! . f DivisiorBS.lZOS .3.fcR THE PARALLEL HISTORY OF THE JEWISH MONARCHY, PRINTED IN THE TEXT OF THE REVISED VERSION 1885. aottton : C. J. CLAY and SONS, CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS WAREHOUSE, AVE MARIA LANE. (Elaggoto: 263, ARGYLE STREET. Heipjtg: F. A. BROCKHAUS. ^tia Horfe: MACMILLAN AND CO. THE PARALLEL HISTORY OF THE JEWISH MONARCHY, PRINTED IN THE TEXT OF THE REVISED VERSION 1885. PART II. THE DIVIDED MONARCHY I KINGS 12 to 2 KINGS 25 2 CHRONICLES 10—36. ARRANGED BY R. SOMERVELL, M.A. ASSISTANT MASTER AND BURSAR OF HARROW SCHOOL. WITH AN INTRODUCTION REPRINTED FROM "THE LITERATURE OF THE OLD TESTAMENT" BY S. R. DRIVER, D.D. REGIUS PROFESSOR OF HEBREW AND CANON OF CHRISTCHURCH, OXFORD. LONDON: C. J. CLAY AND SONS, CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS WAREHOUSE, AVE MARIA LANE. 1896 [A/l Rights resef'Z'ed.'\ Canibrttigj; : PRINTED BY J. AND C. F. CLAY, AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS. PREFACE. THE history of the Jewish Monarchy, as given in the Old Testament, is embodied in two narratives, compiled at different times and from different points of view. In the following pages they are combined. When two accounts of the same event are given, they are printed in parallel columns, so as to admit of comparison. When only one account is given, it is printed across the page in the usual way. To facilitate the finding of any given reign, the names of the kings are printed in heavy type the first time they occur on a page. I trust the book may be serviceable even to advanced Students, who wish to collate for themselves the two authorities ; but it is intended primarily for use in Schools. The • difficulty of following the history in two sometimes concurrent and sometimes divergent authorities, both bound up in the same Bible — and often in very small type — is apt to drive boys to • Compendiums ' and ' Manuals,' in which a clear narrative is given, but the dignity and beauty of the original are entirely lost. By re-arranging the text I hope to have made the study of this part of the Bible easier and more attractive. I wish to express my gratitude to the Joint Committee of the Univer- sities of Oxford and Cambridge for leave to print the text of the Revised Version. To Professor Driver, for most readily and kindly allowing me to reprint, as an Introduction, a passage from his ' Literature of the Old Testament,' my warmest thanks are due. I have begun with the second part of the work. It is perhaps on the whole the more needed. The issue of the first part, embracing the reigns of David and Solomon, must be contingent upon the reception accorded to the present volume R. S. Harrow, March, 1896. CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE AND CONTENTS. [In spite of the regular and minute references given in both narratives, the chronology is full of difficulties. The references themselves are at times contradictory, and the number of years allotted to the kings of Judah, between the Revolt of Israel and the Fall of Samaria, considerably exceeds the number given to the kings of Israel. There is thus, apart from other difficulties, obviously room for correction. The Monuments of Assyria furnish a certain number of fixed points, but the materials for a complete revision are not yet in our hands. The dates in the following Table are in the main those given in Riehm's " Handworterbuch," and quoted in Smith's " Dictionary of the Bible." The figures in small type are merely inserted as guides. They must not be read as dates of the events which may happen to be placed opposite to them in the table of contents. I am indebted to Professor George Adam Smith for his advice, and for several improvements in the Table.] Kings of Judah Behoboaxn PAGE Revolt of Israel .... i Prophecy of Shemaiah . . 3 Domestic Policy .... 7 War with Shishak, king of Egypt 9 Abijah — war with Jeroboam 11 Asa Reforms 13 WarwithZerah, the Ethiopian 13 Prophecy of Azariah, son of Oded 14 Alliance with Benhadad, king of Syria, against Baasha 15 Prophecy of Hanani . . 16 B.C. 938 930 922 920 919 917 916 910 900 893 892 890 Kings of Israel Jeroboam I PAGE Calves erected at Dan and Bethel 4 The Man of God out of Judah . 4 Prophecy of Ahijah of Shiloh 6 War with Abijah 11 -Nadab — slain by Baasha 17 Baasba Attempt to build Ramah . . Prophecy of Jehu, son of Hanani 15 17 -Slab Zimri Omri — Civil war against Tibni Building of Samaria . . . ^8 18 18 Vlll CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE AND CONTENTS. Asa {contd) PAGE Jehoshapliat Reforms and power 2 7» 33 Alliance with Ahab, to re- cover Ramoth-Gilead from the Syrians 28 Prophecy of Jehu, son of Hanani 33 Invasion of Judah by Moab, Amnion, &c 33 Alliance with Ahaziah . . 35 Alliance with Joram against Moab 39 Jelioram Revolt of Edom .... 49 Attacked by Philistines and Arabians 50 Ahaziah 51. 53. 54- Athaliah — murder of the seed royal 57 Overthrow by Jehoiada . . 58 Jehoash The House of Baal destroyed 60 Restoration of the Temple . 61 Jehoiada's son stoned . . 63 Attacked by Hazael, king of Syria 63 Murdered by his own servants 63 Axnaziah 66 Victory over Edom ... 67 Idolatry 67 Defeat by Jehoash at Beth- shemesh 68 B.C. 877 876 870 854 853 851 850 844 843 838 830 820 816 810 800 799 798 790 Omri (contd) PAGE Ahab Builds a house of Baal in Samaria 1 9 Elijah and the three years drought 19 Elijah at Zarephath .... 19 Elijah on Carmel i\ Elijah flees to Horeb ... 22 Call of Elisha 22 War with Benhadad k. of Syria 23 Naboth's vineyard 26 Prophecy of Micaiah, son of Imlah 28 Battle of Ramoth-Gilead . . 31 -Ahaziah 32, 35, 36 Joram Assumption of Elijah ... 37 War against Moab .... 39 Acts of Elisha 38—48 Siege of Samaria by Benhadad . 45 Revolt of Jehu 51 Jehu Anointed at Ramoth-Gilead . 51 Kills Joram and Ahaziah . . 54 Has Ahab's sons killed ... 55 Destroys the worshippers of Baal 56 Conquest of Gilead by Hazael, king of Syria 57 Jehoahaz Disastrous wars with Hazael and Benhadad, kings of Syria . . 