3For 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 the high places, the idols, the carved images, and the melted and cast images from Judah and Jerusalem. 4And they tore down the altars of Baalim in his presence; and he cut down the idols, the carved and cast images that were high above them; he broke them in pieces, made dust of them, and scattered it upon the graves of them who had sacrificed to them. 5And he burned the bones of the priests upon their altars, and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem. 6And he did so in the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, even unto Naphtali, in their surrounding ruins. 7And when he had broken down the altars and the idols, and had beaten the carved images into powder, and cut down all the idols throughout all the land of Israel, he returned to Jerusalem.

8Now 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 temple of the LORD his God. 9And when they came to Hilkiah, the high priest, they delivered the money that was brought into the temple of God, which the Levites who kept the doors had gathered from Manasseh, Ephraim, and of all the rest of Israel, and from all Judah and Benjamin; and they returned to Jerusalem. 10And they gave it to those who had the oversight of the temple of the LORD, and they gave it to the workers who repaired and mended the temple of the LORD: 11And to the craftsmen and builders, to buy hewn stone, and timber for couplings, and to floor the houses which the kings of Judah had destroyed. 12And the men did the work faithfully; and the overseers of them were Jahath and Obadiah, Levites, sons of Merari; and Zechariah and Meshullam, of the sons of the Kohathites, and others of the Levites; all who were skillful with instruments of music, to advance the work. 13They were also over the bearers of burdens, and supervised all who performed the work in any manner of service. And some of the Levites were scribes, and officers, and gatekeepers.

14And when they were bringing out the money that was brought into the temple of the LORD, Hilkiah, the priest, found a Book of the Law of the LORD given by Moses. 15And Hilkiah told Shaphan, the scribe, “I have found the Book of the Law in the temple of the LORD”. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan. 16And Shaphan brought the book to the king, but prefaced that by telling the king, “All that was entrusted to your servants, they are doing. 17And they have gathered the money that was found in the temple of the LORD, and have delivered it to the overseers, and to the workmen”. 18Then Shaphan, the scribe, told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book”. And Shaphan read from it before the king. 19And when Josiah, the king, had heard the words of the Law, he tore his clothes. 20And Josiah commanded Hilkiah, Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, Abdon, the son of Micah, Shaphan, the scribe, and Asaiah, a king's servant by saying, 21“Go, enquire of the LORD for me, and for them who remain in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book that was 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 everything that is written in this book”.

22So Hilkiah, and those the king had appointed, went to Huldah, the prophetess, the wife of Shallum, the son of Tokhath, the son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the second quarter), and they spoke to her to that effect. 23And she answered them, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel, ‘Tell the man who sent you to Me, 24Thus says the LORD, ‘Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and its inhabitants, all the curses that are written in the book which they have read before the king of Judah, 25Because they have forsaken Me, and have burned incense to 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. 26And as for the king of Judah, who sent you to enquire of the LORD, so shall you say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD God of Israel regarding the words which you have heard: 27Because your heart was tender, and you were penitent before God, when you heard His words against this place, and its inhabitants, and humbled yourself before Me, and tore your clothes, and wept before Me; I have also heard you, says the LORD. 28Behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and to your grave in peace, neither shall your eyes see all the evil that I will bring upon this place, and its inhabitants.’’” So they brought that word back to the king.

29Then Josiah gathered all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 30And the king went up into the temple 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 Josiah read in their hearing all the words of the book of the covenant that was found in the temple of the LORD. 31And Josiah stood in his place, and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD, and to keep His commandments, His testimonies, and His statutes, with all his heart, and with all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant written in this book. 32And he caused all who 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. 33And Josiah took away all the abominations out of all the countries that belonged to the children of Israel, and made all who were present in Israel to serve the LORD, their God. And in all of Josiah’s days they did not depart from following the LORD, the God of their fathers.