The Divided Kingdom

Howebeit, let no rekoning bee made with them of the money, that is deliuered into their hand: for they deale faithfully.

And Hilkiah the high Priest sayde vnto Shaphan the chanceller, I haue found the booke of the Lawe in the house of the Lord: and Hilkiah gaue the booke to Shaphan, and hee reade it.

So Shaphan the chanceller came to ye King, and brought him word againe, and saide, Thy seruants haue gathered the money, that was found in the house, and haue deliuered it vnto the hands of them that doe the worke, and haue the ouersight of the house of the Lord.

Also Shaphan the chanceller shewed the King saying, Hilkiah the Priest hath deliuered me a booke. And Shaphan read it before the King.

And when the King had heard the wordes of the booke of the Law, he rent his clothes.

Therefore the King commanded Hilkiah the Priest, and Ahikam the sonne of Shaphan, and Achbor the sonne of Michaiah, and Shaphan the chanceller, and Asahiah the Kings seruant, saying,

Go ye and inquire of the Lord for me, and for the people, and for all Iudah concerning the wordes of this booke that is founde: for great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against vs, because our fathers haue not obeyed the wordes of this booke, to doe according vnto all that which is written therein for vs.

So Hilkiah the Priest and Ahikam, and Achbor and Shaphan, and Asahiah went vnto Huldah the Prophetesse the wife of Shallum, ye sonne of Tikuah, the sonne of Harhas keeper of the wardrobe: (and she dwelt in Ierusalem in the colledge) and they communed with her.

And shee answered them, Thus sayth the Lord God of Israel, Tel the man that sent you to mee,

Thus sayth the Lord, Behold, I wil bring euill vpon this place, and on the inhabitants thereof, euen al the words of the booke which ye King of Iudah hath read,

Because they haue forsaken mee, and haue burnt incense vnto other gods, to anger me with all ye works of their hands: my wrath also shalbe kindled against this place and shall not be queched:

But to the King of Iudah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, so shall ye say vnto him, Thus sayeth the Lord God of Israel, The wordes that thou hast heard, shall come to passe.

But because thine heart did melt, and thou hast humbled thy selfe before the Lord, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants of the same, to wit, that it should be destroyed and accursed, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me, I haue also heard it, saith the Lord.

Beholde therefore, I wil gather thee to thy fathers, and thou shalt be put in thy graue in peace, and thine eyes shall not see all the euil, which I will bring vpon this place. Thus they brought the King worde againe.

Then the King sent, and there gathered vnto him all the Elders of Iudah and of Ierusalem.

And the King went vp into the house of the Lord, with all the men of Iudah and all the inhabitants of Ierusalem with him, and the Priests and Prophets, and all the people both small and great: and he reade in their eares all the wordes of the booke of the couenant, which was found in the house of the Lord.

And the King stood by the pillar, and made a couenant before the Lord, that they shoulde walke after the Lord, and keepe his commandements, and his testimonies, and his statutes with all their heart, and with all their soule, that they might accomplish the wordes of this couenant written in this booke. And all the people stood to the couenant.

Then the King commanded Hilkiah the hie Priest and the priests of the second order, and the keepers of the doore, to bring out of ye Temple of the Lord all the vessels that were made for Baal, and for the groue, and for all the hoste of heauen, and he burnt them without Ierusalem in the fieldes of Kedron, and caryed the pouder of them into Beth-el.

And he put downe the Chemarims, whom the Kings of Iudah had founded to burne incense in the hie places, and in the cities of Iudah, and about Ierusalem, and also them that burnt incense vnto Baal, to the sunne and to the moone, and to the planets, and to all the hoste of heauen.

And he brought out the groue from the Temple of the Lord without Ierusalem vnto the valley of Kedron, and burnt it in the valley Kedron, and stampt it to pouder, and cast the dust thereof vpon the graues of the children of the people.

And hee brake downe the houses of the Sodomites, that were in the house of the Lord, where the women woue hangings for the groue.

Also he brought all the priests out of the cities of Iudah, and defiled the hie places where the Priests had burnt incense, euen from Geba to Beer-sheba, and destroyed the hie places of the gates, that were in the entring in of the gate of Ioshua the gouernour of the citie, which was at the left hand of the gate of the citie.

Neuerthelesse the Priests of the hie places came not vp to the altar of the Lord in Ierusalem, saue onely they did eate of the vnleauened bread among their brethren.

He defiled also Topheth, which was in the valley of the children of Hinnom, that no man shoulde make his sonne or his daughter passe through the fire to Molech.

He put downe also the horses that the Kings of Iudah had giuen to the sunne at the entring in of the house of the Lord, by the chamber of Nethan-melech the eunuche, which was ruler of the suburbes, and burnt the charets of the sunne with fire.