64 Jehoash 64 Death of Elisha 65 Victories over Benhadad, king of Syria 65 Victory over Amaziah at Beth- shemesh 68 CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE AND CONTENTS. IX Amaziah {conid) [PUzziah crowned] PAGE Murdered at Lachish Uzziali Successful war against the Philistines His offence and leprosy [PJotham crowned] Jotham War with Ammon 6q 70 72 74 Aliaz. Fire worship ... 75 War with Syria and Israel . 75 Tribute to Tiglath-Pileser III, king of Assyria . . 77 Hezekiali Destruction of the Asherah and brazen serpent . . 82 The Temple cleansed . . 83 The Passover kept ... 84 Destruction of High Places and local Altars ... 86 Invasion of Sennacherib, king of Assyria .... 88 Sennacherib's emissaries threaten Hezekiah . . 89 Prophecies of Isaiah ... 91 Sennacherib's army is smitten and retreats 93 Hezekiah's sickness ... 94 Receives an embassy from Merodach-Baladan, king of Babylon 95 Manasseh Idolatry restored .... 96 Manasseh carried to Baby- lon, and restored ... 98 B.C. 780 Jehoasli (contd) PAGE 770 769 Jeroboam II. Reconquers Moab, Gilead, and part of Aram 70 760 750 743 740 739 737 735 731 730 727 722 720 Zechariali [reigned 6 months] . 73 Shallum [reigned i month] . . 73 SHenahem — pays tribute to Assyria 73 -Fekahiah — slain by Pekah . . 74 710 700 697 690 Fekali Gilead &c. conquered by Tiglath Pileser III (Pul) . . . . 74 Hoslxea, the murderer of Pekah . 74 Pays tribute to Shalmaneser . 79 Makes alliance with So, k.of Egypt 79 Shalmaneser besieges Samaria . 79 'Theking'[Sargon] takes Samaria 79,87 Colonists from Babylon &c. settled in the cities of Samaria The worship of Jehovah esta- • blished among them . . . 80 X CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE AND CONTENTS. B.C. nxanasseli {contd) PAGE Axaon. — Idolatry continued . 99 Josiah Restoration of the Temple . 100 Discovery of the Book of the Law loi Prophecy of Huldah . . . 102 The Book of the Law read in public 103 Suppression of Idolatry . . 104 Destruction of the Altar at Bethel 105 The Passover kept . . . 106 Defeated and killed in battle at Megiddo, against Pha- raoh-necoh, king of Egypt 108 Jehoahaz [reigned 3 months] 109 Jelioiacliiin Pays tribute to Pharaoh- necoh 109 Pays tribute to Nebuchad- nezzar no Jelioiachin [reigned 3 months] Taken captive to Babylon in, 114 Zedekiali — rebels against Ne- buchadnezzar . . . . 112 Jerusalem taken by Nebu- zaradan, the captain of the guard of Nebuchadnezzar 113 680 670 660 650 642 640 630 620 610 609 600 598 590 INTRODUCTIONS ON THE ADDITIONAL MATTER IN CHRONICLES, By S. R DRIVER, D.D., REGIUS PROFESSOR OF HEBREW, AND CANON OF CHRIST CHURCH, OXFORD. IT does not fall within the province of the present work to examine the relation of the narrative of Chronicles to that of Samuel and Kings, except so far as may serve to illustrate the method or point of view of the compiler. The following general remarks must therefore suffice. It does not seem possible to treat the additional matter in Chronicles as strictly and literally historical. In many cases the figures are incredibly high^: in others, the scale or magnitude of the occurrences described is such that, had they really happened precisely as represented, they could hardly have been passed over by the compiler of Samuel or Kings ; elsewhere, again, the description appears to be irreconcilable with that in the earlier narrative ; while nearly always the speeches assigned to historical characters, and the motives attributed to them, are conceived largely from a point of view very different from that which dominates the earlier narrative, and agreeing closely with the, compiler's. The pecuHarities of the historical representation which prevails in the Chronicles are to be ascribed, no doubt, to the influences under which the author lived and wrote. The compiler lived in an age when the theocratic institutions, which had been placed on a new basis after the return from Babylon, had long been in full ^ Reprinted, by permission, from *' An Introduction to the Literature of the Old Testament" (Edinburgh, T. & T. Clark, 1891). '"^ It is illegitimate to explain these as due to textual corruption ; the numbers in the Chronicles are systematically higher than in other parts of the O. T. ; and no reason exists for supposing the text of these books to have been specially subject to error in transmission. Besides, numbers written in full would not be readily corrupted : the supposition that letters were used for numerals in the sacred autographs is destitute of foundation. xii INTRODUCTION. operation, and when new religious interests and a new type of piety — of course with points of contact with the old, but, at the same time, advancing beyond it — had been developed, and asserted themselves strongly. The Chronicler reflects faithfully the spirit of his age. A new mode of viewing the past history of his nation began to prevail : pre-exilic Judah was pictured as already in possession of the institutions, and governed — at least in its greater and better men — by the ideas and principles, which were dominant at a later day ; the empire of David, and his successors was imagined on a scale of unsurpassed power and magnificence ; the past, in a word, was idealised^ and its history (where necessary) rewritten accord- ingly. Thus the institutions of the present, which, in fact, had been developed gradually, are represented as organised in their completeness by David : the ritual of the Priests' Code is duly observed ; the Passovers of Hezekiah and Josiah (the former of which is not mentioned in the Book of Kings at all, the latter only briefly) are described with an abundance of ceremonial detail, suggested no doubt by occasions which the compiler had witnessed himself; David organises a vast military force, and amasses for the Temple enormous treasures ; his successors have the command of huge armies, and are victorious against forces huger even than their own. In these and similar representations there is certainly much that cannot be strictly historical : but the Chronicler must not on this account be held guilty of a deliberate perversion of history ; he and his contemporaries did not question that the past was actually as they pictured it, and the Chronicler simply gives expression to this persuasion. It is not