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.”