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Scriptural Text [& Editorial]
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Commentary & Explanation
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Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
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CHAPTER 34
Josiah destorys idolatry in Judah—They repair the house of the
Lord—Hilkiah finds a book of the law—Huldah, the prophetess,
reveals the desolations to come upon the people—Josiah and the people
covenant to serve the Lord.
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1 aJOSIAH
was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in
Jerusalem one and thirty years.
2 And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the ways of David his father, and declined neither to the right hand, nor to the left.
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3 ¶ For in the eighth year of his reign, while
he was yet young, he began to aseek after the God of David
his father: and in the twelfth year he began to bpurge
Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the groves, and the carved
images, and the molten images.
4 And they brake down the altars of Baalim in
his presence; and the aimages, that were on high
above them, he cut down; and the groves, and the carved images, and the
molten images, he brake in pieces, and made dust of them, and strowed
it upon the graves of them that had sacrificed unto them.
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5 And he aburnt the bones of
the priests upon their altars, and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem.
6 And so did he in the cities of
Manasseh, and Ephraima, and Simeon,
even unto Naphtali, with their mattocks round about.
7 And when he had broken down the altars and the groves, and had beaten the graven images into powder, and cut down all the idols throughout all the land of Israel, he returned to Jerusalem.
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6a so did he in the cities of
Manasseh, and Ephraim This list of cities of some of the other
tribes still a part of the kingdom of Judah is similar to that as listed in
the days of Hezekiah (see 2 Chronicles 30:10-11 & 18; 2 Chronicles 31:1). So
it would seem that various 'cities' of other tribes as well as those other
tribesmen were still a part of the kingdom of the Jews such as were Lehi,
Laban and Ishmael of the Book of Mormon in the times of Zedekiah, son of
Josiah. And it may will be that such stipulated 'cities' of these other
tribes were in what has been noted as the boundries of Judah such as the city
of Ephrath in parallel with that of Bethlehem about the site of Rachel's
tomb. This would explain how when Matthew tells the story of King Herod's
murder of the toddlers and babes, that is was Rachel whose weeping was
heard in the 'hill country' of Ephraim or ramah (See Matthew 2:6 & 16-18; also
see Messiah ben David ~ Messiah ben Joseph).
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8 ¶ Now in the eighteenth year of his reign,
when he had purged the land, and the house, he sent
aShaphan the son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah the governor of
the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of the
LORD his God.
9 And when they came to Hilkiah the high priest, they delivered the money that was brought into the house of God, which the Levites that kept the doors had gathered of the hand of Manasseh and Ephraim, and of all the remnant of Israel, and of all Judah and Benjamin; and they returned to Jerusalem.
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10 And they put it in the hand of the workmen that had the oversight of the house of the LORD, and they gave it to the workmen that wrought in the house of the LORD, to repair and amend the house:
11 Even to the artificers and builders gave they it, to buy hewn stone, and timber for couplings, and to floor the houses which the kings of Judah had destroyed.
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12 And the men did the work faithfully: and the overseers of them were Jahath and Obadiah, the Levites, of the sons of Merari; and Zechariah and Meshullam, of the sons of the Kohathites, to set it forward; and other of the Levites, all that could skill of instruments of musick.
13 Also they were over the bearers of
burdens, and were overseers of all that wrought the work in any manner
of service: and of the Levites there were ascribes,
and officers, and porters.
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14 ¶ And when they brought out the money that was brought into the house of the LORD, Hilkiah the priest found a book of the law of the LORD given by Moses.
15 And Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan
the scribe, I have found the abook of the law in the house
of the LORD. And Hilkiah delivered the book to Shaphan.
16 And Shaphan carried the book to the king, and brought the king word back again, saying, All that was committed to thy servants, they do it.
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17 And they have gathered together the money that was found in the house of the LORD, and have delivered it into the hand of the overseers, and to the hand of the workmen.
18 Then Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath given me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king.
19 And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the law, that he rent his clothes.
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20 And the king commanded Hilkiah, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Abdon the son of Micah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah a servant of the king's, saying,
21 Go, enquire of the LORD for me, and for
them that are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book
that is 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 after
all that is written in this abook.
22 And Hilkiah, and they that the king
had appointed, went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the
son of Tikvath, the son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe; (now she dwelt in
Jerusalem in the acollege:) and they spake to her to that
effect.
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23 ¶ And she answered them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Tell ye the man that sent you to me,
24 Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring
evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the
acurses that are written in the bbook
which they have read before the king of Judah:
25 Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto 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.
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26 And as for the king of Judah, who sent you to enquire of the LORD, so shall ye say unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel concerning the words which thou hast heard;
27 Because thine heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before God, when thou heardest his words against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, and humbledst thyself before me, and didst rend thy clothes, and weep before me; I have even heard thee also, saith the LORD.
28 Behold, I will gather thee to thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered to thy grave in peace, neither shall thine eyes see all the evil that I will bring upon this place, and upon the inhabitants of the same. So they brought the king word again.
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29 ¶ Then the king sent and gathered together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem.
30 And the king went up into the house 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 he
aread in their ears all the words of the book of the
covenant that was found in the house of the LORD.
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31 And the king stood in his place, and made a
acovenant before the LORD, to bwalk after
the LORD, and to keep his commandments, and his testimonies, and his
statutes, with all his heart, and with all his soul, to perform the words of
the covenant which are written in this book.
32 And he caused all that 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.
33 And Josiah took away all the abominations out of all the countries that pertained to the children of Israel, and made all that were present in Israel to serve, even to serve the LORD their God. And all his days they departed not from following the LORD, the God of their fathers.
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