necessary to deny — on the contrary, it is highly probable — that a traditional element lies at the basis of his representations ; but this element has been developed by him, and presented in a literary form, with the aim of giving expression to the ideas which he had at heart, and of inculcating the lessons which he conceived the history to teach. PART II. THE DIVIDED MONARCHY. I Kings 12. I. 2 Chronicles 10. i. 12 And Rehoboam went to Shechem : for all Israel were come to Shechem to make him 2 king. And it came to pass, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it, (for he was yet in Egypt, whither he had fled from the presence of king Solomon, and 3 Jeroboam dwelt in Egypt, and they sent and called him ;) that Jeroboam and all the congrega- tion of Israel came, and spake 4 unto Rehoboam, saying, Thy father made our yoke grievous : now therefore make thou the grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he put upon us, lighter, and we 5 will serve thee. And he said unto them, Depart yet for three days, then come again to me. 6 And the people departed. And king Rehoboam took counsel with the old men, that had stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, saying, What coun- sel give ye me to return answer 7 to this people ? And they spake unto him, saying, If thou wilt be a servant unto this people this day, and wilt serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will 8 be thy servants for ever. But he forsook the counsel of the old men which they had given him, 10 And Rehoboam went to Shechem : for all Israel were come to Shechem to make him 2 king. And it came to pass, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it, (for he was in Egypt, whither he had fled from the presence of king Solomon,) that Jeroboam returned out of 3 Egypt. And they sent and called him ; and Jeroboam and all Israel came, and they spake to Reho- 4 boam, saying, Thy father made our yoke grievous : now therefore make thou the grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he put upon us, lighter, and 5 we will serve thee. And he said unto them, Come again unto me after three days. And the people 6 departed. And king Rehoboam took counsel with the old men, that had stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, saying. What counsel give ye me to return answer to this people ? 7 And they spake unto him, saying, If thou be kind to this people, and please them, and speak good words to them, then they will 8 be thy servants for ever. But he forsook the counsel of the old men which they had given him, and took counsel with the s. I Kings 12. 8. 2 Chronicles 10. 8. and took counsel with the young men that were grown up with 9 him, that stood before him. And he said unto them, What counsel give ye, that we may return answer to this people, who have spoken to me, saying, Make the yoke that thy father did put upon 10 us lighter? And the young men that were grown up with him spake unto him, saying. Thus shalt thou say unto this people that spake unto thee, saying, Thy father made our yoke heavy, but make thou it lighter unto us; thus shalt thou speak unto them. My little finger is thicker than 11 my father's loins. And now whereas my father did lade you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke : my father chastised you with whips, but I will chas- 12 tise you with scorpions. So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king bade, saying. Come to me again the third day. 13 And the king answered the people roughly, and forsook the counsel of the old men which 14 they had given him ; and spake to them after the counsel ojf the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke : my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions. 15 So the king hearkened not unto the people ; for it was a thing brought about of the Lord, that he might establish his word, which the Lord spake by the hand of Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat. 16 And when all Israel saw that the king hearkened not unto them, the people answered the king, saying. What portion have we in David? neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse : young men that were grown up with him, that stood before him. 9 And he said unto them. What counsel give ye, that we may return answer to this people, who have spoken to me, saying. Make the yoke that thy father did put 10 upon us lighter? And the young men that were grown up with him spake unto him, saying. Thus shalt thou say unto the people that spake unto thee, saying. Thy father made our yoke heavy, but make thou it lighter unto us ; thus shalt thou say unto them. My Httle finger is thicker than 11 my father's loins. And now whereas my father did lade you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke : my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise 12 _y^2^ with scorpions. So Jeroboam and all the people came to Re- hoboam the third day, as the king bade, saying. Come to me 13 again the third day. And the king answered them roughly; and king Rehoboam forsook 14 the counsel of the old men, and spake to them after the counsel of the young men, saying. My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add thereto : my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions. 15 So the king hearkened not unto the people ; for it was brought about of God, that the Lord might establish his word, which he spake by the hand of Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the 16 son of Nebat. And when all Israel saw that the king heark- ened not unto them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David? neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse : every man to your tents, O Israel : now see to thine own I Kings 12. i6. to your tents, O Israel : now see to thine own house, David. So Israel departed unto their tents. 