King James Version

1 Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. 2 And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in the ways of David his father, and he did not turn aside to the right or to the left. 3 At eight years into his reign, while he was still a youth, he began to seek the God of David his father, and at twelve years he began to purify Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, the Asherim, the idols, and the molten images. 4 And they tore down before me the altars of the Baals and the incense altars which were above their heights, and the asherim and the carved images and the molten images he shattered and ground, and he cast upon the faces of the graves of those slaughtering to them. 5 And the bones of the priests he burned on their altars, and he purified Judah and Jerusalem. 6 In the cities of Manasseh and Ephraim and Simeon and as far as Naphtali, in their regions, around their encampments. 7 And he broke down the altars and the Asherah poles and the idols, and he chopped them to pieces, and all the high places he destroyed throughout the land of Israel, and he returned to Jerusalem. 8 In the eighteenth year of his reign, to purify 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 strengthen the house of the Lord his God. 9 And they came to Hilkiah the high priest and gave the money that was brought to the house of God, which the Levites who were gatekeepers had collected from the hand of Manasseh and Ephraim, and from all the remnant of Israel, and from all Judah and Benjamin, and the inhabitants, and they returned to Jerusalem. 10 And they gave into the hand of the workers who were appointed in the house of Yahweh, and they gave it to those who were doing the work that were working in the house of Yahweh to examine and to strengthen the house. 11 And they gave to the craftsmen and to the builders to buy hewn stones and wood for the beams and to cover the houses that the kings of Judah had destroyed. 12 And the men are doing faithfully in the work, and over them are appointed together and Obadiah the Levites from the sons of Merari, and Zechariah and Ishmael from the sons of the Kohathites for leadership, and the Levites all skillful in musical instruments. 13 And upon the bearers and the leaders for all who do work for the service and for the work, and from the Levites, scribes and officers and gatekeepers. 14 And when they brought out the money that had been brought into the house of the LORD, Hilkiah the priest found the book of the law of the LORD in the hand of Moses. 15 And Hilkiah answered and 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 And Shaphan brought the book to the king and reported to the king, saying, "All that was entrusted to your servants, they are doing." 17 And they brought the silver that was found in the house of the LORD and gave it into the hand of the overseers and into the hand of those doing the work. 18 And Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, "Hilkiah the priest has given me a book," and Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king. 19 And it happened, when the king heard the words of the law, that he tore his garments. 20 And the king commanded Hilkiah and Ahikam the son of Shaphan and Abdon the son of Micah and Shaphan the scribe and Asaiah the servant of the king, saying. 21 Go, inquire of the Lord for me and for the remnant in Israel and in Judah concerning the words of this book that has been found, for great is the anger of the Lord that has been poured out upon 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 went to holdah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tokhath, the son of Hasrah, the keeper of the garments, and she resided in Jerusalem in the second quarter, and they spoke to her about this. 23 And he said to them, "Thus says the Lord God of Israel: Tell the man who sent you to me..." 24 Thus says the LORD: Behold, I am bringing evil upon this place and upon its inhabitants, all the curses that are written in the book that was read before the king of Judah. 25 Because they have forsaken me and have burned incense to other gods 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. 26 And to the king of Judah who is sending you to inquire of the LORD, thus you shall say to him, thus says the LORD God of Israel, the words that you have heard. 27 Because your heart was humble and you humbled yourself before God when you heard my words concerning this place and those who dwell in it, and you humbled yourself before me and tore your garments and wept before me, I also have heard, says the Lord. 28 Behold, I will gather you to your ancestors, and you will be gathered to your grave in peace, and your eyes will not see all the evil that I will bring upon this place and upon its inhabitants. And they spoke to the king. 29 And the king sent and gathered all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 30 And the king went up to the house of the LORD, and all the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests and the Levites, and all the people from great to small, and he read in their hearing all the words of the book of the covenant that was found in the house of the LORD. 31 And the king stood on his stand and cut the 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 do the words of this covenant that are written on this book. 32 And he stood all that was found in Jerusalem and Benjamin, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem made a covenant with the God, the God of their fathers. 33 And Josiah removed all the abominations from all the lands that belonged to the children of Israel, and he made all that was found in Israel serve the Lord their God; all his days they did not turn away from following the Lord, the God of their fathers.