Josiah Reigns in Judah 1The son of eight years was Josiah in his reigning, and thirty and one years he reigned in Jerusalem. 2And he did the straight in the eyes of Jehovah, and he went in the ways of David his father, and he turned not to the right and to the left. Josiah Destroys Idolatry 3And in the eighth year to his reigning, and he yet a youth, he began to seek to the God of David his father: and in the twelfth year he began to cleanse Judah and Jerusalem from the heights, and the statues, and the carved images, and the molten images. 4And they will pull down the altars of the Baals before him, and the images which were above from on high to them he cut down; and the statues and the carved images, and the molten images he break in pieces and beat small, and he will strew upon the face of the graves of those sacrificing to them. 5And he burnt the bones of the priests upon their altars, and he will cleanse Judah and Jerusalem. 6And in the cities of Manasseh and Ephraim, and Simeon, and even to Naphtali he proved their houses round about. 7And he will pull down the altars and the statues, and the carved images he beat down to make fine, and he cut down all the images in all the land of Israel, and he will turn back to Jerusalem. Josiah Repairs the Temple 8And in the eighteenth year to his reigning, to cleanse the land and the house he sent Shaphan son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah chief of the city, and Joah son of Joahaz the rememberer to strengthen the house of Jehovah his God. 9And they will come to Hilkiah the great priest, and they will give the silver being brought to the house of God, which the Levites watching the threshold gathered from the hand of Manasseh and Ephraim, and from all the remnant of Israel, and from all Judah and Benjamin; and they will turn back to Jerusalem. 10And they will give to the hand of those appointed to do the work in the house of Jehovah, and they will give it to those doing the work, working in the house of Jehovah to repair and to strengthen the house. 11And they will give to the artificers and to the builders to buy stones and woods for junctions, and to frame the houses which the kings of Judah destroyed. 12And the men doing in the work in faithfulness: and over them being appointed Jahath and Obadiah the Levites from the sons of Merari; and Zechariah and Meshullam from the sons of the Kohathites to superintend; and the Levites all understanding in instruments of song. 13And over those carrying, and superintending to all doing the work for service and service: and from the Levites, scribes and leaders and gate-keepers. Hilkiah Finds the Book of the Law 14And in their bringing forth the silver being brought to the house of Jehovah, Hilkiah the priest found the book of the law of Jehovah by the band of Moses. 15And Hilkiah will answer and say to Shaphan the scribe, I found a book of the law in the house of Jehovah. And Hilkiah will give the book to Shaphan. 16And Shaphan will bring the book to the king, and he will yet turn back word to the king, saying, All which was given into the hand of thy servants, they do. 17And they will pour out the silver being found in the house of Jehovah, and they will give it to the hand of those reviewing, and to the hand of those doing the work. 18And Shaphan the scribe will announce to the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest gave a book to me. And Shaphan will read in it before the king. 19And it will be when the king heard the words of the law, and he will rend his garments. 20And the king will command Hilkiah, and Ahikam son of Shaphan, and Abdon son of Micah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah servant of the king saying, 21Go seek Jehovah for me, and for those being left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book which was found: for great the wrath of Jehovah which is poured out upon us, because our fathers watched not the word of Jehovah to do according to all written upon this book. Huldah’s Prophecy 22And Hilkiah will go, and those of the king, to Huldah the prophetess, wife of Shallum son of Tikvath, son of Hasrah, watching the garments; (and she will dwell in Jerusalem in the second rank) and they will speak to her according to this. 23And she will say to them, Thus said Jehovah God of Israel, Say to the man who sent you to me, 24Thus said Jehovah, Behold me bringing evil upon this place, and upon its inhabitants, all the curses written upon the book which they read before the king of Judah: 25Because that they forsook me, and they will burn incense to other gods, so that they irritated me with all the works of their hands; and my wrath shall be poured out upon this place, and it shall not be quenched. 26And to the king of Judah sending you to seek in Jehovah, thus shall ye say to him, Thus said Jehovah God of Israel the words which thou heardest; 27Because thy heart was tender, and thou wilt be humbled from before God in thy hearing his words against this place and against its inhabitants, and thou wilt be humbled before me, and thou wilt rend thy garments and weep before me; I also heard, says Jehovah. 28Behold me gathering thee to thy fathers, and thou wert gathered to thy graves in peace, and thine eyes shall not look upon all the evil which I bring upon this place and upon its inhabitants. And they will turn back word to the king. Josiah Renews the Covenant 29And the kind will send and gather together all the old men of Judah and Jerusalem. 30And the king will go up to the house of Jehovah, and all the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests and the Levites, and all the people, from great and even to small: and he will read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant being found in the house of Jehovah. 31And the king will stand upon his standing, and he will cut out a covenant before Jehovah to go after Jehovah and to watch his commands and his testimonies, and his laws with all his heart and with all his soul, to do the words of the covenant being written upon this book. 32And he will cause to stand all being found in Jerusalem and Benjamin. And they inhabiting Jerusalem will do according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers. 33And Josiah will remove all the abominations out of all the lands which were to the sons of Israel, and he will cause to serve all being found in Israel, to serve Jehovah their God. All his days they departed not from after Jehovah the God of their fathers. The Holy Bible Containing the Old and New Testaments; Translated Literally From The Original Tongues by Julia E. Smith Section Headings Courtesy Berean Bible |