WEBVTT

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Hello, this is Father Paul, and I'm glad we're

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taking this journey together to read the Bible

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in a year. Today's reading is from 2 Chronicles,

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chapters 33 and 34. Chapter 33. Manasseh was

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12 years old when he became king, and he reigned

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55 years in Jerusalem. But he did evil in the

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sight of the Lord, according to the abominations

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of the nations whom the Lord had cast out before

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the children of Israel. for he rebuilt the high

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places which Hezekiah his father had broken down.

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He raised up altars for the Baals and made wooden

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images, and he worshipped all the hosts of heaven

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and served them. He also built altars in the

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house of the Lord, of which the Lord had said,

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In Jerusalem shall my name be forever. And he

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built altars for all the hosts of heaven in the

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two courts of the house of the Lord. Also he

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caused his sons to pass through the fire in the

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valley of the son of Hinnom. He practiced soothsaying,

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used witchcraft and sorcery, and consulted mediums

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and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight

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of the Lord to provoke him to anger. He even

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set a carved image The idol which he had made

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in the house of God, of which God had set to

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David and to Solomon his son, in this house and

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in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all

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the tribes of Israel, I will put my name forever,

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and I will not again remove the foot of Israel

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from the land which I have appointed for your

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fathers, only if they are careful to do all that

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I have commanded them, according to the whole

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law and the statutes and the ordinances by the

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hand of Moses. So Manasseh seduced Judah and

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the inhabitants of Jerusalem to do more evil,

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than the nations whom the Lord had destroyed

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before the children of Israel. And the Lord spoke

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to Manasseh and his people, but they would not

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listen. Therefore the Lord brought upon them

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the captains of the army of the king of Assyria,

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who took Manasseh with hooks, bound him with

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bronze fetters, and carried him off to Babylon.

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Now when he was in affliction, he implored the

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Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before

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the God of his fathers, and prayed to him, and

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he received his entreaty, heard his supplication,

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and brought him back to Jerusalem into his kingdom.

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Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God. After

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this, he built a wall outside the city of David

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on the west side of Gihon in the valley as far

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as the entrance of the fish gate. And it enclosed

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Ophel, and he raised it to a very great height.

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Then he put military captains in all the fortified

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cities of Judah. He took away the foreign gods

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and the idol from the house of the Lord and all

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the altars that he had built in the mount of

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the house of the Lord and in Jerusalem, and he

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cast them out of the city. He also repaired the

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altar of the Lord, sacrificed peace offerings

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and thank offerings on it, and commanded Judah

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to serve the Lord God of Israel. Nevertheless,

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the people still sacrificed on high places, but

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only to the Lord their God. Now the rest of the

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acts of Manasseh, his prayer to his God, and

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the words of the seers who spoke to him in the

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name of the Lord God of Israel, indeed they are

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written in the book of the kings of Israel. also

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his prayer and how God received his entreaty,

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and all his sin and trespass, and the sites where

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he built high places and set up wooden images

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and carved images. Before he was humbled, indeed

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they are written among the sayings of Hosea.

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So Manasseh rested with his fathers, and they

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buried him in his own house. Then his son Ammon

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reigned in his place. Ammon was 22 years old

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when he became king, and he reigned two years

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in Jerusalem. But he did evil in the sight of

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the Lord, as his father Manasseh had done. For

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Amon sacrificed all the carved images which his

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father Manasseh had made and served them. And

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he did not humble himself before the Lord, as

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his father Manasseh had humbled himself, but

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Amon trespassed more and more. Then his servants

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conspired against him and killed him in his own

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house. But the people of the land executed all

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those who had conspired against king Amon. Then

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the people of the land made his son Josiah king

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in his place. Josiah was eight years old when

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he became king, and he reigned thirty -one years

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in Jerusalem. And he did what was right in the

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sight of the Lord, and walked in the ways of

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his father David. He did not turn aside to the

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right hand or to the left. For in the eighth

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year of his reign, while he was still young,

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he began to seek the God of his father David.

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And in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah

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and Jerusalem of the high places, the wooden

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images, the carved images, and the molded images.

