Chapter 34

Josiah Succeeds Amon in Judah

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

2 aHe did right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the ways of his father David and did not turn aside to the right or to the left.

3 For 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 purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the Asherim, the carved images and the molten images.

4 They tore down the altars of the Baals in his presence, and athe incense altars that were high above them he chopped down; also the Asherim, the carved 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.

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

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

7 he also tore down the altars and abeat the Asherim and the carved images into powder, and chopped down all the incense altars throughout the land of Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem.

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.