2 Kings 23:24-27
New English Translation
24 Josiah also got rid of[a] the ritual pits used to conjure up spirits,[b] the magicians, personal idols, disgusting images,[c] and all the detestable idols that had appeared in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem. In this way he carried out the terms of the law[d] recorded on the scroll that Hilkiah the priest had discovered in the Lord’s temple. 25 No king before or after repented before the Lord as he did, with his whole heart, soul, and being in accordance with the whole law of Moses.[e]
26 Yet the Lord’s great anger against Judah did not subside; he was still infuriated by all the things Manasseh had done.[f] 27 The Lord announced, “I will also spurn Judah,[g] just as I spurned Israel. I will reject this city that I chose—both Jerusalem and the temple, about which I said, ‘I will live there.’[h]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 2 Kings 23:24 tn Here בִּעֵר (biʿer) is not the well attested verb “burn,” but the less common homonym meaning “devastate, sweep away, remove.” See HALOT 146 s.v. בער.
- 2 Kings 23:24 sn See the note at 2 Kgs 21:6.
- 2 Kings 23:24 sn See the note at 1 Kgs 15:12.
- 2 Kings 23:24 tn Heb “carrying out the words of the law.”
- 2 Kings 23:25 tn Heb “and like him there was not a king before him who returned to the Lord with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his being according to all the law of Moses, and after him none arose like him.”sn The description of Josiah’s devotion as involving his whole “heart, soul, and being” echoes the language of Deut 6:5.
- 2 Kings 23:26 tn Heb “Yet the Lord did not turn away from the fury of his great anger, because his anger raged against Judah on account of all the infuriating things by which Manasseh had made him angry.”
- 2 Kings 23:27 tn Heb “Also Judah I will turn away from my face.”
- 2 Kings 23:27 tn Heb “My name will be there.”
2 Kings 23:24-27
Common English Bible
24 Josiah burned those who consulted dead spirits and the mediums, the household gods and the worthless idols—all the monstrous things that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem. In this way Josiah fulfilled the words of the Instruction written in the scroll that the priest Hilkiah found in the Lord’s temple. 25 There’s never been a king like Josiah, whether before or after him, who turned to the Lord with all his heart, all his being, and all his strength, in agreement with everything in the Instruction from Moses.
26 Even so, the Lord didn’t turn away from the great rage that burned against Judah on account of all that Manasseh had done to make him angry. 27 The Lord said, “I will remove Judah from my presence just as I removed Israel. I will reject this city, Jerusalem, which I chose, and this temple where I promised my name would reside.”
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