Chronicles of the Past Dynasties_Chapter 34

Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem for thirty-one years.

He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father David did, without turning to the right or the left.

In the eighth year of his reign, when he was still young, he sought the God of his father David. It was not until twelve years that Judah and Jerusalem were purified, and the high places, wooden poles, carved images, and cast images were removed.

Before him, the people demolished the altar of Baal, cut off the high sun statue on it, and shattered the wooden poles, carved images, and cast images into ashes, scattering them on the graves of the idols,

And he burned the bones of their priests on the altar, and purified Judah and Jerusalem.

And he did this in all the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, Simeon, and Naphtali, and in the surrounding destruction.

He also demolished the altar, smashed the wooden poles and carved images into ashes, cut off all the sun statues throughout Israel, and returned to Jerusalem.

In the eighteenth year of King Josiah’s reign, after purifying the land and the temple, he sent Shaphan the son of Azariah, Masiah the governor of the city, and Joah the son of Jehoahaz, the historian, to repair the temple of the Lord his God.

They went to see Hilkiah the high priest and gave him the silver that was brought to the temple of God. This silver was collected by the Levites who were guarding the gate of the temple from Manasseh, Ephraim, and all the remaining Israelites, as well as from all Judah, Benjamin, and the residents of Jerusalem.

And he gave the silver to the overseer of the work in the house of the Lord, and handed it over to the craftsmen who repaired the house of the Lord,

It is to be handed over to carpenters and stonemasons, to buy chiseled stones, frames, and pillars, and to repair the temple that the king of Judah destroyed.

These people are honest in their work, and the overseers are Jaha and Obadiah, the descendants of Milari, a Levite. Zechariah and Meshullam, the descendants of Kohatha, were the ones who were in charge of urging. There are also Levites who are good at making fun of themselves.

They also supervise the bearers and supervise all workers. Some of the Levites also served as secretaries, magistrates, and gatekeepers.

When they brought out the silver that was brought to the temple of the Lord, Hilkiah the priest happened to have access to the Book of the Law of the Lord, which Moses had proclaimed.

Hilkiah said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in the temple of the Lord.”. Then he handed the book to Shafan.

Shafan brought the book to the king and replied, ‘Everything that was entrusted to the servants has been handled.’.

The silver from the temple of the Lord was poured out and handed over to the overseers and craftsmen.

Secretary Shafan said to the king again, Hilkiah the priest has handed me a book. Shafan was reading the book in front of the king.

When the king heard the words of the law, he tore his clothes,

Command Hilkiah, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Abidon the son of Micah, Shaphan the secretary, and Asaiah the king’s servant,

Go and inquire of the Lord for me, for the remnant of Israel and Judah, according to the words of this book. Because our ancestors did not keep the words of the Lord and did not follow what is written in this book, the fierce anger of the Lord fell on us.

So Hilkiah and all the people sent by the king went to see the prophetess Hulda. Huleda is the wife in charge of the dress salon, which is the grandson of Hasra and the son of Teva. Hulda lived in the second district of Jerusalem. They asked her.

She said to them, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says:’ Reply to those who sent you to me, ‘,

Thus says the Lord, I will bring disaster upon this land and its inhabitants, according to all the curses in the book that I have read before the king of Judah.

Because they have abandoned me, burned incense to other gods, and provoked me to anger with the work of their hands, so my anger has poured out like fire on this land, never ceasing.

However, when the King of Judah sent you to inquire about the Lord, you shall reply to him in this way, saying, This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, has said: As for the words that you have heard,

When you hear what I say about this land and its inhabitants, you will be amazed in your heart, feel inferior before me, tear your clothes, and cry at me. Therefore, I have agreed to you. This is what the Lord has said.

I will bring you back to your grave in peace and to your ancestors, and you will not see with your own eyes all the calamity that I will bring upon this land and its inhabitants. They replied to the king and went.

The king sent people to gather all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem.

The king and all the people of Judah, along with the residents of Jerusalem, the priests and Levites, and all the people, big and small, went up to the temple of the Lord together. So the king read the covenant he had obtained in the temple to them.

The king stood in his position and made a covenant before the Lord, to obey the Lord with all his heart and soul, to keep his commandments, testimonies, and laws, and to fulfill the covenant written in this book.

And he made all the inhabitants of Jerusalem and Benjamin obey this covenant. So all the residents of Jerusalem followed the covenant of the God of their ancestors.

Josiah removed all the detestable things from all over Israel, so that all the people in Israel would serve the Lord their God. During his lifetime, Josiah followed the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and did not depart.