2 Chronicles 29-35

New American Standard Bible

Hezekiah Succeeds Ahaz in Judah

29 ^(A)Hezekiah became king when he was twenty-five years old; and he reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. ^2 (B)He did what was right in the sight of the Lord, in accordance with everything that his father David had done.

³ In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he ^(C)opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them. ⁴ He brought in the priests and the Levites and gathered them into the public square on the east.

Reforms Begun

⁵ Then he said to them, “Listen to me, you Levites. ^(D)Consecrate yourselves now, and consecrate the house of the Lord, the God of your fathers, and carry the uncleanness out of the holy place. ⁶ For our fathers have been unfaithful and have done evil in the sight of the Lord our God, and they have abandoned Him and ^(E)turned their faces away from the dwelling place of the Lord, and have ^[a]turned their backs. ⁷ They have also ^(F)shut the doors of the porch and extinguished the lamps, and have not burned incense nor offered burnt offerings in the holy place to the God of Israel. ⁸ Therefore ^(G)the wrath of the Lord was against Judah and Jerusalem, and He has made them an object of terror, of horror, and of ^(H)hissing, as you see with your own eyes. ⁹ For behold, ^(I)our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons, our daughters, and our wives are in captivity because of this. ¹⁰ Now it is in my heart ^(J)to make a covenant with the Lord God of Israel, so that His burning anger may turn away from us. ¹¹ My sons, do not be negligent now, for ^(K)the Lord has chosen you to stand before Him, to serve Him, and to be His ministers and burn incense.”

¹² Then the Levites arose: ^(L)Mahath the son of Amasai and Joel the son of Azariah, from the sons of ^(M)the Kohathites; and from the sons of Merari, Kish the son of Abdi and Azariah the son of Jehallelel; and from the Gershonites, Joah the son of Zimmah and Eden the son of Joah; ¹³ and from the sons of Elizaphan, Shimri and ^[b]Jeiel; and from the sons of Asaph, Zechariah and Mattaniah; ¹⁴ and from the sons of Heman, ^[c]Jehiel and Shimei; and from the sons of Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel. ¹⁵ They assembled their brothers, ^(N)consecrated themselves, and went in ^(O)to cleanse the house of the Lord, according to the commandment of the king ^(P)by the words of the Lord. ¹⁶ So the priests went into the inner part of the house of the Lord to cleanse it, and they brought every unclean thing which they found in the temple of the Lord out to the courtyard of the house of the Lord. Then the Levites received it to carry out to ^(Q)the Kidron ^[d]Valley. ¹⁷ Now they began ^[e]the consecration ^(R)on the first day of the first month, and on the eighth day of the month they entered the porch of the Lord. Then they consecrated the house of the Lord in eight days, and finished on the sixteenth day of the first month. ¹⁸ Then they went in to King Hezekiah and said, “We have cleansed the whole house of the Lord, the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the table of the showbread with all of its utensils. ¹⁹ Moreover, ^(S)all the utensils which King Ahaz had discarded during his reign in his unfaithfulness, we have prepared and consecrated; and behold, they are before the altar of the Lord.”

Hezekiah Restores Temple Worship

²⁰ Then King Hezekiah got up early and assembled the princes of the city, and went up to the house of the Lord. ²¹ They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats ^(T)as a sin offering for the kingdom, the sanctuary, and Judah. And he ordered the priests, the sons of Aaron, to offer them on the altar of the Lord. ²² So they slaughtered the bulls, and the priests took the blood and sprinkled it on the altar. They also slaughtered the rams and sprinkled the blood on the altar; they slaughtered the lambs as well, and ^(U)sprinkled the blood on the altar. ²³ Then they brought the male goats of the sin offering before the king and the assembly, and ^(V)they laid their hands on them. ²⁴ The priests slaughtered them and purified the altar with their blood ^(W)to atone for all Israel, because the king ordered the burnt offering and the sin offering for all Israel.

