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2 Kings 22
1599 Geneva Bible
2 Kings 22
1599 Geneva Bible
22 4 Josiah repaireth the Temple. 8 Hilkiah findeth the book of the Law, and causeth it to be presented to Josiah. 12 Who sendeth to Huldah the Prophetess to inquire the Lord’s will.
1 Josiah was (A)eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned one and thirty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name also was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath.
2 And he did uprightly in the sight of the Lord, and [a]walked in all the ways of David his father, and bowed neither to the right hand, nor to the left.
3 ¶ And in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, the king sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah the son of Meshullam the chancellor, to the house of the Lord, saying,
4 Go up to Hilkiah the high Priest, that he may [b]sum the silver which is brought into the house of the Lord, which the keepers of the [c][d]door have gathered of the people.
5 And let [e]them deliver it into the hand of them that do the work, and have the oversight of the house of the Lord, let them give it to them that work in the house of the Lord, to repair the decayed places of the house:
6 To wit, unto the artificers and carpenters, and masons, and to buy timber, and hewed stone to repair the house.
7 Howbeit, let no reckoning be made with them of the money, that is delivered into their hand: for they deal [f]faithfully.
8 And Hilkiah the high Priest said unto Shaphan the chancellor, I have found the [g]book of the Law in the house of the Lord: and Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it.
9 So Shaphan the chancellor came to the king, and brought him word again, and said, Thy servants have [h]gathered the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it unto the hands of them that do the work, and have the oversight of the house of the Lord.
10 Also Shaphan the chancellor showed the king, saying, Hilkiah the Priest hath delivered me a book. And Shaphan read it before the King.
11 And when the king had heard the words of the book of the Law, he rent his clothes.
12 Therefore the king commanded Hilkiah the Priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Michaiah, and Shaphan the chancellor, and Asahiah the king’s servant, saying,
13 Go ye and [i]inquire of the Lord for me and for the people, and for all Judah concerning the words of this book that is found: for great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written therein for us.
14 ¶ So Hilkiah the Priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asahiah went unto Huldah the Prophetess the wife of Shallum, the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas keeper of the wardrobe: (and she dwelt in Jerusalem in the [j]college) and they communed with her.
15 And she answered them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Tell the man that sent you to me,
16 Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and on the inhabitants thereof, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah hath read,
17 Because they have forsaken me, and have burnt incense unto other gods, to anger me with all the [k]works of their hands: my wrath also shall be kindled against this place, and shall not be quenched:
18 But to 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, The words that thou hast heard, shall come to pass.
19 But because thine heart did [l]melt, and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants of the same, to wit, that it should be destroyed and accursed, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me, I have also heard it, saith the Lord.
20 Behold therefore, I will gather thee to thy fathers, and thou shalt be put in thy grave in [m]peace, and thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place. Thus they brought the king word again.
Footnotes
- 2 Kings 22:2 His zeal was prophesied of, and his name mentioned by Iddo the Prophet, more than three hundred years before, 1 Kings 13:2, and being but eight years old, he sought the God of his father David, 2 Chron. 34:3.
- 2 Kings 22:4 Or, coin, as verse 9.
- 2 Kings 22:4 Or, vessel.
- 2 Kings 22:4 Certain of the Priests were appointed to this office, as 2 Kings 12:9.
- 2 Kings 22:5 From the time of Joash for the space of 244 years, the Temple remained without reparation through the negligence of the priests, this declareth, that they that have a charge and execute it not, ought to have it taken from them.
- 2 Kings 22:7 So God provided him of faithful servants, seeing he went about so zealously to set forth the work of God.
- 2 Kings 22:8 This was the copy that Moses left them, as appeareth, 2 Chron. 34:14, which either by the negligence of the Priests had been lost, or else by the wickedness of idolatrous kings had been abolished.
- 2 Kings 22:9 Hebrew, melted.
- 2 Kings 22:13 Meaning, to some Prophet whom God revealeth the knowledge of things unto, as Jer. 21:8, though at other times they inquired the Lord by Urim and Thummim.
- 2 Kings 22:14 Or the house of doctrine, which was near to the Temple, and where the learned assembled to entreat the Scriptures, and the doctrine of the Prophets.
