¶ Josiah¹ was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem one and thirty years.

And he did that which was right in the sight³ of the LORD, and walked in the ways of David his father, and declined⁴ neither to the right hand, nor to the left.

For in the eighth year of his reign, while he⁵ was yet young, he began to seek⁶ after the God of David his father: and in the twelfth year he began to purge⁷ Judah and Jerusalem from the high places⁸, and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images.

And they brake down¹⁰ the altars of Baalim in his presence; and the images¹¹, that were on high above them, he cut down; and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images, he brake in pieces, and made dust¹² of them, and strowed it upon the graves¹³ of them that had sacrificed unto them.

And he¹⁴ burnt the bones of the priests upon their altars, and cleansed¹⁵ Judah and Jerusalem.

And so did he in¹⁶ the cities of Manasseh, and Ephraim, and Simeon, even unto Naphtali, with their mattocks¹⁷ round about.

And when he had broken down the altars and the groves, and had beaten¹⁸ the graven images into powder¹⁹, and cut down all the idols throughout all the land of Israel, he returned to Jerusalem.

¶ Now in the eighteenth²⁰ year of his reign, when he had purged the land, and the house, he sent Shaphan²¹ the son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah²² the governor of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of the LORD his God.

And when they came to Hilkiah²⁴ the high priest, they delivered²⁵ the money that was brought into the house of God, which the Levites that kept the doors had gathered of the hand of Manasseh²⁶ and Ephraim, and of all the remnant of Israel, and of all Judah and Benjamin; and they returned²⁷ to Jerusalem.

¶ And they put it in the hand²⁸ of the workmen that had the oversight of the house of the LORD, and they gave it to the workmen that wrought in the house of the LORD, to repair and amend the house:

Even to the artificers and builders gave they it, to buy hewn stone, and timber for couplings, and to floor²⁹ the houses which the kings of Judah had destroyed.

And the men did the work faithfully³⁰: and the overseers of them were Jahath and Obadiah, the Levites, of the sons of Merari; and Zechariah and Meshullam, of the sons of the Kohathites, to set it forward; and other of the Levites, all³¹ that could skill³² of instruments of musick.

Also they were over the bearers³³ of burdens, and were overseers of all that wrought the work in any manner of service: and of the Levites³⁴ there were scribes³⁵, and officers³⁶, and porters³⁷.

¶ And when they brought out the money that was brought into the house of the LORD, Hilkiah³⁸ the priest found a book³⁹ of the law⁴⁰ of the LORD given by Moses⁴¹.

And Hilkiah answered⁴² and said to Shaphan⁴³ the scribe, I have found the book⁴⁴ of the law in the house of the LORD. And Hilkiah delivered the book to Shaphan.

And Shaphan⁴⁵ carried the book to the king, and brought the king word back again, saying, All that was committed to thy servants⁴⁶, they do it.

And they⁴⁷ have gathered together⁴⁸ the money that was found in the house of the LORD, and have delivered it into the hand of the overseers, and to the hand of the workmen.

Then Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath given me a book. And Shaphan read⁴⁹ it⁵⁰ before the king.

And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words⁵¹ of the law, that he rent⁵² his clothes.

¶ And the king commanded Hilkiah, and Ahikam⁵³ the son of Shaphan, and Abdon⁵⁴ the son of Micah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah⁵⁷ a servant of the king's, saying,

Go, enquire⁵⁹ of the LORD for me, and for them that are left⁶⁰ in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book that is found: for great⁶¹ is the wrath of the LORD that is poured out upon us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the LORD, to do after all that is written in this book.

And Hilkiah, and they that the king had appointed, went to Huldah the prophetess⁶², the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvath, the son of Hasrah⁶³, keeper of the wardrobe⁶⁶; (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the college:) and they spake to her to that effect.

And she answered them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Tell ye the man⁶⁷ that sent you to me,

Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring⁶⁸ evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the curses⁶⁹ that are written in the book which they have read before the king of Judah:

Because⁷⁰ they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore my wrath⁷¹ shall be poured out upon this place, and shall not⁷² be quenched.

And as for⁷⁴ the king of Judah, who sent you to enquire of the LORD, so shall ye say unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel concerning the words which thou hast heard;

Because⁷⁵ thine heart⁷⁶ was tender, and thou didst humble⁷⁷ thyself before God, when thou heardest his words against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, and humbledst thyself before me, and didst rend⁷⁸ thy clothes, and weep before me; I have even⁷⁹ heard thee also, saith the LORD.

Behold, I will gather⁸⁰ thee to thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered to thy grave in peace⁸², neither⁸³ shall thine eyes see all the evil that I will bring upon this place, and upon the inhabitants of the same. So they brought the king word again.

¶ Then the king⁸⁴ sent and gathered⁸⁵ together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem.

¶ And the king went up into the house of the LORD, and all the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests, and the Levites, and all the people, great and small⁸⁶: and he read⁸⁷ in their ears all the words of the book⁸⁸ of the covenant that was found in the house of the LORD.

And the king stood in his place⁸⁹, and made a covenant⁹⁰ before the LORD, to walk after the LORD, and to keep his commandments, and his testimonies⁹¹, and his statutes, with all⁹² his heart, and with all his soul, to perform⁹³ the words of the covenant which are written in this book.

And he caused⁹⁴ all that were present⁹⁵ in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand to it. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem did⁹⁶ according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers.

And Josiah took away⁹⁷ all the abominations⁹⁸ out of all the countries that pertained to the children of Israel, and made all that were present in Israel to serve, even to serve the LORD their God. And all his days⁹⁹ they departed not from following¹⁰⁰ the LORD, the God of their fathers.