1. Josiah was 8 years old when he began to rule, and he was king for 31 years in Jerusalem. His mother was Jedidah, daughter of Adaiah from Bozkath.
2. Josiah did what the Lord considered right. He lived in the ways of his ancestor David and never stopped.
3. In Josiah’s eighteenth year as king of Judah, he sent the scribe Shaphan, son of Azaliah and grandson of Meshullam, to the Lord’s temple with these instructions:
4. “Go to the chief priest Hilkiah. Have him count the money that has been brought into the Lord’s temple, ⌊the money⌋ that the doorkeepers have collected from the people.
5. Give ⌊some of⌋ it to the foremen who are in charge of the Lord’s temple. They should give it to the workmen who are making repairs on the Lord’s temple.
6. (These workers include the carpenters, builders, and masons.) Also, use ⌊the rest of⌋ the money to buy lumber and quarried stones to repair the temple.
7. Since the workmen are honest, don’t require them to account for the money you give them.”
8. The chief priest Hilkiah told the scribe Shaphan, “I have found the Book of Moses’ Teachings in the Lord’s temple.” Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, who then read it.
9. The scribe Shaphan went to the king and reported, “We have taken the money donated in the temple and have given it to the workmen who are in charge of the Lord’s temple.”