June 26th, 2004, Wednesday of the 12th week in ordinary time.

A reading from the second book of kings. The priest Hilkaya informed the scribe Schaffin.

I have found the book of the law in the temple of the Lord. Hilkaya gave the book to

Schafen, who read it. Then the scribe Sheffin went to the king and reported,

Your servants have smelted down the metals available in the temple, and have consigned them to the

masterworkman in the temple of the Lord. The scribe Sheffin also informed the king, that the priest

Hulkaya had given him a book, and then read it aloud to the king. When the king, that the priest Hilkaya had given him a book and then read it aloud to the king.

When the king heard the contents of the book of the law, he tore his garments and issued this

command to Hilkaya the priest. A heikim, son of Shafin. Akbar, son of Micaiah, the scribe Shafin.

And the king's servant servant Asiah, go, consult the Lord for me, for the people, for all Judah, about the stipulations of this book that has been found.

The anger of the Lord has been set furiously ablaze against us, because our fathers did not obey the stipulations

of this book, nor fulfill our written obligations. The king then had all the elders of Judah

and of Jerusalem summoned together before him. 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, small and great. He had the entire contents of

the book of the covenant that had been found in the temple of the Lord read out to them. Standing by the

column, the king made a covenant before the Lord, that they

would follow him and observe his ordinances, statutes, and decrees with their whole hearts and

souls, thus reviving the terms of the covenant which were written in this book. And all the

people stood as participants in the covenant.

The word of the Lord.

The Responsorial Psalm.

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