2 Crônicas 34

ARC · Chapter 34/36

1Tinha Josias oito annos quando começou a reinar, e trinta e um annos reinou em Jerusalem.

2E fez o que era recto aos olhos do Senhor: e andou nos caminhos de David, seu pae, sem se desviar d'elles nem para a direita nem para a esquerda.

3Porque no oitavo anno do seu reinado, sendo ainda moço, começou a buscar o Deus de David, seu pae; e no duodecimo anno começou a purificar a Judah e a Jerusalem, dos altos, e dos bosques, e das imagens d'esculptura e de fundição.

4E derribaram perante elle os altares de Baalim; e cortou as imagens do sol, que estavam acima d'elles: e os bosques, e as imagens d'esculptura e de fundição quebrou e reduziu a pó, e o espargiu sobre as sepulturas dos que lhes tinham sacrificado.

5E os ossos dos sacerdotes queimou sobre os seus altares: e purificou a Judah e a Jerusalem.

6O mesmo fez nas cidades de Manasseh, e d'Ephraim, e de Simeão, e ainda até Naphtali; em seus logares ao redor, assolados.

7E, tendo derribado os altares, e os bosques, e as imagens de esculptura, até reduzil-os a pó, e tendo cortado todas as imagens do sol em toda a terra d'Israel, então voltou para Jerusalem.

8E no anno decimo oitavo do seu reinado, havendo já purificado a terra e a casa, enviou a Saphan, filho d'Asalias, e a Maaseias, maioral da cidade, e a Joah, filho de Joachaz, registrador, para repararem a casa do Senhor, seu Deus.

9E vieram a Hilkias, summo sacerdote, e deram o dinheiro que se tinha trazido á casa do Senhor, e que os levitas que guardavam o umbral tinham colligido da mão de Manasseh, e d'Ephraim, e de todo o resto de Israel, como tambem de todo o Judah e Benjamin: e voltaram para Jerusalem.

10E o deram na mão dos que tinham cargo da obra, e superintendiam sobre a casa do Senhor: e estes o deram aos que faziam a obra, e trabalhavam na casa do Senhor, para concertarem e repararem a casa.

11E o deram aos mestres da obra, e aos edificadores, para comprarem pedras lavradas, e madeira para as junturas: e para sobradarem as casas que os reis de Judah tinham destruido.

12E estes homens trabalhavam fielmente na obra; e os superintendentes sobre elles eram: Johath e Obadias, levitas, dos filhos de Merari, como tambem Zacharias e Mesullam, dos filhos dos kohathitas, para avançarem a obra: estes levitas todos eram entendidos em instrumentos de musica.

13Estavam tambem sobre os carregadores e os inspectores de todos os que trabalhavam em alguma obra; e d'entre os levitas eram os escrivães, e os officiaes e os porteiros.

14E, tirando elles o dinheiro que se tinha trazido á casa do Senhor, Hilkias, o sacerdote, achou o livro da lei do Senhor, dada pela mão de Moysés.

15E Hilkias respondeu, e disse a Saphan, o escrivão: Achei o livro da lei na casa do Senhor. E Hilkias deu o livro a Saphan.

16E Saphan levou o livro ao rei, e deu conta tambem ao rei, dizendo: Teus servos fazem tudo quanto se lhes encommendou.

17E ajuntaram o dinheiro que se achou na casa do Senhor, e o deram na mão dos superintendentes e na mão dos que faziam a obra.

18De mais d'isto, Saphan, o escrivão, fez saber ao rei, dizendo: O sacerdote Hilkias me deu um livro. E Saphan leu n'elle perante o rei.

19Succedeu pois que, ouvindo o rei as palavras da lei, rasgou os seus vestidos.

20E o rei mandou a Hilkias, e a Ahikam, filho de Saphan, e a Abdon, filho de Micah, e a Saphan, o escrivão, e a Asaias, ministro do rei, dizendo:

21Ide, consultae ao Senhor por mim, e pelo que fica de resto em Israel e em Judah, sobre as palavras d'este livro que se achou; porque grande é o furor do Senhor, que se derramou sobre nós; porquanto nossos paes não guardaram a palavra do Senhor, para fazerem conforme a tudo quanto está escripto n'este livro.

22Então Hilkias, e os enviados do rei, foram ter com a prophetiza Hulda, mulher de Sallum, filho de Tokhath, filho d'Hasra, guarda dos vestimentos (e habitava ella em Jerusalem na segunda parte); e fallaram-lhe segundo isto,

23E ella lhes disse: Assim diz o Senhor, Deus d'Israel: Dizei ao homem que vos enviou a mim:

24Assim diz o Senhor: Eis que trarei mal sobre este logar, e sobre os seus habitantes, a saber: todas as maldições que estão escriptas no livro que se leu perante o rei de Judah.

