Study Desk

but he did not humble himself before the LORD as his father Manasseh had done; instead, Amon increased his guilt.

Then the servants of Amon conspired against him and killed him in his palace.

But the people of the land killed all who had conspired against King Amon, and they made his son Josiah king in his place.

And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right or to the left.

In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, Josiah began to seek the God of his father David, and in the twelfth year he began to cleanse Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the Asherah poles, the carved idols, and the cast images.

Then in his presence the altars of the Baals were torn down, and he cut to pieces the incense altars that were above them. He shattered the Asherah poles, the carved idols, and the cast images, crushed them to dust, and scattered them over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them.

Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, in order to cleanse the land and the temple, Josiah sent Shaphan son of Azaliah, Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah son of Joahaz, the recorder, to repair the temple of the LORD his God.

When the king heard the words of the Law, he tore his clothes

because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and against its people, and because you have humbled yourself before Me and you have torn your clothes and wept before Me, I have heard you,' declares the LORD.

So the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the LORD to follow the LORD and to keep His commandments, decrees, and statutes with all his heart and all his soul, and to carry out the words of this covenant that were written in this book.

And Josiah removed all the abominations from all the lands belonging to the Israelites, and he required everyone in Israel to serve the LORD their God. Throughout his reign they did not turn aside from following the LORD, the God of their fathers.

To the Levites who taught all Israel and were holy to the LORD, Josiah said: "Put the holy ark in the temple built by Solomon son of David king of Israel. It is not to be carried around on your shoulders. Now serve the LORD your God and His people Israel.

Prepare yourselves by your families in your divisions, according to the instructions written by David king of Israel and his son Solomon.

From his own flocks and herds, Josiah contributed 30,000 lambs and goats plus 3,000 bulls for the Passover offerings for all the people who were present.

His officials also contributed willingly to the people and priests and Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, the administrators of the house of God, gave the priests 2,600 Passover offerings and 300 bulls.

Additionally, Conaniah and his brothers Shemaiah and Nethanel, as well as Hashabiah, Jeiel, and Jozabad, officers of the Levites, donated to the Levites 5,000 Passover offerings and 500 bulls.

There the archers shot King Josiah, who said to his servants, "Take me away, for I am severely wounded!"

So his servants took him out of his chariot, put him in his second chariot, and brought him to Jerusalem, where he died. And Josiah was buried in the tomb of his fathers, and all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for him.

As for the rest of the acts of Josiah, along with his deeds of loving devotion according to what is written in the Law of the LORD,

and his words, from beginning to end, they are indeed written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah.