1 Josiah was eight when he became king, and he ruled thirty-one years in Jerusalem.
2 He did what was right in the LORD's eyes and followed the ways of his father David, turning neither to the right nor to the left.
3 In the eighth year of his reign, while still young, he began to seek the God of his father David, and in the twelfth year he began to cleanse Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the Asherim, and the carved and cast idols.
4 In his presence they pulled down the altars of the Baals, and he chopped down the incense altars above them. He smashed the Asherim and the carved and cast idols, crushed them to powder, and scattered it on the graves of those who had sacrificed to them.
5 He burned the priests' bones on their altars and so cleansed Judah and Jerusalem.
6 In the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, and as far as Naphtali, in their ruins on every side,
7 he pulled down the altars and the Asherim, crushed the idols to powder, and chopped down all the incense altars throughout the land of Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem.
8 In the eighteenth year of his reign, after he had cleansed the land and the temple, he sent Shaphan son of Azaliah, Maaseiah the city governor, and Joah son of Joahaz the recorder to repair the house of the LORD his God.
9 They went to Hilkiah the high priest and handed over the money brought into God's house, which the Levites who guarded the doorways had collected from Manasseh, Ephraim, and the rest of Israel, and from all Judah and Benjamin. Then they returned to Jerusalem.
10 They put it in the hands of the men supervising the work on the house of the LORD, and these paid the workers who were repairing and restoring the house of the LORD.
11 They gave it to the carpenters and builders to buy cut stone and timber for the braces and beams of the buildings the kings of Judah had allowed to decay.
12 The men worked honestly. Their supervisors were Jahath and Obadiah, Levites from the sons of Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam from the Kohathites, who directed the work. The Levites, all who were skilled with musical instruments,
13 were in charge of the laborers and supervised all the workers in every kind of job; some of the Levites were scribes, officials, and gatekeepers.
14 As they were bringing out the money brought into the house of the LORD, Hilkiah the priest discovered the Book of the Law of the LORD given through Moses.
15 Hilkiah spoke up and told Shaphan the scribe, "I have discovered the Book of the Law in the house of the LORD," and he handed the book to Shaphan.
16 Shaphan took the book to the king and reported back to him: "Your servants are doing everything entrusted to them.
17 They have poured out the money found in the house of the LORD and handed it over to the supervisors and the workers."
18 Shaphan the scribe also told the king, "Hilkiah the priest gave me a book," and Shaphan read from it to the king.
19 When the king heard what the law said, he tore his clothes.
20 He gave orders to Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Abdon son of Micah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king's servant:
21 "Go and consult the LORD for me and for those who remain in Israel and Judah about the words of this book that has been found. Great is the LORD's wrath poured out on us, because our fathers did not keep the LORD's word by doing everything written in this book."
22 So Hilkiah and those whom the king had appointed went to Huldah the prophetess, wife of Shallum son of Tokhath, son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe. She lived in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter, and they spoke to her about this.
23 She told them, "This is what the LORD God of Israel says: 'Tell the man who sent you to me,
24 This is what the LORD says: I am about to bring evil on this place and its inhabitants, all the curses written in the book that was read to the king of Judah.
25 Because they have abandoned me and burned incense to other gods, provoking me to anger with everything they have made, my wrath will pour out on this place and will not be put out.'
26 But tell the king of Judah, who sent you to consult the LORD: 'This is what the LORD God of Israel says about the words you heard:
27 Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before God when you heard what he said against this place and its people, and because you humbled yourself before me, tore your clothes, and wept in my presence, I have heard you, says the LORD.
28 I will gather you to your fathers, and you will be laid in your grave in peace. Your eyes will not see all the evil I am going to bring on this place and its people.'" And they took her answer back to the king.
29 Then the king sent for all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem and gathered them.
30 The king went up to the house of the LORD with all the men of Judah, the people of Jerusalem, the priests, the Levites, and all the people, from the least to the greatest. He read aloud to them all the words of the Book of the Covenant that had been found in the house of the LORD.
31 The king stood in his place and made a covenant before the LORD to follow the LORD and keep his commandments, testimonies, and statutes with all his heart and soul, carrying out the words of the covenant written in this book.
32 He had everyone in Jerusalem and Benjamin commit themselves to it, and the people of Jerusalem acted in keeping with the covenant of God, the God of their fathers.
33 Josiah removed every abomination from all the territory of the children of Israel and had everyone in Israel serve the LORD their God. As long as he lived they did not turn away from following the LORD God of their fathers.