34:1 Josias was eight years old when he
began to reign, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem.
34:2 And he did that which was right in the sight of Yehovah, and walked in
the ways of his father David, and turned not aside to the right hand or to
the left.
34:3 And in the eighth year of his reign, and he [being] yet a youth, he
began to seek Yehovah Elohim of his father David: and in the twelfth year of
his reign he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the
groves, and the ornaments for the altars, and the molten images.
34:4 And he pulled down the altars of Baalim that were before his face, and
the high places that were above them; and he cut down the groves, and the
graven images, and broke in pieces the molten images, and reduced them to
powder, and cast [it] upon the surface of the tombs of those who [had]
sacrificed to them.
34:5 And he burnt the bones of the priests upon the altars, and purged Judah
and Jerusalem.
34:6 And [he did so] in the cities of Manasse, and Ephraim, and Symeon, and
Nephthali, and the places round about them.
34:7 And he pulled down the altars and the groves, and he cut the idols in
small pieces, and cut off all the high places from all the land of Israel,
and returned to Jerusalem.
34:8 And in the eighteenth year of his reign, after having cleansed the
land, and the house, he sent Saphan the son of Ezelias, and Maasa prefect of
the city, and Juach son of Joachaz his recorder, to repair the house of the
Lord his Elohim.
34:9 And they came to Chelcias the high priest, and gave he money that was
brought into the house of Elohim, which the Levites who kept the gate collected
of the hand of Manasse and Ephraim, and of the princes, and of every one
that was left in Israel, and of the children of Judah and Benjamin, and of
the dwellers in Jerusalem.
34:10 And they gave it into the hand of the workmen, who were appointed in
the house of Yehovah, and they gave it to the workmen who wrought in the
house of Yehovah, to repair and strengthen the house.
34:11 They gave [it] also to the carpenters and builders, to buy squared
stones, and timber for beams to cover the houses which the kings of Judah had
destroyed.
34:12 And the men [were] faithfully [engaged] in the works: and over them
were superintendents, Jeth and Abdias, Levites of the sons of Merari, and
Zacharias and Mosollam, of the sons of Caath, [appointed] to oversee; and
every Levite, and every one that understood [how] to play on musical
instruments.
34:13 And [overseers were] over the burden-bearers, and over all the workmen
in the respective works; and of the Levites [were appointed] scribes, and
judges, and porters.
34:14 And when they brought forth the money that had been brought into the
house of Yehovah, Chelcias the priest found a book of the law of Yehovah
[given] by the hand of Moses.
34:15 And Chelcias answered and said to Saphan the scribe, I have found a
book of the law in the house of Yehovah. And Chelcias gave the book to
Saphan.
34:16 And Saphan brought in the book to the king, and moreover gave an
account to the king, [saying, This is] all the money given into the hand of
thy servants that work.
34:17 And they have collected the money that was found in the house of the
Lord, and given it into the hand of the overseers, and into the hand of them
that do the work.
34:18 And Saphan the scribe brought word to the king, saying, Chelcias the
priest has given me a book. And Saphan read it before the king.
34:19 And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the law, that he
rent his garments.
34:20 And the king commanded Chelcias, and Achicam the son of Saphan, and
Abdom the son of Michaias, and Saphan the scribe, and Asia the servant of
the king, saying,
34:21 Go, enquire of Yehovah for me, and for every one that is left in
Israel and Judah, concerning the words of the book that is found: for great
is the wrath of Yehovah [which] has been kindled amongst us, because our
fathers have not hearkened to the words of Yehovah, to do according to all
the things written in this book.
34:22 And Chelcias went, and [the others] whom the king told, to Olda the
prophetess, the wife of Sellem son of Thecoe, son of Aras, who kept the
commandments; and she dwelt in Jerusalem in the second [quarter]: and they
spoke to her accordingly.
34:23 And she said to them, Thus has Yehovah Elohim of Israel said, Tell the
man who sent you to me,
34:24 Thus saith Yehovah, Behold, I bring evil upon this place, [even] all
the words that are written in the book that was read before the king of Judah:
34:25 because they have forsaken me, and burnt incense to strange gods, that
they might provoke me by all the works of their hands; and my wrath is
kindled against this place, and it shall not be quenched.
34:26 And concerning the king of Judah, who sent you to seek Yehovah,-- thus
shall ye say to him, Thus saith Yehovah Elohim of Israel, [As for] the words
which thou has heard,
34:27 forasmuch as thy heart was ashamed, and thou was humbled before me
when thou heardest my words against this place, and against the inhabitants
of it, and thou wast humbled before me, and didst rend thy garments, and
didst weep before me; I also have heard, saith Yehovah.
34:28 Behold, I [will] gather thee to thy fathers, and thou shalt be
gathered to thy grave in peace, and thine eyes shall not look upon all the
evils which I am bringing upon this place, and upon the inhabitants of it.
And they brought back word to the king.
34:29 And the king sent and gathered the elders of Judah and Jerusalem.
34:30 And the king went up to the house of Yehovah, [he] and all Judah, and
the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests, and the Levites, and all the
people great and small: and he read in their ears all the words of the book
of the covenant that were found in the house of Yehovah.
34:31 And the king stood at a pillar, and made a covenant before Yehovah,
to walk before Yehovah, to keep his commandments and testimonies, and his
ordinances, with all [his] heart and with all [his] soul, so as to perform
the words of the covenant that were written in this book.
34:32 And he caused all that were found in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand;
and the inhabitants of Jerusalem made a covenant in the house of Yehovah
Elohim of their fathers.
34:33 And Josias removed all the abominations out of the whole land which
belonged to the children of Israel, and caused all that were found in
Jerusalem and in Israel, to serve Yehovah their Elohim all his days: he
departed not from following Yehovah Elohim of his fathers. |
34:1 Josiah was eight years old when he
began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem one and thirty years.
34:2 And he did that which was right in the sight of Yehovah, and walked in
the ways of David his father, and declined neither to the right hand, nor to
the left.
34:3 For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began
to seek after the Elohim of David his father: and in the twelfth year he began
to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the groves, and the
carved images, and the molten images.
34:4 And they brake down the altars of Baalim in his presence; and the
images, that were on high above them, he cut down; and the groves, and the
carved images, and the molten images, he brake in pieces, and made dust of
them, and strewed it upon the graves of them that had sacrificed unto them.
34:5 And he burnt the bones of the priests upon their altars, and cleansed
Judah and Jerusalem.
34:6 And so did he in the cities of Manasseh, and Ephraim, and Simeon, even
unto Naphtali, with their mattocks round about.
34:7 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
land of Israel, he returned to Jerusalem.
34:8 Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land,
and the house, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah the governor
of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of
Yehovah his Elohim.
34:9 And when they came to Hilkiah the high priest, they delivered the money
that was brought into the house of Elohim, which the Levites that kept the
doors had gathered of the hand of Manasseh and Ephraim, and of all the
remnant of Israel, and of all Judah and Benjamin; and they returned to
Jerusalem.
34:10 And they put it in the hand of the workmen that had the oversight of
the house of Yehovah, and they gave it to the workmen that wrought in the
house of Yehovah, to repair and amend the house:
34:11 Even to the artificers and builders gave they it, to buy hewn stone,
and timber for couplings, and to floor the houses which the kings of Judah
had destroyed.
34:12 And the men did the work faithfully: and the overseers of them were
Jahath and Obadiah, the Levites, of the sons of Merari; and Zechariah and
Meshullam, of the sons of the Kohathites, to set it forward; and other of
the Levites, all that could skill of instruments of music.
34:13 Also they were over the bearers of burdens, and were overseers of all
that wrought the work in any manner of service: and of the Levites there
were scribes, and officers, and porters.
34:14 And when they brought out the money that was brought into the house of
Yehovah, Hilkiah the priest found a book of the law of Yehovah given by
Moses.
34:15 And Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan the scribe, I have found the
book of the law in the house of Yehovah. And Hilkiah delivered the book to
Shaphan.
34:16 And Shaphan carried the book to the king, and brought the king word
back again, saying, All that was committed to thy servants, they do it.
34:17 And they have gathered together the money that was found in the house
of Yehovah, and have delivered it into the hand of the overseers, and to
the hand of the workmen.
34:18 Then Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath
given me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king.
34:19 And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the law,
that he rent his clothes.
34:20 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,
34:21 Go, enquire of Yehovah for me, and for them that are left in Israel
and in Judah, concerning the words of the book that is found: for great is
the wrath of Yehovah that is poured out upon us, because our fathers have
not kept the word of Yehovah, to do after all that is written in this book.
34:22 And Hilkiah, and they that the king had appointed, went to Huldah the
prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvath, the son of Hasrah,
keeper of the wardrobe; (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the college:) and
they spake to her to that effect.
34:23 And she answered them, Thus saith Yehovah Elohim of Israel, Tell ye the
man that sent you to me,
34:24 Thus saith Yehovah, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and
upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the curses that are written in the
book which they have read before the king of Judah:
34:25 Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other
gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands;
therefore my wrath shall be poured out upon this place, and shall not be
quenched.
34:26 And as for the king of Judah, who sent you to enquire of Yehovah, so
shall ye say unto him, Thus saith Yehovah Elohim of Israel concerning the
words which thou hast heard;
34:27 Because thine heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before
Elohim, when thou heardest his words against this place, and against the
inhabitants thereof, and humbledst thyself before me, and didst rend thy
clothes, and weep before me; I have even heard thee also, saith Yehovah.
34:28 Behold, I will gather thee to thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered
to thy grave in peace, neither shall thine eyes see all the evil that I will
bring upon this place, and upon the inhabitants of the same. So they brought
the king word again.
34:29 Then the king sent and gathered together all the elders of Judah and
Jerusalem.
34:30 And the king went up into the house of Yehovah, and all the men of
Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests, and the Levites,
and all the people, 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 Yehovah.
34:31 And the king stood in his place, and made a covenant before Yehovah,
to walk after Yehovah, 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 which are written in this book.
34:32 And he caused all that were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand
to it. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of
Elohim, the Elohim of their fathers.
34:33 And Josiah took away all the abominations out of all the countries
that pertained to the children of Israel, and made all that were present in
Israel to serve, even to serve Yehovah their Elohim. And all his days they
departed not from following Yehovah, the Elohim of their fathers. |