25Porque me deixaram, e queimaram incenso perante outros deuses, para me provocarem á ira com toda a obra das suas mãos; portanto o meu furor se derramou sobre este logar, e não se apagará.

26Porém ao rei de Judah, que vos enviou a consultar ao Senhor, assim lhe direis: Assim diz o Senhor, Deus d'Israel, quanto ás palavras que ouviste:

27Porquanto o teu coração se enterneceu, e te humilhaste perante Deus, ouvindo as suas palavras contra este logar, e contra os seus habitantes, e te humilhaste perante mim, e rasgaste os teus vestidos, e choraste perante mim, tambem eu te tenho ouvido, diz o Senhor.

28Eis que te ajuntarei a teus paes, e tu serás recolhido ao teu sepulchro em paz, e os teus olhos não verão todo este mal que hei de trazer sobre este logar e sobre os seus habitantes. E tornaram com esta resposta ao rei.

29Então enviou o rei, e ajuntou a todos os anciãos de Judah e Jerusalem.

30E o rei subiu á casa do Senhor, com todos os homens de Judah, e os habitantes de Jerusalem, e os sacerdotes, e os levitas, e todo o povo, desde o maior até ao mais pequeno: e elle leu aos ouvidos d'elles todas as palavras do livro do concerto, que se tinha achado na casa do Senhor.

31E poz-se o rei em pé em seu logar, e fez concerto perante o Senhor, para andar após o Senhor, e para guardar os seus mandamentos, e os seus testemunhos, e os seus estatutos, com todo o seu coração, e com toda a sua alma, fazendo as palavras do concerto, que estão escriptas n'aquelle livro.

32E fez estar em pé a todos quantos se acharam em Jerusalem e em Benjamin: e os habitantes de Jerusalem fizeram conforme ao concerto de Deus, do Deus de seus paes.

33E Josias tirou todas as abominações de todas as terras que eram dos filhos d'Israel; e a todos quantos se acharam em Israel obrigou a que com tal culto servissem ao Senhor seu Deus: todos os seus dias não se desviaram d'após o Senhor, Deus de seus paes.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Josiah becomes king while still a child and, as a young man, begins deep religious reforms. During repairs to the temple, an ancient lost book of the law is found, and upon hearing its contents, Josiah tears his clothes in anguish and leads the people in a renewed covenant of obedience to God.

Explanation

The discovery of the 'book of the law' — probably a copy of Deuteronomy that had been lost or forgotten during previous idolatrous reigns — is a moment of great historical and spiritual significance: an entire people had drifted so far that the very foundational texts of their faith had been literally lost within the temple itself. Josiah's reaction, tearing his clothes in genuine anguish upon realizing how far the people were from the standards God had set, shows a rare spiritual sensitivity, especially notable given his youth and his upbringing under the shadow of his grandfather Manasseh's idolatrous reign. His decisive leadership in promoting sweeping religious reforms, including consulting the prophetess Huldah to confirm the authenticity and seriousness of the message, establishes Josiah as one of the last and most remarkable faithful kings before Judah's final exile.

