The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Monday August 3, 2020 (NIV)

¹⁴ After this, he built the outer wall of the city of David from west of Gihon^(A) in the valley to the entrance of the Fish Gate;^(B) he brought it around Ophel,^(C) and he heightened it considerably. He also placed military commanders in all the fortified cities of Judah.

¹⁵ He removed the foreign gods and the idol^(D) from the Lord’s temple, along with all the altars that he had built on the mountain of the Lord’s temple and in Jerusalem, and he threw them outside the city. ¹⁶ He built^[a] the altar of the Lord and offered fellowship and thanksgiving sacrifices on it. Then he told Judah to serve the Lord, the God of Israel. ¹⁷ However, the people still sacrificed at the high places,^(E) but only to the Lord their God.

Manasseh’s Death

¹⁸ The rest of the events^(F) of Manasseh’s reign, along with his prayer^(G) to his God and the words of the seers who spoke to him in the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, are written in the Events of Israel’s Kings. ¹⁹ His prayer and how God was receptive to his prayer, and all his sin and unfaithfulness and the sites where he built high places and set up Asherah poles and carved images before he humbled himself, they are written in the Events of Hozai. ²⁰ Manasseh rested with his ancestors, and he was buried in his own house. His son Amon became king in his place.

Judah’s King Amon

²¹ Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. ²² He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, just as his father Manasseh had done.^(H) Amon sacrificed to all the carved images that his father Manasseh had made, and he served them. ²³ But he did not humble himself before the Lord like his father Manasseh humbled himself;^(I) instead, Amon increased his guilt.

²⁴ So his servants conspired against him and put him to death^(J) in his own house. ²⁵ The common people^[b] killed all who had conspired against King Amon, and they made his son Josiah king in his place.

Judah’s King Josiah

34 Josiah was eight years old^(K) when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. ² He did what was right in the Lord’s sight and walked in the ways of his ancestor David;^(L) he did not turn aside to the right or the left.

Josiah’s Reform

³ In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still a youth, Josiah began to seek the God of his ancestor David,^(M) and in the twelfth year he began to cleanse Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the Asherah poles, the carved images,^(N) and the cast images. ⁴ Then in his presence the altars of the Baals were torn down, and he chopped down the shrines^[c] that were above them. He shattered the Asherah poles, the carved images, and the cast images, crushed them to dust, and scattered^(O) them over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them.^{(P) 5} He burned the bones of the priests on their altars.^(Q) So he cleansed Judah and Jerusalem. ⁶ He did the same in the cities^(R) of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, and as far as Naphtali and on their surrounding mountain shrines.^{[d] 7} He tore down the altars, and he smashed the Asherah poles and the carved images to powder. He chopped down all the shrines throughout the land of Israel and returned to Jerusalem.^(S)

Josiah’s Repair of the Temple

⁸ In the eighteenth year of his reign,^(T) in order to cleanse the land and the temple, Josiah sent Shaphan son of Azaliah, along with Maaseiah the governor^(U) of the city and the court historian Joah son of Joahaz, to repair the temple of the Lord his God.

⁹ So they went to the high priest Hilkiah^(V) and gave him the silver brought into God’s temple. The Levites and the doorkeepers had collected it from Manasseh, Ephraim,^(W) and from the entire remnant of Israel, and from all Judah, Benjamin, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. ¹⁰ They gave it to those doing the work—those who oversaw the Lord’s temple. They gave it to the workmen who were working in the Lord’s temple, to repair and restore the temple; ¹¹ they gave it to the carpenters and builders and also used it to buy quarried stone and timbers—for joining and making beams—for the buildings that Judah’s kings had destroyed.

¹² The men were doing the work with integrity. Their overseers were Jahath and Obadiah, Levites from the Merarites, and Zechariah and Meshullam from the Kohathites as supervisors. The Levites were all skilled with musical instruments.^{(X) 13} They were also over the porters and were supervising all those doing the work task by task. Some of the Levites were secretaries, officers, and gatekeepers.

The Recovery of the Book of the Law

¹⁴ When they brought out the silver that had been deposited in the Lord’s temple, the priest Hilkiah found the book of the law of the Lord written by the hand of Moses.^{(Y) 15} Consequently,^(Z) Hilkiah told the court secretary Shaphan, “I have found the book of the law in the Lord’s temple,” and he gave the book to Shaphan.

