2 Chronicles 34

NEW JERUSALEM	DOUAI-RHEIMS
1 Josiah was eight years old when he came to the throne, and he reigned for thirty-one years inJerusalem.	1 Josias was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned one and thirty years in Jerusalem.
2 He did what is pleasing to Yahweh, and fol owed the example of his ancestor David, not deviatingfrom it to right or to left.	2 And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the ways of David his father: he declined not, neither to the right hand, nor to the left.
3 In the eighth year of his reign, when he was still a youth, he began to seek the God of his ancestorDavid. In the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the sacred poles and thesculpted and cast images.	3 And in the eighth year of his reign, when he was yet a boy, he began to seek the God of his father David: and in the twelfth year after he began to reign, he cleansed Juda and Jerusalem from the high places, and the groves, and the idols, and the graven things.
4 He superintended the smashing of the altars of Baal, he broke up the incense altars standing abovethem, he shattered the sacred poles and the sculpted and cast images and reduced them to powder, scatteringthe powder on the graves of those who had sacrificed to them.	4 And they broke down before him the altars of Baalim, and demolished the idols that had been set upon them: and be cut down the groves and the graven things, and broke them in pieces: and strewed the fragments upon the graves of them that had sacrificed to them.
5 He burned the bones of their priests on their altars and so purified Judah and Jerusalem.	5 And he burnt the bones of the priests on the altars of the idols, and he cleansed Juda and Jerusalem.
6 In the towns of Manasseh, Ephraim and Simeon, as far as Naphtali, and round their open spaces,	6 And in the cities of Manasses, and of Ephraim, and of Simeon, even to Nephtali he demolished all.
7 he smashed the altars and sacred poles, reduced the sculpted images to powder and broke up al theincense altars throughout the territory of Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem.	7 And when he had destroyed the altars, and the groves, and had broken the idols in pieces, and had demolished all profane temples throughout all the land of Israel, he returned to Jerusalem.
8 In the eighteenth year of his reign, after purging the country and the Temple, he commissionedShaphan son of Azaliah, Maaseiah governor of the city and the herald Joah son of Joahaz, to repair the Templeof Yahweh his God.	8 Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had cleansed the land, and the temple of the Lord, he sent Saphan the son of Eselias, and Maasias the governor of the city, Joha the son of Joachaz the recorder, to repair the house of the Lord his God.
9 When they came to the high priest Hilkiah, they handed over the money contributed to the Temple ofGod and col ected by the levitical guardians of the threshold from Manasseh and Ephraim, from all the rest of Israel, from al Judah and Benjamin, and from the inhabitants of Jerusalem.	9 And they came to Helcias the high priest: and received of him the money which had been brought into the house of the Lord, and which the Levites and porters had gathered together from Manasses, and Ephraim, and all the remnant of Israel, and from all Juda, and Benjamin, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem,
10 They handed it over to the masters of works attached to the Temple of Yahweh, and these gave it tothe men working on the Temple of Yahweh to repair and restore the Temple;	10 Which they delivered into the hands of them that were over the workmen in the house of the Lord, to repair the temple, and mend all that was weak.
11 they gave it to the craftsmen and builders for buying dressed stone and timber for beams, tounderpin the buildings which the kings of Judah had al owed to fall into decay.	11 But they gave it to the artificers, and to the masons, to buy stones out of the quarries, and timber for the couplings of the building, and to rafter the houses, which the kings of Juda had destroyed.
12 The men were conscientious in doing their work; their foremen were Jahath and Obadiah, Levitesdescended from Merari, and Zechariah and Meshul am, descended from Kohath, who supervised. The Levites --al of whom were skilled instrumentalists-	12 And they did all faithfully. Now the overseers of the workmen were Jahath and Abdias of the sons of Merari, Zacharias and Mosollam of the sons of Caath, who hastened the work: all Levites skilful to play on instruments.
13 were in charge of the carriers and supervised al the workmen at their various jobs, while some of theLevites acted as secretaries, book-keepers and gatekeepers.	13 But over them that carried burdens for divers uses, were scribes, and masters of the number of the Levites, and porters.
14 While bringing out the money contributed to the Temple of Yahweh, the priest Hilkiah found the bookof the Law of Yahweh given through Moses.	14 Now when they carried out the money that had been brought into the temple of the Lord, Helcias the priest found the book of the law of the Lord, by the hand of Moses.
15 Hilkiah then said to Shaphan the secretary, 'I have found the Book of the Law in the Temple ofYahweh.' And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan.	15 And he said to Saphan the scribe: I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord: and he delivered it to him.
16 Shaphan took the book to the king, reporting furthermore to him as fol ows, 'Your servants have doneeverything entrusted to them.	16 But he carried the book to the king, and told him, saying: Lo, all that thou hast committed to thy servants, is accomplished.
17 They have melted down the silver which was in the Temple of Yahweh and have handed it over tothe supervisors and the masters of works.'	17 They have gathered together the silver that was found in the house of the Lord: and it is given to the overseers of the artificers, and of the workmen, for divers works.
