2 Kings 22:1-13

Holman Christian Standard Bible

Judah’s King Josiah

22 Josiah^(A) was eight years old when he became king and reigned 31 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah; she was from Bozkath.^{(B) 2} He did what was right in the Lord’s sight and walked in all the ways of his ancestor David;^(C) he did not turn to the right or the left.^(D)

Josiah Repairs the Temple

³ In the eighteenth year of King Josiah, the king sent the court secretary Shaphan son of Azaliah, son of Meshullam, to the Lord’s temple,^(E) saying, ⁴ “Go up to Hilkiah the high priest so that he may total up the money brought into the Lord’s temple—the money the doorkeepers have collected from the people.^{(F) 5} It is to be put into the hands of those doing the work—those who oversee the Lord’s temple. They in turn are to give it to the workmen in the Lord’s temple to repair the damage.^{(G) 6} They are to give it to the carpenters, builders, and masons to buy timber and quarried stone to repair the temple.^{(H) 7} But no accounting is to be required from them for the money put into their hands since they work with integrity.”^(I)

The Book of the Law Found

⁸ Hilkiah the high priest told Shaphan the court secretary, “I have found the book of the law^(J) in the Lord’s temple,” and he gave the book to Shaphan, who read it.

⁹ Then Shaphan the court secretary went to the king and reported,^[a] “Your servants have emptied out the money that was found in the temple and have put it into the hand of those doing the work—those who oversee the Lord’s temple.” ¹⁰ Then Shaphan the court secretary told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book,” and Shaphan read it in the presence of the king.^(K)

¹¹ When the king heard the words of the book of the law, he tore his clothes.^{(L) 12} Then he commanded Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam^(M) son of Shaphan, Achbor^(N) son of Micaiah, Shaphan the court secretary, and the king’s servant Asaiah: ¹³ “Go and inquire of the Lord for me, the people, and all Judah about the instruction in this book that has been found. For great is the Lord’s wrath that is kindled against us because our ancestors have not obeyed the words of this book in order to do everything written about us.”^(O)