(1) Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Yedida daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath. (2) He did what was pleasing to GOD and he followed all the ways of his forefather David; he did not deviate to the right or to the left. (3) In the eighteenth year of King Josiah, the king sent the scribe Shaphan son of Azaliah son of Meshullam to the House of GOD, saying, (4) “Go to the high priest Hilkiah and let him weigh the silver that has been deposited in the House of GOD, which the guards of the threshold have collected from the people. (5) And let it be delivered to the overseers of the work who are in charge at the House of GOD, that they in turn may pay it out to the workers that are in the House of GOD, for the repair of the House: (6) to the carpenters, the laborers, and the masons, and for the purchase of wood and quarried stones for repairing the House. (7) However, no check is to be kept on them for the silver that is delivered to them, for they deal honestly.”

(8) Then the high priest Hilkiah said to the scribe Shaphan, “I have found a scroll of the Teaching in the House of GOD.” And Hilkiah gave the scroll to Shaphan, who read it. (9) The scribe Shaphan then went to the king and reported to the king: “Your servants have gathered the silver that was deposited in the House, and they have delivered it to the overseers of the work who are in charge at the House of GOD.” (10) The scribe Shaphan also told the king, “The high priest Hilkiah has given me a scroll”; and Shaphan read it to the king. (11) When the king heard the words of the scroll of the Teaching, he rent his clothes. (12) And the king gave orders to the priest Hilkiah, and to Ahikam son of Shaphan, Achbor son of Michaiah, the scribe Shaphan, and Asaiah the king’s minister: (13) “Go, inquire of GOD on my behalf, and on behalf of the people, and on behalf of all Judah, concerning the words of this scroll that has been found. For great indeed must be GOD’s wrath that has been kindled against us, because our ancestors did not obey the words of this scroll to do all that has been prescribed for us.”

(14) So the priest Hilkiah, and Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to the prophetess Huldah—the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah son of Harhas, the keeper of the wardrobe—who was living in Jerusalem in the Mishneh, and they spoke to her. (15) She responded: “Thus said the ETERNAL, the God of Israel: Say to the one who sent you to me: (16) Thus said GOD: I am going to bring disaster upon this place and its inhabitants, in accordance with all the words of the scroll that the king of Judah has read. (17) Because they have forsaken Me and have made offerings to other gods and provoked My anger with all their deeds, My wrath is kindled against this place and it shall not be quenched.

(18) But say this to the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of GOD: Thus said the ETERNAL, the God of Israel: As for the words that you have heard— (19) because your heart was softened and you humbled yourself before GOD when you heard what I decreed against this place and its inhabitants—that it will become a desolation and a curse—and because you rent your clothes and wept before Me, I for My part have listened—declares GOD. (20) Assuredly, I will gather you to your ancestors and you will be laid in your tomb in peace. Your eyes shall not see all the disaster that I will bring upon this place.” So they brought back the reply to the king.

(1) At the king’s summons, all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem assembled before him. (2) The king went up to the House of GOD, together with the entire citizenry of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests and prophets—all the people, young and old. And he read to them the entire text of the covenant scroll that had been found in the House of GOD. (3) The king stood by the pillar and solemnized the covenant before GOD: that they would follow GOD and observe God’s commandments, injunctions, and laws with all their heart and soul; that they would fulfill all the terms of this covenant as inscribed upon the scroll. And all the people entered into the covenant.