18 Shaphan the secretary also informed the king, 'The priest Hilkiah has given me a book'; andShaphan read extracts from it in the king's presence.	18 Moreover Helcias the priest gave me this book. And he read it before the king.
19 On hearing the words of the Law, the king tore his clothes.	19 And when he had heard the words of the law, he rent his garments:
20 Then the king gave the fol owing order to Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Abdon son of Micah,Shaphan the secretary and Asaiah the king's minister,	20 And he commanded Helcias, and Ahicam the son of Saphan, and Abdon the son of Micha, and Saphan the scribe, and Asaa the king's servant, saying:
21 'Go and consult Yahweh on behalf of me and of those left in Israel and Judah about the words of thebook that has been discovered: for Yahweh's furious wrath has been pouring down on us because our ancestorsdid not obey the word of Yahweh by doing what this book says they ought to have done.'	21 ,21Go, and pray to the Lord for me, and for the remnant of Israel, and Juda, concerning all the words of this book, which is found: for the great wrath of the Lord hath fallen upon us, because our fathers have not kept the words of the Lord, to do all things that are written in this book.
22 Hilkiah and those whom the king had designated went to the prophetess Huldah wife of Shallum, sonof Tokhath, son of Hasrah, the keeper of the wardrobe; she lived in Jerusalem in the new town. They spoke toher about this,	22 And Helcias and they that were sent with him by the king, went to Olda the prophetess, the wife of Sellum the son of Thecuath, the son of Hasra keeper of the wardrobe: who dwelt in Jerusalem in the Second part: and they spoke to her the words above mentioned.
23 and she replied, 'Yahweh, God of Israel, says this, "To the man who sent you to me reply:	23 And she answered them: Thus saith the Lord the God of Israel: Tell the man that sent you to me:
24 Yahweh says this: I am going to bring disaster on this place and the people who live in it -- all thecurses set down in the book read in the king of Judah's presence.	24 Thus saith the Lord: Behold I will bring evils upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, and all the curses that are written in this book which they read before the king of Juda.
25 Because they have abandoned me and burnt incense to other gods, so as to provoke my anger bytheir every action, my wrath is about to be poured down on this place, and nothing can stop it.	25 Because they have forsaken me, and have sacrificed to strange gods, to provoke me to wrath with all the works of their hands, therefore my wrath shall fall upon this place, and shall not be quenched.
26 As for the king of Judah who sent you to consult Yahweh, say this to him: Yahweh, God of Israel,says this: The words you have heard . . .	26 But as to the king of Juda that sent you to beseech the Lord, thus shall you say to him: Thus saith the Lord the God of Israel: Because thou hast heard the words of this book,
27 But since your heart has been touched and you have humbled yourself before God on hearing whathe has decreed against this place and the people who live in it, have torn your clothes and wept before me, I toohave heard"-Yahweh says this.	27 And thy heart was softened. and thou hast humbled thyself in the sight of God for the things that are spoken against this place, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and reverencing my face, hast rent thy garments, and wept before me: I also have heard thee, saith the Lord.
28 "Look, when I gather you to your ancestors, you wil be gathered into your grave in peace; you wilnot live to see the great disaster that I am going to bring on this place and on the people who live in it." ' Theytook this answer to the king.	28 For now I will gather thee to thy fathers, and thou shalt be brought to thy tomb in peace: and thy eyes shall not see all the evil that I will bring upon this place, and the inhabitants thereof. They therefore reported to the king all that she had said.
29 The king then had al the elders of Judah and of Jerusalem summoned,	29 And he called together all the ancients of Juda and Jerusalem.
30 and the king went up to the temple of Yahweh, with al the men of Judah and al the inhabitants ofJerusalem, priests, Levites and al the people, high and low. In their hearing he read out the entire contents ofthe Book of the Covenant discovered in the Temple of Yahweh.	30 And went up to the house of the Lord, and all the men of Juda, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests and the Levites, and all the people from the least to the greatest. And the king read in their hearing, in the house of the Lord, all the words of the book.
31 The king then, standing on the dais, bound himself by the covenant before Yahweh, to followYahweh, to keep his commandments, decrees and laws with al his heart and soul and to carry out the terms ofthe covenant as written in this book.	31 And standing up in his tribunal, he made a covenant before the Lord to walk after him, and keep his commandments, and testimonies, and justifications with all his heart, and with all his soul, and to do the things that were written in that book which he had read.
32 He made al those present in Jerusalem and Benjamin pledge their al egiance to it. The citizens ofJerusalem took action in keeping with the covenant of God, the God of their ancestors,	32 And he adjured all that were found in Jerusalem and Benjamin to do the same: and the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of the Lord the God of their fathers.
33 while Josiah removed al the abominations throughout the territories belonging to the Israelites andrequired all inhabitants of Israel to serve Yahweh their God; throughout his lifetime they did not deviate fromfol owing Yahweh, God of their ancestors.	33 And Josias took away all the abominations out of all the countries of the children of Israel: and made all that were left in Israel, to serve the Lord their God. As long as he lived they departed not from the Lord the God of their fathers.