Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign; and he reigned thirty and one years in Jerusalem.
And he did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, and walked in the ways of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.
For 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 Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the Asherim, and the graven images, and the molten images.
And they brake down the altars of the Baalim in his presence; and the sun-images that were on high above them he hewed down; and the Asherim, and the graven images, and the molten images, he brake in pieces, and made dust of them, and strewed it upon the graves of them that had sacrificed unto them.
And he burnt the bones of the priests upon their altars, and purged Judah and Jerusalem.
And so did he in the cities of Manasseh and Ephraim and Simeon, even unto Naphtali, {Or, as otherwise read, with their axes The Hebrew is obscure.}in their ruins round about.
And he brake down the altars, and beat the Asherim and the graven images into powder, and hewed down all the sun-images throughout all the land of Israel, and returned to Jerusalem.
Now 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 {Or, chronicler}recorder, to repair the house of Jehovah his God.
And they came to Hilkiah the high priest, and delivered the money that was brought into the house of God, which the Levites, the keepers of the threshold, had gathered of the hand of Manasseh and Ephraim, and of all the remnant of Israel, and of all Judah and Benjamin, {Another reading is, and they returned to Jerusalem.}and of the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
And they delivered it into the hand of the workmen that had the oversight of the house of Jehovah; and {Or, they gave it to the workmen &c. See 2 Kings 22:5.}the workmen that wrought in the house of Jehovah gave it to mend and repair the house;
even to the carpenters and to the builders gave they it, to buy hewn stone, and timber for couplings, and to make beams for the houses which the kings of Judah had destroyed.
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, {Or, to preside over it}to set it forward; and others of the Levites, all that were skilful with instruments of music.
Also they were over the bearers of burdens, and set forward all that did the work in every manner of service: and of the Levites there were scribes, and officers, and porters.
And when they brought out the money that was brought into the house of Jehovah, Hilkiah the priest found the book of the law of Jehovah {Hebrew: by the hand of.}given by Moses.
And Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of Jehovah. And Hilkiah delivered the book to Shaphan.
And Shaphan carried the book to the king, and moreover brought back word to the king, saying, All that was committed to thy servants, they are doing.
And they have {Or, poured out}emptied out the money that was found in the house of Jehovah, and have delivered it into the hand of the overseers, and into the hand of the workmen.
And Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath delivered me a book. And Shaphan read therein before the king.
And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the law, that he rent his clothes.
And the king commanded Hilkiah, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and {In 2 Kings 22:12, Achbor the son of Micaiah.}Abdon the son of Micah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king's servant, saying,
Go ye, inquire of Jehovah 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 Jehovah that is poured out upon us, because our fathers have not kept the word of Jehovah, to do according unto all that is written in this book.
So Hilkiah, and they whom the king had commanded, went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of {In 2 Kings 22:14, Tikvah.}Tokhath, the son of {In 2 Kings 22:14, Harhas.}Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe; (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the {Hebrew: Mishneh.}second quarter); and they spake to her to that effect.
And she said unto them, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel: Tell ye the man that sent you unto me,
Thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the curses that are written in the book which they have read before the king of Judah.
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 is my wrath poured out upon this place, and it shall not be quenched.
But unto the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of Jehovah, thus shall ye say to him, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel: As touching the words which thou hast heard,
because thy heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before God, when thou heardest his words against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, and hast humbled thyself before me, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee, saith Jehovah.
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 thereof. And they brought back word to the king.
Then the king sent and gathered together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem.
And the king went up to the house of Jehovah, and all the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests, and the Levites, and all the people, both great and small: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant that was found in the house of Jehovah.
And the king stood in his place, and made a covenant before Jehovah, to walk after Jehovah, 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 that were written in this book.
And he caused all that were found 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.
And Josiah took away all the abominations out of all the countries that pertained to the children of Israel, and made all that were found in Israel to serve, even to serve Jehovah their God. All his days they departed not from following Jehovah, the God of their fathers.
Querverweise zu 2. Chronika 34,12 2Chr 34,12
and they brought in the oblations and the tithes and the dedicated things faithfully. And over them Conaniah the Levite was ruler, and Shimei his brother was second;
And these are they whom David set over the service of song in the house of Jehovah, after that the ark had rest.
And they ministered with song before the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, until Solomon had built the house of Jehovah in Jerusalem: and they {Hebrew; stood.}waited on their office according to their order.
And these are they that {Hebrew; stood.}waited, and their sons. Of the sons of the Kohathites: Heman the singer, the son of Joel, the son of Samuel,
the son of Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Eliel, the son of {In verse 26, Nahath.}Toah,
the son of {In verse 26, Zophai.}Zuph, the son of Elkanah, the son of Mahath, the son of Amasai,
the son of Elkanah, the son of {In verse 24, Shaul, Uzziah, Uriel.}Joel, the son of Azariah, the son of Zephaniah,
the son of Tahath, the son of Assir, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah,
the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, the son of Israel.
And his brother Asaph, who stood on his right hand, even Asaph the son of Berechiah, the son of Shimea,
the son of Michael, the son of Baaseiah, the son of Malchijah,
the son of Ethni, the son of Zerah, the son of Adaiah,
the son of Ethan, the son of Zimmah, the son of Shimei,
the son of Jahath, the son of Gershom, the son of Levi.
And on the left hand their brethren the sons of Merari: {In chapter 9:16, Jeduthun.}Ethan the son of {In chapter 15:17, Kushaiah.}Kishi, the son of Abdi, the son of Malluch,
the son of Hashabiah, the son of Amaziah, the son of Hilkiah,
the son of Amzi, the son of Bani, the son of Shemer,
the son of Mahli, the son of Mushi, the son of Merari, the son of Levi.
