2 Chronicles 34:14-33

New American Standard Bible 1995

Hilkiah Discovers Lost Book of the Law

¹⁴ When they were bringing out the money which had been brought into the house of the Lord, ^(A)Hilkiah the priest found the book of the law of the Lord given by Moses. ¹⁵ Hilkiah responded and said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan. ¹⁶ Then Shaphan brought the book to the king and ^[a]reported further word to the king, saying, “Everything that was ^[b]entrusted to your servants they are doing. ¹⁷ They have also emptied out the money which was found in the house of the Lord, and have delivered it into the hands of the supervisors and the workmen.” ¹⁸ Moreover, Shaphan the scribe told the king saying, “Hilkiah the priest gave me a book.” And Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king.

¹⁹ When the king heard ^(B)the words of the law, ^(C)he tore his clothes. ²⁰ Then the king commanded Hilkiah, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, ^[c]Abdon the son of Micah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king’s servant, saying, ²¹ “Go, inquire of the Lord for me and for those who are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book which has been found; for ^(D)great is the wrath of the Lord which is poured out on us because our fathers have not observed the word of the Lord, to do according to all that is written in this book.”

Huldah, the Prophetess, Speaks

²² So Hilkiah and those whom the king ^[d]had told went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of ^[e]Tokhath, the son of Hasrah, the keeper of the wardrobe (now she lived in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter); and they spoke to her regarding this. ²³ She said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Tell the man who sent you to Me, ²⁴ thus says the Lord, “Behold, ^(E)I am bringing evil on this place and on its inhabitants, even all ^(F)the curses written in the book which they have read in the presence of the king of Judah. ^25 (G)Because they have forsaken Me and have 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 it shall not be quenched.”’ ²⁶ But to the king of Judah who sent you to inquire of the Lord, thus you will say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God of Israel regarding the words which you have heard, ^27 (H)Because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and against its inhabitants, and because you humbled yourself before Me, tore your clothes and wept before Me, I truly have heard you,” declares the Lord. ²⁸ Behold, I will gather you to your fathers and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace, so your eyes will not see all the evil which I will bring on this place and on its inhabitants.”’” And they brought back word to the king.

^29 (I)Then the king sent and gathered all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. ³⁰ The king went up to the house of the Lord and ^(J)all the men of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests, the Levites and all the people, from the greatest to the least; and he read in their hearing all the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the house of the Lord.

Josiah’s Good Reign

³¹ Then the king ^(K)stood in his place and ^(L)made a covenant before the Lord to walk after the Lord, and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes with all his heart and with all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant written in this book. ³² Moreover, he made all who were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand with him. So the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers. ³³ Josiah ^(M)removed all the abominations from all the lands belonging to the sons of Israel, and made all who were present in Israel to serve the Lord their God. Throughout his ^[f]lifetime they did not turn from following the Lord God of their fathers.