17 But as for the children of Israel which dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them. 18 Then king Rehoboam sent Ado- ram, who was over the levy ; and all Israel stoned him with stones, that he died. And king Reho- boam made speed to get him up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem. 19 So Israel rebelled against the house of David, unto this day. 20 And it came to pass, when all Israel heard that Jeroboam was returned, that they sent and called him unto the congregation, and made him king over all Israel : there was none that followed the house of David, but the tribe of Judah only. 21 And when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah, and the tribe of Benjamin, an hundred and fourscore thousand chosen men, which were warriors, to fight against the house of Israel, to bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam the son of Solomon. 22 But the word of God came unto Shemaiah the man of God, 2;^ saying, Speak unto Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and unto all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the 24 ^rest of the people, saying. Thus saith the Lord, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your breth- ren the children of Israel : return every man to his house ; for this thing is of me. So they hear- kened unto the word of the Lord, and returned and went their way, according to the word of the Lord. 2 Chronicles 10. 16. house, David. So all Israel de- 17 parted unto their tents. But as for the children of Israel that dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them. 18 Then king Rehoboam sent Ha- doram, who was over the levy ; and the children of Israel stoned him with stones, that he died. And king Rehoboam made speed to get him up to his chariot, to 19 flee to Jerusalem. So Israel re- belled against the house of David, unto this day. 11 And when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he assembled the house of Judah and Benja- min, an hundred and fourscore thousand chosen men, which were warriors, to fight against Israel, to bring the kingdom 2 again to Rehoboam. But the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah the man of God, say- 3 ing, Speak unto Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and 4 Benjamin, saying. Thus saith the Lord, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren : re- turn every man to his house ; for this thing is of me. So they hearkened unto the words of the Lord, and returned from going against Jeroboam. ^ See ver. 17. I Kings 12. 25. 25 Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and 26 dwelt therein ; and he went out from thence, and built Penuel. And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house 27 of David : if this people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah ; and they shall kill me, 28 and return to Rehoboam king of Judah. Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold; and he said unto them, ^It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem ; behold thy gods, O Israel, which 29 brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And he set the one in 30 Beth-el, and the other put he in Dan. And this thing became a sin : 31 for the people went to worship before ^the one, even unto Dan. And he made houses of high places, and made priests from among all the 32 people, which were not of the sons of Levi. And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and he ^went up unto the altar; so did he in Beth-el, '^sacrificing unto the calves that he had made : and he placed 33 in Beth-el the priests of the high places which he had made. And he ^went up unto the altar which he had made in Beth-el on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised ^of his own heart : and he ordained a feast for the children of Israel, and ^went up unto the altar, to burn incense. 13 And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the Lord unto Beth- el : and Jeroboam was standing by the altar to burn 2 incense. And he cried against the altar by the word of the L,ord, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith the Lord : Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he sacrifice the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and 3 men's bones shall they burn upon thee. And he gave a sign the same day, saying. This is the sign which the Lord hath spoken : Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out. 4 And it came to pass, when the king heard the saying of the man of God, which he cried against the altar in Beth-el, that Jeroboam put forth his hand from the altar, saying. Lay hold on him. And his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not draw it 5 back again to him. The altar also was rent, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given 6 by the word of the Lord. And the king answered and said unto the man of God, Intreat now the favour of the Lord thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again. And the man of God intreated the Lord, and the king's hand was restored him again, and 7 became as it was before. And the king said unto the man of God, Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward. 8 And the man of God said unto the king. If thou wilt give me half thine house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor 9 drink water in this place : for so was it charged me by the word of the ^ Or, Ye have gone tip long enough - Or, ^0 sacrifice " Or, each of them 5 Another reading is, apaj'i. Or, offered upon I Kings 13. 9. Lord, saying, Thou shalt eat no bread, nor drink water, neither return 10 by the way that thou earnest. So he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came to Beth-el. 1 1 Now there dwelt an old prophet in Beth-el ; and * one of his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Beth-el : the words which he had spoken unto the king, them 12 also they told unto their father. And their father said unto them, What way went he ? ^ Now his sons had seen what way the man of God 13 went, which came from Judah. And he said unto his sons, Saddle me 14 the ass. So they saddled him the ass : and he rode thereon. And he went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an "oak: and he said unto him, Art thou the man of God that earnest from 15 Judah? And he said, I am. Then he said unto him, Come home 16 with me, and eat bread. And he said, I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee : neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in 1 7 this place : for it was said to me by the word of the Lord, Thou shalt eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way 18 that thou camest. And he said unto him, I also am a prophet as thou art ; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the Lord, saying. Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and 19 drink water. But he lied unto him. So he went back with him, and 20 did eat bread in his house, and drank water. And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of the Lord came unto the prophet 2 1 that brought him back : and he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith the Lord, Forasmuch as thou hast "* been disobedient unto the mouth of the Lord, and hast not kept the 22 commandment which the Lord thy God commanded thee, but camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place of the which he said to thee, Eat no bread, and drink no water ; thy carcase shall 23 not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers. And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, that he saddled for him 24 the ass, to wit, for the prophet whom he had brought back. And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and slew him : and his carcase was cast in the way, and the ass stood by it ; the lion also 25 stood by the carcase. And, behold, men passed by, and saw the carcase cast in the way, and the lion standing by the carcase : and they came 26 and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt. And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard thereof, he said. It is the man of God, who "* was disobedient unto the mouth of the Lord : therefore the Lord hath delivered him unto the lion, which hath torn him, and slain him, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake 27 unto him. And he spake to his sons, saying. Saddle me the ass. And 28 they saddled it. And he went and found his carcase cast in the way, and the ass and the lion standing by the carcase : the lion had not 29 eaten the carcase, nor torn the ass. And the prophet took up the carcase of the man of God, and laid it upon the ass, and brought it ^ Heb. his son. ^ Or, terebinth ^ According to some ancient versions, "* Or, rebelled against the word And his sons shewed him. I Kings 13. 29. back : and he came to the city of the old prophet, to mourn, and to 30 bury him. And he laid his carcase in his own grave ; and they 31 mourned over him, sayings Alas, my brother! And it came to pass, after he had buried him, that he spake to his sons, saying. When I am dead, then bury me in the sepulchre wherein the man of God is buried; 32 lay my bones beside his bones. For the saying which he cried by the word of the Lord against the altar in Beth-el, and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria, shall surely come to pass. 33 After this thing Jeroboam returned not from his evil way, but made again from among all the people priests of the high places : ^ whosoever would, he consecrated him, that there might be priests of the high 34 places. And "this thing became sin unto the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off, and to destroy it from off the face of the earth. 14 At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam fell sick. And Jeroboam said to his wife, Arise, I pray thee, and disguise thyself, that thou be not known to be the wife of Jeroboam : and get thee to Shiloh ; behold, there is Ahijah the prophet, which spake concerning me that I should 3 be king over this people. And take with thee ten loaves, and cracknels, and a ^ cruse of honey, and go to him : he shall tell thee what shall 4 become of the child. And Jeroboam's wife did so, and arose, and went to Shiloh, and came to the house of Ahijah. Now Ahijah could not 5 see ; for his eyes were set by reason of his age. And the Lord said unto Ahijah, Behold, the wife of Jeroboam cometh to inquire of thee concerning her son; for he is sick : thus and thus shalt thou say unto her : for it shall be, when she cometh in, that she shall feign herself to be 6 another woman. And it was so, when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet, as she came in at the door, that he said. Come in, thou wife of Jeroboam; why feignest thou thyself to be another? for I am sent to 7 thee with heavy tidings. Go, tell Jeroboam, Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel : Forasmuch as I exalted thee from among the people, 8 and made thee ^prince over my people Israel, and rent the kingdom away from the house of David, and gave it thee : and yet thou hast not been as my servant David, who kept my commandments, and who followed me with all his heart, to do that only which was right in mine 9 eyes ; but hast done evil above all that were before thee, and hast gone and made thee other gods, and molten images, to provoke me to anger, 10 and hast cast me behind thy back : therefore, behold, I will bring evil upon the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam every man child, him that is shut up and him that is left at large in Israel, and will utterly sweep away the house of Jeroboam, as a man sweepeth away 11 dung, till it be all gone. Him that dieth of Jeroboam in the city shall the dogs eat ; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air 12 eat : for the Lord hath spoken it. Arise thou therefore, get thee to thine house : and when thy feet enter into the city, the child shall 13 die. And all Israel shall mourn for him, and bury him; for he only of Jeroboam shall come to the grave : because in him there is found some ^ Or, whomsoever he would ^ Or, bottle - Or, by this thing he became "* Or, leader I Kings 14. 