And their brethren the Levites were {Hebrew: given. See Numbers 3:9.}appointed for all the service of the tabernacle of the house of God.
Moreover they reckoned not with the men, into whose hand they delivered the money to give to them that did the work; for they dealt faithfully.
And David spake to the chief of the Levites to appoint their brethren the singers, with instruments of music, psalteries and harps and cymbals, sounding aloud and lifting up the voice with joy.
So the Levites appointed Heman the son of Joel; and of his brethren, Asaph the son of Berechiah; and of the sons of Merari their brethren, Ethan the son of Kushaiah;
and with them their brethren of the second degree, Zechariah, Ben, and Jaaziel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Unni, Eliab, and Benaiah, and Maaseiah, and Mattithiah, and Eliphelehu, and Mikneiah, and Obed-edom, and Jeiel, the doorkeepers.
So the singers, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, were appointed with cymbals of brass to sound aloud;
and Zechariah, and Aziel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Unni, and Eliab, and Maaseiah, and Benaiah, with psalteries set to Alamoth;
and Mattithiah, and Eliphelehu, and Mikneiah, and Obed-edom, and Jeiel, and Azaziah, with harps set to the Sheminith, to lead.
And Chenaniah, chief of the Levites, was over {Or, the carrying of the ark Hebrew: the lifting up.}the song: he instructed about {Or, the carrying of the ark Hebrew: the lifting up.}the song, because he was skilful.
Howbeit there was no reckoning made with them of the money that was delivered into their hand; for they dealt faithfully.
And he appointed certain of the Levites to minister before the ark of Jehovah, and to celebrate and to thank and praise Jehovah, the God of Israel:
that I gave my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the governor of the castle, charge over Jerusalem; for he was a faithful man, and feared God above many.
Asaph the chief, and second to him Zechariah, {In chapter 15:18, Jaaziel.}Jeiel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Mattithiah, and Eliab, and Benaiah, and Obed-edom, and Jeiel, with psalteries and with harps; and Asaph with cymbals, sounding aloud;
A faithful man shall abound with blessings;But he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be unpunished.
and with them Heman and Jeduthun, and the rest that were chosen, who were mentioned by name, to give thanks to Jehovah, because his lovingkindness endureth for ever;
Here, moreover, it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.
and four thousand were doorkeepers; and four thousand praised Jehovah with the instruments which I made, said David, to praise therewith.
Moreover David and the captains of the host set apart for the service certain of the sons of Asaph, and of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who should prophesy with harps, with psalteries, and with cymbals: and the number of them that did the work according to their service was:
of the sons of Asaph: Zaccur, and Joseph, and Nethaniah, and {In verse 14, Jesharelah.}Asharelah, the sons of Asaph, under the hand of Asaph, who prophesied {Hebrew: by the hands of the king.}after the order of the king.
Of Jeduthun; the sons of Jeduthun: Gedaliah, and {In verse 11, Izri.}Zeri, and Jeshaiah, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah, {With Shimel, mentioned in verse 17.}six, under the hands of their father Jeduthun with the harp, who prophesied in giving thanks and praising Jehovah.
Of Heman; the sons of Heman: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, {In verse 18, Azarel.}Uzziel, {In verse 20, Shubael.}Shebuel, and Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, and Romamti-ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, Mahazioth.
All these were the sons of Heman the king's seer in the words of God, to lift up the horn. And God gave to Heman fourteen sons and three daughters.
All these were under the hands of their father for song in the house of Jehovah, with cymbals, psalteries, and harps, for the service of the house of God; {Or, after the order of the king, even Asaph &c.}Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman being under the order of the king.
And the number of them, with their brethren that were instructed in singing unto Jehovah, even all that were skilful, was two hundred fourscore and eight.
And they cast lots {Or, ward against ward, as well &c.}for their offices, all alike, as well the small as the great, the teacher as the scholar.
Now the first lot came forth for Asaph to Joseph: the second to Gedaliah; he and his brethren and sons were twelve:
the third to Zaccur, his sons and his brethren, twelve:
the fourth to Izri, his sons and his brethren, twelve:
the fifth to Nethaniah, his sons and his brethren, twelve:
the sixth to Bukkiah, his sons and his brethren, twelve:
the seventh to Jesharelah, his sons and his brethren, twelve:
the eighth to Jeshaiah, his sons and his brethren, twelve:
the ninth to Mattaniah, his sons and his brethren, twelve:
the tenth to Shimei, his sons and his brethren, twelve:
the eleventh to Azarel, his sons and his brethren, twelve:
the twelfth to Hashabiah, his sons and his brethren, twelve:
for the thirteenth, Shubael, his sons and his brethren, twelve:
for the fourteenth, Mattithiah, his sons and his brethren, twelve:
for the fifteenth to Jeremoth, his sons and his brethren, twelve:
for the sixteenth to Hananiah, his sons and his brethren, twelve:
for the seventeenth to Joshbekashah, his sons and his brethren, twelve:
for the eighteenth to Hanani, his sons and his brethren, twelve:
for the nineteenth to Mallothi, his sons and his brethren, twelve:
for the twentieth to Eliathah, his sons and his brethren, twelve:
for the one and twentieth to Hothir, his sons and his brethren, twelve:
for the two and twentieth to Giddalti, his sons and his brethren, twelve:
for the three and twentieth to Mahazioth, his sons and his brethren, twelve:
for the four and twentieth to Romamtiezer, his sons and his brethren, twelve.