Jeremiah wrote songs of sadness about Josiah. To this day all the male and female singers remember Josiah by singing those songs. That became a practice in Israel. The songs are written down in the Book of the Songs of Sadness.
The Lord rules over all. He says,“ Here is something I want you to think about. Send for the women who mourn for the dead. Send for the most skilled among them.”Let them come quickly and weep for us. Let them cry until tears flow from our eyes. Let them weep until water pours out of our eyes.People are heard weeping in Zion. They are saying,“ We are destroyed! We are filled with shame! We must leave our land. Our houses have been torn down.”You women, hear the Lord’ s message. Listen to what he’s saying. Teach your daughters how to mourn for the dead. Teach one another a song of sadness.Death has climbed in through our windows. It has entered our forts. Death has removed the children from the streets. It has taken the young men out of the market.
The Canaanites living in that area saw how sad all of them were. They said,“ The Egyptians are having a very special service for the dead.” That’s why that place near the Jordan River is called Abel of the Egyptians.