13. good thing toward the Lord, the God of Israel, in the house of 14 Jeroboam. Moreover the Lord shall raise him up a king over Israel, who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam that day : ' but what ? even 15 now. For the Lord shall smite Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water ; and he shall root up Israel out of this good land, which he gave to their fathers, and shall scatter them beyond the River ; because they 16 have made their Asherim, provoking the Lord to anger. And he shall give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, ^ which he hath sinned, 17 and wherewith he hath made Israel to sin. And Jeroboam's wife arose, and departed, and came to Tirzah : a7id as she came to the threshold 18 of the house, the child died. And all Israel buried him, and mourned for him ; according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by the 19 hand of his servant Ahijah the prophet. And the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he warred, and how he reigned, behold, they are written 20 in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel. And the days which Jeroboam reigned were two and twenty years : and he slept with his fathers, and Nadab his son reigned in his stead. 2 Chronicles 11. 5. 5 And Rehoboam dwelt in Jerusalem, and built cities for defence 6,7 in Judah. He built even Beth-lehem, and Etam, and Tekoa, and 8 Beth-zur, and Soco, and Adullam, and Gath, and Mareshah, and 9,10 Ziph, and Adoraim, and Lachish, and Azekah, and Zorah, and Aijalon, and Hebron, which are in Judah and in Benjamin, fenced 11 cities. And he fortified the strong holds, and put captains in them, 12 and store of victual, and oil and wine. And in every several city he put shields and spears, and made them exceeding strong. And 13 Judah and Benjamin belonged to him. And the priests and the Levites that were in all Israel resorted to him out of all their border. 14 For the Levites left their suburbs and their possession, and came to Judah and Jerusalem : for Jeroboam and his sons cast them off, that they should not execute the priest's office unto the Lord : 15 and he appointed him priests for the high places, and for the ^he- 16 goats, and for the calves which he had made. And after them, out of all the tribes of Israel, such as set their hearts to seek the Lord, the God of Israel, came to Jerusalem to sacrifice unto the Lord, 17 the God of their fathers. So they strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and made Rehoboam the son of Solomon strong, three years : for they 18 walked three years in the way of David and Solomon. And Rehoboam took him a wife, Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth the son of David, 19 ^«;z^^Abihail the daughter of Eliab the son of Jesse; and she bare 20 him sons ; Jeush, and Shemariah, and Zaham. And after her he took ^ Or, a7id IV hat even ncnv? ^ Or, satyrs See Lev. xvii. 7. - Or, who did sin, and who made cr=f. ■* Or, and Abihail I Kings 14. 21. 2 Chronicles 11. 20. 21 ^ And Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Re- hoboam was forty and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the Lord had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there : and his mother's name was Naamah the Ammonitess. 22 And Judah did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord ; and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins which they com- mitted, above all that their fathers 23 had done. For they also built them high places, and ^pillars, and Asherim, on every high hill, 24 and under every green tree ; and there were also ^sodomites in the ^ Maacah the daughter of Ab- salom ; and she bare him Abijah, and Attai, and Ziza, and She- 21 lomith. And Rehoboam loved Maacah the daughter of Absalom above all his wives and his concubines : (for he took eighteen wives, and threescore concubines, and begat twenty and eight sons 22 and threescore daughters.) And Rehoboam appointed Abijah the son of Maacah to be chief, even the prince among his brethren : for he IV as 7ninded to make him 23 king. And he dealt wisely, and dispersed of all his sons through- out all the lands of Judah and Benjamin, unto every fenced city : and he gave them victual in abun- dance. And he ^ sought y^;*- them many wives. 12 And it came to pass, when the kingdom of Rehoboam was established, and he was strong, that he forsook the law of the Lord, and all Israel with him. ^ See 2 Chr. xii. ^ Or, obelisks ^ See Deut. xxiii. 13- 17- ^ In ch. xiii. 2, Micaiah the daughter of Uriel. ^ Or, sought a multitude of wives I Kings 14. 24. 2 Chronicles 12. 2. 25 land : they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the Lord drave out before the children of Israel. And it came to pass in the fifth year of king Rehoboam, that Shishak king of Egypt came up 26 against Jerusalem : and he took away the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king's house ; he even took away all : and he took away all the shields of gold which Solomon 27 had made. And king Rehoboam made in their stead shields of brass, and committed them to the hands of the captains of the ' guard, which kept the door of 28 the king's house. And it was so, that as oft as the king went into the house of the Lord, the guard bare them, and brought them back into the guard chamber. 2 And it came to pass in the fifth year of king Rehoboam, that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, because they had trespassed against the Lord, 3 with twelve hundred chariots, and threescore thousand horsemen : and the people were without number that came with him out of Egypt ; the Lubim, the Suk- 4 kiim, and the Ethiopians. And he took the fenced cities which pertained to Judah, and came 5 unto Jerusalem. Now Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam, and to the princes of Judah, that were gathered together to Jeru- salem because of Shishak, and said unto them. Thus saith the Lord, Ye have forsaken me, therefore have I also left you 6 in the hand of Shishak. Then the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves ; and they said, The Lord is righteous. 7 And when the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah, saying. They have humbled them- selves ; I will not destroy them : but I will grant them ^ some deliverance, and my wrath shall not be poured out upon Jeru- salem by the hand of Shishak. 8 Nevertheless they shall be his servants ; that they may know my service, and the service of the kingdoms of the countries. 