בֶּן־שְׁמֹנֶה שָׁנָה יֹאשִׁיָּהוּ בְמָלְכוֹ וּשְׁלֹשִׁים וְאַחַת שָׁנָה מָלַךְ בִּירוּשָׁלִָם וְשֵׁם אִמּוֹ יְדִידָה בַת־עֲדָיָה מִבָּצְקַת

Yoshiyahu was eight years old when he became king. His father Amon had apparently married when he was roughly fifteen years old, or perhaps even younger, as he died at the age of twenty-four. And he, Yoshiyahu, reigned for thirty-one years in Jerusalem; his mother’s name was Yedida daughter of Adaya of Botzkat.

וַיַּעַשׂ הַיָּשָׁר בְּעֵינֵי ה' וַיֵּלֶךְ בְּכָל־דֶּרֶךְ דָּוִד אָבִיו וְלֹא־סָר יָמִין וּשְׂמֹאול

He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, and he followed the entire way of David his father, and he did not deviate right or left, like his great-grandfather, Hizkiyahu.

וַיְהִי בִּשְׁמֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה לַמֶּלֶךְ יֹאשִׁיָּהוּ שָׁלַח הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶת־שָׁפָן בֶּן־אֲצַלְיָהוּ בֶן־מְשֻׁלָּם הַסֹּפֵר בֵּית ה' לֵאמֹר׃

It was during the eighteenth year of King Yoshiyahu that the king sent Shafan, son of Atzalyahu, son of Meshulam, who, like his father and grandfather before him, was the royal scribe, a position comparable to a modern foreign minister, on an official mission to the House of the Lord, saying:

עֲלֵה אֶל־חִלְקִיָּהוּ הַכֹּהֵן הַגָּדוֹל וְיַתֵּם אֶת־הַכֶּסֶף הַמּוּבָא בֵּית ה' אֲשֶׁר אָסְפוּ שֹׁמְרֵי הַסַּף מֵאֵת הָעָם

Go up to Hilkiyahu the High Priest, and request from him that he shall disburse in full all the silver that is brought into the House of the Lord and currently located in its treasuries, which the gatekeepers, those who welcome the visitors to the Temple, have collected from the people. Even during those times when Israel worshipped idolatry, the people still visited the Temple and donated money for its upkeep.

וְיִתְּנֻהֻ עַל־יַד עֹשֵׂי הַמְּלָאכָה הַמֻּפְקָדִים בֵּית ה' וְ יִתְּנוּ אֹתוֹ לְעֹשֵׂי הַמְּלָאכָה אֲשֶׁר בְּבֵית ה' לְחַזֵּק בֶּדֶק הַבָּיִת

He shall allocate it to be used as compensation for the workmen who are appointed over the House of the Lord; they shall give it to the workmen who are in the House of the Lord, to maintain the repair of the House. Since the upkeep of the Temple has been neglected, all available money must be used for its repairs.

לֶחָרָשִׁים וְלַבֹּנִים וְלַגֹּדְרִים בוני הגדרות וְלִקְנוֹת עֵצִים וְאַבְנֵי מַחְצֵב לְחַזֵּק אֶת־הַבָּיִת

The money should be given to the carpenters, to the builders, and to the masons, and to buy wood and quarried stones to maintain the House.

אַךְ לֹא־יֵחָשֵׁב אִתָּם הַכֶּסֶף הַנִּתָּן עַל־יָדָם כִּי בֶאֱמוּנָה הֵם עֹשִׂים

However, there shall be no reckoning of the silver that is given into their hand; they will not be obligated to give an accounting of the funds, for they act in good faith. Since the workers are trustworthy individuals, all the money will be given directly to them. They will then be relied upon to perform the repairs to the best of their ability.

