| 1 Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign; and he reigned
thirty and one years in Jerusalem. 2 And he did that which was right in
the eyes of Jehovah, and walked in the ways of David his father, and turned
not aside to the right hand or to the left. 3 For in the eighth year of
his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David
his father; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem
from the high places, and the Asherim, and the graven images, and the molten
images. 4 And they brake down the altars of the Baalim in his presence;
and the sun-images that were on high above them he hewed down; and the
Asherim, and the graven images, and the molten images, he brake in pieces,
and made dust of them, and strewed it upon the graves of them that
had sacrificed unto them. 5 And he burnt the bones of the priests upon
their altars, and purged Judah and Jerusalem. 6 And so did he in
the cities of Manasseh and Ephraim and Simeon, even unto Naphtali, in their
ruins round about. 7 And he brake down the altars, and beat the Asherim
and the graven images into powder, and hewed down all the sun-images
throughout all the land of Israel, and returned to Jerusalem. 8 Now in the
eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land and the house, he
sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah the governor of the city, and
Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of Jehovah his God.
9 And they came to Hilkiah the high priest, and delivered the money that
was brought into the house of God, which the Levites, the keepers of the
threshold, had gathered of the hand of Manasseh and Ephraim, and of all the
remnant of Israel, and of all Judah and Benjamin, and of the inhabitants of
Jerusalem. 10 And they delivered it into the hand of the workmen that had
the oversight of the house of Jehovah; and the workmen that wrought in the
house of Jehovah gave it to mend and repair the house; 11 even to the
carpenters and to the builders gave they it, to buy hewn stone, and timber
for couplings, and to make beams for the houses which the kings of Judah had
destroyed. 12 And the men did the work faithfully: and the overseers of
them were Jahath and Obadiah, the Levites, of the sons of Merari; and
Zechariah and Meshullam, of the sons of the Kohathites, to set it forward;
and others of the Levites, all that were skilful with instruments of
music. 13 Also they were over the bearers of burdens, and set forward all
that did the work in every manner of service: and of the Levites there were
scribes, and officers, and porters. 14 And when they brought out the money
that was brought into the house of Jehovah, Hilkiah the priest found the book
of the law of Jehovah given by Moses. 15 And Hilkiah answered and
said to Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of
Jehovah. And Hilkiah delivered the book to Shaphan. 16 And Shaphan carried
the book to the king, and moreover brought back word to the king, saying, All
that was committed to thy servants, they are doing. 17 And they have
emptied out the money that was found in the house of Jehovah, and have
delivered it into the hand of the overseers, and into the hand of the
workmen. 18 And Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, Hilkiah the
priest hath delivered me a book. And Shaphan read therein before the king.
19 And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the law, that
he rent his clothes. 20 And the king commanded Hilkiah, and Ahikam the son
of Shaphan, and Abdon the son of Micah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah
the king's servant, saying, 21 Go ye, inquire of Jehovah for me, and for
them that are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book
that is found; for great is the wrath of Jehovah that is poured out upon us,
because our fathers have not kept the word of Jehovah, to do according unto
all that is written in this book. 22 So Hilkiah, and they whom the king
had commanded, went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the
son of Tokhath, the son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe; (now she dwelt in
Jerusalem in the second quarter;) and they spake to her to that effect.
23 And she said unto them, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel: Tell ye
the man that sent you unto me, 24 Thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I will bring
evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the curses
that are written in the book which they have read before the king of Judah.
25 Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods,
that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands;
therefore is my wrath poured out upon this place, and it shall not be
quenched. 26 But unto the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of
Jehovah, thus shall ye say to him, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel: As
touching the words which thou hast heard, 27 because thy heart was tender,
and thou didst humble thyself before God, when thou heardest his words
against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, and hast humbled
thyself before me, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have
heard thee, saith Jehovah. 28 Behold, I will gather thee to thy fathers,
and thou shalt be gathered to thy grave in peace, neither shall thine eyes
see all the evil that I will bring upon this place, and upon the inhabitants
thereof. And they brought back word to the king. 29 Then the king sent and
gathered together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 30 And the king
went up to the house of Jehovah, and all the men of Judah and the inhabitants
of Jerusalem, and the priests, and the Levites, and all the people, both
great and small: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the
covenant that was found in the house of Jehovah. 31 And the king stood in
his place, and made a covenant before Jehovah, to walk after Jehovah, 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 that were
written in this book. 32 And he caused all that were found in Jerusalem
and Benjamin to stand to it. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem did
according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers. 33 And Josiah
took away all the abominations out of all the countries that pertained to the
children of Israel, and made all that were found in Israel to serve, even to
serve Jehovah their God. All his days they departed not from following
Jehovah, the God of their fathers.
Genesis - Public
Domain
| |
