2 Chronicles 34
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.