2 Chronicles 34:8-21

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition

Discovery of the Book of the Law

⁸ Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land and the house, he sent Shaphan the son of Azali′ah, and Ma-asei′ah the governor of the city, and Jo′ah the son of Jo′ahaz, the recorder, to repair the house of the Lord his God. ⁹ They came to Hilki′ah the high priest and delivered the money that had been brought into the house of God, which the Levites, the keepers of the threshold, had collected from Manas′seh and E′phraim and from all the remnant of Israel and from all Judah and Benjamin and from the inhabitants of Jerusalem. ¹⁰ They delivered it to the workmen who had the oversight of the house of the Lord; and the workmen who were working in the house of the Lord gave it for repairing and restoring the house. ¹¹ They gave it to the carpenters and the builders to buy quarried stone, and timber for binders and beams for the buildings which the kings of Judah had let go to ruin. ¹² And the men did the work faithfully. Over them were set Jahath and Obadi′ah the Levites, of the sons of Merar′i, and Zechari′ah and Meshul′lam, of the sons of the Ko′hathites, to have oversight. The Levites, all who were skilful with instruments of music, ¹³ were over the burden bearers and directed all who did work in every kind of service; and some of the Levites were scribes, and officials, and gatekeepers.

¹⁴ While they were bringing out the money that had been brought into the house of the Lord, Hilki′ah the priest found the book of the law of the Lord given through Moses. ¹⁵ Then Hilki′ah said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord”; and Hilki′ah gave the book to Shaphan. ¹⁶ Shaphan brought the book to the king, and further reported to the king, “All that was committed to your servants they are doing. ¹⁷ They have emptied out 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 secretary told the king, “Hilki′ah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read it before the king.

¹⁹ When the king heard the words of the law he rent his clothes. ²⁰ And the king commanded Hilki′ah, Ahi′kam the son of Shaphan, Abdon the son of Micah, Shaphan the secretary, and Asai′ah 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 that has been found; for great is the wrath of the Lord that is poured out on us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord, to do according to all that is written in this book.”