(KJV) 2 Kings 221

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⥃Josiah Reigns in Judah [ 2 Chronicles 34:1–2 ]

[1] Josiah2 [was] eight years old3 when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty and one years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name [was] Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah of Boscath4.5 [2] And he did [that which was] right6 in the sight of the Lord, and walked7 in all the way of David his father, and turned8 not aside to the right hand or to the left.

⥃Funding the Temple Repairs [ 2 Chronicles 34:8–13 ]

[3] [¶]And it came to pass in the9 eighteenth year of king Josiah, [that] the king sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, the scribe, to the house of the Lord, saying,10 [4] Go up to Hilkiah11 the high priest, that he may12 sum the silver13 which is brought into the house of the Lord, which the keepers14 of the door15 have gathered of the people: [5] And let them deliver16 it into the hand of the doers of the work, that have the oversight of the house of the Lord: and let them give it to the doers of the work which [is] in the house of the Lord, to repair17 the breaches of the house, [6] Unto carpenters18, and builders19, and masons20, and to buy timber and hewn stone to repair the house. [7] Howbeit21 there was no reckoning made with them of the money that was delivered into their hand, because they dealt faithfully22.

⥃Hilkiah Finds the Book of the Law [ 2 Chronicles 34:14–21 ]

[8] [¶]And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found23 the book of the law in the house of the Lord. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it. [9] And Shaphan24 the scribe25 came to the king, and brought the king word again, and said, Thy servants have gathered26 the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of them that do the work, that have the oversight of the house of the Lord. [10] And Shaphan27 the scribe shewed the king28, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath delivered me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king. [11] And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent29 his clothes. [12] And the king30 commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam31 the son of Shaphan, and Achbor32 the son of Michaiah33, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asahiah a servant of the king’s, saying, [13] Go ye, enquire34 of the Lord for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found: for great35 [is] the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us, because our fathers36 have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us.

⥃Huldah’s Prophecy [ 2 Chronicles 34:22–28 ]

[14] So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asahiah, went unto Huldah the prophetess37, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah38, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe39; (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the college40;) and they communed with her.

[15] [¶]And she said unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Tell the man that sent you to me,41 [16] Thus saith the Lord, Behold42, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, [even] all the words43 of the book which the king of Judah hath read: [17] Because they have forsaken44 me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works45 of their hands; therefore46 my wrath shall be kindled against this place, and shall not be47 quenched. [18] But to the king48 of Judah which sent you to enquire of the Lord, thus shall ye49 say to him, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, [As touching] the words which thou hast heard; [19] Because thine heart50 was tender, and thou hast humbled51 thyself before the Lord, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation52 and a curse, and hast rent53 thy clothes, and wept54 before me; I also have55 heard [thee], saith the Lord. [20] Behold therefore, I will gather56 thee unto thy fathers, and thou shalt57 be gathered58 into thy grave in peace; and thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place. And they brought the king word again.

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  1. 2Kgs 22:1, Josiah’s good reign; 2Kgs 22:3, He takes care for the repair of the temple; 2Kgs 22:8, Hilkiah having found a book of the law, Josiah sends to Huldah to enquire of the Lord; 2Kgs 22:15, Huldah prophesies the destruction of Jerusalem, but respite thereof in Josiah’s time. ↩

  2. This prince was one of the best, if not the best, of all the Jewish kings since the time of David. He began well, continued well, and ended well. 1Kgs 13:2; 2Chr 34:1, 2Chr 34:2-33; Jer 1:2; Zeph 1:1; Matt 1:10, Josias ↩

  3. 2Kgs 11:21, 2Kgs 21:1; Ps 8:2; Eccl 10:16; Isa 3:4 ↩

  4. This was a city in the plain country of the tribe of Judah; and is mentioned in the parallel passage along with Lachish and Eglon. Josh 15:39, Bozkath ↩

