2 Kings 22:10
And Shaphan the scribe shewed the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath delivered me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king. And Shaphan the scribe shewed the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath delivered me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king.
Shaphan brought to King Josiah the book that Hilkiah had found in the temple and read it aloud before him. The book was the book of the law, the long-lost temple copy containing the covenant statutes recorded by Moses, especially those in Deuteronomy. It had been neglected and lost during Manasseh's reign, leaving the people for many years deprived of its instruction, and was recovered while the temple was being repaired under Josiah.
Hearing it read made a deep impression on Josiah and showed him that Israel had departed from the statutes. He recognized the law as a treasure of knowledge and a powerful aid for the reform he sought, and he studied its precepts to learn and honor it.
Josiah humbled himself and repented upon hearing its words. He resolved to follow its counsel and guidance, to set its teachings before the people and lead them to respect, love, and obey God and to live by them and renew their commitment to obey. Its discovery and reading helped bring about his reform and averted threatened judgments for a time.