^25 (X)He then stationed the Levites in the house of the Lord with cymbals, harps, and lyres, ^(Y)according to the command of David and of ^(Z)Gad, the king’s seer, and of ^(AA)Nathan the prophet; for the command was from the Lord through His prophets. ²⁶ The Levites stood with ^(AB)the musical instruments of David, and ^(AC)the priests with the trumpets. ²⁷ Then Hezekiah gave the order to offer the burnt offering on the altar. When the burnt offering began, ^(AD)the song to the Lord also began with the trumpets, ^[f]accompanied by the instruments of David, king of Israel. ²⁸ While the whole assembly worshiped, the singers also sang and the trumpets sounded; all this continued until the burnt offering was finished.

²⁹ Now at the completion of the burnt offerings, ^(AE)the king and all who were present with him bowed down and worshiped. ³⁰ Moreover, King Hezekiah and the officials ordered the Levites to sing praises to the Lord with the words of David and Asaph the seer. ^(AF)So they sang praises with joy, and bowed down and worshiped.

³¹ Then Hezekiah said, “^(AG)Now that you have ^[g]consecrated yourselves to the Lord, come forward and bring sacrifices and thanksgiving offerings to the house of the Lord.” So the assembly brought sacrifices and thanksgiving offerings, and ^(AH)everyone who was ^[h]willing brought burnt offerings. ³² The number of the burnt offerings which the assembly brought was seventy bulls, a hundred rams, and two hundred lambs; all of these were for a burnt offering to the Lord. ³³ The consecrated offerings were six hundred bulls and three thousand sheep. ³⁴ But the priests were too few, so that they were unable to skin all the burnt offerings; ^(AI)therefore their brothers the Levites helped them until the work was finished and the other priests had consecrated themselves. For ^(AJ)the Levites were more ^[i]conscientious to consecrate themselves than the priests. ³⁵ There were also ^[j](AK)many burnt offerings with ^(AL)the fat of the peace offerings and ^(AM)the drink offerings for the burnt offerings. So the service of the house of the Lord was established again. ³⁶ Then Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced over what God had prepared for the people, because the thing came about suddenly.

All Israel Invited to the Passover

30 Now Hezekiah sent word to all Israel and Judah and also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the Lord in Jerusalem to ^[k]celebrate the Passover to the Lord God of Israel. ² For the king and his princes and all the assembly in Jerusalem had decided ^(AN)to celebrate the Passover in the second month, ³ since they could not celebrate it ^(AO)at that time, because the priests had not consecrated themselves in sufficient numbers, nor had the people been gathered to Jerusalem. ⁴ So the ^[l]decision was right in the sight of the king and all the assembly. ⁵ So they established a decree to circulate a ^[m]proclamation throughout Israel ^(AP)from Beersheba to Dan, that they are to come to celebrate the Passover to the Lord God of Israel in Jerusalem. For they had not celebrated it in great numbers as was written. ^6 (AQ)The ^[n]couriers went throughout Israel and Judah with the letters from the hand of the king and his princes, even according to the command of the king, saying, “Sons of Israel, return to the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, that He may return to those of you who escaped and are left from ^(AR)the ^[o]hand of the kings of Assyria. ^7 (AS)Do not be like your fathers and your brothers, who were untrue to the Lord God of their fathers, so that ^(AT)He made them an object of horror, just as you see. ⁸ Now do not ^(AU)stiffen your neck like your fathers, but ^[p]yield to the Lord and enter His sanctuary which He has consecrated forever, and serve the Lord your God, ^(AV)that His burning anger may turn away from you. ⁹ For ^(AW)if you return to the Lord, your brothers and your sons will find compassion in the presence of those who led them captive, and will return to this land. ^(AX)For the Lord your God is gracious and compassionate, and will not turn His face away from you if you return to Him.”

¹⁰ So the ^[q]couriers passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, and as far as Zebulun, but ^(AY)they laughed at them with scorn and mocked them. ¹¹ Nevertheless, ^(AZ)some men of Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. ¹² The ^(BA)hand of God was also on Judah to give them one heart to do what the king and the princes commanded by the word of the Lord.

