2 Chronicles 34
New King James Version
Josiah Reigns in Judah(A)
34 Josiah (B)was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. 2 And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.
3 For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was still (C)young, he began to (D)seek the God of his father David; and in the twelfth year he began (E)to purge Judah and Jerusalem (F)of the [a]high places, the wooden images, the carved images, and the molded images. 4 (G)They broke down the altars of the Baals in his presence, and the incense altars which were above them he cut down; and the wooden images, the carved images, and the molded images he broke in pieces, and made dust of them (H)and scattered it on the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. 5 He also (I)burned the bones of the priests on their (J)altars, and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem. 6 And so he did in the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, as far as Naphtali and all around, with [b]axes. 7 When he had broken down the altars and the wooden images, had (K)beaten the carved images into powder, and cut down all the incense altars throughout all the land of Israel, he returned to Jerusalem.
Hilkiah Finds the Book of the Law(L)
8 (M)In the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land and the [c]temple, he sent (N)Shaphan the son of Azaliah, Maaseiah the (O)governor of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of the Lord his God. 9 When they came to Hilkiah the high priest, they delivered (P)the money that was brought into the house of God, which the Levites who kept the doors had gathered from the hand of Manasseh and Ephraim, from all the (Q)remnant of Israel, from all Judah and Benjamin, and which they had brought back to Jerusalem. 10 Then they put it in the hand of the foremen who had the oversight of the house of the Lord; and they gave it to the workmen who worked in the house of the Lord, to repair and restore the house. 11 They gave it to the craftsmen and builders to buy hewn stone and timber for beams, and to floor the houses which the kings of Judah had destroyed. 12 And the men did the work faithfully. Their overseers were Jahath and Obadiah the Levites, of the sons of Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam, of the sons of the Kohathites, to supervise. Others of the Levites, all of whom were skillful with instruments of music, 13 were (R)over the burden bearers and were overseers of all who did work in any kind of service. (S)And some of the Levites were scribes, officers, and gatekeepers.
14 Now when they brought out the money that was brought into the house of the Lord, Hilkiah the priest (T)found the Book of the Law of the Lord given by Moses. 15 Then Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the Lord.” And Hilkiah gave the (U)book to Shaphan. 16 So Shaphan carried the book to the king, bringing the king word, saying, “All that was committed to your servants they are doing. 17 And they have [d]gathered the money that was found in the house of the Lord, and have delivered it into the hand of the overseers and the workmen.” 18 Then Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read it before the king.
19 Thus it happened, when the king heard the words of the Law, that he tore his clothes. 20 Then the king commanded Hilkiah, (V)Ahikam the son of Shaphan, [e]Abdon the son of Micah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah a servant of the king, saying, 21 “Go, inquire of the Lord for me, and for those who are left in Israel and Judah, concerning the words of the book that is found; for great is the wrath of the Lord that is poured out on us, because our fathers have not (W)kept the word of the Lord, to do according to all that is written in this book.”
22 So Hilkiah and those the king had appointed went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of [f]Tokhath, the son of [g]Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe. (She dwelt in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter.) And they spoke to her to that effect.
23 Then she answered them, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘Tell the man who sent you to Me, 24 “Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will (X)bring calamity on this place and on its inhabitants, all the curses that are written in the (Y)book which they have read before the king of Judah, 25 because they have forsaken Me and burned incense to other gods, that they might provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands. Therefore My wrath will be poured out on this place, and not be quenched.’ ” ’ 26 But as for the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, in this manner you shall speak to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God of Israel: “Concerning the words which you have heard— 27 because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and against its inhabitants, and you humbled yourself before Me, and you tore your clothes and wept before Me, I also have heard you,” says the (Z)Lord. 28 “Surely I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace; and your eyes shall not see all the calamity which I will bring on this place and its inhabitants.” ’ ” So they brought back word to the king.
