2 Kings 23:2

2 He went up to the Temple of the Lord, and all the people from Judah and Jerusalem went with him. The priests, prophets, and all the people -- from the least important to the most important -- went with him. He read to them all the words of the Book of the Agreement that was found in the Temple of the Lord.

2 Kings 23:2 Meaning and Commentary

2 Kings 23:2

And the king went up into the house of the Lord
To the temple, from his palace:

and all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him:
they met him there:

and the priests, and the prophets;
the prophets Jeremiah, Zephaniah, and Uriah, who, though they might not be at Jerusalem when the book of the law was found, yet, upon this message of the king's, might come up thither from the countries where they were; the Targum interprets the word "scribes": and some take them to be the sons of the prophets, their disciples; in ( 2 Chronicles 34:30 ) they are called Levites:

and all the people, both small and great;
a very numerous assembly:

and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant
which was found in the house of the Lord:
that is, he caused it to be read by others, and perhaps by more than one, the congregation being so large.

2 Kings 23:2 In-Context

1 Then the king gathered all the older leaders of Judah and Jerusalem together.

2 He went up to the Temple of the Lord, and all the people from Judah and Jerusalem went with him. The priests, prophets, and all the people -- from the least important to the most important -- went with him. He read to them all the words of the Book of the Agreement that was found in the Temple of the Lord.

3 The king stood by the pillar and made an agreement in the presence of the Lord to follow the Lord and obey his commands, rules, and laws with his whole being, and to obey the words of the agreement written in this book. Then all the people promised to obey the agreement.

4 The king commanded Hilkiah the high priest and the priests of the next rank and the gatekeepers to bring out of the Temple of the Lord everything made for Baal, Asherah, and all the stars of the sky. Then Josiah burned them outside Jerusalem in the open country of the Kidron Valley and carried their ashes to Bethel

5 The kings of Judah had chosen priests for these gods. These priests burned incense in the places where gods were worshiped in the cities of Judah and the towns around Jerusalem. They burned incense to Baal, the sun, the moon, the planets, and all the stars of the sky. But Josiah took those priests away.