Passover Reinstituted

¹³ Now many people were gathered at Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread ^(BB)in the second month, a very large assembly. ¹⁴ They got up and removed the altars which were in Jerusalem; they also ^(BC)removed all the incense altars and ^(BD)threw them into the brook Kidron. ¹⁵ Then ^(BE)they slaughtered the Passover lambs on the fourteenth of the second month. And ^(BF)the priests and Levites were ashamed of themselves, and consecrated themselves and brought burnt offerings to the house of the Lord. ^16 (BG)They stood at their stations following their custom, according to the Law of Moses the man of God; the priests sprinkled the blood which they received from the hand of the Levites. ¹⁷ For there were many in the assembly who had not consecrated themselves; therefore, ^(BH)the Levites were in charge of the slaughter of the Passover lambs for everyone who was unclean, in order to consecrate them to the Lord. ¹⁸ For a multitude of the people, ^(BI)many from Ephraim and Manasseh, and Issachar and Zebulun, had not purified themselves, ^(BJ)yet they ate the Passover ^(BK)contrary to what was written. For Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May the good Lord pardon ^19 (BL)everyone who prepares his heart to seek God, the Lord God of his fathers, though not according to the purification rules of the sanctuary.” ²⁰ So the Lord heard Hezekiah and ^(BM)healed the people. ²¹ The sons of Israel present in Jerusalem ^(BN)celebrated the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days with great joy, and the Levites and the priests were praising the Lord day after day with loud instruments to the Lord. ²² Then Hezekiah ^(BO)spoke ^[r]encouragingly to all the Levites who showed good insight in the things of the Lord. So they ate for the appointed seven days, sacrificing peace offerings and ^(BP)giving thanks to the Lord God of their fathers.

²³ Then the whole assembly ^(BQ)decided to celebrate the feast another seven days, so they celebrated the seven days with joy. ²⁴ For ^(BR)Hezekiah king of Judah had contributed to the assembly a thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep, and the princes had contributed to the assembly a thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep; and ^(BS)a large number of priests consecrated themselves. ²⁵ All the assembly of Judah rejoiced, with the priests and the Levites and ^(BT)all the assembly that came from Israel, both the strangers who came from the land of Israel and those living in Judah. ²⁶ So there was great joy in Jerusalem, because there was nothing like this in Jerusalem ^(BU)since the days of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel. ²⁷ Then ^(BV)the Levitical priests stood and ^(BW)blessed the people; and their voice was heard and their prayer came to ^(BX)His holy dwelling place, to heaven.

Idols Are Destroyed

31 Now when all this was finished, all Israel who were present went out to the cities of Judah, ^(BY)broke the memorial stones in pieces, cut down the ^[s]Asherim and pulled down the high places and the altars throughout Judah and Benjamin, as well as in Ephraim and Manasseh, until ^[t]they had destroyed them all. Then all the sons of Israel returned to their cities, each to his possession.

² And Hezekiah appointed ^(BZ)the divisions of the priests and the Levites by their divisions, each according to his service, both the priests and the Levites, ^(CA)for burnt offerings and for peace offerings, to serve and to give thanks and to praise in the gates of the camp of the Lord.

Reforms Continued

³ He also appointed ^(CB)the king’s portion of his property for the burnt offerings, namely, for the morning and evening burnt offerings, and the burnt offerings for the Sabbaths and for the new moons and for the appointed festivals, ^(CC)as it is written in the Law of the Lord. ⁴ Also he told the people who lived in Jerusalem to give ^(CD)the portion due to the priests and the Levites, so that they might devote themselves to ^(CE)the Law of the Lord. ⁵ As soon as the ^[u]order spread, the sons of Israel abundantly provided the first fruits of grain, new wine, oil, honey, and of all the produce of the field; and they brought in abundantly ^(CF)the tithe of everything. ⁶ The sons of Israel and Judah who lived in the cities of Judah also brought in the tithe of oxen and sheep, and ^(CG)the tithe of ^[v]sacred gifts which were consecrated to the Lord their God, and placed them in heaps. ⁷ In the third month they began to ^[w]make the heaps, and they finished them by the seventh month. ⁸ When Hezekiah and the rulers came and saw the heaps, they blessed the Lord and ^(CH)His people Israel. ⁹ Then Hezekiah questioned the priests and the Levites concerning the heaps. ¹⁰ Azariah, the chief priest ^(CI)of the house of Zadok, said to ^[x]him, “^(CJ)Since the contributions started coming into the house of the Lord, we have had enough to eat with plenty left over, for the Lord has blessed His people, and this great quantity is left over.”

