2 ChroniclesChapter 34

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¹Josiah was eight years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem thirty-one years. ²He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD. He lived the way his father David did. He did not turn away to the right or to the left. ³In the eighth year that he was king, Josiah began to seek the God of his father David. He was still young. In the twelfth year he began to clean out Judah and Jerusalem. He got rid of the high places, the Asherah poles, the carved idols, and the metal idols. ⁴While he watched, the altars of the Baals were torn down. He cut to pieces the incense altars that stood above them. He smashed the Asherah poles, the carved idols, and the metal idols. He crushed them to dust. He scattered the dust over the graves of those who had offered sacrifices to them. ⁵He burned the bones of their priests on their own altars. So he made Judah and Jerusalem clean. ⁶Josiah did the same in the towns of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, all the way to Naphtali. He did it in the ruins around them too. ⁷He tore down the altars and the Asherah poles. He crushed the idols into powder. He cut to pieces all the incense altars all through the land of Israel. Then he went back to Jerusalem. ⁸In the eighteenth year that Josiah was king, he wanted to make the land and the temple clean. So he sent three men to repair the house of the LORD his God. They were Shaphan son of Azaliah, Maaseiah the ruler of the city, and Joah son of Joahaz, who kept the records. ⁹They went to Hilkiah the high priest. They gave him the money that had been brought into the house of God. The Levites who guarded the doors had collected it. They got it from the people of Manasseh and Ephraim and from all the rest of Israel. They got it from all Judah and Benjamin, and from the people of Jerusalem. ¹⁰They gave the money to the men in charge of the work on the house of the LORD. These men paid the workers who were fixing and repairing the house of the LORD. ¹¹They also gave money to the carpenters and builders. They used it to buy cut stone. They bought wood for joining pieces and for beams. These were for the buildings the kings of Judah had let fall apart. ¹²The men did the work faithfully. The Levites in charge of them were Jahath and Obadiah, from the family of Merari. There were also Zechariah and Meshullam, from the family of Kohath. Other Levites were there too. All of them were skilled at playing musical instruments. ¹³They were over the workers who carried loads. They watched over everyone who did the work, job by job. Some of the Levites were secretaries, officers, and gatekeepers. ¹⁴They were bringing out the money that had been brought into the house of the LORD. Then Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the LORD. It was the Law given through Moses. ¹⁵Hilkiah said to Shaphan the scribe, "I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the LORD!" He gave it to Shaphan. ¹⁶Shaphan took the book to the king. He told him, "Your servants are doing everything you gave them to do. ¹⁷They have paid out the money that was found in the house of the LORD. They gave it to the men in charge and to the workers." ¹⁸Then Shaphan the scribe told the king, "Hilkiah the priest has given me a book." And Shaphan read it out loud to the king. ¹⁹The king heard the words of the Law. Then he tore his clothes. ²⁰He gave orders to Hilkiah, to Ahikam son of Shaphan, to Abdon son of Micah, to Shaphan the scribe, and to Asaiah the king's servant. He said, ²¹"Go and ask the LORD about the words in this book that was found. Ask for me and for the people left in Israel and Judah. For the LORD's anger that has been poured out on us is great. That is because our fathers did not keep the word of the LORD. They did not do all that is written in this book." ²²So Hilkiah and the men the king had sent went to Huldah the prophetess. She was the wife of Shallum son of Tokhath, the son of Hasrah. Shallum took care of the royal clothes. Huldah lived in Jerusalem, in the Second District. ²³Huldah said to them, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'Tell the man who sent you to me ²⁴that this is what the LORD says: I am about to bring disaster on this place and on its people. I will bring all the curses written in the book that was read to the king of Judah. ²⁵This is because they have left me and burned incense to other gods. They have made me angry by all the things their hands have made. So my anger will be poured out on this place, and it will not be put out.' ²⁶But the king of Judah sent you to ask the LORD. Tell him this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says about the words you heard: ²⁷'Your heart was soft. You humbled yourself before God when you heard what he said against this place and its people. You humbled yourself before me. You tore your clothes and cried in front of me. So I have heard you,' says the LORD. ²⁸'Now I will bring you to be with your fathers. You will be buried in peace. Your eyes will not see all the disaster I will bring on this place and its people.'" So they took her answer back to the king. ²⁹Then the king called together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. ³⁰He went up to the house of the LORD. All the people of Judah and Jerusalem went with him. So did the priests and the Levites. All the people came, from the least to the greatest. He read out loud to them all the words of the Book of the Covenant. It had been found in the house of the LORD. ³¹The king stood by the pillar. He made a covenant before the LORD. He promised to follow the LORD and keep his commands, laws, and rules with all his heart and soul. He promised to obey the words of the covenant written in this book. ³²Then he had everyone in Jerusalem and Benjamin promise to keep it. So all the people of Jerusalem kept the covenant of God, the God of their fathers. ³³Josiah took away all the disgusting idols from all the lands that belonged to the Israelites. He made everyone in Israel serve the LORD their God. As long as he lived, they did not turn away from following the LORD, the God of their fathers.