2 Chronicles 34
1 Josiah was eight years old when he became the king [of Judah]. He ruled from Jerusalem for 31 years.
| בן שמונה שנים יאשיהו במלכו ושלשים ואחת שנה מלך בירושלם |
2 He did things that were pleasing to Yahweh and conducted his life like his ancestor King David had done. He fully obeyed [IDM] all the laws of God.
| ויעש הישר בעיני יהוה וילך בדרכי דויד אביו ולא סר ימין ושמאול |
3 When he had been ruling for almost eight years, while he was still a young man, he began to worship God like his ancestor [King] David had done. Four years later, he began to get rid of all the pagan shrines on hilltops in Jerusalem and in [other places in] Judah, and the poles to [honor the goddess] Asherah, and the carved idols and statues of gods.
| ובשמונה שנים למלכו והוא עודנו נער החל לדרוש לאלהי דויד אביו ובשתים עשרה שנה החל לטהר את יהודה וירושלם מן הבמות והאשרים והפסלים והמסכות |
4 While he directed them, his workers tore down the altars where people worshiped Baal. They smashed the altars that were near those altars, where people burned incense. They smashed the poles [honor the goddess] Asherah and the idols and statues. They smashed them to bits and scattered the bits over the graves of those who had offered sacrifices to them.
| וינתצו לפניו את מזבחות הבעלים והחמנים אשר למעלה מעליהם גדע והאשרים והפסלים והמסכות שבר והדק ויזרק על פני הקברים הזבחים להם |
5 They burned the bones of the priests [who had offered sacrifices]; they burned them on their own altars. In that way Josiah caused Jerusalem and other places in Judah to be acceptable places to worship Yahweh again.
| ועצמות כהנים שרף על מזבחותים (מזבחותם) ויטהר את יהודה ואת ירושלם |
6 In the towns in [the tribes of] Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, and as far [north] as [the tribe of] Naphtali and in the ruins around all those towns,
| ובערי מנשה ואפרים ושמעון ועד נפתלי בחר בתיהם (בחרבתיהם) סביב |
7 Josiah’s [workers] tore down the pagan altars and the poles to [honor the goddess] Asherah, and crushed the idols to powder. They also smashed to pieces all the altars for burning incense throughout Israel. Then Josiah returned to Jerusalem.
| וינתץ את המזבחות ואת האשרים והפסלים כתת להדק וכל החמנים גדע בכל ארץ ישראל וישב לירושלם |
8 When Josiah had been ruling for almost 18 years, he [did something else to] cause the land and the temple to be acceptable places to worship Yahweh. He sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah and Maaseiah the governor of the city and Joah the son of Joahaz, who wrote on a scroll what happened in the city, to repair the temple of Yahweh.
| ובשנת שמונה עשרה למלכו לטהר הארץ והבית--שלח את שפן בן אצליהו ואת מעשיהו שר העיר ואת יואח בן יואחז המזכיר לחזק את בית יהוה אלהיו |
9 They went to Hilkiah the Supreme Priest and gave him the money that had been brought to the temple. That was the money that the descendants of Levi who guarded the doors of the temple had collected from the people of [the tribes of] Manasseh and Ephraim and [other places in northern] Israel, and also from all the people in Jerusalem and other places in the tribes of Judah and Benjamin.
| ויבאו אל חלקיהו הכהן הגדול ויתנו את הכסף המובא בית אלהים אשר אספו הלוים שמרי הסף מיד מנשה ואפרים ומכל שארית ישראל ומכל יהודה ובנימן וישבי (וישבו) ירושלם |
10 Then Hilkiah gave some of the money to the men who had been appointed to supervise the work of repairing the temple. The supervisors paid the men who did the repair work.
| ויתנו על יד עשה המלאכה המפקדים בבית יהוה ויתנו אתו עושי המלאכה אשר עשים בבית יהוה לבדוק ולחזק הבית |
11 They also gave some of the money to the carpenters and builders to buy the cut stones and the timber for the joists and the beams for the buildings that the kings of Judah had allowed to decay.
