2 Chronicles 34

King Josiah’s Major Cleanup & the Book of Law Found

1 Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he ruled in Jerusalem for thirty-one years.

2 He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and walked in the ways of his daddy David. He did not curve to the right or to the left.

3 In the eighth year of his rule, while he was still young, he started seeking the God of his daddy David. And in the twelfth year, he began to clean up Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, the Asherah poles, the carved idols, and the cast idols.

4 They tore down the altars of the Baals in his presence, and he chopped down the incense altars that were on top of them. He smashed the Asherah poles, the carved idols, and the cast idols into pieces, ground them to dust, and scattered the dust over the graves of those who sacrificed to them.

5 He also burned the bones of the priests on their altars and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem.

6 And in the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, all the way to Naphtali, and in their surrounding ruins,

7 He tore down the altars and the Asherah poles. He smashed the carved idols into pieces and ground them to dust, and he chopped down all the incense altars throughout all the land of Israel. Then he went back to Jerusalem.

Temple Repair & Law Discovered

8 In the eighteenth year of his rule, when he had cleansed the land and the temple, he sent Shaphan son of Azaliah, Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah son of Joahaz, the recorder, to repair the temple of the Lord his God.

9 They came to Hilkiah the high priest and handed over the money that had been brought into God’s temple, which the Levite doorkeepers had collected from Manasseh, Ephraim, and from all the remnant of Israel, and from all Judah and Benjamin and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

10 They handed it over to the foremen who were in charge of the work in the Lord’s temple, and they used it to pay the workmen who were working in the Lord’s temple and fixing it up.

11 They gave it to the craftsmen and builders to buy cut stones and timber for beams for the buildings that the kings of Judah had messed up.

12 The men did the work faithfully. Their overseers were Jahath and Obadiah, Levites from the sons of Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam, from the sons of Kohath, to direct the work. And all the Levites who were skilled in music.

13 They were also over the load carriers and directed all who did work in any kind of service. And some of the Levites were scribes, officials, and doorkeepers.

14 When they were bringing out the money that was brought into the Lord’s temple, Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the Lord given through Moses.

15 Hilkiah told Shaphan the scribe, “Listen, I found the Book of the Law in the Lord’s temple!” Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan.

16 Shaphan brought the book to the king and also brought the king word back, saying, “Your servants are doing everything that was handed over to them.”

17 “They counted the money that was found in the Lord’s temple and handed it over to the foremen and to the workmen.”

18 Then Shaphan the scribe told the king, “Hilkiah the priest gave me a book.” And Shaphan read it in front of the king.

19 When the king heard the words of the Law, he ripped his clothes.

20 The king commanded Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Abdon son of Micah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah, the king’s servant, saying,

21 “Go, inquire of the Lord for me and for those left in Israel and Judah concerning the words of this book that was found. Because the Lord’s anger that is flared up against us is huge, because our ancestors did not keep the word of the Lord, to do everything written in this book!”

Huldah the Prophetess

22 So Hilkiah and those the king sent with him went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum son of Tokhath, son of Hasrah, the keeper of the wardrobe. She lived in Jerusalem in the Second District. And they chopped it up with her.

23 She told them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Tell the man who sent you to me:’”

24 “’This is what the Lord says: “Look, I am bringing disaster on this place and on its inhabitants, all the curses written in the book that they read in front of the king of Judah.”’”

25 “’” Because they ditched Me and burned incense to other gods, ticking Me off with all the work of their hands, My anger is going to flare up against this place and will not be put out!”’”

26 “But to the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, tell him this: ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says concerning the words you heard:’”

27 “’” Because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and against its inhabitants, and you humbled yourself before Me, and ripped your clothes and cried before Me, I also heard you,” declares the Lord.”

28 “’” Look, I am going to gather you to your ancestors, and you are going to be gathered to your burial place in peace. Your eyes are not going to see all the disaster that I am bringing on this place and on its inhabitants.”’” So they brought back word to the king.

Covenant Renewal

29 Then the king sent and gathered all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem.

30 The king went up to the Lord’s temple, and all the men of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests, the Levites, and all the people, from the smallest to the greatest, went with him. And he read out loud for them all the words of the Book of the Covenant that was found in the Lord’s temple.

31 The king stood in his place and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord and to keep His commands, His testimonies, and His rules with all his heart and all his soul, to make good on the words of the covenant that were written in this book.

32 Then he made all who were found in Jerusalem and Benjamin agree to it. So the inhabitants of Jerusalem acted according to the covenant of God, the God of their ancestors.

33 Josiah got rid of all the disgusting idols from all the lands that belonged to the Israelites, and he made all who were in Israel serve the Lord their God. All his days, they did not curve from following the Lord, the God of their ancestors.