In Praise of Josiah

¹The memories of Josiah are like blended incense

made by the skill of a perfumer.

The remembrance of him is as sweet as honey in every mouth

and like music at a banquet.

²He did the right thing by reforming the people

and removing wicked and loathsome practices.

³He kept his heart directed toward the Lord,

and in lawless times he promoted godliness.

In Praise of Other Leaders

⁴Except for David, Hezekiah, and Josiah,

all the kings were very sinful.

All of them abandoned the law of the Most High,

so the royal line of Judah came to an end.

⁵They gave their power to others

and their glory to a foreign nation.

⁶These nations burned Jerusalem, the chosen city of the sanctuary.

They made its streets desolate,

just as Jeremiah prophesied.

⁷For they had mistreated Jeremiah,

who was set apart to be a prophet while still in his mother’s womb.

He was sent to uproot, to ruin, and to destroy,

but also to build and to plant.

⁸Ezekiel saw the vision of glory,

which the Lord showed him above the chariot of the cherubim.

⁹For the Lord remembered his enemies and sent a storm,

and he helped those who followed in the right path.

¹⁰May the bones of the twelve prophets

give life to others wherever they lie.

For they encouraged the people of Israel

and rescued them with confident hope.

¹¹How will we praise Zerubbabel?

He was like a signet ring on the right hand,

¹²and so was Jeshua son of Jehozadak.[#49:12 Greek Jozadak, a variant name for Jehozadak.]

In their days they built the house,

raising up a Temple holy to the Lord

and destined for everlasting glory.

¹³Nehemiah is often remembered

because he raised up our fallen walls,

put gates and bars in place,

and rebuilt our ruined houses.

¹⁴No one on earth has ever been created who was comparable to Enoch,

for he was taken up from the earth.

¹⁵Nor has anyone like Joseph ever been born.

He was a leader of his brothers and the support of his people.

Even his bones were cared for.

¹⁶Shem and Seth were honored among people,

but Adam stands above every other created living being.