¹¹ Then Hezekiah commanded them to prepare ^(CK)rooms in the house of the Lord, and they prepared them. ¹² They faithfully brought in the contributions, the tithes, and the consecrated things; and Conaniah the Levite was the officer in charge ^(CL)of them, and his brother Shimei was second. ¹³ Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismachiah, Mahath, and Benaiah were overseers ^[y]under the authority of Conaniah and his brother Shimei by the appointment of King Hezekiah, and ^(CM)Azariah was the chief officer of the house of God. ¹⁴ Kore the son of Imnah the Levite, the keeper of the eastern gate, was in charge of the ^[z]voluntary offerings for God, to distribute the contributions for the Lord and the most holy things. ^15 [aa]Under his authority were ^(CN)Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah, in ^(CO)the cities of the priests, to distribute their portions faithfully to their brothers by divisions, whether great or small, ¹⁶ without regard to their genealogical enrollment, to the males from ^[ab](CP)thirty years old and upward—everyone who entered the house of the Lord ^(CQ)for his daily obligations—for their work in their duties according to their divisions; ¹⁷ as well as the priests who were enrolled genealogically according to their fathers’ households, and the Levites ^(CR)from twenty years old and upward, by their duties and their divisions. ¹⁸ The genealogical enrollment included ^[ac]all their little children, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, for the whole assembly, for they consecrated themselves ^[ad]faithfully in holiness. ¹⁹ Also for the sons of Aaron, the priests, who were in ^(CS)the pasture lands of their cities, or in each and every city, ^(CT)there were men who were designated by name to distribute portions to every male among the priests and to everyone genealogically enrolled among the Levites.

²⁰ Hezekiah did this throughout Judah; and ^(CU)he did what was good, right, and true before the Lord his God. ²¹ Every work which he began in the service of the house of God in the Law and in the commandment, seeking his God, he did with all his heart and ^(CV)prospered.

Sennacherib Invades Judah

32 After these ^[ae]acts of faithfulness ^(CW)Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah and besieged the fortified cities, and ^[af]intended to break into them for himself. ² Now when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and that ^[ag]he intended to wage war against Jerusalem, ³ he decided with his officers and his warriors to cut off the supply of water from the springs which were outside the city, and they helped him. ⁴ So many people assembled ^(CX)and stopped up all the springs and ^(CY)the stream which flowed ^[ah]through the region, saying, “Why should the kings of Assyria come and find abundant water?” ⁵ And he resolutely set to work and ^(CZ)rebuilt all of the wall that had been broken down and ^[ai]erected towers on it, and built ^(DA)another outside wall and strengthened the ^[aj](DB)Millo in the city of David, and made weapons and shields in great numbers. ⁶ He appointed military officers over the people and gathered them to him in the public square at the city gate, and ^(DC)spoke ^[ak]encouragingly to them, saying, ⁷ “^(DD)Be strong and courageous, do not fear or be dismayed because of the king of Assyria nor because of all the horde that is with him; ^(DE)for the One with us is greater than the one with him. ⁸ With him is only ^(DF)an arm of flesh, but ^(DG)with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people relied on the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

Sennacherib Undermines Hezekiah

⁹ After this ^(DH)Sennacherib king of Assyria sent his servants to Jerusalem while he was ^[al]besieging Lachish with all his forces with him, against Hezekiah king of Judah and against all of Judah who were in Jerusalem, saying, ¹⁰ “This is what Sennacherib king of Assyria says: ‘On what are you trusting that you are staying in Jerusalem under siege? ¹¹ Is Hezekiah not misleading you to give yourselves over to die by hunger and by thirst, saying, “The Lord our God will save us from the ^[am]hand of the king of Assyria”? ^12 (DI)Is it not the same Hezekiah who removed His high places and His altars, and said to Judah and ^[an]Jerusalem, “You shall worship before one altar, and on it you shall ^[ao]burn incense”? ¹³ Do you not know what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of the lands? ^(DJ)Were the gods of the nations of those lands at all able to save their land from my hand? ^14 (DK)Who was there among all the gods of those nations which my fathers utterly destroyed who could save his people from my hand, that your God would be able to save you from my hand? ¹⁵ Now then, do not let Hezekiah deceive you or mislead you like this, and do not believe him, for ^(DL)no god of any nation or kingdom was able to save his people from my hand or from the hand of my fathers. How much less will your God save you from my hand?’”

