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was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. 2 He did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right or to the left.
3 In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek after the God of his father David. Then in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the Asherah poles, the carved images, and the cast images. 4 He had the altars of Baal torn down in his presence, and the incense altars above them he had cut to pieces. The Asherah poles, the carved images, and the cast images he broke in pieces and crushed to dust, and he had the dust scattered over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. 5 He burned the bones of the priests on their altars, and so he purged Judah and Jerusalem. 6 In the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, and as far as Naphtali, and in the ruins around them, 7 he tore down the altars and the Asherah poles, and pulverised the carved images to powder, and cut down all the incense altars throughout the land of Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem.
8 In the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign, when he had purged the land and the temple, he sent Shaphan son of Azaliah, Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah son of Joahaz, the recorder, to repair the Temple of the Lord his God.
9 So they went to Hilkiah the high priest and gave him all the money that had been brought in to God’s temple, and also all the money that the Levites who were the doorkeepers had collected from Manasseh, Ephraim, and the entire remnant of Israel, and from all Judah, Benjamin, and the people of Jerusalem. 10 They put it in the hands of the men appointed to oversee the work on the House of the Lord. These men gave the money to the workers in the House of the Lord, who were working on the repairs and restoration of the temple. 11 They also gave some of the money to the carpenters and builders to buy quarried stone and timber for joists and beams for the buildings that the kings of Judah had allowed to fall into disrepair.
12 The men did the work faithfully. Their overseers were Jahath and Obadiah the Levites, descended from Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam, descended from Kohath. Other Levites, all of whom were skilled at playing musical instruments, 13 had charge over the labourers and were supervising all the workforce in all the different tasks. Some of the Levites were secretaries, officers, and gatekeepers.
14 When they were bringing out the money that had been taken into the House of the Lord, Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the Lord given by the hand of Moses. 15 Hilkiah said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the Book of the Law in the House of the Lord,” and Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan.
16 Then Shaphan took the book to the king, and also reported to him, “Your servants are doing everything that has been committed to them. 17 They have paid out all the money that was found in the House of the Lord and have entrusted it to the overseers and to the workmen.” 18 Then Shaphan the secretary told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king.
19 When the king heard the words of the Law, he tore his clothes. 20 Then he commanded Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Abdon son of Micah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king’s servant: 21 “Go, inquire of the Lord for me and for the remnant remaining in Israel and Judah, concerning the words of the book that has been found. For great is the wrath of the Lord that is poured out on us because our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord; they have not acted in accordance with everything that is written in this book.”
22 So Hilkiah and those whom the king had appointed went to meet with Huldah the prophetess, who was the wife of Shallum son of Tokhath, the son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe. She lived in Jerusalem, in the Second District. They spoke to her about this.
23 She said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Tell the man who sent you to Me, 24 “This is what the Lord says, ‘Behold, I will bring disaster on this place and on its inhabitants—all the curses written in the book that they have read in the presence of the king of Judah. 25 Because they have forsaken Me and burned incense to other gods, so that they might provoke Me to anger with the works of their hands, My wrath will be poured out on this place, and it will not be quenched” ’. 26 Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says, concerning the words you heard: 27 “Because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and against its inhabitants, and because you have humbled yourself before Me, and you tore your robes and wept before Me, I also have heard you”, declares the Lord. 28 “I will indeed gather you to your fathers, and you will be gathered to your grave in peace. Your eyes will not see all the disaster that I am going to bring on this place and on its inhabitants” ’.”
Then they took back her answer to the king.
29 Then the king sent word and called together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 30 The king went up to the House of the Lord with all the men of Judah and the people of Jerusalem, the priests and the Levites, and all the people, both great and small. He read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant that had been found in the House of the Lord. 31 Then the king stood in his place and made a covenant in the presence of the Lord—to follow the Lord, and to keep His commandments, His decrees, and His statutes with all his heart and with all his soul, and to carry out the words of the covenant written in this book.
32 Then he had everyone in Judah and in Benjamin pledge themselves to it also. So the inhabitants of Jerusalem did this in accordance with the covenant of God, the God of their fathers.
33 Josiah removed everything that was detestable from all the territory belonging to the Israelites, and he required all who were present in Israel to serve the Lord their God. Then afterward as long as he lived, they did not turn away from following the Lord, the God of their fathers.