¹⁷ When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus,^(A) they were all seized with fear,^(B) and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. ¹⁸ Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. ¹⁹ A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas.^[a]

12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run^(A) with perseverance^(B) the race marked out for us,

²³ save others by snatching them from the fire;^(A) to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.^[a](B)

⁸ Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law^(A) in the temple of the Lord.” He gave it to Shaphan, who read it. ⁹ Then Shaphan the secretary went to the king and reported to him: “Your officials have paid out the money that was in the temple of the Lord and have entrusted it to the workers and supervisors at the temple.” ¹⁰ Then Shaphan the secretary informed the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king.^(B)

¹¹ When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law,^(C) he tore his robes. ¹² He gave these orders to Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam^(D) son of Shaphan, Akbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the secretary and Asaiah the king’s attendant:^{(E) 13} “Go and inquire^(F) of the Lord for me and for the people and for all Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the Lord’s anger^(G) that burns against us because those who have gone before us have not obeyed the words of this book; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written there concerning us.”

¹⁴ Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Akbor, Shaphan and Asaiah went to speak to the prophet^(H) Huldah, who was the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe. She lived in Jerusalem, in the New Quarter.

¹⁵ She said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Tell the man who sent you to me, ¹⁶ ‘This is what the Lord says: I am going to bring disaster^(I) on this place and its people, according to everything written in the book^(J) the king of Judah has read. ¹⁷ Because they have forsaken^(K) me and burned incense to other gods and aroused my anger by all the idols their hands have made,^[a] my anger will burn against this place and will not be quenched.’ ¹⁸ Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire^(L) of the Lord, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says concerning the words you heard: ¹⁹ Because your heart was responsive and you humbled^(M) yourself before the Lord when you heard what I have spoken against this place and its people—that they would become a curse^[b](N) and be laid waste^(O)—and because you tore your robes and wept in my presence, I also have heard you, declares the Lord. ²⁰ Therefore I will gather you to your ancestors, and you will be buried in peace.^(P) Your eyes^(Q) will not see all the disaster I am going to bring on this place.’”

So they took her answer back to the king.

Josiah Renews the Covenant^(R)(S)(T)(U)

23 Then the king called together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. ² He went up to the temple of the Lord with the people of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests and the prophets—all the people from the least to the greatest. He read^(V) in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant,^(W) which had been found in the temple of the Lord. ³ The king stood by the pillar^(X) and renewed the covenant^(Y) in the presence of the Lord—to follow^(Z) the Lord and keep his commands, statutes and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, thus confirming the words of the covenant written in this book. Then all the people pledged themselves to the covenant.

⁴ The king ordered Hilkiah the high priest, the priests next in rank and the doorkeepers^(AA) to remove^(AB) from the temple of the Lord all the articles made for Baal and Asherah and all the starry hosts. He burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron Valley and took the ashes to Bethel. ⁵ He did away with the idolatrous priests appointed by the kings of Judah to burn incense on the high places of the towns of Judah and on those around Jerusalem—those who burned incense^(AC) to Baal, to the sun and moon, to the constellations and to all the starry hosts.^{(AD) 6} He took the Asherah pole from the temple of the Lord to the Kidron Valley^(AE) outside Jerusalem and burned it there. He ground it to powder^(AF) and scattered the dust over the graves^(AG) of the common people.^{(AH) 7} He also tore down the quarters of the male shrine prostitutes^(AI) that were in the temple of the Lord, the quarters where women did weaving for Asherah.