1 Josiah was eight when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for thirty-one years. His mother's name was Jedidah, daughter of Adaiah. She came from Bozkath. 2 He did what was right in the Lord's sight, and followed all the ways of David his forefather—he did not deviate to the right or to the left. 3 In the eighteenth year of his reign, Josiah sent Shaphan, son of Azaliah, son of Meshullam, to the Lord's Temple. He said, 4 “Go to Hilkiah the high priest and have him count the money the doorkeepers have collected from the people coming to the Lord's Temple. 5 Then hand it over to those who are supervising the work on Lord's Temple, and have them pay the workmen doing the repairing of the Lord's Temple, 6 the carpenters, the builders and the masons. In addition have them purchase timber and cut stone to repair the Temple. 7 Don't ask for any accounts from the men who received the money because they deal honestly.” 8 Hilkiah the high priest told Shaphan the scribe, “I've found the Book of the Law in the Lord's Temple.” He gave it to Shaphan who read it. 9 Shaphan the scribe went to the king to give him a report, saying, “Your officials have paid out the money that was in the Lord's Temple and have handed it over to those appointed to supervise the work at the Lord's Temple.” 10 Then Shaphan the scribe told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” Shaphan read it to the king. 11 When the king heard what was in the book of the Law, he tore his clothes. 12 Then he gave orders to Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, son of Shaphan, Acbor, son of Micaiah, Shaphan, the scribe, and Asaiah the king's assistant, saying, 13 “Go and talk to the Lord for me, and for the people, and for all of Judah, about what is said in the book that's been found. For the Lord must be really angry with us, because our forefathers have not obeyed the Lord's instructions in this book; they have not been doing what is written there for us to do.” 14 Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Acbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went and spoke to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum, son of Tokhath, the son of Hasrah, custodian of the wardrobe. She lived in Jerusalem, in the city's second quarter. 15 She told them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Tell the man who sent you to me, 16 this is what the Lord says: I am about to bring disaster down on this place and on its people, in accordance with everything written in the book that has been read to the king of Judah. 17 They have abandoned me and offered sacrifices to other gods, making me angry by everything they've done. My anger will be poured out upon this place and will not be stopped. 18 But tell the king of Judah who sent you to ask the Lord, tell him this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: As for what you heard read to you— 19 because you were receptive and repentant before God when you heard his warnings against this place and against its people—that would become desolate and a curse—and because you have torn your clothes and wept before me, I have also heard you, declares the Lord. 20 All this will not happen until after you have died, and you will die in peace. You will not see all the disaster that I'm going to bring down on this place.” They went back to the king and gave him her response.
2 Kings 22 Free Bible Version
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Adaiah
Named as the father of Jedidah, the mother of King Josiah.
Cited in the guide: 2 Kings 22:1
Ahikam
Son of Shaphan, sent by Josiah with Hilkiah to inquire of the LORD, and named as the father of Gedaliah.
Cited in the guide: 2 Kings 22:12; 2 Kings 22:14; 2 Kings 25:22
Asaiah
The servant of the king, sent with Hilkiah and others to inquire of the LORD about the Book of the Law.
Cited in the guide: 2 Kings 22:12; 2 Kings 22:14; 2 Chronicles 34:20
Azaliah
Named as the father of Shaphan the scribe and the son of Meshullam.
Cited in the guide: 2 Kings 22:3; 2 Chronicles 34:8
Harhas
Named as the father of Tikvah and grandfather of Shallum, Huldah's husband.
Cited in the guide: 2 Kings 22:14; 2 Chronicles 34:22
Hilkiah
High priest in Josiah's reign who found the Book of the Law in the house of the LORD; 1 Chronicles 6:13 lists him as son of Shallum in Aaron's priestly line.