(1) Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. (2) He did what was pleasing to GOD, following the ways of his forefather David without deviating to the right or to the left. (3) In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his forefather David, and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the shrines, the sacred posts, the idols, and the molten images. (4) At his bidding, they demolished the altars of the Baals, and he had the incense stands above them cut down; he smashed the sacred posts, the idols, and the images, ground them into dust, and strewed it onto the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. (5) He burned the bones of priests on their altars and purged Judah and Jerusalem. (6) In the towns of Manasseh and Ephraim and Simeon, as far as Naphtali, [lying] in ruins on every side, (7) he demolished the altars and the sacred posts and smashed the idols and ground them into dust; and he hewed down all the incense stands throughout the land of Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem. (8) In the eighteenth year of his reign, after purging the land and the House, he commissioned Shaphan son of Azaliah, Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah son of Joahaz the recorder to repair the House of the ETERNAL his God. (9) They came to the high priest Hilkiah and delivered to him the silver brought to the House of God, which the Levites, the guards of the threshold, had collected from Manasseh and Ephraim and from all the remnant of Israel and from all Judah and Benjamin and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. (10) They delivered it into the custody of the overseers who were in charge at the House of GOD, and the overseers who worked in the House of GOD spent it on examining and repairing the House. (11) They paid it out to the artisans and the masons to buy quarried stone and wood for the couplings and for making roof-beams for the buildings that the kings of Judah had allowed to fall into ruin. (12) Those involved did the work honestly; over them were appointed the Levites Jahath and Obadiah, of the sons of Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam, of the sons of Kohath, to supervise; while other Levites, all the master musicians, (13) were over the porters, supervising all who worked at each and every task; some of the Levites were scribes and officials and gatekeepers. (14) As they took out the silver that had been brought to the House of GOD, the priest Hilkiah found a scroll of GOD’s Teaching given by Moses. (15) Hilkiah spoke up and said to the scribe Shaphan, “I have found a scroll of the Teaching in the House of GOD”; and Hilkiah gave the scroll to Shaphan. (16) Shaphan brought the scroll to the king and also reported to the king, “All that was entrusted to your servants is being done; (17) they have melted down the silver that was found in the House of GOD and delivered it to those who were in charge, to the overseers.” (18) The scribe Shaphan also told the king, “The priest Hilkiah has given me a scroll”; and Shaphan read from it to the king. (19) When the king heard the words of the Teaching, he tore his clothes. (20) The king gave orders to Hilkiah, and Ahikam son of Shaphan, and Abdon son of Micah, and the scribe Shaphan, and Asaiah the king’s minister, saying, (21) “Go, inquire of GOD on my behalf and on behalf of those who remain in Israel and Judah concerning the words of the scroll that has been found, for great indeed must be GOD’s wrath that has been poured down upon us because our ancestors did not obey the word of GOD and do all that is written in this scroll.” (22) Hilkiah and those whom the king [had ordered] went to the prophetess Huldah, wife of Shallum son of Tokhath son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe, who was living in Jerusalem in the Mishneh, and spoke to her accordingly. (23) She responded to them: “Thus said the ETERNAL God of Israel: Say to the one who sent you to Me, (24) ‘Thus said GOD: I am going to bring disaster upon this place and its inhabitants—all the curses that are written in the scroll that was read to the king of Judah— (25) because they forsook Me and made offerings to other gods in order to vex Me with all the works of their hands; My wrath shall be poured out against this place and not be quenched.’ (26) But say this to the king of Judah who sent you to inquire of GOD: ‘Thus said the ETERNAL God of Israel: As for the words that you have heard, (27) since your heart was softened and you humbled yourself before God when you heard My words concerning this place and its inhabitants, and you humbled yourself before Me and tore your clothes and wept before Me, I for My part have listened, declares GOD. (28) Assuredly, I will gather you to your ancestors, and you will be laid in your grave in peace; your eyes shall see nothing of the disaster that I will bring upon this place and its inhabitants.’” They reported this back to the king. (29) Then the king sent word and assembled all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. (30) The king went up to the House of GOD with the entire citizenry of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the priests and the Levites—all the people, young and old—and he read to them the entire text of the covenant scroll that was found in the House of GOD. (31) The king stood in his place and solemnized the covenant before GOD: to follow GOD and to observe God’s commandments, injunctions, and laws with all his heart and soul, to fulfill all the terms of the covenant written in this scroll. (32) He obligated all the people of Jerusalem and Benjamin who were present; and the inhabitants of Jerusalem acted in accord with the Covenant of God, God of their ancestors. (33) Josiah removed all the abominations from the whole territory of the Israelites and obliged all who were in Israel to worship the ETERNAL their God. Throughout his reign they did not deviate from following the ETERNAL God of their ancestors.

Furthermore, Rav Naḥman said: Huldah was a descendant of Joshua. An allusion to this is written here: “Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum, the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas [ḥarḥas]” (II Kings 22:14), and it says elsewhere with regard to Joshua: “And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath-heres [ḥeres]” (Judges 2:9), therefore intimating that there is a certain connection between them. Rav Eina the Elder raised an objection from a baraita to Rav Naḥman’s teaching. The baraita indicates that Huldah was in fact a descendant of Rahab, and seemingly not of Joshua: Eight prophets, who were also priests, descended from Rahab the prostitute, and they are: Neriah; his son Baruch; Seraiah; Mahseiah; Jeremiah; his father, Hilkiah; Jeremiah’s cousin Hanamel; and Hanamel’s father, Shallum. Rabbi Yehuda said: So too, Huldah the prophetess was a descendant of Rahab the prostitute, as it is written here with regard to Huldah: “The son of Tikvah,” and it is written elsewhere in reference to Rahab’s escape from the destruction of Jericho: “This cord of [tikvat] scarlet thread” (Joshua 2:18). Rav Naḥman responded to Eina the Elder and said to him: Eina the Elder, and some say that he said to him: Blackened pot, i.e., my colleague in Torah, who has toiled and blackened his face in Torah study, from me and from you the matter may be concluded, i.e., the explanation lies in a combination of our two statements. For Rahab converted and married Joshua, and therefore Huldah descended from both Joshua and Rahab. The Gemara raises a difficulty: But did Joshua have any descendants? But isn’t it written in the genealogical list of the tribe of Ephraim: “Nun his son, Joshua his son” (I Chronicles 7:27)? The listing does not continue any further, implying that Joshua had no sons. The Gemara answers: Indeed, he did not have sons, but he did have daughters.

All graves may be cleared except that of a king or a prophet. R. ‘Aḳiba said: The grave of a king or prophet may also be cleared. R. ‘Aḳiba was asked, ‘Were not the graves of the house of David and of Huldah the prophetess [situated] in Jerusalem and no man ever touched them?’ He replied, ‘Can you adduce a proof from [Jerusalem]? There was an underground passage there and the uncleanness was conveyed to the brook of Kidron’.

(3) There were five gates to the Temple Mount: The two Huldah gates on the south were used both for entrance and exit; The Kiponus gate on the west was used both for entrance and exit. The Taddi gate on the north was not used at all. The Eastern gate over which was a representation of the palace of Shushan and through which the high priest who burned the red heifer and all who assisted with it would go out to the Mount of Olives.

(1) ... From here they said: Ten priests, prophets, emerged from Raḥav the prostitute: Jeremiah, Ḥilkiya, Seraya, Maḥseya, Ḥanamel; Shalum, Barukh, Neriya, Ezekiel, Buzi. Some say: Ḥulda the prophetess, too, was among the descendants of Raḥav the prostitute.

No graves were allowed to remain within Jerusalem, except the tombs of the House of David and of the prophetess Huldah, which existed there since the days of the early prophets. And why, when they cleared the city of graves, did they not remove these tombs? It is said that there was an underground cave there through which the uncleanness passed out to the brook Kidron.