1Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem.
2He did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh and walked in the ways of David his father, and he did not turn aside to the right or the left.
3In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still a youth, he began to seek the God of David his father; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the Asherim, the carved images, and the cast idols.
4They tore down before him the altars of the Baals, and he cut down the incense altars that stood above them; and the Asherim, the carved images, and the cast idols he broke in pieces and ground to dust, and he scattered it over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them.
5He burned the bones of the priests on their altars, and so he purged Judah and Jerusalem.
6And in the cities of Manasseh and Ephraim and Simeon, as far as Naphtali, in their ruins all around,
7he tore down the altars, and the Asherim and the carved images he crushed to dust, and all the incense altars he cut down throughout all the land of Israel; then he returned to Jerusalem.
8In the eighteenth year of his reign, to purge the land and the house, he sent Shaphan son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of Yahweh his God.
9They came to Hilkiah the high priest and delivered the silver that had been brought into the house of God, which the Levites who guarded the threshold had gathered from Manasseh and Ephraim and from all the remnant of Israel, and from all Judah and Benjamin, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
10They handed it over to the workmen appointed over the house of Yahweh, and they gave it to the workmen who were working in the house of Yahweh, to mend and repair the house.
11They gave it to the craftsmen and the builders to buy quarried stone, and timber for the couplings, and to make beams for the buildings that the kings of Judah had let fall to ruin.
12The men did the work faithfully. Over them were appointed Jahath and Obadiah, Levites of the sons of Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam of the sons of the Kohathites, to supervise; and the Levites—all who were skilled with instruments of music—
13were also over the burden-bearers and supervised all who did work in every kind of service; and some of the Levites were scribes and officials and gatekeepers.
14Now while they were bringing out the silver that had been brought into the house of Yahweh, Hilkiah the priest found the scroll of the Law of Yahweh given through Moses.
15Then Hilkiah spoke up and said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the scroll of the Law in the house of Yahweh.” And Hilkiah gave the scroll to Shaphan.
16Shaphan brought the scroll to the king and also brought back word to the king, saying, “All that was committed to your servants they are doing.
17They have poured out the silver that was found in the house of Yahweh and handed it over to those appointed and to the workmen.”
18Then Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a scroll.” And Shaphan read from it before the king.
19When the king heard the words of the Law, he tore his garments.
20And the king commanded Hilkiah, and Ahikam son of Shaphan, and Abdon son of Micah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king’s servant, saying,
21“Go, inquire of Yahweh for me and for those who remain in Israel and in Judah concerning the words of the scroll that has been found; for great is the wrath of Yahweh that has been poured out on us, because our fathers did not keep the word of Yahweh, to do according to all that is written in this scroll.”
22So Hilkiah, and those the king had appointed, went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum son of Tokhath son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe—now she was living in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter—and they spoke to her about this.
23She said to them, “Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel: Tell the man who sent you to me,
24Thus says Yahweh: Behold, I am bringing disaster on this place and on its inhabitants—all the curses that are written in the scroll that they have read before the king of Judah.
25Because they have forsaken me and burned incense to other gods, so as to provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands, my wrath will be poured out on this place and will not be quenched.
26But to the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of Yahweh, thus you shall say to him: Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, concerning the words that you have heard:
27Because 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 tore your garments and wept before me, I also have heard—declares Yahweh.
28Behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you will be gathered to your graves in peace, and your eyes will not see all the disaster that I am bringing on this place and on its inhabitants.” And they brought back word to the king.
29Then the king sent and gathered all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem.
30And the king went up to the house of Yahweh with 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 least; and he read in their hearing all the words of the scroll of the covenant that had been found in the house of Yahweh.
31Then the king stood in his place and made the covenant before Yahweh, to walk after Yahweh and to keep his commandments, his testimonies, and his statutes with all his heart and with all his self, to carry out the words of the covenant written in this book.
32And he made all who were found in Jerusalem and Benjamin take their stand, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem acted according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers.
33And Josiah removed all the abominations from all the territories that belonged to the sons of Israel, and he made everyone found in Israel serve—serve Yahweh their God. All his days they did not turn from following Yahweh, the God of their fathers.
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