Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. Hd did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight and followed the example of his ancestor, David. He did not turn away from doing what was right.
During the eight year of his reign, while he was still young, Josiah began to seek the God of his ancestor David. Then in the twelfth year he began to purify Judah and Jerusalem, destroying all the pagan shrines, the Asherah poles, and the carved idols, and the cast images were smashed and shattered over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. He burned the bones of the pagan priests on their own altars, and so he purified Judah and Jerusalem.
In the eighteenth year of his reign, after Josiah had purified the land and the Temple, Josiah appointed Shapan son of Azaliah, Maaseiah the governor of Jerusalem, and Joah son of Joahaz, the royal historian, to repair the Temple of the Lord his God. They give Hilkiah the high priest the money that had been collected by the Levites who served as gatekeepers at the Temple of God. The gifts were brought by all people from Manasseh, Ephraim, and from all the remnant of Israel, as well as from all Judah, Benjamin, and the people of Jerusalem. (vv. 1-9, NLT)