³ In the eighteenth year of his reign, King Josiah sent the secretary, Shaphan^(A) son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, to the temple of the Lord. He said: ⁴ “Go up to Hilkiah^(B) the high priest and have him get ready the money that has been brought into the temple of the Lord, which the doorkeepers have collected^(C) from the people. ⁵ Have them entrust it to the men appointed to supervise the work on the temple. And have these men pay the workers who repair^(D) the temple of the Lord— ⁶ the carpenters, the builders and the masons. Also have them purchase timber and dressed stone to repair the temple.^{(E) 7} But they need not account for the money entrusted to them, because they are honest in their dealings.”^(F)

Josiah’s Reforms^(A)(B)(C)

34 Josiah^(D) was eight years old when he became king,^(E) and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. ² He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and followed the ways of his father David,^(F) not turning aside to the right or to the left.

³ In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God^(G) of his father David. In his twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of high places, Asherah poles and idols. ⁴ Under his direction the altars of the Baals were torn down; he cut to pieces the incense altars that were above them, and smashed the Asherah poles^(H) and the idols. These he broke to pieces and scattered over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them.^(I)