يوشيا ملك يهوذا
(2مل 22:1-2؛ 2مل 23:4-20)1 كانَ يوشيَّا ابنَ ثماني سِنينَ حينَ ملَكَ، وملَكَ إحدى وثلاثينَ سنَةً في أورُشليمَ. 2 وعمِلَ ما هوَ قويمٌ في نظَرِ الرّبِّ، وسلَكَ في طُرُقِ داوُدَ جَدِّهِ ولم يَحِدْ عَنها يمينا ولا يسارا. 3 وفي السَّنةِ الثَّامنةِ مِنْ مُلْكِهِ، وهوَ بَعدُ صَبـيٌّ، أخذَ يَطلُبُ مَشيئةَ إلهِ داوُدَ، وفي السَّنةِ الثَّانيةَ عَشْرَةَ ابتَدأ يُطَهِّرُ يَهوذا وأورُشليمَ مِنْ أماكِنِ العِبادةِ على المُرتَفَعاتِ ومِنْ تَماثيلِ أشيرةَ ومِنَ الأصنامِ المَنحوتةِ أو المَسبوكةِ. 4 فهَدَموا أمامَ عينيهِ مذابِـحَ البَعلِ معَ مذابِـحِ البَخورِ الّتي علَيها، وحَطَّمَ تَماثيلَ أشيرةَ والأصنامَ المَسبوكةَ وسَحَقَها ونشَرَها على قُبورِ الّذينَ كانوا يَذبحونَ لها. 5 وأحرقَ كهَنةَ البَعلِ على مذابِـحِهِم، وطَهَّرَ يَهوذا وأورُشليمَ مِنهُم. 6 وفعَلَ الشَّيءَ ذاتَهُ في مُدُنِ منَسَّى وأفرايِمَ وشِمعونَ ونَفتالي والمَناطِقِ الّتي حَولَها. 7 وهدَمَ المذابِـحَ وحطَّمَ تَماثيلَ أشيرةَ، وسحَقَ الأصنامَ وجعَلَها غُبارا، وهدَمَ جميعَ مذابِـحِ البَخورِ في كُلِّ أرضِ إِسرائيلَ، ثُمَّ رجَعَ إلى أورُشليمَ.
العثور على كتاب الشريعة
(2مل 22:3-20)8 وفي السَّنةِ الثَّامِنةَ عَشْرَةَ مِنْ مُلْكِهِ، بعدَ أنْ طَهَّرَ الأرضَ والهَيكلَ، أرسلَ شافانَ بنَ أصَلْيا ومَعَسْيا حاكِمَ أورُشليمَ، ويوآخَ بنَ يوآحازَ حافِظَ السِّجِلِّ، لِتَرميمِ هَيكلِ الرّبِّ إلَهِهِ. 9 فجاؤوا إلى حِلْقيَّا الكاهنِ الأعظَمِ، فدَفَعوا إليهِ المالَ الّذي ورَدَ إلى الهَيكلِ مِمَّا جمَعَهُ الحُرَّاسُ اللاَّويُّونَ مِنْ بَني منَسَّى وبَني أفرايمَ ومِنْ سائِرِ بَني إِسرائيلَ ويَهوذا وبنيامينَ، ورَجَعوا إلى أورُشليمَ. 10 فحَوَّلَ حِلْقيَّا الكاهنُ هذا المالَ إلى الوُكلاءِ على تَرميمِ الهَيكلِ وإصلاحِهِ. 11 وهؤلاءِ الوُكلاءُ أعطَوا النَّجَّارينَ والبَنَّائينَ ليَشتَروا حِجارةً مَنحوتةً وخشَبا صالِحا لِتَرميمِ البُيوتِ الّتي خَرَّبَها مُلوكُ يَهوذا. 12 وكانَ العُمَّالُ يقومونَ بِهذا العَمَلِ بِأمانةٍ تَحتَ إشرافِ ياحَتَ وعوبَدْيا اللاَّويِّينَِ مِنْ بَني مَراري، وزَكريّا ومَشَلاَّمَ مِنْ بَني قَهاتَ. ومعَ أنَّ اللاَّويِّينَ جميعا ماهِرونَ بِالعَزْفِ على آلاتِ الغِناءِ، 13 فإنَّهُ كانَ مِنهُم أيضا كتَبةٌ ووُكلاءُ وبَوَّابونَ ومُراقِبونَ على الحَمَّالينَ وعلى جميعِ العُمَّالِ في مُختَلفِ أنواعِ العَمَلِ.
14 وبَينَما كانَ حِلْقيَّا الكاهنُ يُخرِجُ المالَ الّذي ورَدَ إلى الهَيكلِ وجَدَ كِتابَ شريعةِ الرّبِّ بِـخَطِّ موسى. 15 فقالَ لِشافانَ الكاتِبِ: «وجَدْتُ كِتابَ الشَّريعةِ في الهَيكلِ». وسَلَّم حِلْقيَّا الكِتابَ إلى شافانَ. 16 فجاءَ شافانُ بِالكِتابِ إلى المَلِكِ وقالَ لَه: «كُلُّ ما أمَرْتَنا بهِ نَعمَلُهُ، 17 والمالُ الّذي وجَدْناهُ في الهَيكلِ دَفَعْناهُ إلى العُمَّالِ والوُكلاءِ علَيهِم». 18 ثُمَّ قالَ شافانُ لِلمَلِكِ: «سَلَّمَني حِلْقيَّا الكاهنُ كِتابا». وقرَأهُ أمامَ المَلِكِ.