וַיֹּאמֶר חִלְקִיָּהוּ הַכֹּהֵן הַגָּדוֹל עַל שָׁפָן הַסֹּפֵר סֵפֶר הַתּוֹרָה מָצָאתִי בְּבֵית ה' וַיִּתֵּן חִלְקִיָּה אֶת־הַסֵּפֶר אֶל־שָׁפָן וַיִּקְרָאֵהוּ

Hilkiyahu the High Priest said to Shafan the scribe, while the repairs were ongoing: I found an official copy of the Torah scroll in the House of the Lord. This might have been the original Torah scroll written by Moses, which was kept in the Temple, and which served as the source for every other Torah scroll. Hilkiya gave the scroll to Shafan, and he read it.

וַיָּבֹא שָׁפָן הַסֹּפֵר אֶל־הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיָּשֶׁב אֶת־הַמֶּלֶךְ דָּבָר וַיֹּאמֶר הִתִּיכוּ עֲבָדֶיךָ אֶת־הַכֶּסֶף הַנִּמְצָא בַבַּיִת וַיִּתְּנֻהוּ עַל־יַד עֹשֵׂי הַמְּלָאכָה הַמֻּפְקָדִים בֵּית ה'

Shafan the scribe came to the king; he brought back a report to the king with regard to the fulfillment of his orders and said: Your servants have melted down the silver that was found in the House in the form of coins or pieces of silver and gold, and they have given it into the hand of the workmen appointed over the House of the Lord to use for the needs of the Temple.

וַיַּגֵּד שָׁפָן הַסֹּפֵר לַמֶּלֶךְ לֵאמֹר סֵפֶר נָתַן לִי חִלְקִיָּה הַכֹּהֵן וַיִּקְרָאֵהוּ שָׁפָן לִפְנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ

In addition, Shafan the scribe told the king, saying: Hilkiya the priest gave me a scroll. Shafan read it before the king. Although presumably the king knew how to read, he did not read from the scroll himself, perhaps because the scroll was in poor condition, having been hidden in a distant corner of the storehouse.

וַיְהִי כִּשְׁמֹעַ הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶת־דִּבְרֵי סֵפֶר הַתּוֹרָה וַיִּקְרַע אֶת־בְּגָדָיו

It was upon the king’s hearing the words of the Torah scroll that he rent his garments. Shafan did not read him the entire Torah from beginning to end. It is possible that Shafan read the entire Torah himself and then selected portions to read to the king that he considered to be of particular relevance. It can be assumed that he read sections from the book of Deuteronomy, which includes instructions and prophecies concerning the Jewish people’s future in their land, as well as warnings of the severe punishments that would befall the people if they did not observe the covenant. This would explain the king’s reaction of ripping his garments.

וַיְצַו הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶת־חִלְקִיָּה הַכֹּהֵן וְאֶת־אֲחִיקָם בֶּן־שָׁפָן וְאֶת־עַכְבּוֹר בֶּן־מִיכָיָה וְאֵת שָׁפָן הַסֹּפֵר וְאֵת עֲשָׂיָה עֶבֶד־הַמֶּלֶךְ לֵאמֹר׃

The king commanded Hilkiya the priest, Ahikam son of Shafan, perhaps the scribe’s own son, Akhbor son of Mikhaya, Shafan the scribe, and Asaya the king’s servant, who had a senior position, saying:

לְכוּ דִרְשׁוּ אֶת־ה' בַּעֲדִי וּבְעַד־הָעָם וּבְעַד כָּל־יְהוּדָה עַל־דִּבְרֵי הַסֵּפֶר הַנִּמְצָא הַזֶּה כִּי־גְדוֹלָה חֲמַת ה' אֲשֶׁר־הִיא נִצְּתָה בָנוּ עַל אֲשֶׁר לֹא־שָׁמְעוּ אֲבֹתֵינוּ עַל־דִּבְרֵי הַסֵּפֶר הַזֶּה לַעֲשׂוֹת כְּכָל־הַכָּתוּב עָלֵינוּ

Go inquire of the Lord on my behalf, on behalf of the people, and on behalf of all of Judah; seek a way of supplicating, praying, or clarifying by other means what we should do concerning the words of this scroll that has been found, for the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us is great, because our fathers did not heed the words of this scroll, to act in accordance with everything that is written concerning us. The notion of inquiring of God appears in several other places in the Bible as well.

