2 Chronicles 34
Open in the reader1He-Who-Is-Establishes was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Foundation-of-Peace thirty-one years.
2And he did what was right in the eyes of He-Who-Is and walked in the ways of his father Beloved; he did not turn aside to the right or to the left.
3In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, He-Who-Is-Establishes began to seek the God of his father Beloved, and in the twelfth year he began to cleanse Praised and Foundation-of-Peace of the high places, the Asherah poles, the carved idols, and the cast images.
4Then in his presence the altars of The-Ruler were torn down, and he cut to pieces the incense altars that were above them. He shattered the Asherah poles, the carved idols, and the cast images, crushed them to dust, and scattered them over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them.
5Then he burned the bones of the priests on their altars. So he cleansed Praised and Foundation-of-Peace.
6He-Who-Is-Establishes did the same in the cities of Causing-to-Forget, Double-Fruit, and Heard, as far as My-Wrestling, and in the ruins around them.
7He tore down the altars and Asherah poles, crushed the idols to powder, and cut to pieces all the incense altars throughout the land of Strives-with-God. Then he returned to Foundation-of-Peace.
8Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, in order to cleanse the land and the temple, He-Who-Is-Establishes sent Rock-Badger son of He-Who-Is-Has-Set-Aside, Work-of-He-Who-Is the governor of the city, and He-Who-Is-Brother son of He-Who-Is-Has-Held, the recorder, to repair the house of He-Who-Is his God.
9So they went to My-Portion-Is-He-Who-Is the high priest and gave him the money that had been brought into the house of God, which the Joined-Ones who guarded the doors had collected from the people of Causing-to-Forget and Double-Fruit, from all the remnant of Strives-with-God, from all Praised and Son-of-the-Right-Hand, and from the people of Foundation-of-Peace.
10They put it into the hands of those supervising the work in the house of He-Who-Is, who in turn gave it to the workmen restoring and repairing the house of He-Who-Is.
11They also gave money to the carpenters and builders to buy dressed stone, as well as timbers for couplings and beams for the buildings that the kings of Praised had allowed to deteriorate.
12And the men did the work faithfully. The Joined-Ones overseeing them were Unity and Servant-of-He-Who-Is, descendants of Bitter, and He-Who-Is-Remembers and Allied, descendants of Allied-Ones. Other Joined-Ones, all skilled with musical instruments,
13were over the laborers and supervised all who did the work, task by task. Some of the Joined-Ones were secretaries, officers, and gatekeepers.
14While they were bringing out the money that had been taken into the house of He-Who-Is, My-Portion-Is-He-Who-Is the priest found the Book of the Teaching of He-Who-Is given by Drawn-Out.
15And My-Portion-Is-He-Who-Is said to Rock-Badger the scribe, “I have found the Book of the Teaching in the house of He-Who-Is!” And he gave it to Rock-Badger.
16Then Rock-Badger brought the book to the king and reported, “Your servants are doing all that has been placed in their hands.
17They have paid out the money that was found in the house of He-Who-Is and have put it into the hands of the supervisors and workers.”
18Moreover, Rock-Badger the scribe told the king, “My-Portion-Is-He-Who-Is the priest has given me a book.” And Rock-Badger read it in the presence of the king.
19When the king heard the words of the Teaching, he tore his clothes
20and commanded My-Portion-Is-He-Who-Is, My-Brother-Has-Risen son of Rock-Badger, Servile son of Who-Is-Like-He-Who-Is, Rock-Badger the scribe, and He-Who-Is-Has-Made the servant of the king:
21“Go and inquire of He-Who-Is for me and for those remaining in Strives-with-God and Praised concerning the words in the book that has been found. For great is the wrath of He-Who-Is that has been poured out on us because our fathers have not kept the word of He-Who-Is by doing all that is written in this book.”
22So My-Portion-Is-He-Who-Is and those the king had designated went and spoke to Weasel the prophetess, the wife of Requital son of Tokhath, the son of Hasrah, the keeper of the wardrobe. She lived in Foundation-of-Peace, in the Second District.
23And Weasel said to them, “This is what He-Who-Is, the God of Strives-with-God, says: ‘Tell the man who sent you
24that this is what He-Who-Is says: I am about to bring calamity on this place and on its people, according to all the curses written in the book that has been read in the presence of the king of Praised,
25because they have forsaken Me and burned incense to other gods, that they might provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands. My wrath will be poured out upon this place and will not be quenched.’
26But as for the king of Praised, who sent you to inquire of He-Who-Is, tell him that this is what He-Who-Is, the God of Strives-with-God, says: ‘As for the words that you heard,
27because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and against its people, and because you have humbled yourself before Me and have torn your clothes and wept before Me, I have heard you,’ declares He-Who-Is.
28‘Now I will indeed gather you to your fathers, and you will be gathered to your grave in peace. Your eyes will not see all the calamity that I will bring on this place and on its people.’” So they brought her answer back to the king.
29Then the king summoned all the elders of Praised and Foundation-of-Peace.
30And he went up to the house of He-Who-Is with all the people of Praised and Foundation-of-Peace, as well as the priests and the Joined-Ones—all the people great and small—and in their hearing he read all the words of the Book of the Covenant that had been found in the house of He-Who-Is.
31So the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before He-Who-Is to follow He-Who-Is and to keep His commandments, decrees, and statutes with all his heart and all his soul, and to carry out the words of the covenant that were written in this book.
32Then he had everyone in Foundation-of-Peace and Son-of-the-Right-Hand take a stand in agreement to it. So all the people of Foundation-of-Peace carried out the covenant of God, the God of their fathers.
33And He-Who-Is-Establishes removed all the abominations from all the lands belonging to the children of Strives-with-God, and he required everyone in Strives-with-God to serve He-Who-Is their God. Throughout his reign they did not turn aside from following He-Who-Is, the God of their fathers.