Josiah Restores True Worship(AA)
29 (AB)Then the king sent and gathered all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 30 The king went up to the house of the Lord, with all the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem—the priests and the Levites, and all the people, great and small. And he (AC)read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant which had been found in the house of the Lord. 31 Then the king (AD)stood in (AE)his place and made a (AF)covenant before the Lord, to follow the Lord, and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant that were written in this book. 32 And he made all who were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin take a stand. So the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers. 33 Thus Josiah removed all the (AG)abominations from all the country that belonged to the children of Israel, and made all who were present in Israel [h]diligently serve the Lord their God. (AH)All his days they did not depart from following the Lord God of their fathers.
Footnotes
- 2 Chronicles 34:3 Places for pagan worship
- 2 Chronicles 34:6 Lit. swords
- 2 Chronicles 34:8 Lit. house
- 2 Chronicles 34:17 Lit. poured out
- 2 Chronicles 34:20 Achbor the son of Michaiah, 2 Kin. 22:12
- 2 Chronicles 34:22 Tikvah, 2 Kin. 22:14
- 2 Chronicles 34:22 Harhas, 2 Kin. 22:14
- 2 Chronicles 34:33 Lit. serve to serve
Divrey Hayamim Bais 34
Orthodox Jewish Bible
34 Yoshiyahu was 8 years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Yerushalayim 31 shanah.
2 And he did that which was yashar in the eyes of Hashem, and walked in the ways of Dovid Aviv, and veered off neither right nor left.
3 For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet na’ar (young), he began to seek after Elohei Dovid Aviv; and in the twelfth year he began to make tahor Yehudah and Yerushalayim from the high places, and the Asherim, and the pesilim, and the massekhot (molten images).
4 And they demolished the mizbechot of Ba’alim in his presence; and the incense stands erected above them he smashed; and the Asherim, and the pesilim, and the massekhot he demolished and made dust of them, and scattered upon the keverim (graves) of them that had sacrificed unto them.
5 And he burned the atzmot of the Kohanim upon their mizbechot, and made tahor Yehudah and Yerushalayim.
6 And so did he in the towns of Menasheh, and Ephrayim, and Shim’on, even as far as Naphtali, and in their ruins all around.
7 And when he had broken down the mizbechot and the Asherim, and had beaten the pesilim into powder, and cut down all the incense stands throughout all Eretz Yisroel, he returned to Yerushalayim.
8 Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had made tahor HaAretz, and HaBeis, he sent Shaphan ben Atzalyahu, and Ma’aseiyahu the Sar HaIr, and Yoach ben Yo’achaz the recorder, to repair the Beis Hashem Elohav.
9 And when they came to Chilkiyahu the Kohen HaGadol, they delivered the kesef that was brought into the Beis Elohim, which the Levi’im, the Shomrei HaSaf (the Doorkeepers), had collected from the people of Menasheh and Ephrayim, and from kol She’erit Yisroel, and kol Yehudah and Binyamin, and they returned to Yerushalayim.
10 And they entrusted it into the yad oseh hamelachah (hand of the master workmen) that had hamufkadim (oversight) of the Beis Hashem, and they paid it to the workmen that wrought in the Beis Hashem, to repair and restore HaBeis [HaMikdash];
11 Even to the charashim (craftsmen, artisans) and builders gave they it, to buy quarried stones, and timber for rafters and beams, for the buildings which the Melachim of Yehudah had destroyed.
12 And the men did the melachah (work) be’emunah (faithfully, with integrity); and the mufkadim (overseers) of them were Yachat and Ovadyahu, the Levi’im, of the Bnei Merari; and Zecharyah and Meshullam, of the Bnei Kehati, to give oversight; and other of the Levi’im, all that were meiven (expert) in musical instruments.
13 Also they were over the sabalim (bearers of burdens) and the overseers of all that wrought the work in every kind of avodah; and of the Levi’im there were soferim (scribes), shoterim (officers) and sho’arim (doorkeepers).
