Antiquities Book 10, Chapter 4
How Amon Reigned Instead Of Manasseh; And After Amon Reigned Josiah; He Was Both Righteous And Religious. As Also Concerning Huldah The Prophetess.
1. This Amon imitated those works of his father which he insolently did
when he was young: so he had a conspiracy made against him by his own
servants, and was slain in his own house, when he had lived twenty-four
years, and of them had reigned two. But the multitude punished those
that slew Amon, and buried him with his father, and gave the kingdom to
his son Josiah, who was eight years old. His mother was of the city of
Boscath, and her name was Jedidah. He was of a most excellent
disposition, and naturally virtuous, and followed the actions of king
David, as a pattern and a rule to him in the whole conduct of his life.
And when he was twelve years old, he gave demonstrations of his
religious and righteous behavior; for he brought the people to a sober
way of living, and exhorted them to leave off the opinion they had of
their idols, because they were not gods, but to worship their own God.
And by repeating on the actions of his progenitors, he prudently
corrected what they did wrong, like a very elderly man, and like one
abundantly able to understand what was fit to be done; and what he found
they had well done, he observed all the country over, and imitated the
same. And thus he acted in following the wisdom and sagacity of his own
nature, and in compliance with the advice and instruction of the elders;
for by following the laws it was that he succeeded so well in the order
of his government, and in piety with regard to the Divine worship. And
this happened because the transgressions of the former kings were seen
no more, but quite vanished away; for the king went about the city, and
the whole country, and cut down the groves which were devoted to strange
gods, and overthrew their altars; and if there were any gifts dedicated
to them by his forefathers, he made them ignominious, and plucked them
down; and by this means he brought the people back from their opinion
about them to the worship of God. He also offered his accustomed
sacrifices and burnt- offerings upon the altar. Moreover, he ordained
certain judges and overseers, that they might order the matters to them
severally belonging, and have regard to justice above all things, and
distribute it with the same concern they would have about their own
soul. He also sent over all the country, and desired such as pleased to
bring gold and silver for the repairs of the temple, according to every
one's inclinations and abilities. And when the money was brought in, he
made one Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Shaphan the scribe, and
Joab the recorder, and Eliakim the high priest, curators of the temple,
and of the charges contributed thereto; who made no delay, nor put the
work off at all, but prepared architects, and whatsoever was proper for
those repairs, and set closely about the work. So the temple was
repaired by this means, and became a public demonstration of the king's
piety.
2. But when he was now in the eighteenth year of his reign, he sent to
Eliakim the high priest, and gave order, that out of what money was
overplus, he should cast cups, and dishes, and vials, for ministration
[in the temple]; and besides, that they should bring all the gold or
silver which was among the treasures, and expend that also in making
cups and the like vessels. But as the high priest was bringing out the
gold, he lighted upon the holy books of Moses that were laid up in the
temple; and when he had brought them out, he gave them to Shaphan the
scribe, who, when he had read them, came to the king, and informed him
that all was finished which he had ordered to be done. He also read over
the books to him, who, when he had heard them read, rent his garment,
and called for Eliakim the high priest, and for [Shaphan] the scribe,
and for certain [other] of his most particular friends, and sent them to
Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum, [which Shallum was a man of
dignity, and of an eminent family,] and bid them go to her, and say that
[he desired] she would appease God, and endeavor to render him
propitious to them, for that there was cause to fear, lest, upon the
transgression of the laws of Moses by their forefathers, they should be
in peril of going into captivity, and of being cast out of their own
country; lest they should be in want of all things, and so end their
days miserably. When the prophetess had heard this from the messengers
that were sent to her by the king, she bid them go back to the king, and
say that "God had already given sentence against them, to destroy the
people, and cast them out of their country, and deprive them of all the
happiness they enjoyed;" which sentence none could set aside by any
prayers of theirs, since it was passed on account of their
transgressions of the laws, and of their not having repented in so long
a time, while the prophets had exhorted them to amend, and had foretold
the punishment that would ensue on their impious practices; which
threatening God would certainly execute upon them, that they might be
persuaded that he is God, and had not deceived them in any respect as to
what he had denounced by his prophets; that yet, because Josiah was a
righteous man, he would at present delay those calamities, but that
after his death he would send on the multitude what miseries he had
determined for them.
