3
For in the eighthyear of his reign while he was still a youth, he began to seek the God of his fatherDavid; and in the twelfth*year he began to purgeJudah and Jerusalem of the highplaces, the Asherim, the carvedimages and the moltenimages.
4
They toredown the altars of the Baals in his presence, and the incensealtars that were highabove them he choppeddown; also the Asherim, the carvedimages and the moltenimages he broke in pieces and ground to powder and scattered it on the graves of those who had sacrificed to them.
7
he also toredown the altars and beat the Asherim and the carvedimages into powder, and choppeddownall the incensealtarsthroughout the land of Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem.
8
Now in the eighteenth*year of his reign, when he had purged the land and the house, he sentShaphan the son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah an official of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of the LORD his God.
9
They came to Hilkiah the highpriest and delivered the money that was brought into the house of God, which the Levites, the doorkeepers, had collected from Manasseh and Ephraim, and from all the remnant of Israel, and from allJudah and Benjamin and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
10
Then they gave it into the hands of the workmen who had the oversight of the house of the LORD, and the workmenwho were working in the house of the LORDused it to restore and repair the house.
11
They in turn gave it to the carpenters and to the builders to buyquarriedstone and timber for couplings and to makebeams for the houseswhich the kings of Judah had let go to ruin.
12
The mendid the workfaithfully with foremenover them to supervise: Jahath and Obadiah, the Levites of the sons of Merari, Zechariah and Meshullam of the sons of the Kohathites, and the Levites, all who were skillful with musicalinstruments.
13
They were also over the burdenbearers, and supervisedall the workmen* from job to job; and some of the Levites were scribes and officials and gatekeepers.
14
When they were bringing out the money which had been brought into the house of the LORD, Hilkiah the priestfound the book of the law of the LORD given by Moses.
16
Then Shaphanbrought the book to the king and reportedfurtherword to the king, saying, "Everything that was entrusted* to your servants they are doing.
17
"They have also emptied out the money which was found in the house of the LORD, and have delivered it into the hands of the supervisors and the workmen."
21
"Go, inquire of the LORD for me and for those who are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the bookwhich has been found; for great is the wrath of the LORDwhich is poured out on us because* our fathers have not observed the word of the LORD, to do according to all that is written in thisbook."
22
So Hilkiah and those whom the king had told went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tokhath, the son of Hasrah, the keeper of the wardrobe (now she lived in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter); and they spoke to her regarding this.
24
thussays the LORD, "Behold, I am bringingevil on thisplace and on its inhabitants, even all the curseswritten in the bookwhich they have read in the presence of the king of Judah.
25
"Because* they have forsaken Me and have burnedincense to othergods, that they might provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore My wrath will be poured out on thisplace and it shall not be quenched."'
26
"But to the king of Judah who sent you to inquire of the LORD, thus you will say to him, 'Thussays the LORDGod of Israel regarding the wordswhich you have heard,
27
"Because your heart was tender and you humbledyourselfbefore*God when you heard His wordsagainstthisplace and against its inhabitants, and because you humbledyourselfbefore Me, tore your clothes and weptbefore Me, I truly have heard you," declares the LORD.
28
"Behold, I will gather you to your fathers and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace, so your eyes will not seeall the evilwhich I will bring on thisplace and on its inhabitants.""' And they broughtbackword to the king.
30
The kingwent up to the house of the LORD and all the men of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests, the Levites and all the people, from the greatest to the least; and he read in their hearingall the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the house of the LORD.
31
Then the kingstood in his place and made a covenantbefore the LORD to walkafter the LORD, 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 covenantwritten in thisbook.
32
Moreover, he made all who were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand with him. So the inhabitants of Jerusalemdid according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers.
33
Josiahremovedall the abominations from all the lands belonging to the sons of Israel, and made all who were present in Israel to serve the LORD their God. Throughout his lifetime* they did not turn from following the LORDGod of their fathers.