¹⁶ His servants spoke further against the Lord God and against His servant Hezekiah. ¹⁷ He also wrote letters to insult the Lord God of Israel, and to speak against Him, saying, “^(DM)As the gods of the nations of the lands ^[ap]have not saved their people from my hand, so the God of Hezekiah will not save His people from my hand.” ^18 (DN)They called this out with a loud voice in the language of Judah to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to frighten and terrify them, so that they might take the city. ¹⁹ They spoke ^[aq]of the God of Jerusalem as they did against ^(DO)the gods of the peoples of the earth, the work of human hands.

Hezekiah’s Prayer Is Answered

²⁰ But King Hezekiah and Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, prayed about this and called out to heaven for help. ²¹ And the Lord sent an angel who destroyed every warrior, commander, and officer in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned ^[ar]in shame to his own land. And when he had entered the temple of his god, some of his own sons killed him there with the sword. ²² So the Lord ^(DP)saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria and from the hand of all others, and ^[as]guided them on every side. ²³ And ^(DQ)many were bringing gifts to the Lord at Jerusalem and valuable presents to Hezekiah king of Judah; so thereafter ^(DR)he rose in the sight of all nations.

^24 (DS)In those days Hezekiah became ^[at]mortally ill; and he prayed to the Lord, and ^[au]the Lord spoke to him and gave him a sign. ²⁵ But Hezekiah did nothing in return for the benefit ^[av]he received, ^(DT)because his heart was ^[aw]proud; ^(DU)therefore wrath came upon him and upon Judah and Jerusalem. ²⁶ However, ^(DV)Hezekiah ^[ax]humbled the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the Lord did not come on them in the days of Hezekiah.

²⁷ Now Hezekiah had immense riches and honor; and he made for himself treasuries for silver, gold, precious stones, spices, shields, and all kinds of valuable articles, ²⁸ also storehouses for the produce of grain, wine, and oil; stalls for all kinds of cattle, and ^[ay]sheepfolds for the flocks. ²⁹ He made cities for himself and acquired flocks and herds in abundance, because ^(DW)God had given him very great ^[az]wealth. ³⁰ It was Hezekiah who ^(DX)stopped the upper outlet of the waters of ^(DY)Gihon and directed them to the west side of the city of David. And Hezekiah was successful in everything that he did. ³¹ Even in the matter of ^(DZ)the messengers of the rulers of Babylon, who were sent to him to inquire about ^(EA)the wonder that had happened in the land; God left him alone only ^(EB)to test him, so that He might know everything that was in his heart.

³² Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah and his deeds of devotion, behold, they are written in the vision of Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. ³³ So Hezekiah ^[ba]lay down with his fathers, and they buried him in the ^[bb]upper section of the tombs of the sons of David; and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem ^(EC)honored him at his death. And his son Manasseh became king in his place.

Manasseh Succeeds Hezekiah in Judah

33 ^(ED)Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned for fifty-five years in Jerusalem. ^2 (EE)He did evil in the sight of the Lord according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord dispossessed before the sons of Israel. ³ For ^(EF)he rebuilt the high places which his father Hezekiah had torn down; ^(EG)he also set up altars for the Baals and made ^[bc]Asherim, and he worshiped all the heavenly ^[bd]lights and served them. ^4 (EH)He built altars in the house of the Lord of which the Lord had said, “My name shall be ^(EI)in Jerusalem forever.” ⁵ He built altars for all the heavenly ^[be]lights in ^(EJ)the two courtyards of the house of the Lord. ^6 (EK)He also made his sons pass through the fire in the Valley of Ben-hinnom; and he practiced witchcraft, used divination, practiced sorcery, and ^(EL)dealt with mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking Him to anger. ⁷ Then he put ^(EM)the carved image of the idol which he had made in the house of God, of which God had said to David and his son Solomon, “^(EN)In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel, I will put My name forever; ⁸ and I will not remove the foot of Israel again from the land ^(EO)which I have appointed for your fathers, if only they will take care to do everything that I have commanded them according to all the Law, the statutes, and the ordinances given through Moses.” ⁹ So Manasseh encouraged Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to do more evil than the nations whom the Lord destroyed before the sons of Israel.

