2 Chronicles 34:1–35:25

Josiah Reigns over Judah

^1aJosiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem.

^2aAnd he did what was right in the sight of Yahweh and walked in the ways of his father David and did not turn aside to the right or to the left.

³Now in the eighth year of his reign while he was still a youth, he began to ^aseek the God of his father David; and in the twelfth year he began ^bto cleanse Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the Asherim, the graven images, and the molten images.

⁴And they tore down the altars of the Baals in his presence, and ^athe incense altars that were high above them he cut in pieces; also the Asherim, the graven images, and the molten images he broke in pieces and ^bground to powder and scattered it on the graves of those who had sacrificed to them.

⁵Then ^ahe burned the bones of the priests on their altars and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem.

^6aAnd in the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, Simeon, even as far as Naphtali, in their surrounding ¹ruins,

⁷he also tore down the altars and ^abeat the Asherim and the graven images into powder, and cut in pieces all the incense altars throughout the land of Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem.

Josiah Repairs the House of Yahweh

^8aNow in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had cleansed the land and the house, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah ^ban official of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of Yahweh his God.

⁹And they came to ^aHilkiah the high priest and gave him the money that was brought into the house of God, which the Levites, the ¹doorkeepers, had gathered from the hand of ^bManasseh and Ephraim, and from all the remnant of Israel, and from all Judah and Benjamin and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

¹⁰Then they gave it into the hand of ¹those who did the work, who had the oversight of the house of Yahweh; and those who did the work, who were doing this in the house of Yahweh, ²used it to restore and repair the house.

¹¹They in turn gave it to the craftsmen and to the builders to buy hewn stone and timber for clamps and to make beams for the houses ^awhich the kings of Judah had let go to ruin.

^12aAnd the men did the work faithfully with foremen over them to direct: Jahath and Obadiah, the Levites of the sons of Merari, Zechariah and Meshullam of the sons of the Kohathites, and ^bthe Levites, all who were skillful with musical instruments.

¹³They were also over ^athose who carried loads, and directed all those who did the work from service to service; and some of the Levites were scribes and officials and gatekeepers.

Hilkiah Finds the Book of the Law

¹⁴When they were taking out the money which had been brought into the house of Yahweh, ^aHilkiah the priest found the book of the law of Yahweh given by the hand of Moses.

¹⁵So Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the book of the law in the house of Yahweh.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan.

¹⁶Then Shaphan brought the book to the king and furthermore ¹responded to the king with a word, saying, “Everything that was given to the hand of your servants they are doing.

¹⁷“They have also poured out the money that was found in the house of Yahweh, and have given it into the hand of the supervisors and those who did the work.”

¹⁸Moreover, Shaphan the scribe told the king saying, “Hilkiah the priest gave me a book.” And Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king.

¹⁹Now it happened that when the king heard ^athe words of the law, ^bhe tore his clothes.

²⁰Then the king commanded Hilkiah, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, ¹Abdon the son of Micah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king’s servant, saying,

²¹“Go, inquire of Yahweh for me and those who are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book which has been found, for ^agreat is the wrath of Yahweh which is poured out against us, because our fathers have not kept the word of Yahweh, to do according to all that is written in this book.”

Josiah Will Not See Yahweh’s Wrath

²²So Hilkiah and those whom the king ¹had told went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of ²Tokhath, the son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe (now she lived in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter); and they spoke to her regarding this.

²³And she said to them, “Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, ‘Say to the man who sent you to Me,

²⁴thus says Yahweh, “Behold, ^aI am bringing evil on this place and on its inhabitants, even all ^bthe curses written in the book which they have read in the presence of the king of Judah.

²⁵“^aBecause they have forsaken Me and have burned incense to other gods that they might provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands, therefore My wrath will be poured out against this place, and it shall not be quenched.” ’

²⁶“But to the king of Judah who sent you to inquire of Yahweh, thus you shall say to him, ‘Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, “Regarding the words which you have heard,

^27abecause your heart was soft 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, tore your clothes and wept before Me, I truly have heard you,” declares Yahweh.

