2 Chronicles

2 Chronicles 34 ©

1 Josiah's good reign: 3 he destroyeth idolatry both in Judah and Israel: 8 he provideth for the repairs of the temple. 14 Hilkiah having found the book of the law, it is read before the king, who is alarmed, and sendeth to the prophetess Huldah to enquire of the Lord. 23 Huldah prophesieth the destruction of Jerusalem, but not to take place till after the death of Josiah. 29 Josiah causeth the book to be read in a solemn assembly, and reneweth the covenant between God and the people.

1

JOSIAH was aeight 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 bfrom the high places, and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images.

4

And cthey brake down the altars of Baalim in his presence; and the 1images, 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 dupon the 2graves of them that had sacrificed unto them.

5

And he eburnt the bones of the priests upon their altars, and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem.

6

And so fdid he in the cities of gManasseh, and Ephraim, and Simeon, even unto Naphtali, with their 3mattocks round about.

7

And when he had broken down the altars and the groves, and had beaten the graven images 4into powder, and cut down all the idols throughout all the land of Israel, he returned to Jerusalem.

8

¶Now hin the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land, and the house, he sent iShaphan the son of Azaliah, and jMaaseiah the kgovernor of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz lthe recorder, to mrepair the house of the LORD his God.

9

And when they came to nHilkiah the high priest, they odelivered the money that was brought into the house of God, which the Levites that kept the doors had gathered of pthe 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 5to floor the houses which qthe kings of Judah had destroyed.

12

And the men did the work rfaithfully: 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, sall that could *skill of instruments of musick.

13

Also they were tover the bearers of burdens, and were overseers of all that wrought the work in any *manner of service: and uof the Levites there were vscribes, and officers, and porters.

u 1Ch. 23.4,5; 25; 26.
14

¶And when they brought out the money that was brought into the house of the LORD, Hilkiah the priest wfound a book of the law of the LORD given 6by 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 7to thy servants, they do it.

17

And they have 8gathered 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 9it xbefore the king.

19

And it came to pass, when the king had heard the ywords of the law, that he zrent his clothes.

20

And the king commanded Hilkiah, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and 10Abdon 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 aleft in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book that is found: for bgreat 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 cprophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvath, the son of 11Hasrah, keeper of the 12wardrobe; (now she dwelt in Jerusalem 13in the college:) and they spake to her to that effect.

23

¶And dshe answered them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Tell ye the man that sent you to me,

24

Thus saith the LORD, Behold, eI 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 fthey 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 gtender, 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 hin 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 ithe 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, 14great 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 jhis place, and kmade 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 lcaused all that were 15present 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 mtook away all the abominations out of all the countries that pertained to the children of Israel, and made all that were 16present in Israel to serve, even to serve the LORD their God. And nall his days they departed not 17from following the LORD, the God of their fathers.