Fun facts

  • Many biblical scholars identify the 'book of the law' found during the temple repairs as a copy of the book of Deuteronomy, given the strong theme of covenant renewal and warnings about exile that characterize both that book and Josiah's subsequent reforms.
  • Huldah, the prophetess consulted by Josiah to confirm the message of the found book, is one of the few women explicitly identified as a prophetess in the Old Testament, showing that women also held recognized and respected prophetic roles in Israelite society.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. 2 Crônicas 34:1Josiah was only eight years old when he began to reign, and he ruled thirty-one years in Jerusalem.
  2. 2 Crônicas 34:2The Chronicler gives one of the most complete tributes in the book: Josiah did what was right, walking in the ways of David without turning aside to the right or to the left.
  3. 2 Crônicas 34:3Josiah begins seeking God while still a teenager, at sixteen, and begins tearing down idolatry across the whole country at twenty, even before finding the book of the law mentioned later in the chapter. His reform already came from personal conviction, not just from the discovery of a document.
  4. 2 Crônicas 34:4In Josiah’s own presence, the people tear down the altars of Baal, cut down the images dedicated to the sun, and grind the sacred poles and idols to dust, scattering the remains over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them.
  5. 2 Crônicas 34:5Josiah goes even further: he burns the bones of the idolatrous priests on their own altars, completing the purification of Judah and Jerusalem.
  6. 2 Crônicas 34:6This reform also extends to the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, Simeon, and even Naphtali, regions of the former northern kingdom already in ruins.
  7. 2 Crônicas 34:7After tearing down altars, sacred poles, and images throughout the land of Israel, grinding everything to dust, Josiah returns to Jerusalem.
  8. 2 Crônicas 34:8In the eighteenth year of his reign, with the land and the temple now purified, Josiah sends three trusted men to organize the physical repair of the temple.
  9. 2 Crônicas 34:9These men hand over to Hilkiah the high priest the money collected by the Levite gatekeepers, gathered from all the remaining Israel, and from Judah and Benjamin.
  10. 2 Crônicas 34:10The money is passed on to those in charge of the work, who oversee the repair of the temple.
  11. 2 Crônicas 34:11Part of the money goes to buy cut stone and timber, used to rebuild parts of the temple that earlier kings had let fall into ruin.
  12. 2 Crônicas 34:12The workers act faithfully, supervised by Levites such as Jahath and Obadiah, of the family of Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam, of the Kohathite family — all of them also experienced musicians.
  13. 2 Crônicas 34:13Other Levites take care of the carriers and general supervisors of the work, while still others serve as scribes, officials, and gatekeepers.
  14. 2 Crônicas 34:14While the collected money is being brought out, the priest Hilkiah finds a copy of the book of the law that had been given through Moses — the great discovery of the chapter.
  15. 2 Crônicas 34:15During the repair of the temple, the priest Hilkiah finds a copy of the book of the law, and the king’s reaction on hearing its contents is to tear his own clothes in shock. The fact that finding the law is treated as a rare discovery shows just how much religious forgetfulness had set in.
  16. 2 Crônicas 34:16Shaphan brings the book to the king and also reports that the workers are carrying out everything that was ordered for the repair of the temple.
  17. 2 Crônicas 34:17Shaphan reports that the money found in the temple has already been handed over to the supervisors and workers in charge of the project.
  18. 2 Crônicas 34:18Along with his report, Shaphan tells the king about the book Hilkiah gave him, and reads it aloud in front of Josiah himself.
  19. 2 Crônicas 34:19On hearing the words of the law, Josiah tears his own clothes, a traditional gesture of shock and mourning at the seriousness of what he has heard.
  20. 2 Crônicas 34:20Josiah summons Hilkiah and other trusted officials for an urgent mission.
  21. 2 Crônicas 34:21Josiah asks them to inquire of the Lord about the words of this newly found book, recognizing that God’s wrath must be burning because their ancestors did not obey what was written.
  22. 2 Crônicas 34:22Hilkiah and the others sent go to the prophetess Huldah, married to a keeper of the royal wardrobe, who lived in Jerusalem, to seek the word of the Lord.
  23. 2 Crônicas 34:23The prophetess Huldah confirms that the judgment announced in the book will indeed happen, but not during Josiah’s lifetime, because of his humility on hearing the news. It’s significant that the king’s own officials go specifically to a woman prophet as the authority on this matter.
  24. 2 Crônicas 34:24Huldah confirms that God will bring the disaster announced on Jerusalem and its people, fulfilling every curse written in that book read before the king.
  25. 2 Crônicas 34:25The reason given is clear: the people abandoned the Lord and burned incense to other gods, provoking the wrath that will now pour out without relief on that place.
  26. 2 Crônicas 34:26But for the king himself, who ordered the inquiry, Huldah has a different message from the general words of judgment.
  27. 2 Crônicas 34:27She acknowledges that Josiah’s heart was moved and he humbled himself before God on hearing the words against that place, weeping and tearing his clothes — and because of this the Lord heard him.
  28. 2 Crônicas 34:28Because of this humility, God promises that Josiah will die in peace, without seeing with his own eyes the disaster still to fall on Jerusalem — and the messengers carry this answer back to the king.
  29. 2 Crônicas 34:29Josiah then summons all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem to a great assembly.
  30. 2 Crônicas 34:30The king goes up to the temple with all the people, priests, and Levites, from the greatest to the least, and reads aloud the entire content of the book of the covenant found in the temple.
  31. 2 Crônicas 34:31Josiah stands in his place and makes a covenant before the Lord, committing to follow His commandments with all his heart and all his soul, carrying out everything written in that book.
  32. 2 Crônicas 34:32He makes everyone present in Jerusalem and Benjamin commit to this same covenant, and they begin to act according to the covenant of the God of their ancestors.
  33. 2 Crônicas 34:33Josiah removes all idolatrous practices from the whole territory of Israel and requires the people to serve the Lord; as long as he lives, the people do not turn away from this faithfulness.

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