Read the Modern Pastor’s Version

Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign in Jerusalem, and he reigned thirty-one years. His mother's name was Jedidah, daughter of Adaiah from Bozkath.

Josiah did what was right in the Lord's sight by following all the ways of his father David without turning aside to the right or left. In the eighteenth year of his reign, Josiah sent Shaphan, son of Azaliah and grandson of Meshullam, who oversaw the temple records, to the house of the Lord.

Shaphan was instructed by King Josiah to go to Hilkiah the high priest and ask him to collect all the silver brought into the temple from the people. The collected money should be given to those in charge of overseeing the work on the temple, specifically for buying timber and stone to repair the house. However, no one needed to account for how the money was used because it had been handled faithfully.

Hilkiah the high priest gave Shaphan a book he had found in the temple, saying he wanted him to read it. When Shaphan returned to the king, he reported on the money collected from the temple and handed over to those responsible for overseeing the Lord's house. He then showed King Josiah the book that Hilkiah had given him.

As soon as King Josiah heard the words of the book of the law, he tore his clothes in distress. The king called together several officials, including Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Achbor son of Michaiah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asahiah a servant of the king.

Josiah ordered them to go find out from the Lord what he meant by the book they had found. He wanted to know if there was any hope for his people since the fierce anger of the Lord burned against Judah due to their ancestors' disobedience to the law's teachings and failure to carry out its commands.

Hilkiah, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asahiah went to visit Huldah the prophetess. She lived in Jerusalem within the temple complex as the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, a descendant of Harhas who oversaw the royal wardrobe.

Huldah prophesied, saying: "This is what the Lord God of Israel says: Tell the man who sent you to me that disaster will come upon this place and its inhabitants due to all the words found in the scroll. They have forsaken the Lord and worshiped other gods, provoking my anger with their work, so my wrath will not be quenched against this place.

The king of Judah who sent you says: 'This is what the Lord God of Israel declares about the words you've heard.' Since your heart was tender when you humbled yourself before me after hearing my words against this place and its people, I have also heard your prayer. The Lord says: I will gather you to your ancestors, and you will be buried in peace. However, you won't see all the disaster that I will bring on this place.

The officials reported back to King Josiah what Huldah had said.