Cited in the guide: 2 Kings 22:4; 2 Kings 22:8; 2 Kings 22:12
Huldah
A prophetess living in Jerusalem's Second District, the wife of Shallum the keeper of the wardrobe, who told Josiah's envoys that calamity would come but that he would be gathered…
Cited in the guide: 2 Kings 22:14; 2 Kings 22:15; 2 Chronicles 34:22
Jedidah
Daughter of Adaiah from Bozkath and mother of King Josiah of Judah.
Cited in the guide: 2 Kings 22:1
Josiah
The boy king who rediscovered the Law and led Judah's last great reform.
Cited in the guide: 2 Kings 22-23; 2 Chron. 34-35; Matt. 1:10-11
Meshullam
Named as the father of Azaliah and grandfather of Shaphan the scribe.
Cited in the guide: 2 Kings 22:3
Micaiah
Named as the father of Achbor, one of Josiah's officials.
Cited in the guide: 2 Kings 22:12; 2 Chronicles 34:20
Shallum
Son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, the keeper of the wardrobe and husband of the prophetess Huldah.
Cited in the guide: 2 Kings 22:14; 2 Chronicles 34:22
Shaphan
Son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, the scribe whom Josiah sent to Hilkiah and who read the newly found Book of the Law to the king.
Cited in the guide: 2 Kings 22:3; 2 Kings 22:8; 2 Kings 22:10
Tikvah
Named as the father of Shallum, Huldah's husband, and the son of Harhas.
Cited in the guide: 2 Kings 22:14; 2 Chronicles 34:22
Cross references (19)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Joshua 15:39; 2 Chronicles 34:1–33; Ecclesiastes 10:16; Matthew 1:10; 2 Kings 11:21
- 2 Deuteronomy 5:32; Joshua 1:7; 2 Kings 18:3; 1 Kings 3:6; 2 Chronicles 29:2
- 3 2 Chronicles 34:3–33
- 4 2 Kings 12:4; 1 Chronicles 26:13–19; 2 Chronicles 24:8–12; 2 Kings 12:8–11; 1 Chronicles 6:13
- 5 2 Kings 12:11–14; 2 Kings 12:5; 2 Chronicles 24:27; 2 Chronicles 24:12–13; Ezra 3:7
- 7 2 Kings 12:15; 1 Corinthians 4:2; 2 Corinthians 8:20–21; Proverbs 28:20; 2 Chronicles 24:14
- 8 Deuteronomy 31:24–26; 2 Chronicles 34:14–28
- 9 2 Kings 18:18; Jeremiah 40:11; Ezekiel 8:11; 2 Kings 22:12; Jeremiah 39:14
- 10 Jeremiah 36:21; Jeremiah 36:6; Deuteronomy 31:9–13; Nehemiah 8:18; Jeremiah 13:18
- 11 2 Chronicles 34:19; Joel 2:13; Jonah 3:6–7; 2 Kings 22:19; Jeremiah 36:24
- 12 Jeremiah 26:24; 2 Kings 25:22; 2 Kings 19:2–3; 2 Chronicles 34:19–21; Isaiah 37:1–4
- 13 Nehemiah 9:3; Deuteronomy 31:17–18; Jeremiah 37:17; James 1:22–25; Exodus 20:5
- 14 2 Chronicles 34:22; Judges 4:4; Luke 1:41–56; Zephaniah 1:10; Micah 6:4
- 15 Jeremiah 23:28; 2 Kings 1:6; 2 Kings 1:16
- 16 Daniel 9:11–14; Joshua 23:15; Deuteronomy 31:16–18; Deuteronomy 29:18–23; Deuteronomy 28:15–68
- 17 2 Kings 21:22; Isaiah 33:14; Psalm 115:4–8; Jeremiah 7:20; Jeremiah 17:27
- 18 Malachi 3:16–17; Isaiah 3:10; 2 Chronicles 34:26–28
- 19 Psalm 51:17; 1 Kings 21:29; Exodus 10:3; Isaiah 57:15; 1 Peter 5:5–6
- 20 Psalm 37:37; Isaiah 57:1–2; 1 Chronicles 17:11; Genesis 25:8; Jeremiah 22:15–16
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences