2Chr 34
1
Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign; and he reigned thirty and one years
in Jerusalem.
2
And he did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, and walked in the ways of
David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.
3
For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after
the God of David his father; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem
from the high places, and the Asherim, and the graven images, and the molten images.
4
And they broke down the altars of the Baalim in his presence; and the sun-images,
that were on high above them, he hewed down; and the Asherim, and the graven images,
and the molten images, he broke in pieces, and made dust of them, and strewed it upon
the graves of them that had sacrificed unto them.
5
And he burnt the bones of the priests upon their altars, and purged Judah and Jerusalem.
6
And so did he in the cities of Manasseh and Ephraim and Simeon, even unto Naphtali,
with their axes round about.
7
And he broke down the altars, and beat the Asherim and the graven images into powder,
and hewed down all the sun-images throughout all the land of Israel, and returned
to Jerusalem.
8
Now 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 the governor of the city, and Joah
the son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of the LORD his God.
9
And they came to Hilkiah the high priest, and delivered the money that was brought
into the house of God, which the Levites, the keepers of the door, had gathered of
the hand of Manasseh and Ephraim, and of all the remnant of Israel, and of all Judah
and Benjamin, and they returned to Jerusalem.
10
And they delivered it into the hand of the workmen that had the oversight of the house
of the LORD; and the workmen that wrought in the house of the LORD gave it to mend
and repair the house;
11
even to the carpenters and to the builders gave they it, to buy hewn stone, and timber
for couplings, and to make beams for the houses which the kings of Judah had destroyed.
12
And the men did the work faithfully; and the overseers of them were Jahath and Obadiah,
the Levites, of the sons of Merari; and Zechariah and Meshullam, of the sons of the
Kohathites, to preside over it; and other of the Levites, all that had skill with
instruments of music.
13
Also they were over the bearers of burdens, and presided over all that did the work
in every manner of service; and of the Levites there were scribes, and officers, and
porters.
14
And when they brought out the money that was brought into the house of the LORD, Hilkiah
the priest found the book of the Law of the LORD given by Moses.
15
and Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan the scribe: 'I have found the book of the
Law in the house of the LORD.' And Hilkiah delivered the book to Shaphan.
16
And Shaphan carried the book to the king, and moreover brought back word unto the
king, saying: 'All that was committed to thy servants, they do it.
17
And they have poured out the money that was found in the house of the LORD, and have
delivered it into the hand of the overseers, and into the hand of the workmen.'
18
And Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying: 'Hilkiah the priest hath delivered me
a book.' And Shaphan read therein before the king.
19
And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the Law, that he rent his
clothes.
20
And the king commanded Hilkiah, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Abdon the son of
Micah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king's servant, saying:
21
'Go ye, inquire of the LORD for me, and for them that are left in Israel and in Judah,
concerning the words of the book that is found; for great is the wrath of the LORD
that is poured out upon us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the LORD,
to do according unto all that is written in this book.'
22
So Hilkiah, and they whom the king had commanded , went to Huldah the prophetess,
the wife of Shallum the son of Tokhath, the son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe--now
she dwelt in Jerusalem in the second quarter--and they spoke to her to that effect.
23
And she said unto them: 'Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel: Tell ye the man that
sent you unto me:
24
Thus saith the LORD: Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants
thereof, even all the curses that are written in the book which they have read before
the king of Judah;
25
because they have forsaken Me, and have offered unto other gods, that they might provoke
Me with all the works of their hands; therefore is My wrath poured out upon this place,
and it shall not be quenched.
26
But unto the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the LORD, thus shall ye say
to him: Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel: As touching the words which thou hast
heard,
27
because thy heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before God, when thou
heardest His words against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, and hast
humbled thyself before Me, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before Me; I also have
heard thee, saith the LORD.
28
Behold, I will gather thee to thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered to thy grave
in peace, neither shall thine eyes see all the evil that I will bring upon this place,
and upon the inhabitants thereof.' And they brought back word unto the king.
29
Then the king sent and gathered together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem.
30
And the king went up to the house of the LORD, and all the men of Judah and the inhabitants
of Jerusalem, and the priests, and the Levites, and all the people, both great and
small; and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant that was
found in the house of the LORD.
31
And the king stood in his place, and made 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 that were
written in this book.
32
And he caused all that were found in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand to it. And the
inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers.
33
And Josiah took away all the abominations out of all the countries that pertained
to the children of Israel, and made all that were found in Israel to serve, even to
serve the LORD their God. All his days they departed not from following the LORD,
the God of their fathers.