SECOND
CHRONICLES
2 Chronicles
Chapter 34
1
¶ Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for
thirty-one years in
2
And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the
ways of David his father, and did not turn aside either to the right
hand, or to the left.
3
For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek
after the God of David his father: and in the twelfth year he began to purge
4
And they broke down the altars of the Baals in his
presence; and he cut down the incense altars that were above them; and
the groves, and he broke in pieces the carved images,
and the molten images, and made dust of them, and strewed it on
the graves of those who had sacrificed to them.
5
And he burned the bones of the priests on their altars, and cleansed
6
And he did the same in the cities of Manasseh, and Ephraim, and Simeon,
even to Naphtali, including their surrounding
mountain shrines.
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And when he had broken down the altars and the groves, and had beaten the
graven images into powder, and cut down all the idols throughout all the
8
¶ Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he was
cleaning up the land, and the temple, he sent Shaphan
the son of Azaliah, 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 went to Hilkiah the high priest, they
gave him the money that had been brought into the house of God, which the
Levites who kept the doors had collected from Manasseh and Ephraim, and all who
were left in
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And they put it in the hand of the workmen who were responsible for the
work in the house of the LORD, and they gave it to the workmen who carried out
the work on the house of the LORD, to repair and restore the house:
11
Even to the carpenters and builders, to buy cut stone, and timber for
couplings, and beams for the buildings which the kings of
12
And the men did the work faithfully: and their overseers were Jahath and Obadiah, Levites, descended from Merari; and Zechariah and Meshullam,
from the family of the Kohathites; and the Levites
were all able to play instruments of music.
13
They also were over the workmen, and directed everyone who
carried out any kind of work: and of the Levites there were scribes, and
officers, and gate keepers.
14
¶ And when they took out the money that had been
brought into the house of the LORD, Hilkiah the
priest found a book of the law of the LORD written by Moses.
15
And Hilkiah told Shaphan
the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the LORD. And Hilkiah turned the book over to Shaphan.
16
And Shaphan carried the book to the king, and also
reported to the king, saying, Your servants are doing
all that was assigned to them.
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And they have melted the silver that was found in the house of the LORD, and
have given it to the men in charge, and to the workmen.
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Then Shaphan the scribe said to the king, Hilkiah the priest has given me a book. And Shaphan read from it to the king.
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And when the king had heard the words of the law, he tore his clothes.
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And the king commanded Hilkiah, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Abdon the son of Micah, and Shaphan
the scribe, and Asaiah a servant of the king’s,
saying,
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Go, inquire of the LORD for me, and for those who are left in Israel and in
Judah, concerning the words of the book that has been found: for great is
the LORD’s wrath that is poured out on us, because
our fathers have not kept the word of the LORD, to do according to all that is
written in this book.
22
And Hilkiah, and those whom the king had
appointed, went to Huldah the prophetess, the
wife of Shallum the son of Tikvath,
the son of Hasrah, the keeper of the wardrobe; (now
she lived in Jerusalem in the college:) and they told her this.
23
And she answered them, Thus says the LORD God of
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Thus says the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon
this place, and upon its inhabitants, even all the curses that are
written in the book that they have read before the king of
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Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense to other gods, that they
might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore my wrath
will be poured out on this place, and shall not be quenched.
26
But say to the king of
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Because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before God, when you
heard his words against this place, and against its inhabitants, and humbled
yourself before me, and tore your clothes, and wept before me; I have also
heard you, says the LORD.
28
Behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you
will be gathered to your grave in peace, nor will your eyes see all the evil
that I will bring on this place, and its inhabitants. So they reported this to
the king.
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¶ Then the king sent messengers and gathered
together all the elders of
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And the king went up into the house of the LORD, as did everyone in
31
And the king stood in his place, 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, to perform the words of
the covenant that are written in this book.
32
And he caused all who were present in
33
And Josiah removed all the abominations from all the territory that belonged
to the children of