2 Kings 22:3-13

English Standard Version

Josiah Repairs the Temple

³In the eighteenth year of King Josiah, the king sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, son of Meshullam, the secretary, to the house of the Lord, saying, ⁴“Go up to ^(A)Hilkiah the high priest, that he may count the money ^(B)that has been brought into the house of the Lord, which ^(C)the keepers of the threshold have collected from the people. ⁵^(D)And let it be given into the hand of the workmen who have the oversight of the house of the Lord, and let them give it to the workmen who are at the house of the Lord, repairing the house ⁶(that is, to the carpenters, and to the builders, and to the masons), and let them use it for buying timber and quarried stone to repair the house. ⁷But ^(E)no accounting shall be asked from them for the money that is delivered into their hand, for they deal honestly.”

Hilkiah Finds the Book of the Law

⁸And Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found ^(F)the Book of the Law in the house of the Lord.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it. ⁹And Shaphan the secretary came to the king, and reported to the king, “Your servants have emptied out the money that was found in the house and have delivered it into the hand of the workmen who have the oversight of the house of the Lord.” ¹⁰Then Shaphan the secretary told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read it before the king.

¹¹When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, ^(G)he tore his clothes. ¹²And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and ^(H)Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and ^(I)Achbor the son of ^(J)Micaiah, and Shaphan the secretary, and Asaiah the king's servant, saying, ¹³“Go, inquire of the Lord for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that has been found. For great is ^(K)the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us.”