Study Desk

So he turned away from the Lord, the God of his fathers. He did not walk in the way of the Lord.

So Hilkiah the religious leader, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan and Asaiah went to Huldah the woman who spoke for God. She was the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, son of Harhas, and watched over the clothes of the house. (She lived in the Second Part of Jerusalem.) They spoke to her.

She said to them, "This is what the Lord God of Israel says. Tell the man who sent you to me

But tell the king of Judah who sent you to ask of the Lord, ‘This is what the Lord God of Israel says about the words you have heard.

The king went up to the house of the Lord with all the men of Judah and all the people who lived in Jerusalem. The religious leaders, the men who speak for God, and all the people went with him, both small and great. And Josiah read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Law which was found in the house of the Lord.

The king made Topheth unclean, which is in the valley of the sons of Hinnom. He did this so no one might give his son or daughter there as a burnt gift to the false god Molech.

The king made the high places sinful which were east of Jerusalem and south of the Mount of Destruction. King Solomon of Israel had built them for Ashtoreth the sinful goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the hated false god of Moab, and Milcom the hated god of the sons of Ammon.

As Josiah turned, he saw the graves that were there on the mountain. He had the bones taken from the graves, and burned them on the altar. So he made the altar sinful, as the word of the Lord said would happen, through the man of God.

Then Josiah said, "What is this that I see?" The men of the city told him, "It is the grave of the man of God who came from Judah. He is the one who said that these things would happen which you have done against the altar of Bethel."

Josiah said, "Let him alone. Let no one move his bones." So they let his bones alone, with the bones of the man of God who came from Samaria.

King Josiah told all the people, "Keep the Passover to the Lord your God, as it is written in this Book of the Law."

Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, "O, if only You would bring good to me and give me more land! If only Your hand might be with me, that You would keep me from being hurt!" And God gave him what he asked for.

They were given help against them, and the Hagrites and all who were with them were given into their hand. They cried out to God in the battle. He gave them what they asked for, because they trusted in Him.

Many were killed, because the war was of God. They lived in their place until they were taken away by Assyria.

But they sinned against the God of their fathers. They sold themselves to the gods of the people of the land, whom God had destroyed before them.

So the God of Israel moved the spirit of Pul king of Assyria, also known as Tilgath-pilneser king of Assyria. And he carried the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-family group of Manasseh away to a strange land. He brought them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and the river of Gozan. And they are there to this day.

Their brothers the Levites were chosen for all the work of the house of God.

But Aaron and his sons gave the gifts on the altar of burnt gifts and on the altar of special perfume. They did all the work of the most holy place, to pay for the sins of Israel. They did all that Moses the servant of God had told them to do.

And there was Azariah the son of Hilkiah, son of Meshullam, son of Zadok, son of Meraioth, son of Ahitub. He was the head leader of the house of God.

And there were 1,760 of their brothers, who were heads of their fathers' houses. They were very able men for the work of the house of God.