Bible Gateway passage: 2 Kings 22 - New International Version (2024)

The Book of the Law Found^(A)

22Josiah^(B) was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. His mother’s name was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah; she was from Bozkath.^{(C) 2}He did what was right^(D) in the eyes of the Lord and followed completely the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right^(E) or to the left.

³In the eighteenth year of his reign, King Josiah sent the secretary, Shaphan^(F) son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, to the temple of the Lord. He said: ⁴“Go up to Hilkiah^(G) the high priest and have him get ready the money that has been brought into the temple of the Lord, which the doorkeepers have collected^(H) from the people. ⁵Have them entrust it to the men appointed to supervise the work on the temple. And have these men pay the workers who repair^(I) the temple of the Lord— ⁶the carpenters, the builders and the masons. Also have them purchase timber and dressed stone to repair the temple.^{(J) 7}But they need not account for the money entrusted to them, because they are honest in their dealings.”^(K)

⁸Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law^(L) in the temple of the Lord.” He gave it to Shaphan, who read it. ⁹Then Shaphan the secretary went to the king and reported to him: “Your officials have paid out the money that was in the temple of the Lord and have entrusted it to the workers and supervisors at the temple.” ¹⁰Then Shaphan the secretary informed the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king.^(M)

¹¹When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law,^(N) he tore his robes. ¹²He gave these orders to Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam^(O) son of Shaphan, Akbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the secretary and Asaiah the king’s attendant:^{(P) 13}“Go and inquire^(Q) of the Lord for me and for the people and for all Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the Lord’s anger^(R) that burns against us because those who have gone before us have not obeyed the words of this book; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written there concerning us.”

¹⁴Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Akbor, Shaphan and Asaiah went to speak to the prophet^(S) Huldah, who was the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe. She lived in Jerusalem, in the New Quarter.

¹⁵She said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Tell the man who sent you to me, ¹⁶‘This is what the Lord says: I am going to bring disaster^(T) on this place and its people, according to everything written in the book^(U) the king of Judah has read. ¹⁷Because they have forsaken^(V) me and burned incense to other gods and aroused my anger by all the idols their hands have made,^[a] my anger will burn against this place and will not be quenched.’ ¹⁸Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire^(W) of the Lord, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says concerning the words you heard: ¹⁹Because your heart was responsive and you humbled^(X) yourself before the Lord when you heard what I have spoken against this place and its people—that they would become a curse^[b](Y) and be laid waste^(Z)—and because you tore your robes and wept in my presence, I also have heard you, declares the Lord. ²⁰Therefore I will gather you to your ancestors, and you will be buried in peace.^(AA) Your eyes^(AB) will not see all the disaster I am going to bring on this place.’”

So they took her answer back to the king.

Footnotes

1. 2 Kings 22:17 Or by everything they have done
2. 2 Kings 22:19 That is, their names would be used in cursing (see Jer. 29:22); or, others would see that they are cursed.

Cross references

1. 2 Kings 22:1 : 22:1-20pp — 2Ch 34:1-2, 8-28
2. 2 Kings 22:1 : Jer 1:2; 25:3
3. 2 Kings 22:1 : Jos 15:39
4. 2 Kings 22:2 : S Dt 17:19; S 1Ki 14:8
5. 2 Kings 22:2 : S Dt 5:32
6. 2 Kings 22:3 : 2Ch 34:20; Jer 39:14
7. 2 Kings 22:4 : Ezr 7:1
8. 2 Kings 22:4 : 2Ki 12:4-5
9. 2 Kings 22:5 : 2Ki 12:5, 11-14
10. 2 Kings 22:6 : 2Ki 12:11-12
11. 2 Kings 22:7 : S 2Ki 12:15
12. 2 Kings 22:8 : S Dt 28:61; S 31:24; Gal 3:10
13. 2 Kings 22:10 : Jer 36:21
14. 2 Kings 22:11 : ver 8
15. 2 Kings 22:12 : 2Ki 25:22; Jer 26:24; 39:14
16. 2 Kings 22:12 : 1Sa 8:14
17. 2 Kings 22:13 : S Ge 25:22; S 1Sa 9:9
18. 2 Kings 22:13 : Dt 29:24-28; S 31:17; Isa 5:25; 42:25; Am 2:4
19. 2 Kings 22:14 : S Ex 15:20
20. 2 Kings 22:16 : S Dt 31:29; S Jos 23:15; Jer 6:19; 11:11; 18:11; 35:17
21. 2 Kings 22:16 : Da 9:11
22. 2 Kings 22:17 : S 1Ki 9:9
23. 2 Kings 22:18 : Jer 21:2; 37:3, 7
24. 2 Kings 22:19 : S Ex 10:3; Isa 57:15; 61:1; Mic 6:8
25. 2 Kings 22:19 : Jer 24:9; 25:18; 26:6
26. 2 Kings 22:19 : Lev 26:31
27. 2 Kings 22:20 : Isa 47:11; 57:1; Jer 18:11
28. 2 Kings 22:20 : S 1Ki 21:29