Josiah Repairs the Temple

8 aNow in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged 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 the Lord his God.

9 They came to aHilkiah the high priest and delivered the money that was brought into the house of God, which the Levites, the 1doorkeepers, had collected 2from bManasseh and Ephraim, and from all the remnant of Israel, and from all Judah and Benjamin and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

10 Then they gave it into the hands of the workmen who had the oversight of the house of the Lord, and the workmen who were working in the house of the Lord 1used it to restore and repair the house.

11 They in turn gave it to the carpenters and to the builders to buy quarried stone and timber for couplings and to make beams for the houses awhich the kings of Judah had let go to ruin.

12 aThe men did the work faithfully with foremen over them to supervise: 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.

13 They were also over athe burden bearers, and supervised all the workmen from job to job; and some of the Levites were scribes and officials and gatekeepers.

Hilkiah Discovers Lost Book of the Law

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

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

16 Then Shaphan brought the book to the king and 1reported further word to the king, saying, “Everything that was 2entrusted to your servants they are doing.

17 “They have also emptied out the money which was found in the house of the Lord, and have delivered it into the hands of the supervisors and the workmen.”

18 Moreover, 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.

19 When the king heard athe words of the law, bhe tore his clothes.

20 Then 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 the Lord for me and for 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 the Lord which is poured out on us because our fathers have not observed the word of the Lord, to do according to all that is written in this book.”

Huldah, the Prophetess, Speaks

22 So 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, the keeper of the wardrobe (now she lived in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter); and they spoke to her regarding this.

23 She said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Tell the man who sent you to Me,

24 thus says the Lord, “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 on this place and it shall not be quenched.” ’

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

27 “aBecause your 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, tore your clothes and wept before Me, I truly have heard you,” declares the Lord.

28 “Behold, I will gather you to your fathers and you shall 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.” ’ ” And they brought back word to the king.

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

30 The king went up to the house of the Lord and aall the men of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests, 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 the Lord.

Josiah’s Good Reign

31 Then the king astood in his place and bmade a covenant before the Lord to walk after the Lord, and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes with all his heart and with all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant written in this book.

32 Moreover, 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.

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

Chapter 35

The Passover Observed Again

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

2 He set the priests in their offices and aencouraged them in the service of the house of the Lord.

3 He also said to athe Levites who taught all Israel and who were holy to the Lord, “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 the Lord your God and His people Israel.

4 “aPrepare 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 brethren 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 brethren to do according to the word of the Lord by Moses.”

7 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.

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

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

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

11 1aThey slaughtered the Passover animals, and while bthe priests sprinkled 2the blood received from their hand, cthe Levites skinned them.

12 Then they removed the burnt offerings that they might give them to the sections of the fathers’ households of the lay people to present to the Lord, as it is written in the book of Moses. They did this also with the bulls.

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

14 Afterwards 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.

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

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

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

18 aThere had not been celebrated a Passover like it in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet; nor had any of the kings of Israel celebrated such a Passover as Josiah did with the priests, the Levites, all Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

19 In the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign this Passover was celebrated.