¹⁷ Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they played the harlot after other gods and bowed themselves down to them. They turned aside quickly from the way ^(A)in which their fathers had walked in obeying the commandments of the Lord; they did not do as their fathers. ¹⁸ When the Lord raised up judges for them, ^(B)the Lord was with the judge and delivered them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the Lord was ^(C)moved to pity by their groaning because of those who oppressed and afflicted them. ¹⁹ But it came about when the judge died, that they would turn back and act more corruptly than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them and bow down to them; they did not abandon their practices or their stubborn ways. ^20 (D)So the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and He said, “Because this nation has transgressed My covenant which I commanded their fathers and has not listened to My voice,

¹¹ When the king heard the words of the book of the law, ^(A)he tore his clothes. ¹² Then the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, ^(B)Ahikam the son of Shaphan, ^[a](C)Achbor the son of Micaiah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king’s servant saying, ¹³ “Go, inquire of the Lord for me and the people and all Judah concerning the words of this book that has been found, for ^(D)great is the wrath of the Lord that burns against us, because our fathers have not listened to the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us.”

Huldah Predicts

¹⁴ So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of ^[b](E)Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe (now she lived in Jerusalem in the ^(F)Second Quarter); and they spoke to her. ¹⁵ She said to them, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘Tell the man who sent you to me, ¹⁶ thus says the Lord, “Behold, I ^(G)bring evil on this place and on its inhabitants, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah has read. ^17 (H)Because they have forsaken Me and have burned incense to other gods that they might provoke Me to anger with all the work of their hands, therefore My wrath burns against this place, and it shall not be quenched.”’