12-13. The men worked faithfully. Their supervisors were Jahath and Obadiah. Jahath and Obadiah were Levites, and they were descendants of Merari. Other supervisors were Zechariah and Meshullam. They were descendants of Kohath. The Levites who were skilled in playing instruments of music also supervised the laborers and all the other workers. Some Levites worked as secretaries, officials, and doorkeepers.
14. The Levites brought out the money that was in the Lord’S Temple. At that time Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the Lord that was given through Moses.
15. Hilkiah said to Shaphan the secretary, “I found the Book of the Law in the Lord’S house.” Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan.
16. Shaphan brought the book to King Josiah. Shaphan reported to the king, “Your servants are doing everything you told them to do.
17. They got the money that was in the Lord’S Temple and are paying the supervisors and the workers.”
18. Then Shaphan said to King Josiah, “Hilkiah the priest gave a book to me.” Then Shaphan read from the book in front of the king.
19. When King Josiah heard the words of the law being read, he tore his clothes.
20. Then the king gave a command to Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Abdon son of Micah, Shaphan the secretary, and Asaiah the servant.
21. The king said, “Go, ask the Lord for me and for the people who are left in Israel and in Judah. Ask about the words in the book that was found. The Lord is very angry with us because our ancestors did not obey the Lord’S word. They did not do everything this book says to do.”
22. Hilkiah and the king’s servants went to the newer part of Jerusalem to see Huldah the prophetess. She was the wife of Shallum, the son of Tokhath, whose father was Hasrah. Shallum had the job of taking care of the king’s clothes. Hilkiah and the king’s servants told Huldah what had happened.
23. Huldah said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Tell King Josiah that
24. the Lord says, ‘I will bring trouble to this place and to the people living here. I will bring all the terrible things that are written in the book that was read in front of the king of Judah.