Second Book of Chronicles 34

¹ Josiah was eight years old when he came to the throne and he reigned for thirty-one years in Jerusalem.

² He did what is pleasing to Yahweh, and followed the example of his ancestor David, not deviating from it to right or left.

³ In the eighth year of his reign, when he was still a youth, he began to seek the God of his ancestor David. In the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of high places, sacred poles and carved or cast idols.

⁴ He looked on as the altars of the Baals were demolished; he tore down the altars of incense standing on them, he smashed the sacred poles and the carved and cast idols; he reduced them to dust, scattering it over the graves of those who had offered them sacrifices.

⁵ He burned the bones of their priests on their altars, and so purified Judah and Jerusalem;

⁶ he did the same in the towns of Manasseh, Ephraim, Simeon, and even Naphtali, and in the ravaged districts round them.

⁷ He demolished the altars and sacred poles, smashed the idols and ground them to powder, and tore down all the altars of incense throughout the land of Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem.

⁸ In the eighteenth year of his reign, with the object of purifying land and Temple, he sent Shaphan son of Azaliah, Maaseiah governor of the city and the herald Joah son of Joahaz, to repair the Temple of Yahweh his God.

⁹ These went to the high priest Hilkiah and handed over the money that had been brought to the Temple of God and that the Levites, the guardians of the threshold, had collected; the money had come from Manasseh, Ephraim and all the rest of Israel, and from all the Judaeans and Benjaminites who lived in Jerusalem.

¹⁰ They handed it over to the masters of works attached to the Temple of Yahweh, and these used it for the repair and restoration of the Temple.

¹¹ They gave it to the carpenters and builders for buying dressed stone, and wood for the coupling and the rafters of the buildings which the kings of Judah had allowed to fall into ruin.

¹² The men were conscientious in doing their work; to supervise them they had Jahath and Obadiah, Levites of the sons of Merari; Zechariah and Meshullam of the sons of Kohath, who were masters of works; Levites who were all skilled liturgical musicians;

¹³ others who were in charge of the carriers; others who gave instructions to the masters of works of the various undertakings; and lastly a number of Levites who were scribes, clerks and gatekeepers.

¹⁴ When they took out the money that had been brought to the Temple of Yahweh, Hilkiah the high priest found the book of the Law given through Moses.

¹⁵ At once Hilkiah told Shaphan the secretary, ‘I have found the Book of the Law in the Temple of Yahweh’. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan.

¹⁶ Shaphan took the book to the king, and reported to him: ‘Your servants’ he said ‘are carrying out the commissions you gave them:

¹⁷ they have melted down the silver which was in the Temple of Yahweh and have handed it over to the overseers and masters of works,’

¹⁸ after which Shaphan the secretary informed the king, ‘Hilkiah the priest has given me a book’; and Shaphan read from it in the king’s presence.

¹⁹ On hearing the contents of the Law, the king tore his garments,

²⁰ and gave the following order to Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Abdon son of Micah, Shaphan the secretary and Asaiah the king’s minister,

²¹ ‘Go and consult Yahweh, on behalf of me and those left in Israel and Judah, about the contents of the book that has been found. Great indeed must be the anger of Yahweh pouring down on us because our ancestors did not observe the word of Yahweh by practising everything written in this book.’

²² Hilkiah and the king’s men went to Huldah the prophetess, wife of Shallum son of Tokhath, son of Hasrah, the keeper of the wardrobe; she lived in Jerusalem in the new town. They spoke to her about this,

²³ and she replied, ‘Yahweh, the God of Israel says this, “To the man who sent you to me say this:

²⁴ Yahweh says this: I am bringing disaster on this place and those who live in it, carrying out all the curses written in the book that has been read in the presence of the king of Judah,

²⁵ because they have deserted me and sacrificed to other gods, to provoke my anger by everything they did. My anger blazes out against this place; it will not be extinguished.

²⁶ And you will say to the king of Judah who sent you to consult Yahweh, Yahweh, the God of Israel says this: The words you have heard . . .

²⁷ But since your heart has been touched and you have humbled yourself before God on hearing what he has threatened against this place and those who live in it, since you have humbled yourself before me and torn your garments and wept before me, I for my part have heard – it is Yahweh who speaks.

²⁸ I will gather you to your ancestors, you shall be gathered into your grave in peace; your eyes will not see all the disasters that I mean to bring on this place and on those who live in it.”‘ They took this answer to the king.

²⁹ The king then had all the elders of Judah and of Jerusalem summoned,

³⁰ and the king went up to the Temple of Yahweh, with all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, priests, Levites and all the people, of high or low degree. In their hearing he read out everything that was said in the book of the covenant found in the Temple of Yahweh.

³¹ The king stood beside the pillar, and in the presence of Yahweh he made a covenant to follow Yahweh and to enforce the terms of the covenant as written in that book with all his heart and soul.

³² He allotted a station to everyone there in Jerusalem or in Benjamin; and the inhabitants of Jerusalem complied with the covenant of God, the God of their ancestors.

³³ Josiah removed all the abominations throughout the territories belonging to the sons of Israel. His whole life long he made sure that every member of Israel served their God. They did not fail to follow Yahweh, the God of their ancestors.