2 Kings 22

1 Josiah [is] a son of eight years in his reigning, and he has reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem, and the name of his mother [is] Jedidah daughter of Adaiah of Boskath,

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 does that which is right in the eyes of YHWH, and walks in all the way of his father David, and has not turned aside [to] the right or 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 comes to pass, in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, the king has sent Shaphan son of Azaliah, son of Meshullam, the scribe, to the house of YHWH, 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 Hilkiah the high priest, and he completes the silver that is brought into the house of YHWH, that the keepers of the threshold have gathered from 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 they give it into the hand of those doing the work, the overseers, in the house of YHWH, and they give it to those doing the work, that [are] in the house of YHWH, to strengthen the breach 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 to craftsmen, and to builders, and [to repairers of] the wall, and to buy wood and hewn stones to strengthen 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, the silver that is given into their hand is not reckoned with them, for they are dealing in faithfulness.”

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 Hilkiah the high priest says to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found [the] Scroll of the Law in the house of YHWH”; and Hilkiah gives the scroll to Shaphan, and he reads 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 Shaphan the scribe comes to the king, and brings the king back word, and says, “Your servants have poured out the silver that has been found in the house, and give it into the hand of those doing the work, the inspectors, in the house of YHWH.”

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 Shaphan the scribe declares to the king, saying, “Hilkiah the priest has given a scroll to me”; and Shaphan reads 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 comes to pass, at the king’s hearing the words of the Scroll of the Law, that he tears 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 commands Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam son of Shaphan, and Achbor son of Michaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asahiah servant of the king, 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, seek YHWH for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this scroll that is found, for great [is] the fury of YHWH that is kindled against us, because that our fathers have not listened to the words of this scroll, to do according to all that is written for 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 And Hilkiah the priest goes, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asahiah, to Huldah the prophetess, wife of Shallum, son of Tikvah, son of Harhas, keeper of the garments, and she is dwelling in Jerusalem in the second [quarter], and they speak 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 says to them, “Thus said YHWH, God of Israel: Say to the man who has 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 said YHWH: Behold, I am bringing in calamity to this place and on its inhabitants, all the words of the scroll that the king of Judah 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 that they have forsaken Me, and make incense to other gods, so as to provoke Me to anger with every work of their hands, and My wrath has been kindled against this place, and it is not 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 Judah, who is sending you to seek YHWH, thus you say to him, Thus said YHWH, God of Israel: The words that 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 [is] tender, and you are humbled because of YHWH, in your hearing that which I have spoken against this place, and against its inhabitants, to be for a desolation, and for a reviling, and you tear your garments and weep before Me—I also have heard—a declaration of YHWH—

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 therefore, behold, I am gathering you to your fathers, and you have been gathered to your grave in peace, and your eyes do not look on any of the calamity that I am bringing in on this place”; and they bring the king back word.

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.