9 So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, and took away the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king's house ; he took ^ Heb. runners. ^ Or, deliverance 7vithin a little ivhile Or, a few that shall escape I Kings 14. 29. 2 Chronicles 12. 9. 29 Now the rest of the acts of Re- hoboam, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of 30 Judah ? And there was war be- tween Rehoboam and Jeroboam 31 continually. And Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David : and his mother's name was Naamah the Ammon- itess. And Abijam his son reigned in his stead. all away : he took away also the shields of gold which Solomon had 10 made. And king Rehoboam made in their stead shields of brass, and committed them to the hands of the captains of the ^ guard, that kept the door of the 1 1 king's house. And it was so, that as oft as the king entered into the house of the Lord, the guard came and bare them, and brought them back into the guard cham- 12 ber. And when he humbled himself, the wrath of the Lord turned from him, that he would not destroy him altogether : and moreover in Judah ^ there were 13 good things found. So king Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem, and reigned : for Rehoboam was forty and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the Lord had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there : and his mother's name was Naamah the Ammonitess. 14 And he did that which was evil, because he set not his heart to 15 seek the Lord. Now the acts of Rehoboam, first and last, are they not written in the ^histories of Shemaiah the prophet and of Iddo the seer, ^ after the manner of genealogies ? And there were wars between Rehoboam and 16 Jeroboam continually. And Re- hoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David : and Abijah his son reign- ed in his stead. ^ Heb, runners. ^ See ch. xix. 3. ^ Heb. words. ^ Or, in reckoning the genealogies 10 I Kings 15. I. 2 Chronicles 13. i. 15 Now in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam the son of Nebat began Abijam to reign over 2 Jiidah. Three years reigned he in Jerusalem : and his mother's name was ^Maacah the daughter 3 of 'Abishalom. And he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him : and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as the heart of 4 David his father. Nevertheless for David's sake did the Lord his God give him a lamp in Jeru- salem, to set up his son after him, and to establish Jerusalem : 5 because David did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, and turned not aside from any thing that he commanded him all the days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the 6 Hittite. Now there was war between ''Rehoboam and Jero- boam all the days of his life. 7 And the rest of the acts of Abijam, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? And there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam. ^ In -2 Chr. xiii. 2, Micaiah the daughter of Uriel. - In 2 Chr. xi. 20, 21, Absalom. ^According to some authorities, Abijam. 13 In the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam began Abijah to reign 2 over Judah. Three years reigned he in Jerusalem : and his mother's name was ' Micaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. And there was war between Abijah and 3 Jeroboam. And Abijah joined battle with an army of valiant men of war, even four hundred thousand chosen men : and Jero- boam set the battle in array against him with eight hundred thousand chosen men, who were 4 mighty men of valour. And Abijah stood up upon mount Zemaraim, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, Hear me, O Jeroboam and all 5 Israel ; ought ye not to know that the Lord, the God of Israel, gave the kingdom over Israel to David for ever, even to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt ? 6 Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon the son of David, rose up, and rebelled 7 against his lord. And there were gathered unto him vain men, sons of "Belial, which strength- ened themselves against Reho- boam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and tender- hearted, and could not withstand 8 them. And now ye think to withstand the kingdom of the Lord in the hand of the sons of David ; and ye be a great multi- tude, and there are with you the golden calves which Jeroboam 9 made you for gods. Have ye not driven out the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and have made you priests after the manner of the peoples oi other lands ? so that whosoever cometh to consecrate ^ See ch. xi. 20. - That is, worthlessticss. II 2 Chronicles 13. 9. himself with a young bullock and seven rams, the same may be a 10 priest of thejii that are no gods. But as for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken him ; and we have priests ministering unto 1 1 the Lord, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites in their work : and they burn unto the Lord every morning and every evening burnt offerings and sweet incense : the shewbread also set they in order upon the pure table; and the candlestick of gold with the lamps thereof, to burn every evening : for we keep the charge of the Lord our God ; 12 but ye have forsaken him. And, behold, God is with us at our head, and his priests with the trumpets of alarm to sound an alarm against you. O children of Israel, fight ye not against the Lord, the God of 13 your fathers; for ye shall not prosper. But Jeroboam caused an ambushment to come about behind them : so they were before Judah, 14 and the ambushment was behind them. And when Judah looked back, behold, the battle was before and behind them : and they cried 15 unto the Lord, and the priests sounded with the trumpets. Then the men of Judah gave a shout : and as the men of Judah shouted, it came to pass, that God smote Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah 16 and Judah. And the children of Israel fled before Judah: and God 17 delivered them into their hand. xAnd Abijah and his people slew them with a great slaughter : so there fell down slain of Israel five 18 hundred thousand chosen men. Thus the children of Israel were brought under at that time, and the children of Judah prevailed, 19 because they relied upon the Lord, the God of their fathers. And Abijah pursued after Jeroboam, and took cities from him, Beth-el with the towns thereof, and Jeshanah with the towns thereof, and 'Ephron 20 with the towns thereof. Neither did Jeroboam recover strength again 21 in the days of Abijah: and the Lord smote him, and he died. But Abijah waxed mighty, and took unto himself fourteen wives, and begat 22 twenty and two sons, and sixteen daughters. And the rest of the acts of Abijah, and his ways, and his sayings, are written in the commentary of the prophet Iddo. ^ Another reading is, Ephrain. 