¹⁷ Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they ^[a]committed infidelity with other gods and bowed down to them. They turned aside quickly from the way ^(A)in which their fathers had walked in obeying the commandments of the Lord; they did not do the same as their fathers. ¹⁸ And when the Lord raised up judges for them, ^(B)the Lord was with the judge and saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the Lord was ^(C)moved to pity by their groaning because of those who tormented and oppressed them. ¹⁹ But it came about, when the judge died, that they would turn back and act more corruptly than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them and bow down to them; they did not abandon their practices or their obstinate ways. ^20 (D)So the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and He said, “Because this nation has violated My covenant which I commanded their fathers, and has not listened to My voice,

¹¹ When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, ^(A)he tore his clothes. ¹² Then the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, ^(B)Ahikam the son of Shaphan, ^[a](C)Achbor the son of Micaiah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king’s servant, saying, ¹³ “Go, inquire of the Lord for me and for the people and all Judah concerning the words of this book that has been found, for ^(D)the wrath of the Lord that burns against us is great, because our fathers did not listen to the words of this book, to act in accordance with everything that is written regarding us.”

Huldah Predicts

¹⁴ So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of ^[b](E)Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe (and she lived in Jerusalem in the ^(F)Second Quarter); and they spoke to her. ¹⁵ Then 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: ‘Behold, I am going to ^(G)bring disaster on this place and on its inhabitants, all the words of the book which the king of Judah has read. ^17 (H)Since they have abandoned Me and have burned incense to other gods so that they may provoke Me to anger with all the work of their hands, My wrath burns against this place, and it shall not be quenched.’”