Old Testament · 2 Chronicles

2 Chronicles 34

Josiah Reigns in Judah

(2 Kings 22:1–2)

1A son of eight years was Josiah in his reigning, and thirty and one years he reigned in Jerusalem. 2And he did the right in the eyes of the LORD, and walked in the ways of David his father, and did not turn aside to the right or to the left.

Josiah Destroys Idolatry

(1 Kings 13:1–10; 2 Kings 23:4–20)

3And in the eighth year of his reigning, while he was yet a youth, he began to seek to the God of David his father; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the Asherim, and the carved images, and the molten images. 4And they broke down before him the altars of the Baals, and the sun-pillars that were on high above them he cut down; and the Asherim, and the carved images, and the molten images he broke in pieces and beat to dust, and scattered it on the face of the graves of those sacrificing to them. 5And the bones of the priests he burned upon their altars, and purged Judah and Jerusalem.

6And in the cities of Manasseh and Ephraim and Simeon, even to Naphtali, in the mountains, in their ruins round about. 7And he broke down the altars, and the Asherim and the carved images he crushed to powder, and all the sun-pillars he cut down in all the land of Israel; and he returned to Jerusalem.

Josiah Repairs the Temple

(2 Kings 22:3–7)

8And in the eighteenth year of his reigning, in purging the land and the house, he sent Shaphan son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah the ruler of the city, and Joah son of Joahaz the recorder, to strengthen the house of the LORD his God.

9And they came to Hilkiah the great priest, and gave the silver that was brought into the house of God, which the Levites, the keepers of the threshold, had gathered from the hand of Manasseh and Ephraim, and from all the remnant of Israel, and from all Judah and Benjamin, and they returned to Jerusalem. 10And they gave it into the hand of the doers of the work, those appointed in the house of the LORD; and they gave it to the doers of the work who were working in the house of the LORD, to repair and to strengthen the house. 11And they gave it to the craftsmen and to the builders, to buy hewn stones, and timber for the couplings, and to make beams for the houses that the kings of Judah had destroyed.

12And the men^a were doing the work in faithfulness; and over them were appointed Jahath and Obadiah the Levites, of the sons of Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam, of the sons of the Kohathites, to oversee; and the Levites, all skilled with instruments of song. 13And they were over the bearers of burdens, and overseers of all doers of work for service^b and service; and of the Levites were scribes, and officers, and gatekeepers.

Hilkiah Finds the Book of the Law

(2 Kings 22:8–13)

14And in their bringing out the silver that was brought into the house of the LORD, Hilkiah the priest found the book of the Torah of the LORD by the hand of Moses. 15And Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan the scribe, "The book of the Torah I have found in the house of the LORD." And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan.

16And Shaphan brought the book to the king, and moreover brought back to the king word, saying, "All that was given into the hand of your servants, they are doing. 17And they have poured out the silver that was found in the house of the LORD, and have given it into the hand of those appointed, and into the hand of the doers of the work."

18And Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, "A book Hilkiah the priest gave to me." And Shaphan read in it before the king.

19And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the Torah, that he tore his clothes. 20And the king commanded^c Hilkiah, and Ahikam son of Shaphan, and Abdon son of Micah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the servant of the king, saying, 21"Go, inquire of the LORD for me, and for those 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 did not keep the word of the LORD, to do according to all that is written upon this book."

Huldah’s Prophecy

(2 Kings 22:14–20)

22And Hilkiah went, and those whom the king had appointed, to Huldah the prophetess, the wife^d of Shallum son of Tokhath, son of Hasrah, keeper of the garments — and she was dwelling in Jerusalem in the second quarter — and they spoke to her thus.

23And she said to them, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Say to the man who sent you to me, 24Thus says the LORD: Behold, I am bringing evil upon this place, and upon its inhabitants, all the curses that are written upon the book that they have read before the king of Judah; 25because they have forsaken Me, and have burned incense to other gods, so as to provoke Me with all the works of their hands; therefore My wrath is poured out upon this place, and it shall not be quenched.

26And to the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the LORD, thus you shall say to him: Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning the words that you have heard: 27because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and against its inhabitants, and you humbled yourself before Me, and tore your clothes, and wept before Me, I also have heard, declares the LORD.

28Behold, I am gathering you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your graves in peace, and your eyes shall not see all the evil that I am bringing upon this place and upon its inhabitants." And they brought back word to the king.

Josiah Renews the Covenant

(2 Kings 23:1–3)

29And the king sent and gathered all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 30And the king went up to the house of the LORD, and every man of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests, and the Levites, and all the people, from great to small; and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant^e that was found in the house of the LORD.

31And the king stood in his place, and cut the covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD, and to keep His commandments^f, and His testimonies^g, and His statutes^h, with all his heart, and with all his soulⁱ, to do the words of the covenant that are written upon this book.

32And he caused all that were found 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.

33And Josiah removed all the abominations from all the lands that belonged to the children of Israel, and made all that were found in Israel to serve^j, to serve the LORD their God. All his days they did not turn from after the LORD, the God of their fathers.