3. So these messengers, upon this prophecy of the woman, came and told
it to the king; whereupon he sent to the people every where, and ordered
that the priests and the Levites should come together to Jerusalem; and
commanded that those of every age should be present also. And when they
had gathered together, he first read to them the holy books; after which
he stood upon a pulpit, in the midst of the multitude, and obliged them
to make a covenant, with an oath, that they would worship God, and keep
the laws of Moses. Accordingly, they gave their assent willingly, and
undertook to do what the king had recommended to them. So they
immediately offered sacrifices, and that after an acceptable manner, and
besought God to be gracious and merciful to them. He also enjoined the
high priest, that if there remained in the temple any vessel that was
dedicated to idols, or to foreign gods, they should cast it out. So when
a great number of such vessels were got together, he burnt them, and
scattered their ashes abroad, and slew the priests of the idols that
were not of the family of Aaron.
4. And when he had done thus in Jerusalem, he came into the country, and
utterly destroyed what buildings had been made therein by king Jeroboam,
in honor of strange gods; and he burnt the bones of the false prophets
upon that altar which Jeroboam first built; and, as the prophet [Jadon],
who came to Jeroboam when he was offering sacrifice, and when all the
people heard him, foretold what would come to pass, viz. that a certain
man of the house of David, Josiah by name, should do what is here
mentioned. And it happened that those predictions took effect after
three hundred and sixty-one years.
5. After these things, Josiah went also to such other Israelites as had
escaped captivity and slavery under the Assyrians, and persuaded them to
desist from their impious practices, and to leave off the honors they
paid to strange gods, but to worship rightly their own Almighty God, and
adhere to him. He also searched the houses, and the villages, and the
cities, out of a suspicion that somebody might have one idol or other in
private; nay, indeed, he took away the chariots [of the sun] that were
set up in his royal palace, 7 which his predecessors had framed, and
what thing soever there was besides which they worshipped as a god. And
when he had thus purged all the country, he called the people to
Jerusalem, and there celebrated the feast of unleavened bread, and that
called the passover. He also gave the people for paschal sacrifices,
young kids of the goats, and lambs, thirty thousand, and three thousand
oxen for burnt-offerings. The principal of the priests also gave to the
priests against the passover two thousand and six hundred lambs; the
principal of the Levites also gave to the Levites five thousand lambs,
and five hundred oxen, by which means there was great plenty of
sacrifices; and they offered those sacrifices according to the laws of
Moses, while every priest explained the matter, and ministered to the
multitude. And indeed there had been no other festival thus celebrated
by the Hebrews from the times of Samuel the prophet; and the plenty of
sacrifices now was the occasion that all things were performed according
to the laws, and according to the custom of their forefathers. So when
Josiah had after this lived in peace, nay, in riches and reputation
also, among all men, he ended his life in the manner following.
when he was young: so he had a conspiracy made against him by his own
servants, and was slain in his own house, when he had lived twenty-four
years, and of them had reigned two. But the multitude punished those
that slew Amon, and buried him with his father, and gave the kingdom to
his son Josiah, who was eight years old. His mother was of the city of
Boscath, and her name was Jedidah. He was of a most excellent
disposition, and naturally virtuous, and followed the actions of king
David, as a pattern and a rule to him in the whole conduct of his life.
And when he was twelve years old, he gave demonstrations of his
religious and righteous behavior; for he brought the people to a sober
way of living, and exhorted them to leave off the opinion they had of
their idols, because they were not gods, but to worship their own God.
And by repeating on the actions of his progenitors, he prudently
corrected what they did wrong, like a very elderly man, and like one
abundantly able to understand what was fit to be done; and what he found
they had well done, he observed all the country over, and imitated the
same. And thus he acted in following the wisdom and sagacity of his own
nature, and in compliance with the advice and instruction of the elders;
for by following the laws it was that he succeeded so well in the order
of his government, and in piety with regard to the Divine worship. And
this happened because the transgressions of the former kings were seen
no more, but quite vanished away; for the king went about the city, and
the whole country, and cut down the groves which were devoted to strange
gods, and overthrew their altars; and if there were any gifts dedicated
to them by his forefathers, he made them ignominious, and plucked them
down; and by this means he brought the people back from their opinion
about them to the worship of God. He also offered his accustomed
sacrifices and burnt- offerings upon the altar. Moreover, he ordained
certain judges and overseers, that they might order the matters to them
severally belonging, and have regard to justice above all things, and
distribute it with the same concern they would have about their own
soul. He also sent over all the country, and desired such as pleased to
bring gold and silver for the repairs of the temple, according to every
one's inclinations and abilities. And when the money was brought in, he
made one Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Shaphan the scribe, and
Joab the recorder, and Eliakim the high priest, curators of the temple,
and of the charges contributed thereto; who made no delay, nor put the
work off at all, but prepared architects, and whatsoever was proper for
those repairs, and set closely about the work. So the temple was
repaired by this means, and became a public demonstration of the king's
piety.
