2 Chronicles 34:8–28

Hilkiah Finds the Book of the Law

^8kIn the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land and the ³temple, he sent ^lShaphan the son of Azaliah, Maaseiah the ^mgovernor of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of the Lord his God. ⁹When they came to Hilkiah the high priest, they delivered ⁿthe money that was brought into the house of God, which the Levites who kept the doors had gathered from the hand of Manasseh and Ephraim, from all the ^oremnant of Israel, from all Judah and Benjamin, and which they had brought back to Jerusalem. ¹⁰Then they put it in the hand of the foremen who had the oversight of the house of the Lord; and they gave it to the workmen who worked in the house of the Lord, to repair and restore the house. ¹¹They gave it to the craftsmen and builders to buy hewn stone and timber for beams, and to floor the houses which the kings of Judah had destroyed. ¹²And the men did the work faithfully. Their overseers were Jahath and Obadiah the Levites, of the sons of Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam, of the sons of the Kohathites, to supervise. Others of the Levites, all of whom were skillful with instruments of music, ¹³were ^pover the burden bearers and were overseers of all who did work in any kind of service. ^qAnd some of the Levites were scribes, officers, and gatekeepers.

¹⁴Now when they brought out the money that was brought into the house of the Lord, Hilkiah the priest ^rfound the Book of the Law of the Lord given by Moses. ¹⁵Then Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the Lord.” And Hilkiah gave the ^sbook to Shaphan. ¹⁶So Shaphan carried the book to the king, bringing the king word, saying, “All that was committed to your servants they are doing. ¹⁷And they have ⁴gathered the money that was found in the house of the Lord, and have delivered it into the hand of the overseers and the workmen.” ¹⁸Then Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read it before the king.

¹⁹Thus it happened, when the king heard the words of the Law, that he tore his clothes. ²⁰Then the king commanded Hilkiah, ^tAhikam the son of Shaphan, ⁵Abdon the son of Micah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah a servant of the king, saying, ²¹“Go, inquire of the Lord for me, and for those who are left in Israel and Judah, concerning the words of the book that is found; for great is the wrath of the Lord that is poured out on us, because our fathers have not ^ukept the word of the Lord, to do according to all that is written in this book.”

²²So Hilkiah and those the king had appointed went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of ⁶Tokhath, the son of ⁷Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe. (She dwelt in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter.) And they spoke to her to that effect.

²³Then she answered them, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘Tell the man who sent you to Me, ²⁴“Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will ^vbring calamity on this place and on its inhabitants, all the curses that are written in the ^wbook which they have read before the king of Judah, ²⁵because they have forsaken Me and 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 not be quenched.’ ” ’ ²⁶But as for the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, in this manner you shall speak to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God of Israel: “Concerning the words which you have heard—²⁷because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and against its inhabitants, and you humbled yourself before Me, and you tore your clothes and wept before Me, I also have heard you,” says the ^xLord. ²⁸“Surely I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace; and your eyes shall not see all the calamity which I will bring on this place and its inhabitants.” ’ ” So they brought back word to the king.