14 And when they brought out the kesef that was brought into the Beis Hashem, Chilkiyahu HaKohen found a Sefer Torat Hashem given through Moshe.
15 And Chilkiyahu answered and said to Shaphan the Sofer, I have found the Sefer HaTorah in the Beis Hashem. And Chilkiyahu delivered the Sefer to Shaphan.
16 And Shaphan carried the Sefer to HaMelech, and brought HaMelech word back again, saying, All that was committed into the yad of avadim, they are doing.
17 And they have emptied out the kesef that was found in the Beis Hashem, and have entrusted it into the yad hamufkadim and to the yad osei hamelachah.
18 Then Shaphan the Sofer told HaMelech, saying, Chilkiyahu HaKohen hath given me a Sefer. And Shaphan read it in the presence of HaMelech.
19 And it came to pass, when HaMelech had heard the divrei HaTorah, that he tore his garments.
20 And HaMelech commanded Chilkiyahu, and Achikam ben Shaphan, and Avdon ben Michah, and Shaphan HaSofer, and Asayah eved HaMelech, saying,
21 Go, inquire of Hashem for me, and for them that are nishar (left, remaining, the remnant) in Yisroel and in Yehudah, concerning the divrei hasefer that is found; for gadolah chamat Hashem is poured out upon us, because Avoteinu have not been shomer over the Devar Hashem, to do after all that is written in HaSefer Hazeh.
22 And Chilkiyahu, and they that HaMelech had sent, went to Chuldah the neviah, the wife of Shallum ben Tokehat ben Chasrah, Shomer HaBegadim (Keeper of the Wardrobe) (now she dwelt in Yerushalayim in the Mishneh), and they spoke to her to this effect.
23 And she answered them, Thus saith Hashem Elohei Yisroel, Tell ye the ish that sent you to me,
24 Thus saith Hashem, Hinei, I will bring ra’ah upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the alot (curses) that are written in the Sefer which they have read in the presence of Melech Yehudah,
25 Because they have forsaken Me, and have burned ketoret unto elohim acherim, that they might provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore My wrath shall be poured out upon this place, and shall not be quenched.
26 And as for Melech Yehudah, who sent you to inquire of Hashem, so shall ye say unto him, Thus saith Hashem Elohei Yisroel concerning the words which thou hast heard;
27 Because thine lev was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before Elohim, when thou heardest His words against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, and humbledst thyself before Me, and didst tear thy garments, and weep in My Presence, I have even heard thee also, saith Hashem.
28 Hinei, I will gather thee to Avoteicha, thou shalt be gathered to thy kever in shalom, neither shall thine eyes see all ra’ah I will bring upon this place, and upon the inhabitants of it. So they brought back HaMelech word.
29 Then HaMelech sent and gathered together all the Ziknei Yehudah and Yerushalayim.
30 And HaMelech went up to the Beis Hashem, and kol Ish Yehudah, and the inhabitants of Yerushalayim, and the Kohanim, and the Levi’im, and kol haAm, gadol and katan; and he read in their ears kol divrei Sefer HaBrit that was found in the Beis Hashem.
31 And HaMelech stood at his place, and cut HaBrit in the presence of Hashem, to walk after Hashem, and to be shomer over His mitzvot, and His testimonies, and His chukkot, with all his lev, and with all his nefesh, to perform the divrei HaBrit which are written in Sefer HaZeh.
32 And he caused all that being found in Yerushalayim and Binyamin to make a pledge to it. And the inhabitants of Yerushalayim did according to the Brit Elohim, Elohei Avoteihem.
33 And Yoshiyah removed kol hato’evot out of all the territories that pertained to the Bnei Yisroel, and made all that were present in Yisroel to do avodas [kodesh] service to Hashem Eloheihem. And all his days they veered not from following Hashem, Elohei Avoteihem.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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