19 فلمَّا سَمِعَ المَلِكُ ما وَرَدَ في الكِتابِ مَزَّقَ رِداءَهُ 20 وقالَ لِحِلْقيَّا وأخيقامَ بنِ شافانَ وعَبدونَ بنِ ميخا وشافانَ الكاتبِ وعَسايا مُرافقِ المَلِكِ: 21 «إذْهَبوا اسْتَشيروا الرّبَّ باسمي وباسمِ الباقينَ في إِسرائيلَ ويَهوذا حَولَ ما ورَدَ في هذا الكتابِ الّذي وجَدَهُ حِلْقيَّا. فالرّبُّ شديدُ الغضَبِ علَينا لأنَّ آباءَنا لم يَهتَمُّوا بِكلامِهِ في هذا الكِتابِ ولم يَعمَلوا بهِ».
22 فذَهبَ حِلْقيَّا والآخَرونَ، كما أمرَهُمُ المَلِكُ، إلى خَلْدَةَ النَبـيَّةِ زوجَةِ شَلُّومَ بنِ توقَهَةَ بنِ حَسرَةَ حافِظِ أرديَةِ الهَيكلِ، وكانَت مُقيمةً في القِسْمِ الثَّاني بأورُشليمَ وكَلَّموها بالأمرِ. 23 فقالَت لهُم: «هذا ما يقولُ الرّبُّ إلهُ إِسرائيلَ: قولوا لِلرَّجلِ الّذي أرسَلَكُم إليَّ: 24 ها أنا جالِبٌ على أورُشليمَ وسُكَّانِها جميعَ اللَّعناتِ المكتوبةِ في الكتابِ الّذي قُرِئَ أمامَ مَلِكِ يَهوذا، 25 لأنَّهُم تَركوني وأحرَقوا البَخورَ لآلِهةٍ غريـبةٍ فأثاروا غضَبـي بِـجميعِ ما فَعَلَت أيديهِم، فانصَبَّ غضَبـي على هذا المكانِ ولن يَنطَفئَ. 26 وأمَّا مَلِكُ يَهوذا الّذي أرسَلَكُم لِتَستَشيروني، فقولوا لَه: هذا ما يقولُ الرّبُّ إلهُ إِسرائيلَ: سَمِعْتَ الكلامَ الّذي ورَدَ في هذا الكتابِ، 27 فَلانَ قَلبُكَ وتضَرَّعْتَ أمامي ومَزَّقتَ رِداءَكَ حُزْنا على هذا المكانِ وسُكَّانِهِ، فلِذلِكَ استجَبتُ لكَ. 28 فالشَّرُّ الّذي أُنزِلُهُ بِأورُشليمَ وسُكَّانِها لا تَراهُ عَيناكَ، لأنَّهُ يَتمُّ بَعدَ أنْ تموتَ وتُدفَنَ في قبرِكَ بِسلامٍ». فرَجعَ حِلْقيَّا والآخَرونَ إلى المَلِكِ بِهذا الكلامِ.
يوشيا يعاهد الرب
(2مل 22:20؛ 2مل 23:3)29 فاستَدعى يوشيَّا جميعَ شُيوخِ يَهوذا وأورُشليمَ 30 وصَعِدَ معَهُم إلى الهَيكلِ يُرافِقُهُمُ الكهَنةُ واللاَّويُّونَ وسائِرُ الشَّعبِ، كِبارا وصِغارا، فَتَلا على مَسامِعِهِم ما ورَدَ في كِتابِ الشَّريعةِ الّذي وجَدَهُ حِلْقيَّا في الهَيكلِ. 31 وقامَ المَلِكُ على مِنبَرِهِ وقطَعَ عَهدا أمامَ الرّبِّ على أنَّهُ يَتبَعُ الرّبَّ ويَحفَظُ وصاياهُ وإرشاداتِهِ وفَرائِضَهُ بِكُلِّ قلبِهِ وكُلِّ نفْسِهِ، ويَعمَلُ بِالكلامِ الوارِدِ في كِتابِ الشَّريعةِ. 32 ودعا يوشيَّا شعبَ بنيامينَ وسُكَّانَ أورُشليمَ وجميعَ الّذينَ كانوا هُناكَ وطلَبَ مِنهُم أنْ يَقطَعوا على أنفُسِهِم هذا العَهدَ معَ اللهِ إلَهِ آبائِهِم، ففَعَلوا. 33 وأزالَ يوشيَّا كُلَّ الرَّجاساتِ مِنْ جميعِ أرضِ بَني إِسرائيلَ، وطلَبَ مِنْ جميعِ الشَّعبِ أنْ يَعبُدوا الرّبَّ إلهَهُم، فأطاعوا ولم يَحيدوا طُولَ أيّامِ حياتِهِ عنِ اتِّباعِ الرّبِّ إلهِ آبائِهِم.
