2 Chronicles Chapter 34
Josiah was just eight when he took the throne, ruling Jerusalem for thirty-one years straight.
Josiah {was} eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem one and thirty years.
He was on that righteous vibe in the eyes of God, walking the path like his pops David, no cap, never veered off course.
And he did {that which was} right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the ways of David his father, and declined {neither} to the right hand, nor to the left.
In his eighth year, while still young, he started seeking after God like David; by year twelve, he was cleaning up Judah and Jerusalem, getting rid of those high places and idols.
For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David his father: and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images.
They wrecked the altars of Baal right in front of him; he took down the standout images, smashed the groves and idols into dust, and spread it on the graves of those who sacrificed to them.
And they brake down the altars of Baalim in his presence; and the images, 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 dust {of them}, and strowed {it} upon the graves of them that had sacrificed unto them. {the images: or, the sun images} {graves: Heb. face of the graves}
He roasted the bones of the priests on their altars and cleaned up Judah and Jerusalem, savage move for real.
And he burnt the bones of the priests upon their altars, and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem.
He did the same in the towns of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, all the way to Naphtali, grinding away with their tools.
And {so did he} in the cities of Manasseh, and Ephraim, and Simeon, even unto Naphtali, with their mattocks round about. {mattocks: or, mauls}
After knocking down all the altars and groves, pulverizing the images, and trashing every idol in Israel, he made his way back to Jerusalem.
And when he had broken down the altars and the groves, and had beaten the graven images into powder, and cut down all the idols throughout all the land of Israel, he returned to Jerusalem. {into...: Heb. to make powder}
In his eighteenth year, after cleaning up the land and the temple, he sent Shaphan, son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah, the city governor, along with Joah, the recorder, to fix up the Lord's crib.
Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land, and the house, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of the LORD his God.
When they connected with Hilkiah, the high priest, they dropped off the cash collected for God's house, gathered by the Levites from Manasseh, Ephraim, and the remnant of Israel, plus Judah and Benjamin; then they bounced back to Jerusalem.
And when they came to Hilkiah the high priest, they delivered the money that was brought into the house of God, which the Levites that kept the doors had gathered of the hand of Manasseh and Ephraim, and of all the remnant of Israel, and of all Judah and Benjamin; and they returned to Jerusalem.
They passed it on to the workers overseeing the Lord's house, so they could repair and upgrade the temple, for real.
And they put {it} in the hand 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:
They hooked the builders up with cash to grab some rad stones and wood for the houses that the kings of Judah wrecked.
Even to the artificers and builders gave they {it}, to buy hewn stone, and timber for couplings, and to floor the houses which the kings of Judah had destroyed. {to floor: or, to rafter}
The squad was grinding hard, no cap: Jahath and Obadiah were running the show, and they had Zechariah and Meshullam on deck to keep the vibe alive, plus other Levites jamming with music skills.
And the men did the work faithfully: 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, all that could skill of instruments of musick.
They also handled the heavy lifting and kept everything in line: Levites were rolling with scribes, officers, and porters in the mix.
Also {they were} over the bearers of burdens, and {were} overseers of all that wrought the work in any manner of service: and of the Levites {there were} scribes, and officers, and porters.
While they were sorting through the cash for the Lord's crib, Hilkiah the priest came across a book of the law from Moses.
And when they brought out the money that was brought into the house of the LORD, Hilkiah the priest found a book of the law of the LORD {given} by Moses. {by: Heb. by the hand of}
Hilkiah was like, "Yo, Shaphan, check it out, I found the law book in the Lord's house," and handed it over.
And Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the LORD. And Hilkiah delivered the book to Shaphan.
Shaphan took the book to the king and told him, "All that you ordered your crew, they’re totally on it, fr."
And Shaphan carried the book to the king, and brought the king word back again, saying, All that was committed to thy servants, they do {it}. {to thy...: Heb. to the hand of, etc}
They gathered the cash discovered in the Lord's house and handed it over to the overseers and workers.
And they have gathered together 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. {gathered together: Heb. poured out, or, melted}
Then Shaphan told the king, "Hilkiah the priest gave me a book," and he read it to the king.
Then Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath given me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king. {it: Heb. in it}
When the king heard the laws, he was shook and ripped his clothes in disbelief.
And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the law, that he rent his clothes.
The king told Hilkiah, Ahikam, Abdon, Shaphan, and Asaiah, "Listen up,"
And the king commanded Hilkiah, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Abdon the son of Micah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah a servant of the king's, saying, {Abdon: or, Achbor}
Yo, go hit up the Lord for me and the people still vibing in Israel and Judah, about the words in that book we found. The Lord's anger is serious, 'cause our fam didn’t follow His word, fr.
Go, enquire of the LORD for me, and for them that are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book that is found: for great {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.
Hilkiah and the crew the king sent hit up Huldah, the prophetess, wifey of Shallum, the wardrobe keeper. She was vibing in Jerusalem, and they told her what’s good.
And Hilkiah, and {they} that the king {had appointed}, went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvath, the son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe; (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the college:) and they spake to her to that {effect}. {Hasrah: also called, Harhas} {wardrobe: Heb. garments} {in the college: or, in the school, or, in the second part}
She replied, "The Lord God of Israel says, tell the dude who sent you to me,
And she answered them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Tell ye the man that sent you to me,
The Lord says, listen up, I'm about to drop some heavy bad vibes on this place and everyone here, all the curses from that book you read to the king of Judah."
Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, {even} all the curses that are written in the book which they have read before the king of Judah:
They ditched me and burned incense to other gods, trying to anger me with their hands' work; so my wrath is gonna be lit on this place, and it won’t chill.
Because 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 wrath shall be poured out upon this place, and shall not be quenched.
And for the king of Judah who sent you to ask the Lord, tell him this: The Lord God of Israel has a message for you.
And as for 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;
Since your heart is soft and you lowkey humbled yourself before God when you heard His words about this place and its people, and you wept and ripped your clothes, I heard you, periodt.
Because thine heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before God, when thou heardest his words against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, and humbledst thyself before me, and didst rend thy clothes, and weep before me; I have even heard {thee} also, saith the LORD.
I'm gonna gather you to your fam, and you’ll be laid to rest in peace. You won’t witness the bad stuff I’m about to do to this place and its people. So they went back to the king with the update.
Behold, I will gather thee to thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered to thy grave in peace, neither 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 king called all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem to come through.
Then the king sent and gathered together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem.
The king rolled up to the Lord's house with all the men of Judah, the folks of Jerusalem, the priests, the Levites, and everyone, big and small. He read them all the words from that covenant book found in the Lord's house.
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 small: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant that was found in the house of the LORD. {great...: Heb. from great even to small}
The king stood up and made a promise to God, saying he’d vibe with Him, keep His rules, and follow His word with all his heart and soul. Major commitment, fr.
And the king stood in his place, and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD, and to keep his commandments, and his testimonies, and his statutes, with all his heart, and with all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant which are written in this book.
He got everyone in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand up for it. The peeps in Jerusalem were all about that covenant with God, no cap.
And he caused all that were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand {to it}. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers. {present: Heb. found}
Josiah cleared out all the sus stuff from everywhere linked to the Israelites and made everyone in Israel serve the Lord their God. For real, they didn’t stop following Him all his days.
And Josiah took away all the abominations 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 days they departed not from following the LORD, the God of their fathers. {present: Heb. found} {from...: Heb. from after}