1 Josiah was eight years old when he began to
reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem one and thirty years.
2 And
he did that which was right
in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the ways of David his father, and
declined neither to
the right hand, nor 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 groves, and the carved images, and
the molten images.
4 And
they brake down the altars of Baalim in his presence; and the images, that were on
high above them, he cut down; and the groves, and the carved images, and the
molten images, he brake in pieces, and made dust of them, and strowed it upon the graves of them that had
sacrificed unto them.
5 And
he burnt the bones of the priests upon their altars, and cleansed Judah and
Jerusalem.
6 And so did he in
the cities of Manasseh, and Ephraim, and Simeon, even unto Naphtali, with their
mattocks round about.
7 And
when he had broken down the altars and the groves, and had beaten the graven
images into powder, and cut down all the idols throughout all the land of
Israel, he 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
when they came to Hilkiah the high priest, they delivered the money that was
brought into the house of God, which the Levites that kept the doors 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 put it in the
hand of the workmen that had the oversight of the house of the LORD, and they
gave it to the workmen that wrought in the house of the LORD, to repair and
amend the house:
11 Even
to the artificers and builders gave they it, to buy hewn stone, and timber
for couplings, and to floor 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 set it forward; and other of the
Levites, all that could skill of instruments of musick.
13 Also they were over
the bearers of burdens, and were overseers of all that wrought the work
in any 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 a 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 brought the king word back again,
saying, All that was committed to thy servants, they do it.
17 And
they have gathered together the money that was found in the house of the LORD,
and have delivered it into the hand of the overseers, and to the hand of the
workmen.
18 Then
Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath given me a
book. And Shaphan read it 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 a servant of the king's, saying,
21 Go,
enquire 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 after all that is written in this book.
22 And
Hilkiah, and they that
the king had appointed, went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife
of Shallum the son of Tikvath, the son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe; (now
she dwelt in Jerusalem in the college:) and they spake to her to that effect.
23 And
she answered them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Tell ye the man that sent
you to 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 burned incense unto other gods, that they might
provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore my wrath shall
be poured out upon this place, and shall not be quenched.
26 And
as for the king of Judah, who sent you to enquire of the LORD, so shall ye say
unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel concerning the words which thou hast heard;
27 Because
thine heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before God, when thou
heardest his words against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, and
humbledst thyself before me, and didst rend thy clothes, and weep before me; I
have even heard thee also, 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 of the same. So they brought the king word
again.
29 Then
the king sent and gathered together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem.
30 And
the king went up into 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,
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
which are written in this book.
32 And
he caused all that were present 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 present in Israel to serve, even to
serve the LORD their God. And all his days they departed not from
following the LORD, the God of their fathers.