Manasseh’s Idolatry Rebuked

¹⁰ So the Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but ^(EP)they paid no attention. ^11 (EQ)Therefore the Lord brought the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria against them, and they captured Manasseh with hooks, ^(ER)bound him with bronze chains, and led him to Babylon. ¹² When ^(ES)he was in distress, he appeased the Lord his God and ^(ET)humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. ¹³ When he prayed to Him, ^(EU)He was moved by him and heard his pleading, and brought him back to Jerusalem to his kingdom. Then Manasseh ^(EV)knew that the Lord alone is God.

¹⁴ Now after this he built the outer wall of the city of David on the west side of ^(EW)Gihon, in the valley, up to the entrance of the ^(EX)Fish Gate; and he encircled the ^(EY)Ophel with it and made it very high. Then he put army commanders in all the fortified cities in Judah. ¹⁵ He also ^(EZ)removed the foreign gods and the idol from the house of the Lord, as well as all the altars which he had built on the mountain of the house of the Lord and in Jerusalem, and he threw them outside the city. ¹⁶ He set up the altar of the Lord and sacrificed ^(FA)peace offerings and thanksgiving offerings on it; and he ordered Judah to serve the Lord God of Israel. ¹⁷ However, ^(FB)the people still sacrificed on the high places, although only to the Lord their God.

¹⁸ Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh and ^(FC)his prayer to his God, and the words of ^(FD)the seers who spoke to him in the name of the Lord God of Israel, behold, they are among the records of the kings of ^(FE)Israel. ¹⁹ His prayer also and ^(FF)how God was moved by him, and all his sin, his unfaithfulness, and ^(FG)the sites on which he built high places and erected the ^[bf]Asherim and the carved images, before he humbled himself, behold, they are written in the records of ^[bg]Hozai. ²⁰ So Manasseh ^[bh]lay down with his fathers, and they buried him in his own house. And his son Amon became king in his place.

Amon Becomes King in Judah

^21 (FH)Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned for two years in Jerusalem. ²² He did evil in the sight of the Lord, just as his father Manasseh ^(FI)had done, and Amon sacrificed to all ^(FJ)the carved images which his father Manasseh had made, and he served them. ²³ Furthermore, he did not humble himself before the Lord ^(FK)as his father Manasseh had ^[bi]done, but Amon multiplied his guilt. ²⁴ Finally, ^(FL)his servants conspired against him and put him to death in his own house. ²⁵ But the people of the land ^[bj]killed all the conspirators against King Amon, and the people of the land made his son Josiah king in his place.

Josiah Succeeds Amon in Judah

34 ^(FM)Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned for thirty-one years in Jerusalem. ^2 (FN)He did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the ways of his father David and did not turn aside to the right or the left. ³ For in the eighth year of his reign while he was still a youth, he began to ^(FO)seek the God of his father David; and in the twelfth year he began ^(FP)to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the ^[bk]Asherim, the carved images, and the cast metal images. ⁴ They tore down the altars of the Baals in his presence, and he chopped down ^(FQ)the incense altars that were high above them; also he broke in pieces the Asherim, the carved images, and the cast metal images, and ^(FR)ground them to powder, and scattered it on the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. ⁵ Then ^(FS)he burned the bones of the priests on their altars and purged Judah and Jerusalem. ^6 (FT)In the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, Simeon, and as far as Naphtali, in their surrounding spaces, ⁷ he also tore down the altars and ^(FU)crushed the ^[bl]Asherim and the carved images into powder, and chopped down all the incense altars throughout the land of Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem.

