Judah’s King Amon

¹⁹ Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king,^(A) and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Meshullemeth daughter of Haruz; she was from Jotbah. ²⁰ He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, just as his father Manasseh had done.^{(B) 21} He walked in all the ways his father had walked; he served the idols his father had served, and he bowed in worship to them.^{(C) 22} He abandoned the Lord God of his ancestors^(D) and did not walk in the ways of the Lord.^(E)

²³ Amon’s servants conspired against him and put the king to death in his own house.^{(F) 24} The common people^[a] killed^(G) all who had conspired against King Amon, and they made his son Josiah^(H) king in his place.

²⁵ The rest of the events of Amon’s reign, along with his accomplishments, are written in the Historical Record of Judah’s Kings. ²⁶ He was buried in his tomb in the garden of Uzza, and his son Josiah became king in his place.

Judah’s King Josiah

22 Josiah^(I) was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah; she was from Bozkath.^{(J) 2} He did what was right in the Lord’s sight and walked in all the ways of his ancestor David;^(K) he did not turn to the right or the left.^(L)

Josiah Repairs the Temple

³ In the eighteenth year of King Josiah, the king sent the court secretary Shaphan son of Azaliah, son of Meshullam, to the Lord’s temple,^(M) saying, ⁴ “Go up to the high priest Hilkiah so that he may total up the silver brought into the Lord’s temple—the silver the doorkeepers have collected from the people.^{(N) 5} It is to be given to those doing the work—those who oversee the Lord’s temple. They in turn are to give it to the workmen in the Lord’s temple to repair the damage.^{(O) 6} They are to give it to the carpenters, builders, and masons to buy timber and quarried stone to repair the temple.^{(P) 7} But no accounting is to be required from them for the silver given to them since they work with integrity.”^(Q)

The Book of the Law Found

⁸ The high priest Hilkiah told the court secretary Shaphan, “I have found the book of the law^(R) in the Lord’s temple,” and he gave the book to Shaphan, who read it.

⁹ Then the court secretary Shaphan went to the king and reported,^[b] “Your servants have emptied out the silver that was found in the temple and have given it to those doing the work—those who oversee the Lord’s temple.” ¹⁰ Then the court secretary Shaphan told the king, “The priest Hilkiah has given me a book,” and Shaphan read it in the presence of the king.^(S)

¹¹ When the king heard the words of the book of the law, he tore his clothes.^{(T) 12} Then he commanded the priest Hilkiah, Ahikam^(U) son of Shaphan, Achbor^(V) son of Micaiah, the court secretary Shaphan, and the king’s servant Asaiah, ¹³ “Go and inquire of the Lord for me, for the people, and for all Judah about the words in this book that has been found. For great is the Lord’s wrath that is kindled against us because our ancestors have not obeyed the words of this book in order to do everything written about us.”^(W)

Huldah’s Prophecy of Judgment

¹⁴ So^(X) the priest Hilkiah, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to the prophetess^(Y) Huldah, wife of Shallum son of Tikvah,^(Z) son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe. She lived in Jerusalem in the Second District.^(AA) They spoke with her.

¹⁵ She said to them, “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: Say to the man who sent you to me, ¹⁶ ‘This is what the Lord says: I am about to bring disaster on this place and on its inhabitants, fulfilling^[c] all the words of the book that the king of Judah has read,^{(AB) 17} because they have abandoned me and burned incense to other gods in order to anger me with all the work of their hands. My wrath will be kindled against this place, and it will not be quenched.’^{(AC) 18} Say this to the king of Judah who sent you to inquire of the Lord: ‘This is what the Lord God of Israel says: As for the words that you heard,^{(AD) 19} because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before the Lord^(AE) when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants, that they would become a desolation and a curse,^(AF) and because you have torn your clothes and wept before me, I myself have heard’—this is the Lord’s declaration. ²⁰ ‘Therefore, I will indeed gather you to your ancestors, and you will be gathered to your grave in peace.^(AG) Your eyes will not see all the disaster that I am bringing on this place.’”

Then they reported^[d] to the king.

Covenant Renewal

23 So the king sent messengers,^(AH) and they gathered all the elders^(AI) of Judah and Jerusalem to him. ² Then the king went to the Lord’s temple with all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, as well as the priests and the prophets—all the people from the youngest to the oldest. He read in their hearing all the words of the book of the covenant^(AJ) that had been found in the Lord’s temple.^{(AK) 3} Next, the king stood by the pillar^[e](AL) and made a covenant^(AM) in the Lord’s presence to follow the Lord and to keep his commands, his decrees, and his statutes with all his heart and with all his soul^(AN) in order to carry out the words of this covenant that were written in this book; all the people agreed to^[f] the covenant.^(AO)

Further Zeal for the Lord

²⁴ In addition, Josiah eradicated the mediums, the spiritists,^(A) household idols,^(B) images, and all the abhorrent things^(C) that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem. He did this in order to carry out the words of the law that were written in the book that the priest Hilkiah found in the Lord’s temple.^{(D) 25} Before him there was no king like him who turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength^(E) according to all the law of Moses, and no one like him arose after him.^(F)

²⁶ In spite of all that, the Lord did not turn from the fury of his intense burning anger, which burned against Judah because of all the affronts with which Manasseh had angered him.^{(G) 27} For the Lord had said, “I will also remove Judah from my presence just as I have removed Israel.^(H) I will reject this city Jerusalem, that I have chosen, and the temple about which I said, ‘My name will be there.’”^(I)

Josiah’s Death

²⁸ The rest of the events of Josiah’s reign,^(J) along with all his accomplishments, are written in the Historical Record of Judah’s Kings. ²⁹ During his reign, Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt^(K) marched up to help the king of Assyria at the Euphrates River. King Josiah went to confront him, and at Megiddo^(L) when Neco saw him he killed him. ³⁰ From Megiddo his servants carried his dead body in a chariot, brought him into Jerusalem, and buried him in his own tomb.^(M) Then the common people^[a] took Jehoahaz son of Josiah, anointed him, and made him king in place of his father.^(N)