II Kings 22 · מלכים ב

Yoshiyyahu was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty one years in Yerushalayim. And his mother’s name was Yedida, the daughter of ῾Adaya from Bożqat.

And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand nor to the left.

And it came to pass in the eighteenth year of king Yoshiyyahu, that the king sent Shafan the son of Ażalyahu, the son of Meshullam, the scribe, to the house of the Lord, saying,

Go up to Ḥilqiyyahu the high priest, that he may sum up the silver which is brought into the house of the Lord, which the keepers of the door have gathered of the people:

and let them deliver it into the hand of the doers of the work, that have the oversight of the house of the Lord: and let them give it to the workers who are in the house of the Lord, to repair the breaches of the house,

to carpenters, and builders, and masons, and to buy timber and hewn stone to repair the house.

Yet no accounts were kept with them of the money that was delivered into their hand, because they dealt in good faith.

And Ḥilqiyyahu the high priest said to Shafan the scribe, I have found a book of the Tora in the house of the Lord. And Ḥilqiyya gave the book to Shafan and he read it.

And Shafan the scribe came to the king, and brought back word to the king, and said, Thy servants have gathered the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of them that do the work, that have the oversight of the house of the Lord.

And Shafan the scribe told the king, saying, Ḥilqiyya the priest has given me a book. And Shafan read it before the king.

And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the Tora, that he rent his clothes.

And the king commanded Ḥilqiyya the priest, and Aĥiqam the son of Shafan, and ῾Akhbor the son of Mikhaya, and Shafan the scribe, and ῾Asaya the king’s servant, saying,

Go inquire of the Lord for me, and for the people, and for all Yehuda, concerning the words of this book that is found: for great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened to the words of this book, to do according to all that which is written concerning us.

So Ḥilqiyyahu the priest, and Aĥiqam, and ῾Akhbor, and Shafan, and ῾Asaya, went to Ḥulda the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tiqva, the son of Ḥarĥas, keeper of the wardrobe; (now she dwelt in Yerushalayim in the second quarter;) and they spoke with her.

And she said to them, Thus says the Lord God of Yisra᾽el, Tell the man that sent you to me,

Thus says the Lord, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon its inhabitants, even all the words of the book which the king of Yehuda has read:

because 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 kindled against this place, and shall not be quenched.

But to the king of Yehuda who sent you to inquire of the Lord, thus shall you say to him, Thus says the Lord God of Yisra᾽el, Regarding the words which thou hast heard;

because thy heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord, when thou didst hear what I spoke against this place, and against its inhabitants, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee, says the Lord.

Behold therefore, I will gather thee unto thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace; and thy eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place. And they brought back word to the king.