Josiah Repairs the Temple

^8 (FV)Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land and the house, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, Maaseiah ^(FW)an official of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the secretary, to repair the house of the Lord his God. ⁹ They came to ^(FX)Hilkiah the high priest and gave him the money that was brought into the house of God, which the Levites, the ^[bm]doorkeepers, had collected ^[bn]from ^(FY)Manasseh and Ephraim, and from all the remnant of Israel, from all Judah and Benjamin and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. ¹⁰ Then they handed it over to the workmen who had the oversight of the house of the Lord, and the workmen who were working in the house of the Lord ^[bo]used it to restore and repair the house. ¹¹ They in turn gave it to the carpenters and the builders to buy quarried stone and timber for couplings, and to make beams for the houses ^(FZ)which the kings of Judah had let go to ruin. ^12 (GA)The men did the work faithfully with foremen over them to supervise: Jahath and Obadiah, the Levites of the sons of Merari, Zechariah and Meshullam of the sons of the Kohathites, and ^(GB)the Levites, all who were skillful with musical instruments. ¹³ They were also in charge of ^(GC)the burden bearers, and supervised all the workmen from job to job; and some of the Levites were scribes, and officials, and gatekeepers.

Hilkiah Discovers the Lost Book of the Law

¹⁴ When they were bringing out the money which had been brought into the house of the Lord, ^(GD)Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the Lord given by Moses. ¹⁵ Hilkiah responded 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 Then Shaphan brought the book to the king and ^[bp]reported further word to the king, saying, “Everything that was ^[bq]entrusted to your servants, they are doing. ¹⁷ They have also emptied out the money which was found in the house of the Lord, and have handed it over to the supervisors and the workmen.” ¹⁸ Moreover, Shaphan the scribe informed the king, saying, “Hilkiah the priest gave me a book.” And Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king.

¹⁹ When the king heard ^(GE)the words of the Law, ^(GF)he tore his clothes. ²⁰ Then the king commanded Hilkiah, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, ^[br]Abdon the son of Micah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king’s servant, saying, ²¹ “Go, inquire of the Lord for me and for those who are left in Israel and Judah, concerning the words of the book which has been found; for ^(GG)the wrath of the Lord which has poured out on us is great, because our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord, to act in accordance with everything that is written in this book.”

Huldah, the Prophetess, Speaks

²² So Hilkiah and those ^[bs]whom the king had told went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of ^[bt]Tokhath, the son of Hasrah, the keeper of the wardrobe (she lived in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter); and they spoke to her regarding this. ²³ Then she said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘Tell the man who sent you to Me, ²⁴ this is what the Lord says: “Behold, ^(GH)I am bringing ^[bu]evil on this place and on its inhabitants, all ^(GI)the curses written in the book which they have read in the presence of the king of Judah. ^25 (GJ)Since they have abandoned Me and have burned incense to other gods, so that they may provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands, My wrath will be poured out on this place and it will not be quenched.”’ ²⁶ But to the king of Judah who sent you to inquire of the Lord, this is what you shall say to him: ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: In regard to the words which you have heard, ²⁷ “^(GK)Because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and its inhabitants, and because you humbled yourself before Me, tore your clothes, and wept before Me, I have indeed heard you,” declares the Lord. ²⁸ “Behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you will be gathered to your grave in peace, so your eyes will not see all the evil which I am bringing on this place and its inhabitants.”’” And they brought back word to the king.

^29 (GL)Then the king sent word and gathered all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. ³⁰ The king went up to the house of the Lord ^[bv]with ^(GM)all the men of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests, the Levites, and all the people, from the greatest to the least; and he read in their ^[bw]presence all the words of the Book of the Covenant which was found in the house of the Lord.

Josiah’s Good Reign

³¹ Then the king ^(GN)stood ^[bx]in his place and ^(GO)made a covenant before the Lord to walk after the Lord, and to keep His commandments, His testimonies, and His statutes with all his heart and with all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant that are written in this book. ³² Furthermore, he made all who were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin stand with him. So the inhabitants of Jerusalem acted in accordance with the covenant of God, the God of their fathers. ³³ Josiah ^(GP)removed all the abominations from all the lands belonging to the sons of Israel, and made all who were present in Israel serve the Lord their God. Throughout his ^[by]lifetime they did not turn from following the Lord God of their fathers.