¹⁶ Shaphan took the book to the king, and also reported, “Your servants are doing all that was placed in their hands. ¹⁷ They have emptied out the silver that was found in the Lord’s temple and have given it to the overseers and to those doing the work.” ¹⁸ Then the court secretary Shaphan told the king, “The priest Hilkiah gave me a book,” and Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king.^(AA)

¹⁹ When the king heard the words of the law, he tore his clothes.^{(AB) 20} Then he commanded Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Abdon son of Micah, the court secretary Shaphan, and the king’s servant Asaiah, ²¹ “Go and inquire of the Lord for me and for those remaining in Israel and Judah, concerning the words of the book that was found. For great is the Lord’s wrath that is poured out on us^(AC) because our ancestors have not kept the word of the Lord in order to do everything written in this book.”

Huldah’s Prophecy of Judgment

²² So Hilkiah and those the king had designated^[e] went to the prophetess Huldah, the wife of Shallum son of Tokhath, son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe. She lived in Jerusalem in the Second District. They spoke with her about this.

²³ She said to them, “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: Say to the man who sent you to me, ²⁴ ‘This is what the Lord says: I am about to bring disaster on this place and on its inhabitants,^(AD) fulfilling^[f] all the curses written in the book that they read in the presence of the king of Judah,^{(AE) 25} because they have abandoned me^(AF) and burned incense to other gods so as to anger me with all the works of their hands. My wrath will be poured out on this place, and it will not be quenched.’ ²⁶ Say this to the king of Judah who sent you to inquire of the Lord: ‘This is what the Lord God of Israel says: As for the words that you heard, ²⁷ because^(AG) your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God when you heard his words against this place and against its inhabitants, and because you humbled yourself before me, and you tore your clothes and wept before me, I myself have heard’—this is the Lord’s declaration. ²⁸ ‘I will indeed gather you to your ancestors, and you will be gathered to your grave in peace. Your eyes will not see all the disaster that I am bringing on this place and on its inhabitants.’”^(AH)

Then they reported to the king.

Affirmation of the Covenant by Josiah and the People

²⁹ So the king sent messengers and gathered all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. ³⁰ The king went up to the Lord’s temple with all the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, as well as the priests and the Levites—all the people from the oldest to the youngest. He read in their hearing all the words of the book of the covenant that had been found in the Lord’s temple.^{(AI) 31} Then the king stood at his post^(AJ) and made a covenant in the Lord’s presence^(AK) to follow the Lord and to keep his commands, his decrees, and his statutes with all his heart and with all his soul^(AL) in order to carry out the words of the covenant written in this book.^(AM)

³² He had all those present in Jerusalem and Benjamin agree^[g] to it. So all the inhabitants of Jerusalem carried out the covenant of God, the God of their ancestors.

³³ So Josiah removed everything that was detestable from all the lands belonging to the Israelites,^(AN) and he required all who were present in Israel to serve the Lord their God. Throughout his reign they did not turn aside from following the Lord, the God of their ancestors.

¹⁰ Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ. Greet those who belong to the household of Aristobulus.^{(A) 11} Greet Herodion, my fellow Jew.^[a] Greet those who belong to the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord. ¹² Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, who have worked hard in the Lord. Greet my dear friend Persis, who has worked very hard in the Lord. ¹³ Greet Rufus,^(B) chosen in the Lord; also his mother—and mine. ¹⁴ Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers and sisters who are with them. ¹⁵ Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them.^{(C) 16} Greet one another with a holy kiss.^(D) All the churches of Christ send you greetings.

Warning against Divisive People

¹⁷ Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who create divisions and obstacles contrary to the teaching that you learned.^(E) Avoid them,^{(F) 18} because such people do not serve our Lord Christ^(G) but their own appetites.^[b](H) They deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting with smooth talk and flattering words.^(I)

Paul’s Gracious Conclusion

¹⁹ The report of your obedience has reached everyone.^(J) Therefore I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise about what is good, and yet innocent about what is evil.^{(K) 20} The God of peace^(L) will soon crush Satan^(M) under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.^(N)

²¹ Timothy,^(O) my coworker, and Lucius,^(P) Jason,^(Q) and Sosipater,^(R) my fellow countrymen, greet you.

²² I, Tertius, who wrote this letter,^(S) greet you in the Lord.^[c]

²³ Gaius,^(T) who is host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Erastus,^(U) the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus greet you.^[d]

Glory to God

²⁵ Now to him who is able to strengthen you^(V) according to my gospel and the proclamation about Jesus Christ,^(W) according to the revelation of the mystery kept silent^(X) for long ages^{(Y) 26} but now revealed and made known through the prophetic Scriptures,^(Z) according to the command of the eternal God to advance the obedience of faith^(AA) among all the Gentiles— ²⁷ to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ—to him be the glory forever!^[e](AB) Amen.

Psalm 26

Prayer for Vindication

Of David.