2 Chronicles 34:1-13 ▼

1 Josiah was a son of eight years in his reigning, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem.

2 And he did right in the eyes of YHWH and walked in the ways of David his father, and he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.

3 And in the eighth year of his reign (and he was still young) he began to seek the God of David his father. And in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, and the Asherah poles, and the carved images, and the molten images.

4 And in his presence they broke down the altars of the Baals, and the incense altars that were on high above them he cut down. And the Asherah poles, and the carved images, and the molten images, he broke in pieces and made dust of them, and he scattered it on the surface of the graves of those who had sacrificed to them.

5 And he burned the bones of the priests on their altars, and he cleansed Judah and Jerusalem,

6 and in the cities of Manasseh, and Ephraim, and Simeon, and as far as Naphtali, and in the ruins of them round about.

7 And he broke down the altars and the Asherah poles, and the carved images he beat to pieces to grinding, and all the incense altars he cut down throughout all the land of Israel. And he returned to Jerusalem.

8 And in the eighteenth year of his reign, to purify the land and the house, he sent Shaphan son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah son of Joahaz the recorder, to strengthen the house of YHWH his God.

9 And they came to Hilkiah the high priest, and they gave the silver that was brought into the house of God, which the Levites who kept the doors had gathered from the hand of Manasseh and Ephraim, and from all the remnant of Israel, and from all Judah and Benjamin, and from those dwelling in Jerusalem.

10 And they put it into the hand of those doing the work appointed over the house of YHWH, and they gave it to those doing the work, who were working in the house of YHWH to repair and to strengthen the house.

11 And they gave it to the craftsmen and the builders to buy hewn stones, and timbers for couplings and for beams to the houses that the kings of Judah had destroyed.

12 And the men did the work in faithfulness. And their overseers were Jahath and Obadiah, the Levites, of the sons of Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam of the sons of the Kohathites to supervise; and of the Levites, everyone skilled with instruments of song,

13 and over the burden-bearers, and overseers of all who did work for service and service; and some of the Levites were scribes and officers and gatekeepers.