to him—the remnant of the people that was left—were exiled by Nebuzaradan, the chief of the guards, to Babylon. But some of the poorest people who owned nothing were left in the land of Judah by Nebuzaradan, the chief of the guards, and he gave them vineyards and fields at that time. King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon had given orders to Nebuzaradan, the chief of the guards, concerning Jeremiah: “Take him and look after him; do him no harm, but grant whatever he asks of you.” So Nebuzaradan, the chief of the guards, and Nebushazban the Rab-saris, and Nergal-sarezer the Rab-mag, and all the commanders of the king of Babylon sent and had Jeremiah brought from the prison compound. They committed him to the care of Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan, that he might be left at liberty in a house. So he dwelt among the people. The word of GOD had come to Jeremiah while he was still confined in the prison compound: Go and say to Ebed-melech the Cushite: “Thus said GOD of Hosts, the God of Israel: I am going to fulfill My words concerning this city—for disaster, not for good—and they shall come true on that day in your presence. But I will save you on that day—declares GOD; you shall not be delivered into the hands of those you dread. I will rescue you, and you shall not fall by the sword. You shall escape with your life, because you trusted Me—declares GOD.”

“The elders of the daughter of Zion sit on the ground, are silent. They have placed dust on their heads, have girded themselves with sackcloth. The virgins of Jerusalem have lowered their heads to the ground” (Lamentations 2:10).“The elders of the daughter of Zion sit on the ground, are silent.” Rabbi Elazar said: Let the portion of vows not be insignificant in your eyes, as it is on account of the portion of vows that the Great Sanhedrin of Zedekiah were killed. When Yekhonya was exiled, King Nebuchadnezzar appointed him over five kings. That is what is written: “Send to the king of Edom, to the king of Moav, to the king of the children of Ammon, to the king of Tyre and to the king of Sidon, in the hand of the messengers who come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah, king of Judah” (Jeremiah 27:3). He would enter and exit before him without permission. One day, he entered before him and saw that he was ripping the flesh of a hare and eating it raw. [Nebuchadnezzar] said to him: ‘Take an oath to me that you will not publicize this about me,’ and he took an oath to him. On what did he administer the oath to [Zedekiah]? Rabbi Yosei ben Rabbi Ḥanina said: On the inner altar. The five kings were sitting and maligning Nebuchadnezzar before Zedekiah and saying to him: ‘The kingdom is not suitable for Nebuchadnezzar, but rather it is suitable for you, as you are from the offspring of David.’ He, too, maligned Nebuchadnezzar and said: ‘I saw that he was ripping the flesh of a hare and eating it.’ Immediately, they sent [a message] to the king, saying: ‘This Jew who enters and exits before you without permission said about you: I saw that Nebuchadnezzar was ripping the flesh of a hare and eating it.’ That is what is written: “Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon” (II Kings 24:20).Immediately, he came and settled in Daphne of Antioch and the Great Sanhedrin went to greet him. When he saw that they were all men of noble form, he issued a command and had seats of honor brought for them, and he seated them. He said to them: ‘Teach me the Torah.’ Immediately they began reading each and every portion and translating it before him. When they reached the portion of vows: “A man who takes a vow” (Numbers 30:3), he said to them: ‘If he wishes to renege on it, can he or can he not do so?’ They said to him: ‘He can go to a Sage and [the Sage] can nullify his vow for him.’ He said to them: ‘It seems to me that you nullified for Zedekiah the oath that he took to me.’ Immediately, he decreed and had them placed down on the ground. That is what is written: “The elders of the daughter of Zion sit on the ground, are silent.” “They have placed dust [on their heads],” they began mentioning the merit of Abraham, as it is written: “I am dust and ashes” (Genesis 18:27). “Have girded themselves with sackcloth,” they began mentioning the merit of Jacob, as it is written: “He placed sackcloth on his loins” (Genesis 37:34). What did they do to them? They tied their hair to horses’ tails and had them run from Jerusalem to Lod. That is what is written: “The virgins of Jerusalem have lowered their heads to the ground.”