CHAPER VIII.

DEUTERONOMY, vi., xii., xvi.-xviii., xxviii. II. KINGS, xxii., xxiii. II. CHRONICLES, xxxiv.-xxxvi.

REFORMATION OF JOSIAH.

Repairing the Temple-The Law is Found-Read before the King -Jehovah is God Alone-Jerusalem His Sanctuary-The Three Feasts-Nature Worship Forbidden-Idolatry and Witchcraft— Punished with Death-Judges-Court of Appeal-The King's Law -The Blessings-The Curses-Consternation of the King-Consulting Huldah—She Confirms the Law-Taking the CovenantPurifying the Temple-Suppressing Idolatry-The High Places Destroyed-The Levites Brought to Jerusalem-The Great Passover-War between Egypt and Assyria-Intervention of JosiahBattle of Megiddo-Death of Josiah―Jehoahaz Made King.

Now it came to pass in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, that the king sent Shaphan son of Azaliah son of Meshullam, the secretary, to the house of Jehovah, saying: Go up to Hilkiah the high-priest, that he may sum the money which is brought into the house of Jehovah, which the keepers of the door have gathered of the people; and deliver it into the hand of them that have the oversight of the house of Jehovah, that they may give it to the workmen who are in the house of Jehovah, to repair the breaches of the house; unto the carpenters, and to the builders, and to the masons; and for buying timber and hewn stone to repair the house. Howbeit there was no reckoning made with them of the money that was delivered into their hand; for they dealt honestly.

JERUSALEM the sole PLACE OF WORSHIP. 491

And Hilkiah the high-priest said to Shaphan the secretary: I have found the book of the law in the house of Jehovah. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it. And Shaphan the scribe came to the king, and brought the king word, and said: Thy servants have emptied out the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of them that have the oversight of the house of Jehovah. And Shaphan the secretary told the king, saying: Hilkiah the priest hath given me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king.

And among the commandments of the book of the law of Moses, that Shaphan read before the king, were found these words: Hear, O Israel: Jehovah is our God, Jehovah alone; and thou shalt love Jehovah thy God. with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

Ye shall destroy all the places, wherein the nations. which ye dispossess served their gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree; and ye shall tear down their altars, and dash in pieces their pillars, and burn their Ashtoreth images with fire; and the graven images of their gods ye shall break down, and shall destroy their name out of that place. Not thus shall ye worship Jehovah your God. But unto the place which Jehovah your God chooseth out of all your tribes to put his name there, to inhabit it, shall ye seek, and thither shalt thou come; and ye shall bring thither your burnt-offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and your heave-offerings, and your vows, and your freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herd and of your flock; and ye shall eat there before Jehovah your God, and rejoice for all your possessions, ye and your households, wherewith Jehovah thy God hath blessed thee.

Take heed to thyself that thou offer not thy burnt-offerings in every place that thou seest; but in the place which Jehovah chooseth in one of thy tribes, there shalt thou offer thy burnt-offerings, and there shalt thou do all that I command thee.

Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before Jehovah thy God in the place which he chooseth in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles. And they shall not appear before Jehovah empty; every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of Jehovah thy God which he hath given thee.

Observe the month of Abib, and keep passover unto Jehovah thy God; for in the month of Abib Jehovah thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night. Thou shalt not sacrifice the passover in any of thy gates, which Jehovah thy God giveth thee; but only at the place which Jehovah thy God chooseth to cause his name to dwell there shalt thou sacrifice the passover at even, at the going down of the sun, at the season of thy coming forth from Egypt. And thou shalt cook and eat it in the place which Jehovah thy God chooseth; and in the morning thou shalt turn, and go unto thy home. Thou shalt eat therewith no leavened bread, and there shall be no leavened bread seen with thee in all thy land seven days.

Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee; from the beginning of grain harvest shalt thou begin to number seven weeks; and thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto Jehovah thy God with thy freewill offering, which thou givest, according as Jehovah thy God blesseth thee.

The feast of tabernacles shalt thou keep for seven days, when thou gatherest in from thy threshing-floor and from

IDOLATRY AND WITCHCRAFT.

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thy winepress; seven days shalt thou feast unto Jehovah thy God, in the place which Jehovah chooseth.

Thou shalt not plant an Ashtoreth image, any kind of tree, beside the altar of Jehovah thy God, which thou shalt make thee. Neither shalt thou set thee up a pillar, which Jehovah thy God hateth.

When thou art come into the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of the nations that were before thee. There shall not be found in thee any that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, one that useth divination, one that practiseth augury, or an enchanter, or a sorcerer, or a charmer, or a consulter with a familiar spirit, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For whosoever doeth these things is an abomination unto Jehovah; and because of these abominations Jehovah thy God driveth the nations out from before thee. Thou shalt be wholly given unto Jehovah thy God. For these nations, which thou dispossessest, hearken unto augurers, and unto sorcerers; but for thee Jehovah thy God hath not so ordained. Jehovah thy God raiseth up for thee prophets from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto them shall ye hearken.

If there be found among thee, in any of thy gates which Jehovah thy God giveth thee, man or woman that doeth evil in the sight of Jehovah thy God, to transgress his covenant, going and serving other gods, and worshipping them, sun or moon, or all the host of heaven, which I have not commanded; and it be told thee, and thou hearest it, and inquirest diligently, and, behold, it is certain that such abomination is wrought in Israel; then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman, that have done this evil thing, unto thy gates, and stone them with

stones, that they die. And thou shalt put away the evil from the midst of thee.

Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which Jehovah thy God giveth thee, according to thy tribes, that they may judge the people with just judgment. Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons; neither shalt thou take a gift; for a gift blindeth the eyes of the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous. That which is altogether just shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live, and inherit the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee. If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, matters of suit in thy gates; then shalt thou arise, and get thee up unto the place which Jehovah thy God chooseth; and thou shalt come unto the priests the Levites, and unto the judge that shall be in those days, and thou shalt inquire; and they shall declare unto thee the sentence of judgment; and thou shalt do according to the sentence, which they shall shew thee from that place which Jehovah chooseth; and thou shalt be careful to do according to all that they shall teach thee.

When thou art come unto the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee, and possessest it, and dwellest therein; and sayest, I will set over me a king, like all the nations that are about me; thou shalt set over thee as king him whom Jehovah thy God chooseth. One of thy brethren shalt thou set as king over thee; thou shalt not put a foreigner over thee, who is not thy brother. And it shall come to pass, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book, from before the priests the Levites; and it shall