2. But when he was now in the eighteenth year of his reign, he sent to
Eliakim the high priest, and gave order, that out of what money was
overplus, he should cast cups, and dishes, and vials, for ministration
[in the temple]; and besides, that they should bring all the gold or
silver which was among the treasures, and expend that also in making
cups and the like vessels. But as the high priest was bringing out the
gold, he lighted upon the holy books of Moses that were laid up in the
temple; and when he had brought them out, he gave them to Shaphan the
scribe, who, when he had read them, came to the king, and informed him
that all was finished which he had ordered to be done. He also read over
the books to him, who, when he had heard them read, rent his garment,
and called for Eliakim the high priest, and for [Shaphan] the scribe,
and for certain [other] of his most particular friends, and sent them to
Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum, [which Shallum was a man of
dignity, and of an eminent family,] and bid them go to her, and say that
[he desired] she would appease God, and endeavor to render him
propitious to them, for that there was cause to fear, lest, upon the
transgression of the laws of Moses by their forefathers, they should be
in peril of going into captivity, and of being cast out of their own
country; lest they should be in want of all things, and so end their
days miserably. When the prophetess had heard this from the messengers
that were sent to her by the king, she bid them go back to the king, and
say that "God had already given sentence against them, to destroy the
people, and cast them out of their country, and deprive them of all the
happiness they enjoyed;" which sentence none could set aside by any
prayers of theirs, since it was passed on account of their
transgressions of the laws, and of their not having repented in so long
a time, while the prophets had exhorted them to amend, and had foretold
the punishment that would ensue on their impious practices; which
threatening God would certainly execute upon them, that they might be
persuaded that he is God, and had not deceived them in any respect as to
what he had denounced by his prophets; that yet, because Josiah was a
righteous man, he would at present delay those calamities, but that
after his death he would send on the multitude what miseries he had
determined for them.
3. So these messengers, upon this prophecy of the woman, came and told
it to the king; whereupon he sent to the people every where, and ordered
that the priests and the Levites should come together to Jerusalem; and
commanded that those of every age should be present also. And when they
had gathered together, he first read to them the holy books; after which
he stood upon a pulpit, in the midst of the multitude, and obliged them
to make a covenant, with an oath, that they would worship God, and keep
the laws of Moses. Accordingly, they gave their assent willingly, and
undertook to do what the king had recommended to them. So they
immediately offered sacrifices, and that after an acceptable manner, and
besought God to be gracious and merciful to them. He also enjoined the
high priest, that if there remained in the temple any vessel that was
dedicated to idols, or to foreign gods, they should cast it out. So when
a great number of such vessels were got together, he burnt them, and
scattered their ashes abroad, and slew the priests of the idols that
were not of the family of Aaron.
4. And when he had done thus in Jerusalem, he came into the country, and
utterly destroyed what buildings had been made therein by king Jeroboam,
in honor of strange gods; and he burnt the bones of the false prophets
upon that altar which Jeroboam first built; and, as the prophet [Jadon],
who came to Jeroboam when he was offering sacrifice, and when all the
people heard him, foretold what would come to pass, viz. that a certain
man of the house of David, Josiah by name, should do what is here
mentioned. And it happened that those predictions took effect after
three hundred and sixty-one years.
5. After these things, Josiah went also to such other Israelites as had
escaped captivity and slavery under the Assyrians, and persuaded them to
desist from their impious practices, and to leave off the honors they
paid to strange gods, but to worship rightly their own Almighty God, and
adhere to him. He also searched the houses, and the villages, and the
cities, out of a suspicion that somebody might have one idol or other in
private; nay, indeed, he took away the chariots [of the sun] that were
set up in his royal palace, 7 which his predecessors had framed, and
what thing soever there was besides which they worshipped as a god. And
when he had thus purged all the country, he called the people to
Jerusalem, and there celebrated the feast of unleavened bread, and that
called the passover. He also gave the people for paschal sacrifices,
young kids of the goats, and lambs, thirty thousand, and three thousand
oxen for burnt-offerings. The principal of the priests also gave to the
priests against the passover two thousand and six hundred lambs; the
principal of the Levites also gave to the Levites five thousand lambs,
and five hundred oxen, by which means there was great plenty of
sacrifices; and they offered those sacrifices according to the laws of
Moses, while every priest explained the matter, and ministered to the
multitude. And indeed there had been no other festival thus celebrated
by the Hebrews from the times of Samuel the prophet; and the plenty of
sacrifices now was the occasion that all things were performed according
to the laws, and according to the custom of their forefathers. So when
Josiah had after this lived in peace, nay, in riches and reputation
also, among all men, he ended his life in the manner following.