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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width; initial-scale=1.0; maximum-scale=1.0; user-scalable=0;"/><title>2 Chronicles 34 New American Bible</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/2_chronicles/34.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="/bmcc/2_chronicles/34-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="http://biblehub.com/catholic">Bible</a> > <a href="../">NABRE</a> > 2 Chronicles 34</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../2_chronicles/33.htm" title="2 Chronicles 33">◄</a> 2 Chronicles 34 <a href="../2_chronicles/35.htm" title="2 Chronicles 35">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top">New American Bible Revised Edition</td><td width="1%" valign="top"></td></tr></table></div><div class="chap"><section id="ch14034" class="chapter"> <h1 id="cn14034" class="cn"></h1> <p class="pf"><span class="hemb">Josiah’s Reforms.</span> <span id="v14034001" class="ver">1</span><a id="ren14034001-a" class="enref" href="footnotes.htm#en14034001-a">a</a> Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. <span id="v14034002" class="ver">2</span>He did what was right in the <span class="tetr">Lord</span>’s sight, walking in the way of David his father, not turning right or left. <span id="v14034003" class="ver">3</span><a id="ren14034003-b" class="enref" href="footnotes.htm#en14034003-b">b</a> In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still a youth, he began to seek after the God of David his father. Then in his twelfth year<a id="rfn14034003-1" class="fnref" href="footnotes.htm#fn14034003-1">*</a> he began to purify Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the asherahs, and the carved and molten images. <span id="v14034004" class="ver">4</span>In his presence, the altars of the Baals were torn down; the incense stands erected above them he broke down; the asherahs and the carved and molten images he smashed and beat into dust, which he scattered over the tombs of those who had sacrificed to them; <span id="v14034005" class="ver">5</span>and the bones of the priests he burned upon their altars. Thus he purified Judah and Jerusalem. <span id="v14034006" class="ver">6</span>He did likewise in the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, Simeon, and in the ruined villages of the surrounding country as far as Naphtali; <span id="v14034007" class="ver">7</span>he tore down the altars and asherahs, and the carved images he beat into dust, and broke down the incense stands throughout the land of Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem.</p> <p class="psec"><span class="hemb">The Temple Restored.</span> <span id="v14034008" class="ver">8</span><a id="ren14034008-c" class="enref" href="footnotes.htm#en14034008-c">c</a> In the eighteenth year of his reign, in order to purify the land and the temple, he sent Shaphan, son of Azaliah, Maaseiah, the ruler of the city, and Joah, son of Joahaz, the chancellor, to restore the house of the <span class="tetr">Lord</span>, his God. <span id="v14034009" class="ver">9</span>They came to Hilkiah the high priest and turned over the money brought to the house of God which the Levites, the guardians of the threshold, had collected from Manasseh, Ephraim, and all the remnant of Israel, as well as from all of Judah, Benjamin, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.<a id="ren14034009-d" class="enref" href="footnotes.htm#en14034009-d">d</a> <span id="v14034010" class="ver">10</span>They turned it over to the master workers in the house of the <span class="tetr">Lord</span>, and these in turn used it to pay the workers in the <span class="tetr">Lord</span>’s house who were restoring and repairing it. <span id="v14034011" class="ver">11</span>They also gave it to the carpenters and the masons to buy hewn stone and timber for the tie beams and rafters of the buildings which the kings of Judah had allowed to fall into ruin. <span id="v14034012" class="ver">12</span>The men worked faithfully at their task; their overseers were Jahath and Obadiah, Levites of the line of Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam, of the Kohathites, who directed them. All those Levites who were skillful with musical instruments <span id="v14034013" class="ver">13</span>were in charge of the men who carried the burdens, and they directed all the workers in every kind of labor. Some of the other Levites were scribes, officials, and gatekeepers.</p> <p class="psec"><span class="hemb">The Finding of the Law.</span> <span id="v14034014" class="ver">14</span><a id="ren14034014-e" class="enref" href="footnotes.htm#en14034014-e">e</a> When they brought out the money that had been deposited in the house of the <span class="tetr">Lord</span>, Hilkiah the priest found the book of the law of the <span class="tetr">Lord</span> given through Moses. <span id="v14034015" class="ver">15</span>He reported this to Shaphan the scribe, saying, “I have found the book of the law in the house of the <span class="tetr">Lord</span>.” Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, <span id="v14034016" class="ver">16</span>who brought it to the king at the same time that he made his report to him. He said, “Your servants are doing everything that has been entrusted to them; <span id="v14034017" class="ver">17</span>they have smelted down the silver deposited in the <span class="tetr">Lord</span>’s house and have turned it over to the overseers and the workers.” <span id="v14034018" class="ver">18</span>Then Shaphan the scribe also informed the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book,” and then Shaphan read it in the presence of the king.</p> <p><span id="v14034019" class="ver">19</span>When the king heard the words of the law, he tore his garments. <span id="v14034020" class="ver">20</span>The king then issued this command to Hilkiah, to Ahikam, son of Shaphan, to Abdon, son of Michah, to Shaphan the scribe, and to Asaiah, the king’s servant: <span id="v14034021" class="ver">21</span>“Go, consult the <span class="tetr">Lord</span> for me and for those who are left in Israel and Judah, about the words of the book that has been found, for the anger of the <span class="tetr">Lord</span> burns furiously against us, because our ancestors did not keep the word of the <span class="tetr">Lord</span> and have not done all that is written in this book.” <span id="v14034022" class="ver">22</span>Then Hilkiah and others from the king went to Huldah the prophet, wife of Shallum, son of Tokhath, son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe; she lived in Jerusalem, in the Second Quarter. They spoke to her as they had been instructed, <span id="v14034023" class="ver">23</span>and she said to them: “Thus says the <span class="tetr">Lord</span>, the God of Israel: Say to the man who sent you to me, <span id="v14034024" class="ver">24</span>Thus says the <span class="tetr">Lord</span>: I am about to bring evil upon this place and upon its inhabitants, all the curses written in the book that was read before the king of Judah. <span id="v14034025" class="ver">25</span>Because they have abandoned me and have burned incense to other gods, provoking me by all the works of their hands, my anger burns against this place and it cannot be extinguished.</p> <p><span id="v14034026" class="ver">26</span>“But to the king of Judah who sent you to consult the <span class="tetr">Lord</span>, give this response: Thus says the <span class="tetr">Lord</span>, the God of Israel: As for the words you have heard, <span id="v14034027" class="ver">27</span>because you were heartsick and have humbled yourself before God when you heard his words concerning this place and its inhabitants; because you humbled yourself before me, tore your garments, and wept before me, I in turn have heard—oracle of the <span class="tetr">Lord</span>. <span id="v14034028" class="ver">28</span>I will gather you to your ancestors and you shall go to your grave in peace, and your eyes shall not see all the evil I am about to bring upon this place and upon its inhabitants.”</p> <p>This they reported to the king.</p> <p class="psec"><span class="hemb">Covenant Renewal.</span> <span id="v14034029" class="ver">29</span><a id="ren14034029-f" class="enref" href="footnotes.htm#en14034029-f">f</a> The king then had all the elders of Judah and of Jerusalem summoned before him. <span id="v14034030" class="ver">30</span>The king went up to the house of the <span class="tetr">Lord</span> with all the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: priests, Levites, and all the people, great and small. He read aloud to them all the words of the book of the covenant that had been found in the house of the <span class="tetr">Lord</span>. <span id="v14034031" class="ver">31</span>The king stood by the column<a id="rfn14034031-1" class="fnref" href="footnotes.htm#fn14034031-1">*</a> and made a covenant in the presence of the <span class="tetr">Lord</span> to follow the <span class="tetr">Lord</span> and to observe his commandments, statutes, and decrees with his whole heart and soul, carrying out the words of the covenant written in this book. <span id="v14034032" class="ver">32</span>He thereby committed all who were in Jerusalem and Benjamin, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem acted according to the covenant of God, the God of their ancestors. <span id="v14034033" class="ver">33</span>Josiah removed every abomination from all the territories belonging to the Israelites, and he obliged all who were in Israel to serve the <span class="tetr">Lord</span>, their God. During his lifetime they did not turn away from following the <span class="tetr">Lord</span>, the God of their ancestors.<a id="ren14034033-g" class="enref" href="footnotes.htm#en14034033-g">g</a></p> </section> <br /><h1 class="cn"><a class="xref" href="intro.htm"><span class="ac">Book Introduction</span></a></h1><h1 class="cn"><a class="xref" href="footnotes.htm"><span class="ac">Footnotes</span></a></h1></div></div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center">Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the <i>New American Bible, revised edition</i> © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. 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