II Chronicles Chapter 34

II Chronicles Chapter 34
1 Josiah was eight year old when he
began to reign, and he reigned in
Jerusalem one and thirty year.
2 And he did uprightly in the sight of the
Lord, and walked in the ways of David
his father, and bowed neither to the right
hand nor to the left. 3 And in the eighth
year of his reign (when he was yet a
child) 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 groves, and
the carved images, and molten images:
4 And they break down in his sight the
altars of Baalim, and he caused to cut
down the images that were on high upon
them: he break also the groves, and the
carved images, and the molten images,
and stamped them to powder, and
strowed it upon the graves of them that
had sacrificed unto them. 5 Also he
burned the bones of the priests upon
their altars, and purged Judah and
Jerusalem.
6 And in the cities of Manasseh, and
Ephraim, and Simeon, even unto
Naphtali, with their mauls they break all
round about.
7 And when he had destroyed the altars
and the groves, and had broken and
stamped to powder the images, and had
cut down all the idols throughout all the
land of Israel, he returned to Jerusalem.
8 Then in the eighteenth year of his
reign, when he had purged the land and
the temple, 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 the Lord
his God.
9 And when they came to Hilkiah the
high priest, they delivered the money that
was brought into the house of God,
which the Levites that kept the door, had
gathered at the hand of Manasseh, and
Ephraim, and of all the residue of Israel,
and of all Judah and Benjamin, and of
the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 10 And they
put it in the hands of them that should do
the work and had the oversight in the
house of the Lord: and they gave it to the
workmen that wrought in the house of the
Lord, to repair and amend the house. 11
Even to the workmen and to the builders
gave they it, to buy hewed stone and
timber for couples and for beams of 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 children
of Merari, and Zechariah, and
Meshullam, of the children of the
Kohathites to set it forward: and of the
Levites all that could skill of instruments
of music.
13 And they were over the bearers of
burdens, and them that set forward all
the workmen in every work: and of the
Levites were scribes, and officers and
porters.
14 And when they brought out the money
that was brought into the house of the
Lord, Hilkiah the priest found the book
of the law of the Lord given by the hand
of Moses.
15 Therefore Hilkiah answered and said
to Shaphan the chancellor, I have found
the book of the law in the house of the
Lord: and Hilkiah gave the book to
Shaphan.
16 And Shaphan carried the book to the
king, and brought the king word again,
saying, All that is committed to the hand
of thy servants, that do they. 17 For they
have gathered the money that was found
in the house of the Lord, and have
delivered it into the hands of the
overseers, and to the hands of the
workmen.
18 Also Shaphan the chancellor
declared to the king, saying, Hilkiah the
priest hath given me a book, and
Shaphan read it before the king.
19 And when the king had heard the
words of the law, he tore his clothes. 20
And the king commanded Hilkiah, and
Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Abdon
the son of Micah, and Shaphan the
chancellor, and Asaiah the king's
servant, saying,
21 Go and inquire of the Lord for me,
and for the rest in Israel and Judah,
concerning the words of this book that is
found: for great is the wrath of the Lord
that is fallen upon us, because our
fathers have not kept the word of the
Lord, to do after all that is written in this
book.
22 Then Hilkiah and they that the king
had appointed, went to Huldah the
prophetess the wife of Shallum, the son
of Tokhath, the son of Hasrah keeper of
the wardrobe (and she dwelt in
Jerusalem within the college) and they
communed hereof with her.
23 And she answered them, Thus saith
the Lord God of Israel, Tell ye the man
that sent you to me,
24 Thus saith the Lord, 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
burned incense unto other gods, to anger
me with all the works of their hands,
therefore shall my wrath fall upon this
place, and shall not be quenched.
26 But to the king of Judah, who sent you
to inquire of the Lord, so shall ye say
unto him, Thus saith the Lord God of
Israel, The words which thou hast heard,
shall come to pass.
27 But because thine heart did melt, and
thou didst humble thyself before God,
when thou heardest his words against
this place and against the inhabitants
thereof, and humbledst thyself before me
and tearest thy clothes, and wept before
me, I have also heard it, saith the Lord.
28 Behold, I will gather thee to thy
fathers, and thou shalt be put in thy grave
in peace, and thine eyes shall not see all
the evil, which I will bring upon this
place, and upon the inhabitants of the
same. Thus they brought the king word
again.
29 Then the king sent and gathered all
the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 30
And the king went up into the house of
the Lord, and all the men of Judah, and
the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the
priests and the Levites, and all the
people from the greatest to the smallest,
and he read in their ears all the words of
the book of the covenant that was found
in the house of the Lord. 31 And the king
stood by his pillar, and made a covenant
before the Lord, to walk after the Lord,
and to keep his commandments, and his
testimonies, and his statutes, with all his
heart, and with all his soul, and that he
would accomplish the words of the
covenant written in the same 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, even
the God of their fathers.
33 So Josiah took away all the
abominations out of all the countries that
pertained to the children of Israel, and
compelled all that were found in Israel,
to serve the Lord their God: so all his
days they turned not back from the Lord
God of their fathers.