וַיֵּלֶךְ חִלְקִיָּהוּ הַכֹּהֵן וַאֲחִיקָם וְעַכְבּוֹר וְשָׁפָן וַעֲשָׂיָה אֶל־חֻלְדָּה הַנְּבִיאָה אֵשֶׁת שַׁלֻּם בֶּן־תִּקְוָה בֶּן־חַרְחַס שֹׁמֵר הַבְּגָדִים וְהִיא יֹשֶׁבֶת בִּירוּשָׁלִַם בַּמִּשְׁנֶה וַיְדַבְּרוּ אֵלֶיהָ

Hilkiyahu the priest, Ahikam, Akhbor, Shafan, and Asaya went to Hulda the prophetess, wife of Shalum son of Tikva, son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe, the minister in charge of the royal garments. The prophetess was not an ascetic who spent her time in isolation, but a married woman who lived among her people. She lived in Jerusalem in the Mishneh, a prominent area of the city, and they spoke to her, relating the news of the newly discovered scroll.

וַתֹּאמֶר אֲלֵיהֶם כֹּה־אָמַר ה' אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אִמְרוּ לָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר־שָׁלַח אֶתְכֶם אֵלָי

She said to them: So said the Lord, God of Israel: Say to the man who sent you to me, the king:

כֹּה אָמַר ה' הִנְנִי מֵבִיא רָעָה אֶל־הַמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה וְעַל־יֹשְׁבָיו אֵת כָּל־דִּבְרֵי הַסֵּפֶר אֲשֶׁר קָרָא מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה

So said the Lord: Behold, I am bringing harm upon this place and upon its inhabitants, all the matters of the scroll that the king of Judah read,

תַּחַת אֲשֶׁר עֲזָבוּנִי וַיְקַטְּרוּ לֵאלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים לְמַעַן הַכְעִיסֵנִי בְּכֹל מַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵיהֶם וְנִצְּתָה חֲמָתִי בַּמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה וְלֹא תִכְבֶּה

because they have forsaken Me, and they burned offerings to other gods in order to anger Me with all their handiwork; My wrath will be kindled against this place, and it will not be extinguished.

וְאֶל־מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה הַשֹּׁלֵחַ אֶתְכֶם לִדְרֹשׁ אֶת־ה' כֹּה תֹאמְרוּ אֵלָיו כֹּה־אָמַר ה' אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר שָׁמָעְתָּ

To the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, so you shall say to him: So said the Lord, God of Israel: With regard to the words that you heard,

יַעַן רַךְ־לְבָבְךָ וַתִּכָּנַע מִפְּנֵי ה' בְּשָׁמְעֲךָ אֲשֶׁר דִּבַּרְתִּי עַל־הַמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה וְעַל־יֹשְׁבָיו לִהְיוֹת לְשַׁמָּה וְלִקְלָלָה וַתִּקְרַע אֶת־בְּגָדֶיךָ וַתִּבְכֶּה לְפָנָי וְגַם אָנֹכִי שָׁמַעְתִּי נְאֻם־ה'

since your heart is tender and you submitted before the Lord when you heard that which I spoke concerning this place and concerning its inhabitants, to become a desolation or a ruin and a curse, and you rent your garments and cried before Me, I have also heard you – the utterance of the Lord.

לָכֵן הִנְנִי אֹסִפְךָ עַל אֲבֹתֶיךָ וְנֶאֱסַפְתָּ אֶל־קִבְרֹתֶיךָ בְּשָׁלוֹם וְלֹא־תִרְאֶינָה עֵינֶיךָ בְּכֹל הָרָעָה אֲשֶׁר־אֲנִי מֵבִיא עַל־הַמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה וַיָּשִׁבוּ אֶת־הַמֶּלֶךְ דָּבָר

Therefore, behold, you will continue to live, and when I will gather you to your fathers, and you will be gathered to your grave in peace; you will die an honorable death, and your eyes will not see all the harm that I am bringing upon this place. They, Yoshiyahu’s messengers, brought back a report of Hulda’s prophecy to the king.