Kings IV 22

1 Josias [was] eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty and one years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name [was] Jedia, daughter of Edeia of Basuroth.

Josiah was eight years old when he became king; and he was ruling in Jerusalem for thirty-one years; his mother's name was Jedidah, daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath.

2 And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in all the way of David his father; he turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.

He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, walking in the ways of David his father, without turning to the right hand or to the left.

3 And it came to pass in the eighteenth year of king Josias, in the eighth month, the king sent Sapphan the son of Ezelias the son of Mesollam, the scribe of the house of the Lord, saying,

Now in the eighteenth year after he became king, Josiah sent Shaphan, the son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, the scribe, to the house of the Lord, saying to him,

4 Go up to Chelcias the high priest, and take account of the money that is brought into the house of the Lord, which they that keep the door have collected of the people.

Go up to Hilkiah, the chief priest, and let him give out the money which is taken into the house of the Lord, which the keepers of the door have got together from the people;

5 And let them give it into the hand of the workmen that are appointed in the house of the Lord. And he gave it to the workmen in the house of the Lord, to repair the breaches of the house,

And let it be given to the overseers of the work of the Lord's house, to give to the workmen who are making good what was damaged in the house of the Lord;

6 [even] to the carpenters, and builders, and masons, [and] also to purchase timber and hewn stones, to repair the breaches of the house.

To the woodworkers and the builders and the stone-cutters; and for getting wood and cut stones for the building up of the house.

7 Only they did not call them to account for the money that was given to them, because they dealt faithfully.

They did not have to give any account of the money which was handed to them, for they made use of it with good faith.

8 And Chelcias the high priest said to Saphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord. And Chelcias gave the book to Sapphan, and he read it.

Then Hilkiah, the chief priest, said to Shaphan the scribe, I have made discovery of the book of the law in the house of the Lord. So Hilkiah gave it to Shaphan;

9 And he went into the house of the Lord to the king, and reported the matter to the king, and said, Your servants have collected the money that was found in the house of the Lord, and have given it into the hand of the workmen that are appointed in the house of the Lord.

Then, after reading it, Shaphan the scribe went in to the king and gave him an account of what had been done, saying, Your servants have given out the money which was in the house, and have given it to the overseers of the work of the house of the Lord.

10 And Sapphan the scribe spoke to the king, saying, Chelcias the priest has given me a book. And Sapphan read it before the king.

Then Shaphan the scribe said to the king, Hilkiah the priest has given me a book; and he was reading it before the king.

11 And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the book of the law, that he tore his garments.

And the king, hearing the words of the book of the law, took his robe in his hands, violently parting it as a sign of his grief;

12 And the king commanded Chelcias the priest, and Achikam the son of Sapphan, and Achobor the son of Michaias, and Sapphan the scribe, and Asaias the king's servant, saying,

And he gave orders to Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, and Achbor, the son of Micaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king's servant, saying,

13 Go, enquire of the Lord for me, and for all the people, and for all Juda, and concerning the words of this book that has been found: for the wrath of the Lord that has been kindled against us [is] great, because our fathers listened not to the words of this book, to do according to all the things written concerning us.

Go and get directions from the Lord for me and for the people and for all Judah, about the words of this book which has come to light; for great is the wrath of the Lord which is burning against us, because our fathers have not given ear to the words of this book, to do all the things which are recorded in it.

14 So Chelcias the priest went, and Achicam, and Achobor, and Sapphan, and Asaias, to Olda the prophetess, the mother of Sellem the son of Thecuan son of Aras, keeper of the robes; and she lived in Jerusalem in Masena; and they spoke to her.

So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam and Achbor and Shaphan and Asaiah, went to Huldah the woman prophet, the wife of Shallum, the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the robes, (now she was living in Jerusalem, in the second part of the town; ) and they had talk with her.

15 And she said to them, Thus says the Lord God of Israel, Say to the man that sent you to me,

And she said to them, The Lord, the God of Israel, says, Say to the man who sent you to me,

16 Thus says the Lord, Behold, I bring evil upon this place, and upon them that dwell in it, [even] all the words of the book which the king of Juda has read:

These are the words of the Lord: See, I will send evil on this place and on its people, even everything which the king of Judah has been reading in the book;

17 because they have forsaken me, and burnt incense to other gods, that they might provoke me with the works of their hands: therefore my wrath shall burn forth against this place, and shall not be quenched.

Because they have given me up, burning offerings to other gods and moving me to wrath by all the work of their hands; so my wrath will be on fire against this place, and will not be put out.

18 And to the king of Juda that sent you to enquire of the Lord, —thus shall you say to him, Thus says the Lord God of Israel, [As for] the words which you have heard;

But to the king of Judah who sent you to get directions from the Lord, say, This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, has said: As to the words which have come to your ears,

19 because your heart was softened, and you was humbled before [me], when you heard all that I spoke against this place, and against the inhabitants of it, that it should be utterly destroyed and accursed, and you did rend your garments, and weep before me; I also have heard, says the Lord.

Because your heart was soft, and you made yourself low before me, when you had word of what I said against this place and its people, that they would become a waste and a curse, and you gave signs of grief, weeping before me: truly, I have given ear to you, says the Lord.

20 It shall not be so [therefore]: behold, I [will] add you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your tomb in peace, and your eyes shall not see [any] amongst all the evils which I bring upon this place.

For this cause I will let you go to your fathers and be put in your last resting-place in peace, and your eyes will not see all the evil which I will send on this place. So they took this news back to the king.