- 2 Kings 22:17 The [works] of man’s hand here signify all that man inventeth beside the word of God, which are abominable in God’s service.
- 2 Kings 22:19 Meaning, that he did repent, as they that do not repent, are said to harden their heart, Ps. 95:8.
- 2 Kings 22:20 Whereupon we may gather that the anger of God is ready against the wicked, when God taketh his servants out of this world.
2 Kings 22
New King James Version
2 Kings 22
New King James Version
Josiah Reigns in Judah(A)
22 Josiah (B)was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah of (C)Bozkath. 2 And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in all the ways of his father David; he (D)did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.
Hilkiah Finds the Book of the Law(E)
3 (F)Now it came to pass, in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, that the king sent Shaphan the scribe, the son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, to the house of the Lord, saying: 4 “Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, that he may count the money which has been (G)brought into the house of the Lord, which (H)the doorkeepers have gathered from the people. 5 And let them (I)deliver it into the hand of those doing the work, who are the overseers in the house of the Lord; let them give it to those who are in the house of the Lord doing the work, to repair the damages of the house— 6 to carpenters and builders and masons—and to buy timber and hewn stone to repair the house. 7 However (J)there need be no accounting made with them of the money delivered into their hand, because they deal faithfully.”
8 Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, (K)“I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the Lord.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it. 9 So Shaphan the scribe went to the king, bringing the king word, saying, “Your servants have [a]gathered the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of those who do the work, who oversee the house of the Lord.” 10 Then Shaphan the scribe showed the king, saying, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read it before the king.
11 Now it happened, when the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, that he tore his clothes. 12 Then the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, (L)Ahikam the son of Shaphan, [b]Achbor the son of Michaiah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah a servant of the king, saying, 13 “Go, inquire of the Lord for me, for the people and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that has been found; for great is (M)the wrath of the Lord that is aroused against us, because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us.”
14 So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of (N)Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe. (She dwelt in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter.) And they spoke with her. 15 Then she said to them, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘Tell the man who sent you to Me, 16 “Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, (O)I will bring calamity on this place and on its inhabitants—all the words of the book which the king of Judah has read— 17 (P)because they have forsaken Me and burned incense to other gods, that they might provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands. Therefore My wrath shall be aroused against this place and shall not be quenched.’ ” ’ 18 But as for (Q)the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, in this manner you shall speak to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God of Israel: “Concerning the words which you have heard— 19 because your (R)heart was tender, and you (S)humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants, that they would become (T)a desolation and (U)a curse, and you tore your clothes and wept before Me, I also have heard you,” says the Lord. 20 “Surely, therefore, I will [c]gather you to your fathers, and you (V)shall [d]be gathered to your grave in peace; and your eyes shall not see all the calamity which I will bring on this place.” ’ ” So they brought back word to the king.
Footnotes
- 2 Kings 22:9 Lit. poured out
- 2 Kings 22:12 Abdon the son of Micah, 2 Chr. 34:20
- 2 Kings 22:20 Cause you to join your ancestors in death
- 2 Kings 22:20 Die a natural death
2 Kings 22
New International Version
2 Kings 22
New International Version
The Book of the Law Found(A)
22 Josiah(B) was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. His mother’s name was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah; she was from Bozkath.(C) 2 He did what was right(D) in the eyes of the Lord and followed completely the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right(E) or to the left.
3 In the eighteenth year of his reign, King Josiah sent the secretary, Shaphan(F) son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, to the temple of the Lord. He said: 4 “Go up to Hilkiah(G) the high priest and have him get ready the money that has been brought into the temple of the Lord, which the doorkeepers have collected(H) from the people. 5 Have them entrust it to the men appointed to supervise the work on the temple. And have these men pay the workers who repair(I) the temple of the Lord— 6 the carpenters, the builders and the masons. Also have them purchase timber and dressed stone to repair the temple.(J) 7 But they need not account for the money entrusted to them, because they are honest in their dealings.”(K)
8 Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law(L) in the temple of the Lord.” He gave it to Shaphan, who read it. 9 Then Shaphan the secretary went to the king and reported to him: “Your officials have paid out the money that was in the temple of the Lord and have entrusted it to the workers and supervisors at the temple.” 10 Then Shaphan the secretary informed the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king.(M)
11 When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law,(N) he tore his robes. 12 He gave these orders to Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam(O) son of Shaphan, Akbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the secretary and Asaiah the king’s attendant:(P) 13 “Go and inquire(Q) of the Lord for me and for the people and for all Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the Lord’s anger(R) that burns against us because those who have gone before us have not obeyed the words of this book; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written there concerning us.”
