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TWELFTH WEEK OF ORDINARY TIME
CYCLE II
WEDNESDAY
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FIRST READING
2 KINGS 22:8-13.23:1-3
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A READING FROM THE SECOND BOOK OF KINGS
(IN THE PEOPLE’S HEARING THE KING READ OUT EVERYTHING THAT WAS SAID IN THE BOOK OF THE COVENANT FOUND IN THE TEMPLE OF THE LORD, AND IN THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD HE MADE A COVENANT.)
The high priest Hilkiah said to Shaphan the secretary,
“I have found the Book of the Law in the Temple of the Lord.”
And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, who read it.
Shaphan the secretary went to King Josiah
and reported to him as follows,
“Your servants” he said
“have melted down the silver which was in the Temple
and have handed it over to the masters of works attached to the Temple of the Lord.”
Then Shaphan the secretary informed the king,
“Hilkiah the priest has given me a book”;
and Shaphan read it aloud in the king’s presence.
On hearing the contents of the Book of the Law,
the king tore his garments,
and gave the following order to Hilkiah the priest,
Ahikam son of Shaphan,
Achbor son of Micaiah,
Shaphan the secretary
and Assiah the king’s minister:
“Go and consult the Lord,
on behalf of me and the people,
about the contents of this book that has been found.
Great indeed must be the anger of the Lord
blazing out against us because our ancestors
did not obey what this book says
by practising everything written in it.”
The king then had all the elders
of Judah and of Jerusalem
summoned to him,
and the king went up to the Temple of the Lord
with all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem,
priests, prophets and all the people,
of high or low degree.
In their hearing he read out everything
that was said in the book of the covenant found in the Temple of the Lord.
The king stood beside the pillar,
and in the presence of the Lord
he made a covenant to follow the Lord
and keep his commandments and decrees
and laws
with all his heart
and soul,
in order to enforce the terms of the covenant
as written in that book.
All the people gave their allegiance
to the covenant.
The word of the Lord.
R.) Thanks be to God.
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