2 Kings 23:2
And the king went up into the house of the LORD, and all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the people, both small and great: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the house of the LORD.
Josiah gathered every rank at the house of the Lord, in the court of the temple — the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, its elders and magistrates, the common people both small and great, together with the priests and the prophets, also described as priests and Levites. Rather than address that vast assembly with a speech of his own, he himself read aloud to them all the words of the book of the covenant found in the house of the Lord. The reading was presented aloud to both the king and the assembled people.
He read deeply moved and earnest, with heartfelt pathos as one with a broken heart, trusting in God's wisdom and strength rather than his own, and the intensity of feeling seen in his countenance added weight to the reading. He read as one who understood that the decreed judgments could not be altered, yet who discerned God's willingness to temper judgment with mercy, and who was determined to bring decided reforms. The solemnity of the message itself, its warnings, and the warning of impending judgments profoundly moved the hearers, and many resolved to join the king in seeking forgiveness.
The reading revealed departure from the Lord's statutes and exposed the sin of both rulers and people. In response Josiah humbled himself with confession and repentance and covenanted to keep the Lord's statutes with his whole heart, and the congregation also covenanted to keep God's commandments. Hearing God's law in this way calls for sincere repentance and practical reform, with Josiah not resting until the people acted to return to God.