| ויתנו לחרשים ולבנים לקנות אבני מחצב ועצים למחברות ולקרות את הבתים אשר השחיתו מלכי יהודה |
12 The workers did their work faithfully. Their supervisors were Jahath and Obadiah, who were descendants of [Levi’s son] Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam, who were descendants of [Levi’s son] Kohath. All the other descendants of Levi, those who played musical instruments well,
| והאנשים עשים באמונה במלאכה ועליהם מפקדים יחת ועבדיהו הלוים מן בני מררי וזכריה ומשלם מן בני הקהתים לנצח והלוים--כל מבין בכלי שיר |
13 supervised all the workers as they did their various jobs. Some of the descendants of Levi were secretaries and some kept records and some guarded the gates [of the temple].
| ועל הסבלים ומנצחים לכל עשה מלאכה לעבודה ועבודה ומהלוים סופרים ושטרים ושוערים |
14 While they were giving to the supervisors the money that had been taken to the temple, Hilkiah the [Supreme] Priest found a scroll on which were written the laws that Yahweh had told Moses to give to the people.
| ובהוציאם את הכסף המובא בית יהוה--מצא חלקיהו הכהן את ספר תורת יהוה ביד משה |
15 So Hilkiah said to Shaphan, “I have found in the temple a scroll on which are written the laws [that God gave to Moses]!” Then Hilkiah gave the scroll to Shaphan.
| ויען חלקיהו ויאמר אל שפן הסופר ספר התורה מצאתי בבית יהוה ויתן חלקיהו את הספר אל שפן |
16 Shaphan [took the scroll] to the king and said to him, “Your officials are doing everything that you told them to do.
| ויבא שפן את הספר אל המלך וישב עוד את המלך דבר לאמר כל אשר נתן ביד עבדיך הם עשים |
17 They have taken the money that was in the temple, and they have given it to the men who will supervise the workers who will repair the temple.”
| ויתיכו את הכסף הנמצא בבית יהוה ויתנוהו על יד המפקדים ועל יד עושי המלאכה |
18 Then Shaphan said to the king, “[I have brought to you] a scroll [that] Hilkiah gave to me.” And Shaphan started to read it to the king.
| ויגד שפן הסופר למלך לאמר--ספר נתן לי חלקיהו הכהן ויקרא בו שפן לפני המלך |
19 When the king heard the laws [that were written in the scroll], he tore his clothes [because he was very dismayed/worried].
| ויהי כשמע המלך את דברי התורה--ויקרע את בגדיו |
20 Then he gave these instructions to Hilkiah, to Shaphan’s son Ahikam, to Micah’s son Abdon, to Shaphan, and to Asaiah the king’s special advisor:
| ויצו המלך את חלקיהו ואת אחיקם בן שפן ואת עבדון בן מיכה ואת שפן הסופר ואת עשיה עבד המלך--לאמר |
21 “Go and ask Yahweh for me, and for all his people who are still alive in Judah and Israel, about what is written in this scroll that has been found. Because [it is clear that] Yahweh is very angry with us because our ancestors disobeyed what Yahweh said; they did not obey the laws that are written on this scroll.”
| לכו דרשו את יהוה בעדי ובעד הנשאר בישראל וביהודה על דברי הספר אשר נמצא כי גדולה חמת יהוה אשר נתכה בנו על אשר לא שמרו אבותינו את דבר יהוה לעשות ככל הכתוב על הספר הזה |
22 So Hilkiah and the others went to talk with a woman whose name was Huldah, who was a prophetess who lived in the newer part of Jerusalem. Her husband Shallum who was the son of Tikvah, took care of the robes that were worn [in the temple].
| וילך חלקיהו ואשר המלך אל חלדה הנביאה אשת שלם בן תוקהת (תקהת) בן חסרה שומר הבגדים והיא יושבת בירושלם במשנה וידברו אליה כזאת |
23 [When they told her what the king had said, ] she said to them, “This is what Yahweh, the God whom we Israelis [worship], says: ‘Go back and tell the king who sent you
| ותאמר להם כה אמר יהוה אלהי ישראל אמרו לאיש אשר שלח אתכם אלי |
24 that this is what Yahweh says: “Listen to this carefully. I am going to cause a disaster to strike Jerusalem and all the people who live here. I will cause them to experience the curses that were written in the scroll that was read to the king of Judah.
