2 Kings 22

The Book of the Law Found

22:1–20pp—2Ch 34:1–2,8–28

22Josiahⁱ was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. His mother’s name was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah; she was from Bozkath.^{j 2}He did what was right^k in the eyes of the Lord and followed completely the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right^l or to the left.

³In the eighteenth year of his reign, King Josiah sent the secretary, Shaphan^m son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, to the temple of the Lord. He said: ⁴“Go up to Hilkiahⁿ the high priest and have him get ready the money that has been brought into the temple of the Lord, which the doorkeepers have collected^o from the people. ⁵Have them entrust it to the men appointed to supervise the work on the temple. And have these men pay the workers who repair^p the temple of the Lord—⁶the carpenters, the builders and the masons. Also have them purchase timber and dressed stone to repair the temple.^{q 7}But they need not account for the money entrusted to them, because they are honest in their dealings.”^r

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.