The Second Book of Chronicles
34: 1Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign; and he reigned thirty and one years in
Jerusalem. 34:2And he did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, and walked in the ways of
David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left. 34:3For 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 Asherim, and
the graven images, and the molten images. 34:4And they brake down the altars of the Baalim in his
presence; and the sun-images that were on high above them he hewed down; and the Asherim,
and the graven images, and the molten images, he brake in pieces, and made dust of them, and
strewed it upon the graves of them that had sacrificed unto them. 34:5And he burnt the bones of the
priests upon their altars, and purged Judah and Jerusalem. 34:6And so did he in the cities of
Manasseh and Ephraim and Simeon, even unto Naphtali, in their ruins round about. 34:7And he
brake down the altars, and beat the Asherim and the graven images into powder, and hewed down
all the sun-images throughout all the land of Israel, and returned to Jerusalem. 34:8Now 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 Jehovah his God. 34:9And they came to Hilkiah the high priest, and delivered
the money that was brought into the house of God, which the Levites, the keepers of the threshold,
had gathered of the hand of Manasseh and Ephraim, and of all the remnant of Israel, and of all
Judah and Benjamin, and of the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 34:10And they delivered it into the hand
of the workmen that had the oversight of the house of Jehovah; and the workmen that wrought in
the house of Jehovah gave it to mend and repair the house; 34:11even to the carpenters and to the
builders gave they it, to buy hewn stone, and timber for couplings, and to make beams for the
houses which the kings of Judah had destroyed. 34:12And 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 others of the Levites, all that were
skilful with instruments of music. 34:13Also they were over the bearers of burdens, and set forward
all that did the work in every manner of service: and of the Levites there were scribes, and
officers, and porters. 34:14And when they brought out the money that was brought into the house of
Jehovah, Hilkiah the priest found the book of the law of Jehovah given by Moses. 34:15And Hilkiah
answered and said to Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of
Jehovah. And Hilkiah delivered the book to Shaphan. 34:16And Shaphan carried the book to the
king, and moreover brought back word to the king, saying, All that was committed to thy servants,
they are doing. 34:17And they have emptied out the money that was found in the house of Jehovah,
and have delivered it into the hand of the overseers, and into the hand of the workmen. 34:18And
Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath delivered me a book. And
Shaphan read therein before the king. 34:19And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words
of the law, that he rent his clothes. 34:20And the king commanded Hilkiah, and Ahikam the son of
Shaphan, and Abdon the son of Micah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king's servant,
saying, 34:21Go ye, inquire of Jehovah 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 Jehovah that is poured out
upon us, because our fathers have not kept the word of Jehovah, to do according unto all that is
written in this book. 34:22So Hilkiah, and they whom the king had commanded, went to Huldah the
prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tokhath, the son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe;
(now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the second quarter;) and they spake to her to that effect. 34:23And
she said unto them, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel: Tell ye the man that sent you unto me,
34:24Thus saith Jehovah, 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.
34:25Because 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 is my wrath poured out upon this
place, and it shall not be quenched. 34:26But unto the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of
Jehovah, thus shall ye say to him, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel: As touching the words
which thou hast heard, 34:27because thy heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before
God, when thou heardest his words against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, and hast
humbled thyself before me, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee,
saith Jehovah. 34:28Behold, 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 thereof. And they brought back word to the king. 34:29Then the king sent and gathered
together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 34:30And the king went 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, both 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 Jehovah. 34:31And the king stood in his place, and made a
covenant before Jehovah, to walk after Jehovah, 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 that were written in this book. 34:32And 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. 34:33And Josiah took away all the abominations out of all the countries that
pertained to the children of Israel, and made all that were found in Israel to serve, even to serve
Jehovah their God. All his days they departed not from following Jehovah, the God of their
fathers.