2 Chronicles 34

NEW JERUSALEM	KING JAMES BIBLE
1 Josiah was eight years old when he came to the throne, and he reigned for thirty-one years inJerusalem.	1 Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem one and thirty years.
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, and declined 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 For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after the God 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.
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 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 strowed it upon the graves of them that had sacrificed unto 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 upon their altars, and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem.
6 In the towns of Manasseh, Ephraim and Simeon, as far as Naphtali, and round their open spaces,	6 And so did he in the cities of Manasseh, and Ephraim, and Simeon, even unto Naphtali, with their mattocks round about.
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 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.
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 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 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 when they came to Hilkiah the high priest, they delivered the money that was brought into the house of God, 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.
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 And they put it in the hand of the workmen that had the oversight of the house of the LORD, and they gave it to the workmen that wrought in the house of the LORD, to repair and amend the house:
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 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.
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 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 musick.
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 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.
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 And when they brought out the money that was brought into the house of the LORD, Hilkiah the priest found a book of the law of the LORD given by 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 Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the LORD. And Hilkiah delivered the book to Shaphan.
16 Shaphan took the book to the king, reporting furthermore to him as fol ows, 'Your servants have doneeverything entrusted to them.	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.
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 And they have gathered together the money that was found in the house of the LORD, and have delivered it into the hand of the overseers, and to the hand of the workmen.
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 Then Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath given me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king.
19 On hearing the words of the Law, the king tore his clothes.	19 And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the law, that he rent his clothes.
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 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,
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 Go, inquire of the LORD 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 the LORD that is poured out upon us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the LORD, to do after all that is 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 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.
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 God of Israel, Tell ye 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 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:
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 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.
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 And as for the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the LORD, so shall ye say unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel concerning the words which thou hast heard;
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 Because thine heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before God, 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 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 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.
29 The king then had al the elders of Judah and of Jerusalem summoned,	29 Then the king sent and gathered together all the elders of Judah 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 the king went up into 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, 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 the LORD.
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 the king stood in his place, and made a 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 perform the words of the covenant which are written in this book.
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 caused all that were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand to it. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, 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 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 the LORD their God. And all his days they departed not from following the LORD, the God of their fathers.