²⁸“Behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you will be gathered to your grave in peace, so your eyes will not see all the evil which I will bring on this place and on its inhabitants.” ’ ” So they brought back word to the king.

^29aThen the king sent and gathered all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem.

³⁰And the king went up to the house of Yahweh and ^aall the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests and the Levites and all the people, from the greatest to the least; and he read in their hearing all the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the house of Yahweh.

Josiah Cuts a Covenant with Yahweh

³¹Then the king ^astood in his place and ^bcut a covenant before Yahweh, to walk after Yahweh, and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes with all his heart and with all his soul, to do the words of the covenant that were written in this book.

³²Moreover, he made all who were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand with him. So the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers.

³³And Josiah ^atook away all the abominations from all the lands belonging to the sons of Israel, and made all who were present in Israel to serve Yahweh their God. Throughout his ¹lifetime they did not turn away from following Yahweh, the God of their fathers.

CHAPTER 35

Josiah Celebrates the Passover

¹Then Josiah ^acelebrated the Passover to Yahweh in Jerusalem, and ^bthey slaughtered the Passover animals on the fourteenth day of the first month.

²And he caused the priests to stand in their responsibilities and ^astrengthened them in the service of the house of Yahweh.

³He also said to ^athe Levites who provided understanding to all Israel and who were holy to Yahweh, “Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David king of Israel built; ^bit will be a burden on your shoulders no longer. Now serve Yahweh your God and His people Israel.

⁴“^aSo prepare yourselves by your fathers’ households in your divisions, according to the writing of David king of Israel and ^baccording to the writing of his son Solomon.

⁵“Moreover, ^astand in the holy place according to the sections of the fathers’ households of your brothers the ¹lay people, and according to the Levites, by division of a father’s household.

⁶“Now ^aslaughter the Passover animals, ^bsanctify yourselves and prepare for your brothers to do according to the word of Yahweh by the hand of Moses.”

⁷And Josiah contributed to the lay people, to all who were present, flocks of lambs and young goats, all for the Passover offerings, numbering 30,000 plus 3,000 bulls; these were from the king’s possessions.

⁸His officials also contributed a freewill offering to the people, the priests, and the Levites. Hilkiah and Zechariah and Jehiel, ^athe officers of the house of God, gave to the priests for the Passover offerings 2,600 from the flocks and 300 bulls.

^9aConaniah also, and Shemaiah and Nethanel, his brothers, and Hashabiah and Jeiel and Jozabad, the ¹officials of the Levites, contributed to the Levites for the Passover offerings 5,000 from the flocks and 500 bulls.

¹⁰So the service was prepared, and ^athe priests stood at their stations and the Levites by their divisions according to the king’s commandment.

^11aAnd ¹they slaughtered the Passover animals, and while ^bthe priests splashed ²the blood received from their hand, ^cthe Levites skinned them.

¹²Then they took away the portions for the burnt offerings that they might give them to the sections of the fathers’ households of the lay people to bring near to Yahweh, as it is written in the book of Moses. They did this also with the bulls.

¹³So ^athey roasted the Passover animals on the fire according to the legal judgment, and they boiled ^bthe holy things in pots, in kettles, in pans, and carried them speedily to all the lay people.

¹⁴Afterwards they prepared for themselves and for the priests, because the priests, the sons of Aaron, were offering the burnt offerings and the fat until night; therefore the Levites prepared for themselves and for the priests, the sons of Aaron.

¹⁵The singers, the sons of Asaph, were also at their stations ^aaccording to the commandment of David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king’s seer; and ^bthe gatekeepers at each gate did not have to turn aside from their service, because the Levites their brothers prepared for them.

¹⁶So all the service of Yahweh was prepared on that day to celebrate the Passover, and to offer burnt offerings on the altar of Yahweh according to the commandment of King Josiah.

¹⁷Thus ^athe sons of Israel who were present celebrated the Passover at that time, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days.

^18aAnd there had not been celebrated a Passover like it in Israel from the…