Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign; and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. 2He did that which was right in the eyes of YAHWEH1, and walked in the ways of Dawud2 his father, and did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. 3For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of Dawud his father; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the Asherah poles, and the engraved images, and the cast metal images. 4They broke down the altars of the Baals in his presence; and the sun-images that were on high above them he cut down; and the Asherah poles, and the engraved images, and the cast metal images, he broke in pieces, and made dust of them, and scattered it on the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. 5He burned the bones of the priests on their altars, and purged Judah and Jerusalem. 6He did this in the cities of Manasseh and Ephraim and Simeon, even to Naphtali, in their surrounding ruins. 7He broke down the altars, and beat the Asherah poles and the engraved images into powder, and cut down all the sun-images throughout all the land of Israel, and returned to Jerusalem.
8Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged 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 money that was brought into the House of God, which the Levites3, the keepers of the threshold, had gathered from the hands of Manasseh and Ephraim, and from all the remnant of Israel, and from all Judah and Binyamin4, and from the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 10They delivered it into the hand of the workmen who had the oversight of the House of YAHWEH; and the workmen who laboured in the House of YAHWEH gave it to mend and repair the House. 11They gave it to the carpenters and to the builders, to buy cut stone, and timber for couplings, and to make beams for the houses which the kings of Judah had destroyed. 12The men did the work faithfully: and their overseers were Jahath and Obadiah, the Levites, of the sons of Merari; and Zakariyya5 and Meshullam, of the sons of the Kohathites, to give direction; and others of the Levites, all who were skillful with musical instruments. 13Also they were over the bearers of burdens, and directed all who did the work in every kind of service: and of the Levites there were scribes, and officers, and porters.
14When they brought out the money that was brought into the House of YAHWEH, Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Taurat6 of YAHWEH given by Musa7. 15Hilkiah answered Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the Book of the Taurat in the house of YAHWEH.” Hilkiah delivered the book to Shaphan.
16Shaphan carried the book to the king, and moreover brought back word to the king, saying, “All that was committed to your servants, they are doing. 17They have emptied out the money that was found in the House of YAHWEH, and have delivered it into the hand of the overseers, and into the hand of the workmen.” 18Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, “Hilkiah the priest has delivered me a book.” Shaphan read from it to the king.
19When the king heard the words of the Taurat, he tore his clothes. 20The 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 are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book that is found; for great is the wrath of YAHWEH that is poured out on us, because our fathers have not kept the Word of YAHWEH, to do according to all that is written in this book.”
22So Hilkiah, and those whom the king had commanded, went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum son of Tokhath, son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe (now she lived in Jerusalem in the second quarter); and they spoke to her to that effect.
23She said to them, “Thus says YAHWEH, the God of Israel: ‘Tell the man who sent you to me, 24“Thus says YAHWEH, ‘Behold, I will bring evil on this place, and on its inhabitants, even all the curses that are written in the book which they have read before the king of Judah. 25Because 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 is poured out on this place, and it shall not be quenched.'”‘ 26But to the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of YAHWEH, thus shall you tell him, ‘Thus says YAHWEH, the God of Israel: “In regard to the words which 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 have humbled yourself before me, and have torn your clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard you,” says YAHWEH. 28“Behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace, neither shall your eyes see all the evil that I will bring on this place, and on its inhabitants.”‘”
They brought back word to the king.
29Then the king sent and gathered together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 30The king went up to the House of YAHWEH, and all the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests, and the Levites, and all the people, both great and small: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant that was found in the House of YAHWEH. 31The king stood in his place, and made a covenant before YAHWEH, to walk after YAHWEH, 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 were written in this book. 32He caused all who were found in Jerusalem and Binyamin to agree to it. The inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers. 33Josiah took away all the abominations out of all the territories that belonged to Bani-Israel, and made all who were found in Israel to serve, even to serve YAHWEH their God. All his days they did not depart from following YAHWEH, the God of their fathers.
- 34:2 YAHWEH, God’s personal Name revealed to Prophet Musa in the Taurat, Exodus 3:15: ‘God said moreover to Musa, “You shall tell Bani-Israel this, ‘YAHWEH, the God of your fathers, the God of Ibrahim, the God of Ishaq, and the God of Yaqub, has sent me to you.’ This is my Name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered to all generations.”’ ↩︎
- 34:2 Dawud, this Arabic name is derived from David (Hebrew) and means “Beloved.” ↩︎
- 34:9 Levites, the descendants of Levi, one of the 12 sons of Prophet Yaqub (Jacob), from whose family line came all the priests who served in the Holy House of God, the Temple at Jerusalem. ↩︎
- 34:9 Binyamin, or Benjamin, derived from the Hebrew name Benyamin, meaning “Son of the right hand.” ↩︎
- 34:12 Zakariyya, this Arabic name is derived from the Hebrew name Zechariah, which means “YAHWEH remembers.” ↩︎
- 34:14 Taurat, this Arabic term is derived from the Hebrew word Torah, which means “instruction” or “teaching.” ↩︎
- 34:14 Musa, this Arabic name is derived from the Hebrew name Moses meaning “to pull out” or “draw out” (of water); referring to the biblical story where he was rescued from the Nile River by Firaun’s daughter. ↩︎