  5. am 3363-3394, bc 641-610 ↩

  6. 2Kgs 16:2, 2Kgs 18:3; 2Chr 17:3, 2Chr 29:2; Prov 20:11 ↩

  7. 1Kgs 3:6, 1Kgs 11:38, 1Kgs 15:5 ↩

  8. Deut 5:32; Josh 1:7; Prov 4:27; Ezek 18:14-17 ↩

  9. 2Chr 34:3-8, 2Chr 34:9-33 ↩

  10. am 3380, bc 642 ↩

  11. 1Chr 6:13, 1Chr 9:11; 2Chr 34:9-18 ↩

  12. Ten years seem to have elapsed since the people began to present the accustomed offerings; yet no one had taken an account of them, nor were they applied to the purpose for which they were given. ↩

  13. 2Kgs 12:4, 2Kgs 12:8-11; 2Chr 24:8-12; Mark 12:41-42 ↩

  14. 1Chr 9:19, 1Chr 26:13-19; 2Chr 8:14; Neh 11:19; Ps 84:10 ↩

  15. Heb. threshold ↩

  16. 2Kgs 12:11-14 ↩

  17. 2Kgs 12:5; 2Chr 24:7, 2Chr 24:12-13, 2Chr 24:27; Ezra 3:7 ↩

  18. or, artificers, Exod 28:11, Exod 35:35, Exod 38:23 ↩

  19. 2Kgs 12:11; Gen 4:17; 1Kgs 5:18, 1Kgs 6:12 ↩

  20. or, repairers of the wall, 2Kgs 12:12; Isa 58:12; Ezek 22:30 ↩

  21. 2Kgs 12:15; 2Chr 24:14 ↩

  22. Exod 36:5-6; Neh 7:2; Prov 28:20; Luke 16:10-12; 1Cor 4:2; 2Cor 8:20-21; 2Tim 2:2; 3John 1:5 ↩

  23. This certainly was a genuine copy of the divine law, and probably the autograph of Moses, as it is said, in the parallel place of Chronicles, to be the book of the law of the Lord by Moses. It is not probable that this was the only copy of the law in the land, or that Josiah had never before seen the book of Moses; but the fact seems to be, that this was the original of the covenant renewed by Moses in the plains of Moab, and now being unexpectedly found, its antiquity, the occasion of its being made, the present circumstances of the people, the imperfect state in which the reformation was as yet, after all that had been done, would all concur to produce the effect here mentioned on the mind of the pious Josiah. Deut 31:24-26; 2Chr 34:14, 2Chr 34:15-28 ↩

  24. 2Kgs 22:3, 2Kgs 22:12, 2Kgs 25:22; Jer 26:24, Jer 29:3, Jer 36:10-12, Jer 39:14, Jer 40:11, Jer 41:2; Ezek 8:11 ↩

  25. 2Kgs 18:18 ↩

  26. Heb. melted ↩

  27. Deut 31:9-13; 2Chr 34:18; Neh 8:1-7, Neh 8:14-15, Neh 8:18, Neh 13:1; Jer 36:6, Jer 36:15, Jer 36:21 ↩

  28. Deut 17:18-20; Jer 13:18, Jer 22:1-2 ↩

  29. 2Kgs 22:19; 2Chr 34:19; Jer 36:24; Joel 2:13; Jonah 3:6-7 ↩

  30. 2Kgs 19:2-3; 2Chr 34:19-21; Isa 37:1-4 ↩

  31. 2Kgs 22:9; Jer 26:22, Jer 26:24 ↩

  32. 2Chr 34:20, Abdon ↩

  33. or, Micah ↩

  34. 2Kgs 3:11; 1Kgs 22:7-8; 1Chr 10:13-14; Ps 25:14; Prov 3:6; Jer 21:1-2, Jer 37:17; Ezek 14:3-4, Ezek 20:1-3; Amos 3:7 ↩

