THE SECOND BOOK OF THE
CHRONICLES
2 Chronicles 34 ©
Josiah is godly¸ v. 1. etc. Destroys all idolatry¸4. Repairs the temple, 8. Hilkiah the high priest finds the book of the law in the temple, 14. The king sends to inquire of the Lord by Huldah, the prophetess, about it, 20. She prophesies that the kingdom of Judah would be ruined, 23. But not in the lifetime of Josiah, 26. Who causes the congregation to meet together about it, and the book of the law to be read, renewing the covenant with God, 29.
JOSIAH1was 2eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem one and thirty years.
And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and 3walked in the ways of David his father, and 4declined neither to the right hand, nor to the left.
¶For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet 5young, he began to 6seek after the God of David his father: and in the 7twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem froma the high places, and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images.
And they brake down the altars 8of Baalim 9in his presence; and the 10images, that were on high above 11them, he cut down; and the 12groves, and the carved images, and the molten images, he brake in pieces, and made dust of them, and 13strowed it upon the graves of them that had sacrificed unto them.
And he burnt 14the bones of the priests upon 15their altars, and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem.
And so did he in the cities of Manasseh, and Ephraim, and Simeon, even unto Naphtali, 16with their mattocksb round about.
And when he had broken down the altars and the groves, and had 17beaten the graven images into powder, and cut down all the idols throughout all the land of Israel, he returned to Jerusalem.
¶Now in thec eighteenth year of his reign, when he had 18purged the land, and the 19house, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah the 20governor of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder, 21to repair the house of the LORD his God.
And when they came 22to Hilkiah the 23high priest, 24they delivered the money that was brought into the house of God, which the Levites that kept the 25doors had gathered of the hand of 26Manasseh and Ephraim, and of 27all the remnant of Israel, and of all Judah and Benjamin; and they 28returned to Jerusalem.
And 29they put it in the hand 30of 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 31repair and amend the house:
Evend to the artificers and builders gave they it, to buy 32hewn stone, and timber for 33couplings, and to floor the 34houses which 35the kings of Judah had destroyed.
And the men did the work 36faithfully: and the 37overseers of them were Jahath and Obadiah, the Levites, of the sons of Merari; and Zechariah and Meshullam, of the sons of the Kohathites, to seteit forward; 38and other of the Levites, all that could skill of instruments of musick.
Also they were over the bearers of burdens, and were overseers of all that wrought the work in 39any manner of service: and of the Levites there were scribes, and 40officers, and porters.
¶And when they brought out the money that was brought into the house of the LORD, Hilkiah the priest found 41a book of the law of the LORD given by Moses.
And Hilkiah 42answered 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.
And Shaphan carried the book to the king, and brought the king 43word back again, saying, 44All that was committed to thy servants, they do it.
And they have gathered 45together 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 46workmen.
Then Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath given me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king.
And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the law, that 47he rent his clothes.
And the king commanded Hilkiah, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and 48Abdon the son of Micah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah a servant of the king's, saying,
Go, enquire of the LORD for me, and for them that are 49left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book that is found: for great is the wrath of the LORD that is 50poured out upon us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the LORD, to do after all that is written in this book.
And Hilkiah, and they 51that the king had appointed, went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of 52Tikvath, the son of Hasrah, 53keeper of the wardrobe; (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the 54college:) and they spake to her 55to that effect.
¶And she answered them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Tell ye the man that sent you to me,
Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring 56evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the curses that are written in the book 57which they have read before the king of Judah:
Because they have forsaken 58me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the 59works of their hands; therefore my wrath shall be poured out upon this place, and shall not be quenched.
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 60which thou hast heard;
Because thine heart was 61tender, 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.
Behold, I will gather thee to thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered to thy 62grave 63in 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.
¶Thenf the king sent and gathered together all the 64elders of Judah and Jerusalem.
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 65he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant that was found in the house of the LORD.
And the king stood in his 66place, and madeg a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD, and to keep his commandments, and his 67testimonies, and his statutes, 68with all his heart, and with all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant which are written in this book.
And he 69caused all that were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand to it. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem 70did according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers.
And Josiah took away all the 71abominations out of all the countries that pertained to the children of Israel, and 72made all that were present in Israel to serve, even to serve the LORD their God. And 73all his days they 74departed not 75from following the LORD, the God of their fathers.