2 Kings 22:3-9
3 In the eighteenth year of King Josiah’s reign, the king sent the scribe Shaphan son of Azaliah, son of Meshullam, to the Lord’s temple with these orders: ▼▼ Heb “with these orders, saying.”
4“Go up to Hilkiah the high priest and have him melt down ▼▼ The MT has וְיַתֵּם (veyattem), “and let them add up” (Hiphil of תָּמָם [tammam], “be complete”), but the appearance of הִתִּיכוּ (hitikhu), “they melted down” (Hiphil of נָתַךְ [natakh], “pour out”) in v. 9 suggests that the verb form should be emended to וְיַתֵּךְ (veyattekh), “and let him melt down” (a Hiphil of נָתַךְ [natakh]). For a discussion of this and other options see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 281.
the silver that has been brought by the people to the Lord’s temple and has been collected by the guards at the door. 5Have them hand it over to the construction foremen ▼▼ Heb “doers of the work.”
assigned to the Lord’s temple. They in turn should pay the temple workers to repair it, ▼▼ Heb “and let them give it to the doers of the work who are in the house of the Lord to repair the damages to the house.”
6including craftsmen, builders, and masons, and should buy wood and chiseled stone for the repair work. ▼▼ Heb “and to buy wood and chiseled stone to repair the house.”
7Do not audit the foremen who disburse the silver, for they are honest.” ▼▼ Heb “only the silver that is given into their hand should not be reckoned with them, for in faithfulness they are acting.”
8 Hilkiah the high priest informed Shaphan the scribe, “I found the law scroll in the Lord’s temple.” Hilkiah gave the scroll to Shaphan and he read it. 9Shaphan the scribe went to the king and reported, ▼
▼ Heb “returned the king a word and said.”
“Your servants melted down the silver in the temple ▼▼ Heb “that was found in the house.”
and handed it over to the construction foremen assigned to the Lord’s temple.”
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