2 Kings 22

¹Josiah was a son of eight years in his reigning, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. And the name of his mother was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath.

²And he did right in the eyes of YHWH and walked in all the ways of David his father, and he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.

³And it came to pass in the eighteenth year of king Josiah, that the King sent Shaphan son of Azaliah son of Meshullam, the scribe, to the house of YHWH, saying,

⁴“Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, and he will completely count the silver that was brought into the house of YHWH, which the keepers of the threshold have gathered from the people.

⁵And let them deliver it into the hand of those doing the work, who are the overseers in the house of YHWH, and let them give it to those doing the work that is in the house of YHWH, to repair the damage of the house,

⁶to the carpenters, and to the builders, and to the masons, and to buy timber and hewn stone to strengthen the house.

⁷However, of the silver delivered into their hands there need not be accounting made with them, because they work with faithfulness.”

⁸And Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the book of the Law in the house of YHWH.” And Hilkiah gave the Book to Shaphan, and he read it.

⁹And Shaphan the scribe went to the king, and the king brought back word and said, “Your servants have gathered the silver found in the house, and they have delivered it into the hand of those who do the work, who oversee the house of YHWH.”

¹⁰And Shaphan the scribe declared to the king, saying, “Hilkiah the priest has given a book to me.” And Shaphan read it before the face of the king.

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

¹²And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam son of Shaphan, and Achbor son of Micaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah servant of the king, saying:

¹³“Go, inquire of YHWH for me and for the people and for all Judah concerning the words of this book that has been found, for great is the wrath of YHWH that is aroused against us, upon that our fathers have not listened to the words of this book, to do according to all that is written about us.”

¹⁴And Hilkiah the priest went, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asaiah, to Huldah the prophetess the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, son of Harhas keeper of the garments. And she dwelt in Jerusalem in the Mishneh, and they spoke with her.

¹⁵And she said to them, “Thus says YHWH, God of Israel, ‘Say to the man who sent you to Me,

¹⁶thus says YHWH: Behold, I will bring calamity on this place and on its dwellers—all the words of the book that the king of Judah has read,

¹⁷because that they have forsaken Me and burned incense to other gods, in order to provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands. And My wrath will be kindled against this place, and shall not be quenched.’

¹⁸And as for the king of Judah who sent you to inquire of YHWH, in this manner you shall speak to him: Thus says YHWH, God of Israel: ‘The words that you have heard—

¹⁹because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before YHWH when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its dwellers, that they would become a desolation and a curse, and you tore your clothes and wept before Me, I also have heard’—the declaration of YHWH.

²⁰‘Therefore behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace. And your eyes shall not see all the calamity that I will bring on this place.’” And they brought back her word to the king.