2 Kings 22

New International Version

The Book of the Law Found^(A)

22 Josiah^(B) was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. His mother’s name was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah; she was from Bozkath.^(C) ²He did what was right^(D) in the eyes of the Lord and followed completely the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right^(E) or to the left.

³In the eighteenth year of his reign, King Josiah sent the secretary, Shaphan^(F) son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, to the temple of the Lord. He said: ⁴“Go up to Hilkiah^(G) 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^(H) from the people. ⁵Have them entrust it to the men appointed to supervise the work on the temple. And have these men pay the workers who repair^(I) the temple of the Lord— ⁶the carpenters, the builders and the masons. Also have them purchase timber and dressed stone to repair the temple.^(J) ⁷But they need not account for the money entrusted to them, because they are honest in their dealings.”^(K)

⁸Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law^(L) in the temple of the Lord.” He gave it to Shaphan, who read it. ⁹Then 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.” ¹⁰Then 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.^(M)

¹¹When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law,^(N) he tore his robes. ¹²He gave these orders to Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam^(O) son of Shaphan, Akbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the secretary and Asaiah the king’s attendant:^(P) ¹³“Go and inquire^(Q) 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^(R) 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.”

¹⁴Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Akbor, Shaphan and Asaiah went to speak to the prophet^(S) 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.

¹⁵She 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^(T) on this place and its people, according to everything written in the book^(U) the king of Judah has read. ¹⁷Because they have forsaken^(V) 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.’ ¹⁸Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire^(W) of the Lord, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says concerning the words you heard: ¹⁹Because your heart was responsive and you humbled^(X) yourself before the Lord when you heard what I have spoken against this place and its people—that they would become a curse^[b]^(Y) and be laid waste^(Z)—and because you tore your robes and wept in my presence, I also have heard you, declares the Lord. ²⁰Therefore I will gather you to your ancestors, and you will be buried in peace.^(AA) Your eyes^(AB) will not see all the disaster I am going to bring on this place.’”

So they took her answer back to the king.

Footnotes

2 Kings 22:17 Or by everything they have done
2 Kings 22:19 That is, their names would be used in cursing (see Jer. 29:22); or, others would see that they are cursed.

Zephaniah 2

New International Version

Judah and Jerusalem Judged Along With the Nations

Judah Summoned to Repent

2 Gather together,^(A) gather yourselves together,
    you shameful^(B) nation,
²before the decree takes effect
    and that day passes like windblown chaff,^(C)
before the Lord’s fierce anger^(D)
    comes upon you,
before the day of the Lord’s wrath^(E)
    comes upon you.
³Seek^(F) the Lord, all you humble of the land,
    you who do what he commands.
Seek righteousness,^(G) seek humility;^(H)
    perhaps you will be sheltered^(I)
    on the day of the Lord’s anger.

Philistia

⁴Gaza^(J) will be abandoned
    and Ashkelon^(K) left in ruins.
At midday Ashdod will be emptied
    and Ekron uprooted.
⁵Woe to you who live by the sea,
    you Kerethite^(L) people;
the word of the Lord is against you,^(M)
    Canaan, land of the Philistines.
He says, “I will destroy you,
    and none will be left.”^(N)
⁶The land by the sea will become pastures
    having wells for shepherds
    and pens for flocks.^(O)
⁷That land will belong
    to the remnant^(P) of the people of Judah;
    there they will find pasture.
In the evening they will lie down
    in the houses of Ashkelon.
The Lord their God will care for them;
    he will restore their fortunes.^[a]^(Q)

Moab and Ammon

⁸“I have heard the insults^(R) of Moab^(S)
    and the taunts of the Ammonites,^(T)
who insulted^(U) my people
    and made threats against their land.^(V)
⁹Therefore, as surely as I live,”
    declares the Lord Almighty,
    the God of Israel,
“surely Moab^(W) will become like Sodom,^(X)
    the Ammonites^(Y) like Gomorrah—
a place of weeds and salt pits,
    a wasteland forever.
The remnant of my people will plunder^(Z) them;
    the survivors^(AA) of my nation will inherit their land.^(AB)”

¹⁰This is what they will get in return for their pride,^(AC)
    for insulting^(AD) and mocking
    the people of the Lord Almighty.^(AE)
¹¹The Lord will be awesome^(AF) to them
    when he destroys all the gods^(AG) of the earth.^(AH)
Distant nations will bow down to him,^(AI)
    all of them in their own lands.

Cush

¹²“You Cushites,^[b]^(AJ) too,
will be slain by my sword.^(AK)”

Assyria

¹³He will stretch out his hand against the north
    and destroy Assyria,^(AL)
leaving Nineveh^(AM) utterly desolate
    and dry as the desert.^(AN)
¹⁴Flocks and herds^(AO) will lie down there,
    creatures of every kind.
The desert owl^(AP) and the screech owl^(AQ)
    will roost on her columns.
Their hooting will echo through the windows,
    rubble will fill the doorways,
    the beams of cedar will be exposed.
¹⁵This is the city of revelry^(AR)
    that lived in safety.^(AS)
She said to herself,
    “I am the one! And there is none besides me.”^(AT)
What a ruin she has become,
    a lair for wild beasts!^(AU)
All who pass by her scoff^(AV)
    and shake their fists.^(AW)

Footnotes

Zephaniah 2:7 Or will bring back their captives
Zephaniah 2:12 That is, people from the upper Nile region

Proverbs 26:1-16

New International Version

26 Like snow in summer or rain^(A) in harvest,
    honor is not fitting for a fool.^(B)
²Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow,
    an undeserved curse does not come to rest.^(C)
³A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey,^(D)
    and a rod for the backs of fools!^(E)
⁴Do not answer a fool according to his folly,
    or you yourself will be just like him.^(F)
⁵Answer a fool according to his folly,
    or he will be wise in his own eyes.^(G)
⁶Sending a message by the hands of a fool^(H)
    is like cutting off one’s feet or drinking poison.
⁷Like the useless legs of one who is lame
    is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.^(I)
⁸Like tying a stone in a sling
    is the giving of honor to a fool.^(J)
⁹Like a thornbush in a drunkard’s hand
    is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.^(K)
¹⁰Like an archer who wounds at random
    is one who hires a fool or any passer-by.
¹¹As a dog returns to its vomit,^(L)
    so fools repeat their folly.^(M)
¹²Do you see a person wise in their own eyes?^(N)
    There is more hope for a fool than for them.^(O)

¹³A sluggard says,^(P) “There’s a lion in the road,
    a fierce lion roaming the streets!”^(Q)
¹⁴As a door turns on its hinges,
    so a sluggard turns on his bed.^(R)
¹⁵A sluggard buries his hand in the dish;
    he is too lazy to bring it back to his mouth.^(S)
¹⁶A sluggard is wiser in his own eyes
    than seven people who answer discreetly.