2 Raja-raja 22:8--23:5

22:8 Hilkiah the high priest informed Shaphan the scribe, “I found the law scroll in the Lord’s temple.” Hilkiah gave the scroll to Shaphan and he read it. 22:9 Shaphan the scribe went to the king and reported, ¹  “Your servants melted down the silver in the temple ²  and handed it over to the construction foremen assigned to the Lord’s temple.” 22:10 Then Shaphan the scribe told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a scroll.” Shaphan read it out loud before the king. 22:11 When the king heard the words of the law scroll, he tore his clothes. 22:12 The king ordered Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Acbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king’s servant, 22:13 “Go, seek an oracle from ³  the Lord for me and the people – for all Judah. Find out about ⁴  the words of this scroll that has been discovered. For the Lord’s fury has been ignited against us, ⁵  because our ancestors have not obeyed the words of this scroll by doing all that it instructs us to do.” ⁶ 

22:14 So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Acbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shullam son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, the supervisor of the wardrobe. ⁷  (She lived in Jerusalem in the Mishneh ⁸  district.) They stated their business, ⁹  22:15 and she said to them: “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘Say this to the man who sent you to me: 22:16 “This is what the Lord says: ‘I am about to bring disaster on this place and its residents, the details of which are recorded in the scroll which the king of Judah has read. ¹⁰  22:17 This will happen because they have abandoned me and offered sacrifices ¹¹  to other gods, angering me with all the idols they have made. ¹²  My anger will ignite against this place and will not be extinguished!’” 22:18 Say this to the king of Judah, who sent you to seek an oracle from the Lord: “This is what the Lord God of Israel says concerning the words you have heard: 22:19 ‘You displayed a sensitive spirit ¹³  and humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard how I intended to make this place and its residents into an appalling example of an accursed people. ¹⁴  You tore your clothes and wept before me, and I have heard you,’ says the Lord. 22:20 ‘Therefore I will allow you to die and be buried in peace. ¹⁵  You will not have to witness ¹⁶  all the disaster I will bring on this place.’”’” Then they reported back to the king.

The King Institutes Religious Reform

23:1 The king summoned all the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem. ¹⁷  23:2 The king went up to the Lord’s temple, accompanied by all the people of Judah, all the residents of Jerusalem, the priests, and the prophets. All the people were there, from the youngest to the oldest. He read aloud ¹⁸  all the words of the scroll of the covenant that had been discovered in the Lord’s temple. 23:3 The king stood by the pillar and renewed ¹⁹  the covenant before the Lord, agreeing to follow ²⁰  the Lord and to obey his commandments, laws, and rules with all his heart and being, ²¹  by carrying out the terms ²²  of this covenant recorded on this scroll. All the people agreed to keep the covenant. ²³ 

23:4 The king ordered Hilkiah the high priest, the high-ranking priests, ²⁴  and the guards ²⁵  to bring out of the Lord’s temple all the items that were used in the worship of ²⁶  Baal, Asherah, and all the stars of the sky. ²⁷  The king ²⁸  burned them outside of Jerusalem in the terraces ²⁹  of Kidron, and carried their ashes to Bethel. ³⁰  23:5 He eliminated ³¹  the pagan priests whom the kings of Judah had appointed to offer sacrifices ³²  on the high places in the cities of Judah and in the area right around Jerusalem. (They offered sacrifices ³³  to Baal, the sun god, the moon god, the constellations, and all the stars in the sky.)

[22:9]  ¹ tn Heb “returned the king a word and said.”

[22:9]  ² tn Heb “that was found in the house.”

[22:13]  ³ tn Or “inquire of.”

[22:13]  ⁴ tn Heb “concerning.”

[22:13]  ⁵ tn Heb “for great is the anger of the Lord which has been ignited against us.”

[22:13]  ⁶ tn Heb “by doing all that is written concerning us.” Perhaps עָלֵינוּ (’alenu), “concerning us,” should be altered to עָלָיו (’alav), “upon it,” in which case one could translate, “by doing all that is written in it.”

[22:14]  ⁷ tn Heb “the keeper of the clothes.”

[22:14]  ⁸ tn Or “second.” For a discussion of the possible location of this district, see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 283.

[22:14]  ⁹ tn Heb “and they spoke to her.”

[22:16]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “all the words of the scroll which the king of Judah has read.”

[22:17]  ¹¹ tn Or “burned incense.”

[22:17]  ¹² tn Heb “angering me with all the work of their hands.” The translation assumes that this refers to idols they have manufactured (note the preceding reference to “other gods,” as well as 19:18). However, it is possible that this is a general reference to their sinful practices, in which case one might translate, “angering me by all the things they do.”

[22:19]  ¹³ tn Heb “Because your heart was tender.”

[22:19]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “how I said concerning this place and its residents to become [an object of] horror and [an example of] a curse.” The final phrase (“horror and a curse”) refers to Judah becoming a prime example of an accursed people. In curse formulations they would be held up as a prime example of divine judgment. For an example of such a curse, see Jer 29:22.

[22:20]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “Therefore, look, I am gathering you to your fathers, and you will be gathered to your tomb in peace.”

[22:20]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “your eyes will not see.”

[23:1]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “and the king sent and all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem gathered to him.”

[23:1]  map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[23:2]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “read in their ears.”

[23:3]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “cut,” that is, “made, agreed to.”

[23:3]  ²⁰ tn Heb “walk after.”

[23:3]  ²¹ tn Or “soul.”

[23:3]  ²² tn Heb “words.”

[23:3]  ²³ tn Heb “stood in the covenant.”

[23:4]  ²⁴ tn Heb “the priests of the second [rank],” that is, those ranked just beneath Hilkiah.

[23:4]  ²⁵ tn Or “doorkeepers.”

[23:4]  ²⁶ tn Heb “for.”

[23:4]  ²⁷ tn Heb “all the host of heaven” (also in v. 5).

[23:4]  ²⁸ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[23:4]  ²⁹ tn Or “fields.” For a defense of the translation “terraces,” see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 285.

[23:4]  ³⁰ map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[23:5]  ³¹ tn Perhaps, “destroyed.”

[23:5]  ³² tn Or “burn incense.”

[23:5]  ³³ tn Or “burned incense.”