⁸ In the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign, to purify the land and the temple, he sent Shaphan son of Azaliah and Maaseiah the ruler of the city, with Joah son of Joahaz, the recorder, to repair the temple of the Lord his God.

¹⁶ Joab^(A) son of Zeruiah was over the army; Jehoshaphat^(B) son of Ahilud was recorder;^(C)

¹¹ In front of them stood seventy elders^(A) of Israel, and Jaazaniah son of Shaphan was standing among them. Each had a censer^(B) in his hand, and a fragrant cloud of incense^(C) was rising.^(D)

¹¹ When all the Jews in Moab,^(A) Ammon, Edom^(B) and all the other countries^(C) heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant in Judah and had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, as governor over them,

¹⁴ sent and had Jeremiah taken out of the courtyard of the guard.^(A) They turned him over to Gedaliah^(B) son of Ahikam,^(C) the son of Shaphan,^(D) to take him back to his home. So he remained among his own people.^(E)

¹⁰ From the room of Gemariah^(A) son of Shaphan^(B) the secretary,^(C) which was in the upper courtyard at the entrance of the New Gate^(D) of the temple, Baruch read to all the people at the Lord’s temple the words of Jeremiah from the scroll.

²⁵ “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You sent letters in your own name to all the people in Jerusalem, to the priest Zephaniah^(A) son of Maaseiah, and to all the other priests. You said to Zephaniah,

³ He entrusted the letter to Elasah son of Shaphan and to Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. It said:

²⁴ Furthermore, Ahikam^(A) son of Shaphan supported Jeremiah, and so he was not handed over to the people to be put to death.