14 Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Akbor, Shaphan and Asaiah went to speak to the prophet(S) Huldah, who was the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe. She lived in Jerusalem, in the New Quarter.
15 She said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Tell the man who sent you to me, 16 ‘This is what the Lord says: I am going to bring disaster(T) on this place and its people, according to everything written in the book(U) the king of Judah has read. 17 Because they have forsaken(V) me and burned incense to other gods and aroused my anger by all the idols their hands have made,[a] my anger will burn against this place and will not be quenched.’ 18 Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire(W) of the Lord, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says concerning the words you heard: 19 Because your heart was responsive and you humbled(X) yourself before the Lord when you heard what I have spoken against this place and its people—that they would become a curse[b](Y) and be laid waste(Z)—and because you tore your robes and wept in my presence, I also have heard you, declares the Lord. 20 Therefore I will gather you to your ancestors, and you will be buried in peace.(AA) Your eyes(AB) will not see all the disaster I am going to bring on this place.’”
So they took her answer back to the king.
Footnotes
- 2 Kings 22:17 Or by everything they have done
- 2 Kings 22:19 That is, their names would be used in cursing (see Jer. 29:22); or, others would see that they are cursed.
2 Kings 22
English Standard Version
2 Kings 22
English Standard Version
Josiah Reigns in Judah
22 (A)Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah of (B)Bozkath. 2 And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and walked in all the way of David his father, (C)and he did not turn aside to the right or to the left.
Josiah Repairs the Temple
3 In the eighteenth year of King Josiah, the king sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, son of Meshullam, the secretary, to the house of the Lord, saying, 4 “Go up to (D)Hilkiah the high priest, that he may count the money (E)that has been brought into the house of the Lord, which (F)the keepers of the threshold have collected from the people. 5 (G)And let it be given into the hand of the workmen who have the oversight of the house of the Lord, and let them give it to the workmen who are at the house of the Lord, repairing the house 6 (that is, to the carpenters, and to the builders, and to the masons), and let them use it for buying timber and quarried stone to repair the house. 7 But (H)no accounting shall be asked from them for the money that is delivered into their hand, for they deal honestly.”
Hilkiah Finds the Book of the Law
8 And Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found (I)the Book of the Law in the house of the Lord.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it. 9 And Shaphan the secretary came to the king, and reported to the king, “Your servants have emptied out the money that was found in the house and have delivered it into the hand of the workmen who have the oversight of the house of the Lord.” 10 Then Shaphan the secretary told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read it before the king.
11 When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, (J)he tore his clothes. 12 And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and (K)Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and (L)Achbor the son of (M)Micaiah, and Shaphan the secretary, and Asaiah the king's servant, saying, 13 “Go, inquire of the Lord for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that has been found. For great is (N)the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us.”
14 So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asaiah went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of (O)Tikvah, son of (P)Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe (now she lived in Jerusalem in (Q)the Second Quarter), and they talked with her. 15 And she said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘Tell the man who sent you to me, 16 Thus says the Lord, Behold, I will bring disaster upon this place and upon its inhabitants, all the words of the book that the king of Judah has read. 17 (R)Because they have forsaken me and have made offerings to other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the work of their hands, therefore (S)my wrath will be kindled against this place, and it will not be quenched. 18 But to the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, thus shall you say to him, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Regarding the words that you have heard, 19 (T)because your heart was penitent, and you (U)humbled yourself before the Lord, when you heard how I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants, that they should become (V)a desolation and (W)a curse, and you (X)have torn your clothes and wept before me, I also have heard you, declares the Lord. 20 Therefore, behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and (Y)you shall be gathered to your grave in peace, and your eyes shall not see all the disaster that I will bring upon this place.’” And they brought back word to the king.
1599 Geneva Bible (GNV) 
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New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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English Standard Version (ESV) 
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.