Chapter 34
Chapter 34 of 2 Chronicles of the Bible, King James Version. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem one in thirty years. 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. 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 carved images and the molten images.
And they break down the altars of Balaam 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 break in pieces, and made dust of them and strode it upon the graves of them that had sacrificed under them. And he burnt the bones of the priests upon their altars and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem.
And so he did in the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, even unto Naphtali with their mattocks round about. 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. Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land and the house, he sent
Shafan, the son of Azaliah and Measeiah, the governor of the city, and Joah, the son of Joahaz, the recorder, to repair the house of the Lord his God. 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, Ephraim, and all the remnant of Israel, and of all Judah and Benjamin, and
they returned to Jerusalem. 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 rot in the house of the Lord to repair and amend the house. Even to the artisifers 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. And the men did work faithfully, and the overseers of them were Jehev and Obadiah, the Levites, of the sons of Merari and Zechariah and Meshulam, of the sons of the Kohaths, to set it forward, and the other of the Levites, all that could scale of instruments of music, also they were the bearers of burdens, and were overseers of all that rot in the work in any manner
of service. And of the Levites they were scribes and officers and porters. 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. And Hilkiah answered and said unto Shafon the scribe, I have found the book of the law
in the house of the Lord. And Hilkiah delivered the book to Shafon. And Shafon carried the book to the king and brought the king word back again saying, All that was committed to thy servants, they do it. 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, into the hand of the workmen. Then Shafon the scribe told the king saying, Hilkiah the priest have given me a book, and Shafon read it before the king. And it came to pass when the king had heard the words of the law that he rent his clothes. And the king commanded Hilkiah and Ahicham the son of Shafon and Abdon the son of Micah
and Shafon the scribe and Esaiah a servant of the king saying, Go inquire of the Lord for me and for them that are left in Israel and in Judah considering the words of the 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. And Hilkiah and they that the king had appointed went to Huldal the prophetess, the wife of
Shalom the son of Tikva the son of Hashra keeper of the wardrobe. Now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the college and they spake to her to that effect. And she answered them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, tell ye the man that sent you to me. 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. 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.
And as for the king of Judah who sent you to inquire of the Lord, so shall you say unto him, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel considering the words which thou hast heard 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 humblest thyself before me and didst rend thy clothes and wheat before me.
I have even heard thee also saith the Lord. Behold I will gather thee to thy fathers and thou shalt be gathered to thy grave in peace. Neither shall then I 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.
And the king sent and gathered together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 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.
And the king stood in his place and made a covenant before the Lord to walk after the 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. 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.
And Josiah took away all the abominations out of 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. End of chapter 34