King Josiah of Judah
(2 Kings 22.12 2)1 Josiah was eight years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for thirty-one years. 2 He did what was pleasing to the Lord; he followed the example of his ancestor King David, strictly obeying all the laws of God.
Josiah Attacks Pagan Worship
3 In the eighth year that Josiah was king, while he was still very young, he began to worship the God of his ancestor King David. Four years later he began to destroy the pagan places of worship, the symbols of the goddess Asherah, and all the other idols. 4 Under his direction the altars where Baal was worshiped were smashed, and the incense altars near them were torn down. They ground to dust the images of Asherah and all the other idols and then scattered the dust on the graves of the people who had sacrificed to them. 5 He burned the bones of the pagan priests on the altars where they had worshiped. By doing all this, he made Judah and Jerusalem ritually clean again. 6 He did the same thing in the cities and the devastated areas of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, and as far north as Naphtali. 7 Throughout the territory of the Northern Kingdom he smashed the altars and the symbols of Asherah, ground the idols to dust, and broke into bits all the incense altars. Then he returned to Jerusalem.
The Book of the Law Is Discovered
(2 Kings 22.3-20)8 In the eighteenth year of his reign, after he had purified the land and the Temple by ending pagan worship, King Josiah sent three men to repair the Temple of the Lord God: Shaphan son of Azaliah, Maaseiah, the governor of Jerusalem, and Joah son of Joahaz, a high official. 9 The money that the Levite guards had collected in the Temple was turned over to Hilkiah the High Priest. (It had been collected from the people of Ephraim and Manasseh and the rest of the Northern Kingdom, and from the people of Judah, Benjamin, and Jerusalem.) 10 This money was then handed over to the three men in charge of the Temple repairs, and they gave it to 11 the carpenters and the builders to buy the stones and the timber used to repair the buildings that the kings of Judah had allowed to decay. 12 The men who did the work were thoroughly honest. They were supervised by four Levites: Jahath and Obadiah of the clan of Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam of the clan of Kohath. (The Levites were all skillful musicians.) 13 Other Levites were in charge of transporting materials and supervising the workers on various jobs, and others kept records or served as guards.
14 While the money was being taken out of the storeroom, Hilkiah found the book of the Law of the Lord, the Law that God had given to Moses. 15 He said to Shaphan, “I have found the book of the Law here in the Temple.” He gave Shaphan the book, 16 and Shaphan took it to the king. He reported, “We have done everything that you commanded. 17 We have taken the money that was kept in the Temple and handed it over to the workers and their supervisors.” 18 Then he added, “I have here a book that Hilkiah gave me.” And he read it aloud to the king.
19 When the king heard the book being read, he tore his clothes in dismay 20 and gave the following order to Hilkiah, to Ahikam son of Shaphan, to Abdon son of Micaiah, to Shaphan, the court secretary, and to Asaiah, the king's attendant: 21 “Go and consult the Lord for me and for the people who still remain in Israel and Judah. Find out about the teachings of this book. The Lord is angry with us because our ancestors have not obeyed the word of the Lord and have not done what this book says must be done.”
22 At the king's command, Hilkiah and the others went to consult a woman named Huldah, a prophet who lived in the newer part of Jerusalem. (Her husband Shallum, the son of Tikvah and grandson of Harhas, was in charge of the Temple robes.) They described to her what had happened, 23 and she told them to go back to the king and give him 24 the following message from the Lord: “I am going to punish Jerusalem and all its people with the curses written in the book that was read to the king. 25 They have rejected me and have offered sacrifices to other gods, and so have stirred up my anger by all they have done. My anger is aroused against Jerusalem, and it will not die down. 26 As for the king himself, this is what I, the Lord God of Israel, say: You listened to what is written in the book, 27 and you repented and humbled yourself before me, tearing your clothes and weeping, when you heard how I threatened to punish Jerusalem and its people. I have heard your prayer, 28 and the punishment which I am going to bring on Jerusalem will not come until after your death. I will let you die in peace.”
The men returned to King Josiah with this message.
Josiah Makes a Covenant to Obey the Lord
(2 Kings 23.1-20)29 King Josiah summoned all the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, 30 and together they went to the Temple, accompanied by the priests and the Levites and all the rest of the people, rich and poor alike. Before them all the king read aloud the whole book of the covenant, which had been found in the Temple. 31 He stood by the royal column and made a covenant with the Lord to obey him, to keep his laws and commands with all his heart and soul, and to put into practice the demands attached to the covenant, as written in the book. 32 He made the people of Benjamin and everyone else present in Jerusalem promise to keep the covenant. And so the people of Jerusalem obeyed the requirements of the covenant they had made with the God of their ancestors. 33 King Josiah destroyed all the disgusting idols that were in the territory belonging to the people of Israel, and as long as he lived, he required the people to serve the Lord, the God of their ancestors.