| כה אמר יהוה הנני מביא רעה על המקום הזה ועל יושביו את כל האלות הכתובות על הספר אשר קראו לפני מלך יהודה |
25 I will do that because they have rejected me, and they burn incense to [honor] other gods. They have caused me to become very angry because of all the idols that they have made (OR, because of all the wicked things that they have done), [and my anger is like] a fire that will not be extinguished.
| תחת אשר עזבוני ויקטירו (ויקטרו) לאלהים אחרים--למען הכעיסני בכל מעשי ידיהם ותתך חמתי במקום הזה ולא תכבה |
26 The king of Judah sent you to ask what I, Yahweh, want. Go and tell him that this is what I, Yahweh, the God whom you Israelis worship, say about what you read:
| ואל מלך יהודה השלח אתכם לדרוש ביהוה--כה תאמרו אליו כה אמר יהוה אלהי ישראל הדברים אשר שמעת |
27 “Because you heeded [what was written in the scroll], and you humbled yourself when you heard what I said to warn [about what would happen to] this city and the people who live here, and because you tore your robes and wept in my presence, I have heard you.
| יען רך לבבך ותכנע מלפני אלהים בשמעך את דבריו על המקום הזה ועל ישביו ותכנע לפני ותקרע את בגדיך ותבך לפני וגם אני שמעתי נאם יהוה |
28 So I will allow you to die and be buried peacefully. I will cause a great disaster to strike this place and the people who live here, but you will not [be alive to] see it.”’” So they reported her reply to the king.
| הנני אספך אל אבתיך ונאספת אל קברותיך בשלום ולא תראינה עיניך בכל הרעה אשר אני מביא על המקום הזה ועל ישביו וישיבו את המלך דבר |
29 Then the king summoned all the elders of Jerusalem and [other places in] Judea.
| וישלח המלך ויאסף את כל זקני יהודה וירושלם |
30 They went up together to the temple with the leaders of Judah and many other people of Jerusalem and the priests and other descendants of Levi, from the least important to the most important ones. And while they listened, the king read to them everything that was in the scroll containing God’s laws that had been found in the temple.
| ויעל המלך בית יהוה וכל איש יהודה וישבי ירושלם והכהנים והלוים וכל העם מגדול ועד קטן ויקרא באזניהם את כל דברי ספר הברית הנמצא בית יהוה |
31 Then the king stood next to the pillar [at the entrance to the temple, where kings stood when they announced something important], and while Yahweh was listening, he repeated his promise to very sincerely and completely obey Yahweh and all his commands and regulations and decrees that were written on the scroll.
| ויעמד המלך על עמדו ויכרת את הברית לפני יהוה ללכת אחרי יהוה ולשמור את מצותיו ועדותיו וחקיו בכל לבבו ובכל נפשו--לעשות את דברי הברית הכתובים על הספר הזה |
32 Then the king said that everyone who lived in Jerusalem and from [the tribe of] Benjamin should promise that they also would obey those laws. And they did that, agreeing that they would keep the agreement that God, whom their ancestors had worshiped, had made with them.
| ויעמד את כל הנמצא בירושלם ובנימן ויעשו יושבי ירושלם כברית אלהים אלהי אבותיהם |
33 Josiah [instructed his workers to] remove all the detestable idols from everywhere in the land of the Israeli people, and he commanded that all the people from Israel who were there should worship [only] Yahweh their God. And as long as Josiah was alive, the people did what was pleasing to Yahweh, the God whom their ancestors [worshiped].
| ויסר יאשיהו את כל התעבות מכל הארצות אשר לבני ישראל ויעבד את כל הנמצא בישראל לעבוד את יהוה אלהיהם כל ימיו--לא סרו מאחרי יהוה אלהי אבותיהם |