  35. Exod 20:5; Deut 4:23-27, Deut 29:23-28, Deut 31:17-18; Neh 8:8-9, Neh 9:3; Ps 76:7; Dan 9:5-7; Nah 1:6; Rom 3:20, Rom 4:15, Rom 7:9; Rev 6:17 ↩

  36. 2Chr 29:6, 2Chr 34:21; Ps 106:6; Jer 16:12, Jer 44:17; Lam 5:7; Dan 9:8, Dan 9:10; Jas 1:22-25 ↩

  37. Exod 15:20; Judg 4:4; Mic 6:4; Luke 1:41-56, Luke 2:36; Acts 21:9; 1Cor 11:5 ↩

  38. 2Chr 34:22, Tikvath, Hasrah ↩

  39. Heb. garments, 2Kgs 10:22; Neh 7:72 ↩

  40. or, second part ↩

  41. 2Kgs 1:6, 2Kgs 1:16; Jer 23:28 ↩

  42. 2Kgs 20:17, 2Kgs 21:12-13; 2Chr 34:24-25 ↩

  43. 2Kgs 25:1-4; Lev 26:15-46; Deut 28:15-68, Deut 29:18-23, Deut 30:17-18, Deut 31:16-18; Deut 32:15-26; Josh 23:13, Josh 23:15; Dan 9:11-14 ↩

  44. Exod 32:34; Deut 29:24-28, Deut 32:15-19; Judg 2:12-14, Judg 3:7-8, Judg 10:6-7, Judg 10:10-14; 1Kgs 9:6-9; Neh 9:26-27; Ps 106:35-42; Jer 2:11-13, Jer 2:27-28 ↩

  45. Ps 115:4-8; Isa 2:8-9, Isa 44:17-20, Isa 46:5-8; Mic 5:13 ↩

  46. 1Thess 2:16 ↩

  47. Deut 32:22; 2Chr 36:16; Isa 33:14; Jer 7:20, Jer 17:27; Ezek 20:47-48; Zeph 1:18 ↩

  48. 2Chr 34:26-28 ↩

  49. Isa 3:10; Mal 3:16-17 ↩

  50. 1Sam 24:5; Ps 51:17, Ps 119:120; Isa 46:12, Isa 57:15, Isa 66:2, Isa 66:5; Jer 36:24; Jer 36:29-32; Ezek 9:4; Rom 2:4-5; Jas 4:6-10 ↩

  51. Exod 10:3; Lev 26:40-41; 1Kgs 21:29; 2Chr 33:12, 2Chr 33:19, 2Chr 33:23; Mic 6:8; 1Pet 5:5-6 ↩

  52. Lev 26:31-32; Deut 29:23; Jer 26:6, Jer 44:22 ↩

  53. 2Kgs 22:17 ↩

  54. Num 25:6; Judg 2:4-5, Judg 20:26; Ezra 9:3-4, Ezra 10:1; Neh 1:4, Neh 8:9; Ps 119:136; Jer 9:1, Jer 13:17, Jer 14:17; Luke 19:41; Rom 9:2-3 ↩

  55. 2Kgs 19:20, 2Kgs 20:5 ↩

  56. Gen 25:8; Deut 31:16; 1Chr 17:11; 2Chr 34:28 ↩

  57. During thy life, none of these calamities shall fall upon thee nor thy people; no adversary shall be permitted to disturb the peace of Judea; and thou shalt at last "be gathered into thy grave in peace." Now, though it is stated that Pharaoh-Necho slew him at Megiddo, yet the Assyrians and the Jews were at peace; and though Josiah might feel it his duty to oppose the Egyptian king's going against his friend and ally, and that, in his endeavours to oppose him, he was mortally wounded at Megiddo, yet certainly he was not killed there, but was brought to Jerusalem, where he died in peace. ↩

  58. 2Kgs 23:29-30; Ps 37:37; Isa 57:1-2; Jer 22:10, Jer 22:15-16 ↩