1 Josiah awas eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah of bBozkath.
2 And he did whatwas right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in all the ways of his father David; he adid not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.
Hilkiah Finds the Book of the Law
3aNow it came to pass, in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, that the king sent Shaphan the scribe, the son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, to the house of the Lord, saying:
4 “Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, that he may count the money which has been abrought into the house of the Lord, which bthe doorkeepers have gathered from the people.
5 And let them adeliver it into the hand of those doing the work, who are the overseers in the house of the Lord; let them give it to those who are in the house of the Lord doing the work, to repair the damages of the house—
6 to carpenters and builders and masons—and to buy timber and hewn stone to repair the house.
7 However athere need be no accounting made with them of the money delivered into their hand, because they deal faithfully.”
8 Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, a“I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the Lord.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it.
9 So Shaphan the scribe went to the king, bringing the king word, saying, “Your servants have1 gathered the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of those who do the work, who oversee the house of the Lord.”
10 Then Shaphan the scribe showed the king, saying, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read it before the king.
11 Now it happened, when the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, that he tore his clothes.
12 Then the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, aAhikam the son of Shaphan, Achbor the son of Michaiah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah a servant of the king, saying,
13 “Go, inquire of the Lord for me, for the people and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that has been found; for great isathe wrath of the Lord that is aroused against us, because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us.”
14 So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of aTikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe. (She dwelt in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter.) And they spoke with her.
15 Then she said to them, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘Tell the man who sent you to Me,
THE FIRST AND SECOND BOOKS OF KINGS, in the ancient copies of the Hebrew Bible, constitute one book. Various titles have been given them; in the Septuagint and the Vulgate they are called the Third and Fourth Books of Kings. The authorship of these books is unknown; but the prevailing opinion is that they were compiled by Ezra, or one of the later prophets, from the ancient documents that are so frequently referred to in the course of the history as of public and established authority. Their inspired character was acknowledged by the Jewish Church, which ranked them in the sacred canon; and, besides, it is attested by our Lord, who frequently quotes from them (compare I Kings 17:9; II Kings 5:14 with Luke 4:24-27; I Kings 10:1 with Matthew 12:42).
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