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They broke down the altars of the Baals, in his

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presence and the incense altars which were above

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them he cut down and the wooden images the carved

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images and the molded images he broke in pieces

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and made dust of them and scattered it on the

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graves of those who had sacrificed to them he

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also burned the bones of the priests on their

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altars and cleansed judah and jerusalem and so

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he did in the cities of manasseh ephraim and

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simeon as far as Naphtali and all around with

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axes. When he had broken down the altars and

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the wooden images, had beaten the carved images

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into powder and cut down all the incense altars

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throughout all the land of Israel, he returned

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to Jerusalem. In the eighteenth year of his reign,

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when he had purged the land and the temple, he

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sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, Masaiah the

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governor of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz,

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the recorder, to repair the house of the Lord

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his God. When they came to Hilkiah the high priest,

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they delivered the money that was brought into

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the house of God, which the Levites who kept

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the doors had gathered from the hand of Manasseh

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and Ephraim, from all the remnant of Israel,

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from all Judah and Benjamin, and which they had

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brought back to Jerusalem. Then they put it in

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the hand of the four men who had the oversight

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of the house of the Lord. And they gave it to

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the workmen who worked in the house of the Lord

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to repair and restore the house. They gave it

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to the craftsmen and builders to buy hewn stone

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and timber for beams and to floor the houses

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which the kings of Judah had destroyed. And the

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men did the work faithfully. Their overseers

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were Jahad and Obadiah the Levites of the sons

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of Merari and Zechariah and Mishulam of the sons

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of the Quatites to supervise. Others of the Levites,

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all of whom were skillful with instruments of

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music, were over the burden bearers and were

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overseers of all who did work in any kind of

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service. And some of the Levites were scribes,

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officers, and gatekeepers. Now when they brought

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out the money that was brought into the house

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of the Lord, Hilkiah the priest found the book

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of the law of the Lord given by Moses. Then Hilkiah

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answered and said to Shaphan the scribe, I have

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found the book of the law in the house of the

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Lord. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan. So

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Shaphan carried the book to the king, bringing

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the king word, saying, All that was committed

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to your servants they are doing. And they have

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gathered the money that was found in the house

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of the Lord and have delivered it into the hand

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of the overseers and the workmen. Then Shaphan

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the scribe told the king, saying, Helkiah the

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priest has given me a book. And Shaphan read

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it before the king. Thus it happened, when the

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king heard the words of the law, that he tore

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his clothes. Then the king commanded Hilkiah,

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Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Abdon the son of Micah,

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Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah a servant of the

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king, saying, Go inquire of the Lord for me and

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for those who are left in Israel and Judah concerning

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the words of the book that is found. For great

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is the wrath of the Lord that is poured out on

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us, because our fathers have not kept the word

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of the Lord, to do according to all that is written

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in this book. So Hilkiah and those the king had

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appointed went to Huldah the prophetess, the

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wife of Shalom the son of Tukhat, the son of

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Hasra, keeper of the wardrobe. She dwelt in Jerusalem

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in the second quarter, and they spoke to her

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to that effect. Then she answered them, Thus

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says the Lord God of Israel, Tell the man who

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sent you to me, Thus says the Lord, behold i

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will bring calamity on this place and on its

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inhabitants all the curses that are written in

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the book which they have read before the king

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of judah because they have forsaken me and burnt

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incense to other gods that they might provoke

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me to anger with all the works of their hands

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therefore my wrath will be poured out on this

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place and not be quenched but as for the king

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of judah who sent you to inquire of the lord

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in this manner you shall speak to him thus says

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the lord god of israel concerning the words which

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you have heard Because your heart was tender,

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and you humbled yourself before God when you

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heard his words against this place and against

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its inhabitants, and you humbled yourself before

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me, and you tore your clothes and wept before

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me, I also have heard you, says the Lord. Surely

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I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall

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be gathered to your grave in peace, and your

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eyes shall not see all the calamity which I will

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bring on this place and its inhabitants. So they

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brought back word to the king. Then the king

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sent and gathered all the elders of Judah and

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Jerusalem. The king went up to the house of the

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Lord with all the men of Judah and the inhabitants

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of Jerusalem, the priests and the Levites and

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all the people, great and small. And he read

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in their hearing all the words of the book of

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the covenant which had been found in the house

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of the Lord. Then the king stood in his place

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and made a covenant before the Lord to follow

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the Lord and to keep his commandments and his

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testimonies and his statutes with all his heart

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and all his soul. to perform the words of the

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covenant that were written in this book, and

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he made all who were present in Jerusalem and

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Benjamin take a stand. So the inhabitants of

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Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God,

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the God of their fathers. Thus Josiah removed

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all the abominations from all the country that

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belonged to the children of Israel, and made

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all who were present in Israel diligently serve

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the Lord their God. All his days they did not

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depart from following the Lord, God of their

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fathers. I hope you enjoyed today's reading as

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much as I did and I look forward to seeing you

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again tomorrow to continue on our journey. God

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bless you and have a great day.