2 Kings 22:8–23:3

⁸Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law^s in the temple of the Lord.” He gave it to Shaphan, who read it. ⁹Then Shaphan the secretary went to the king and reported to him: “Your officials have paid out the money that was in the temple of the Lord and have entrusted it to the workers and supervisors at the temple.” ¹⁰Then Shaphan the secretary informed the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king.^t

¹¹When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law,^u he tore his robes. ¹²He gave these orders to Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam^v son of Shaphan, Akbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the secretary and Asaiah the king’s attendant:^{w 13}“Go and inquire^x of the Lord for me and for the people and for all Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the Lord’s anger^y that burns against us because those who have gone before us have not obeyed the words of this book; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written there concerning us.”

¹⁴Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Akbor, Shaphan and Asaiah went to speak to the prophet^z Huldah, who was the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe. She lived in Jerusalem, in the New Quarter.

¹⁵She said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Tell the man who sent you to me, ¹⁶‘This is what the Lord says: I am going to bring disaster^a on this place and its people, according to everything written in the book^b the king of Judah has read. ¹⁷Because they have forsaken^c me and burned incense to other gods and aroused my anger by all the idols their hands have made,^a my anger will burn against this place and will not be quenched.’ ¹⁸Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire^d of the Lord, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says concerning the words you heard: ¹⁹Because your heart was responsive and you humbled^e yourself before the Lord when you heard what I have spoken against this place and its people—that they would become a curse^bf and be laid waste^g—and because you tore your robes and wept in my presence, I also have heard you, declares the Lord. ²⁰Therefore I will gather you to your ancestors, and you will be buried in peace.^h Your eyesⁱ will not see all the disaster I am going to bring on this place.’ ”

So they took her answer back to the king.

Josiah Renews the Covenant

23:1–3pp—2Ch 34:29–32 23:4–20Ref—2Ch 34:3–7, 33 23:21–23pp—2Ch 35:1,18–19 23:28–30pp—2Ch 35:20–36:1

23Then the king called together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. ²He went up to the temple of the Lord with the people of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests and the prophets—all the people from the least to the greatest. He read^j in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant,^k which had been found in the temple of the Lord. ³The king stood by the pillar^l and renewed the covenant^m in the presence of the Lord—to followⁿ the Lord and keep his commands, statutes and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, thus confirming the words of the covenant written in this book. Then all the people pledged themselves to the covenant.