The Passover Held Again

35 Then Josiah ^(GQ)celebrated the Passover to the Lord in Jerusalem, and ^(GR)they slaughtered the Passover animals on the fourteenth day of the first month. ² He appointed the priests to their offices and ^(GS)encouraged them in the service of the house of the Lord. ³ He also said to ^(GT)the Levites who taught all Israel and who were holy to the Lord, “Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David king of Israel built; ^(GU)it will not be a burden on your shoulders. Now serve the Lord your God and His people Israel. ^4 (GV)Prepare yourselves by your fathers’ households in your divisions, according to the writing of David king of Israel and ^(GW)according to the writing of his son Solomon. ⁵ Furthermore, ^(GX)stand in the holy place according to the sections of the fathers’ households of your countrymen, the ^[bz]lay people, and according to the Levites, by division of a father’s household. ⁶ Now ^(GY)slaughter the Passover animals, ^(GZ)keep one another consecrated, and prepare for your countrymen to act in accordance with the word of the Lord by Moses.”

⁷ Josiah contributed to the lay people, to all who were present, flocks of lambs and young goats, all for the Passover offerings, numbering thirty thousand, plus three thousand bulls; these were from the king’s property. ⁸ His officers also contributed a ^[ca]voluntary offering to the people, the priests, and the Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, ^(HA)the officials of the house of God, gave the priests 2,600 from the flocks and three hundred bulls, for the Passover offerings. ^9 (HB)Conaniah also, and his brothers Shemaiah and Nethanel, and Hashabiah and Jeiel and Jozabad, the officers of the Levites, contributed five thousand from the flocks and five hundred bulls to the Levites for the Passover offerings.

¹⁰ So the service was prepared, and ^(HC)the priests stood at their positions and the Levites by their divisions according to the king’s command. ^11 [cb](HD)They slaughtered the Passover animals, and while ^(HE)the priests ^[cc]sprinkled the blood received from their hand, ^(HF)the Levites skinned the animals. ¹² Then they removed the burnt offerings so that they might give them to the sections of the fathers’ households of the lay people to present to the Lord, as it is written in the Book of Moses. They did this with the bulls as well. ¹³ So ^(HG)they roasted the Passover animals on the fire according to the ordinance, and they boiled ^(HH)the holy things in pots, in kettles, and in pans and carried them quickly to all the lay people. ¹⁴ Afterward they prepared for themselves and for the priests, because the priests, the sons of Aaron, were offering the burnt offerings and the fat until night; so the Levites prepared for themselves and for the priests, the sons of Aaron. ¹⁵ The singers, the sons of Asaph, were also at their positions ^(HI)according to the command of David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king’s seer; and ^(HJ)the gatekeepers at each gate did not have to leave their service, because their kinsmen the Levites prepared for them.

¹⁶ So all the service of the Lord was prepared on that day to celebrate the Passover, and to offer burnt offerings on the altar of the Lord according to the command of King Josiah. ¹⁷ And ^(HK)the sons of Israel who were present celebrated the Passover at that time, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days. ^18 (HL)There had not been a Passover celebrated like it in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet; nor had any of the kings of Israel celebrated such a Passover as Josiah did with the priests, the Levites, all Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. ¹⁹ In the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign this Passover was celebrated.

Josiah Dies in Battle

^20 (HM)After all this, when Josiah had set the ^[cd]temple in order, Neco king of Egypt came up to wage war at ^(HN)Carchemish on the Euphrates, and Josiah went out to engage him. ²¹ But ^[ce]Neco sent messengers to him, saying, “^[cf](HO)What business do you have with me, King of Judah? I am not coming against you today, but against the house with which I am at war, and God has told me to hurry. For your own sake, stop interfering with God who is with me, so that He does not destroy you.” ²² However, Josiah would not turn ^[cg]away from him, but ^(HP)disguised himself in order to fight against him; nor did he listen to the words of Neco ^(HQ)from the mouth of God, but he came to wage war on the plain of ^(HR)Megiddo. ²³ The archers shot King Josiah, and the king said to his servants, “Take me away, for I am badly wounded.” ²⁴ So his servants took him out of the chariot and carried him on the second chariot which he had, and brought him to Jerusalem ^[ch]where he died and was buried in the tombs of his fathers. ^(HS)All Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah. ²⁵ Then ^(HT)Jeremiah chanted a song of mourning for Josiah. And all the male and female singers speak about Josiah in their songs of mourning to this day. And they made them an ordinance in Israel; behold, they are also written in the Lamentations. ²⁶ Now the rest of the acts of Josiah and his deeds of devotion as written in the Law of the Lord, ²⁷ and his acts, the first to the last, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah.