Translations
F.O.G.MPrimary
F.O.G MessageThen Shaphan the secretary told the king, 'Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.' And Shaphan read it aloud before the king.
F.O.GSecondary
The F.O.GAnd Shafan the sofer told the king, 'Hilkiyahu the kohen has given me a scroll.' And Shafan read it before the king.
KJV
King James VersionAnd Shaphan the scribe shewed the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath delivered me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king.
BSB
Berean Standard BibleMoreover, Shaphan the scribe told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read it in the presence of the king.
Footnotes
The sequence is telling: Shaphan mentions the scroll almost as an afterthought after his administrative report—yet it eclipses everything. The reading before the king enacts the Deuteronomic vision of Torah read publicly to the whole community (Deut. 17:18–19; 31:11), with the king as the first, most attentive listener. The narrative slows here deliberately; this reading is the hinge on which all of 2 Kings turns. Both versions capture the dramatic pivot without embellishment.