2 Chronicles 34:8–28

Josiah’s Repair of the Temple

⁸In the eighteenth year of his reign, ^ain order to cleanse the land and the temple, Josiah sent Shaphan son of Azaliah, along with Maaseiah the governor ^bof the city and the court historian Joah son of Joahaz, to repair the temple of the Lord his God.

⁹So they went to Hilkiah ^cthe high priest, and gave him the money brought into God’s temple. The Levites and the doorkeepers had collected money from Manasseh, Ephraim, ^dand from the entire remnant of Israel, and from all Judah, Benjamin, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. ¹⁰They put it into the hands of those doing the work—those who oversaw the Lord’s temple. They gave it to the workmen who were working in the Lord’s temple, to repair and restore the temple; ¹¹they gave it to the carpenters and builders and also used it to buy quarried stone and timbers—for joining and making beams—for the buildings that Judah’s kings had destroyed.

¹²The men were doing the work with integrity. Their overseers were Jahath and Obadiah, Levites from the Merarites, and Zechariah and Meshullam from the Kohathites as supervisors. The Levites were all skilled with musical instruments. ^e13They were also over the porters and were supervising all those doing the work task by task. Some of the Levites were secretaries, officers, and gatekeepers.

The Recovery of the Book of the Law

¹⁴When they brought out the money that had been deposited in the Lord’s temple, Hilkiah the priest found the book of the law of the Lord written by the hand of Moses. ^f15Consequently, ^gHilkiah told Shaphan the court secretary, “I have found the book of the law in the Lord’s temple,” and he gave the book to Shaphan.

¹⁶Shaphan took the book to the king, and also reported, “Your servants are doing all that was placed in their hands. ¹⁷They have emptied out the money that was found in the Lord’s temple and have put it into the hand of the overseers and the hand of those doing the work.” ¹⁸Then Shaphan the court secretary told the king, “Hilkiah the priest gave me a book,” and Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king. ^h

¹⁹When the king heard the words of the law, he tore his clothes. ⁱ²⁰Then he commanded Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Abdon son of Micah, Shaphan the court secretary, and the king’s servant Asaiah, ²¹“Go. Ask Yahweh for me and for those remaining in Israel and Judah, concerning the words of the book that was found. For great is the Lord’s wrath that is poured out on us ^jbecause our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord in order to do everything written in this book.”

Huldah’s Prophecy of Judgment

²²So Hilkiah and those the king had designated ^kwent to the prophetess Huldah, the wife of Shallum son of Tokhath, son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe. She lived in Jerusalem in the Second District. They spoke with her about this.

²³She said to them, “This is what Yahweh, the God of Israel says: Say to the man who sent you to Me, ²⁴‘This is what Yahweh says: I am about to bring disaster on this place and on its inhabitants, ^lfulfilling all the curses written in the book that they read in the presence of the king of Judah, ^m25because they have abandoned Me ⁿand burned incense to other gods in order to provoke Me with all the works of their hands. My wrath will be poured out on this place, and it will not be quenched.’ ²⁶Say this to the king of Judah who sent you to ask Yahweh, ‘This is what Yahweh, the God of Israel says: As for the words that you heard, ²⁷because ^oyour heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and against its inhabitants, and because you humbled yourself before Me, and you tore your clothes and wept before Me, I Myself have heard’—this is the Lord’s declaration. ²⁸‘I will indeed gather you to your fathers, and you will be gathered to your grave in peace. Your eyes will not see all the disaster that I am bringing on this place and on its inhabitants.’ ” ^p

Then they reported to the king.