And Hilkiah, and they that Josiah had appointed, went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum…keeper of the wardrobe; (now she lived in Jerusalem in the college) and they spoke to her…. And she answered them, " ‘This says the LORD God of Israel, tell…the man that sent you to me…look, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants there, even all the curses that are written in the book which they have read before the king of Judah: Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore my anger shall be poured out upon this place, and shall not be quenched.

" ‘And as for the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the LORD, so shall you say unto him, this says the LORD God of Israel concerning the words which you have heard; Because your heart was tender, and you did humble yourself before God, when you heard his words against this place, and against the inhabitants there, and humbled yourself before me, and did tear your clothes, and weep before me; I have even heard you also, says the LORD.

" ‘Look, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace, neither shall your eyes see all the evil that I will bring upon this place, and upon the inhabitants of the same.’ "

So they brought the king word again. Then Josiah sent and gathered together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. And the king went up into the house of the LORD, and all the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests, and the Levites, and all the people, great and small: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant that was found in the house of the LORD.

And Josiah stood in his place, and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD, and to keep his commandments, and his testimonies, and his statutes, with all his heart, and with all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant which are written in this book. And Josiah caused all that were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand with him. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers.

And Josiah took away all the abominations out of all the countries that pertained to the children of Israel, and made all that were present in Israel to serve, even to serve the LORD their God. And all his days they departed not from following the LORD, the God of their fathers.

After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Necho king of Egypt came up to fight against Carchemish by Euphrates: and Josiah went out against him. But Necho sent ambassadors to Josiah, saying, "What have I to do with you, you king of Judah? I come not against you this day, but against the house with which I have war: for God commanded me to hurry: stop you from meddling with God, who is with me, that he destroy you not."

Nevertheless Josiah would not turn his face from the king of Egypt, but disguised himself, that he might fight with him, and listened not unto the words of Necho from the mouth of God, and came to fight in the valley of Megiddo. And the archers shot at King Josiah; and the king said to his servants, "Take me away; for I am badly wounded." His servants therefore took him out of that chariot, and put him in the second chariot that he had; and they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died, and was buried in one of the tombs of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.

And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah: and all the singing men and the singing women speak of Josiah in their lamentations to this day, and made them an ordinance in Israel: and, look, they are written in the lamentations.

-Jeremiah laments-

"How does the city sit empty, that was full of people! How is she become as a widow! She that was great among the nations, and princess among the provinces, how is she become a slave!

"Judah is gone into captivity…she lives among the heathen, she finds no rest: all her persecutors overtook her between the difficult places. Her adversaries are her masters, her enemies prosper; for the LORD has afflicted her for the multitude of her sins: her children are gone into captivity before the enemy.

"Jerusalem has grievously sinned; therefore she is removed: all that honored her despise her, because they have seen her nakedness: yes, she sighs, and turns backward. Her filthiness is in her skirts; she remembers not her last end; therefore she came down astonishingly: she had no comforter.

-Song of Judah-

"O LORD, behold my affliction: for the enemy has magnified himself. The LORD is righteous; for I have rebelled against his commandment: hear, I pray you, all people, and behold my sorrow: my virgins and my young men are gone into captivity.

"Their heart cried unto the Lord, O wall of the daughter of Zion, let tears run down like a river day and night: give yourself no rest; let not the apple of your eye cease."

-Jeremiah’s Hope-

"Remembering my affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the bitter poison. My soul has them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me.

"This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is your faithfulness.

"The LORD is my portion, says my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeks him. For the Lord will not cast off forever: But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies. …He does not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.

"Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD. Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens. We have transgressed and have rebelled: you have not pardoned. Turn…us unto you, O LORD, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old."

Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and made him king in his father's place in Jerusalem. Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem.

And the king of Egypt put Jehoahaz down at Jerusalem, and condemned the land in a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. And the king of Egypt made Eliakim Jehoahaz’s brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, and turned his name to Jehoiakim. And Necho took Jehoahaz…and carried him to Egypt.

Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: and Jehoiakim did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD his God.

REFERENCES

2 Chronicles 34:22-33; 2 Chronicles 35:20-25; Lamentations 1:1, 3, 5, 8-9, 18; Lamentations 2:18; Lamentations 3:19-25, 31-33, 40-42; Lamentations 5:21, 2 Chronicles 36:1-5.

CHAPTER 52