12 I Kings 15. 8. 2 Chronicles 14. i. 8 And Abijam slept with his fathers ; and they buried him in the city of David : and Asa his son reigned in his stead. 9 And in the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel began 10 Asa to reign over Judah. And forty and one years reigned he in Jerusalem : and his mother s name was Maacah the daughter 11 of Abishalom. And Asa did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, as did David his 12 father. And he put away the sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. 14 So Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David, and Asa his son reigned in his stead : in his days the land was quiet ten 2 years. ^And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of 3 the Lord his God : for he took away the strange altars, and the high places, and brake down the ^pillars, and hewed down 4 the ^Asherim ; and commanded Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, and to do the law and the commandment. 5 Also he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the sun-images : and the kingdom 6 was quiet before him. And he built fenced cities in Judah : for the land was quiet, and he had no war in those years ; because the 7 Lord had given him rest. For he said unto Judah, Let us build these cities, and make about them walls, and towers, gates, and bars ; the land is yet before us, because we have sought the Lord our God ; we have sought him, and he hath given us rest on every side. So they built 8 and prospered. And Asa had an army that bare bucklers and spears, out of Judah three hun- dred thousand ; and out of Benjamin, that bare shields and drew bows, two hundred and fourscore thousand : all these were mighty men of .valour. 9 And there came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian with an army of a thousand thousand, and three hundred chariots ; and he 10 came unto Mareshah. Then Asa went out to meet him, and they set the battle in array in the valley 1 1 of Zephathah at Mareshah. And 1 [Ch. xiv. r in Heb.] ^ Or, obelisks ^ See Ex. xxxiv. 13. 13 2 Chronicles 14. ii. Asa cried unto the Lord his God, and said, Lord, Hhere is none "beside thee to help, between the mighty and him that hath no strength : help us, O Lord our God ; for we rely on thee, and in thy name are we come against this multitude. O Lord, thou art our God ; 12 let not man prevail against thee. So the Lord smote the Ethiopians 13 before Asa, and before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled. And Asa and the people that were with him pursued them unto Gerar : and there fell of the Ethiopians ^so many that they could not recover themselves; for they were " destroyed before the Lord, and before his host ; and they 14 carried away very much booty. And they smote all the cities round about Gerar ; for ^ the fear of the Lord came upon them : and they 15 spoiled all the cities; for there was much spoil in them. They smote also the tents of cattle, and carried away sheep in abundance and camels, and returned to Jerusalem. 15 And the spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded : and he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him. Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin : the Lord is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you ; but if ye forsake him, he will 3 forsake you. Now for '' long seasons Israel hath been without the true 4 God, and without a teaching priest, and without law : but when in their distress they turned unto the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him, 5 he was found of them. And in those times there was no peace to him that went out, nor to him that came in, but great vexations were upon 6 all the inhabitants of the lands. And they were broken in pieces, nation against nation, and city against city : for God did vex them with 7 all adversity. But be ye strong, and let not your hands be slack : for 8 your work shall be rewarded. And when Asa heard these words, " and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominations out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from the hill country of Ephraim ; and he renewed the altar of the Lord, that was before the porch of the 9 Lord. And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and them that sojourned with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh, and out of Simeon : for they fell to him out of Israel in abundance, when they 10 saw that the Lord his God was with him. So they gathered themselves together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth 1 1 year of the reign of Asa. And they sacrificed unto the Lord in that day, of the spoil which they had brought, seven hundred oxen and seven 12 thousand sheep. And they entered into the covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their 13 soul; and that whosoever would not seek the Lord, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman. 14 And they sware unto the Lord with a loud voice, and with shouting, 15 and with trumpets, and with cornets. And all Judah rejoiced at the oath : for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their whole desire ; and he was found of them : and the Lord gave them rest round about. ^ Or, t/ie?'e is no difference with thee to "* Heb. broken, help, whether the mighty or him ^'c. ^ Or, a terror from the Lord ^ Or, like 6 Qj.^ ^ i^^^g reason ^ Or, so that none remained alive ~* Or, even 14 I Kings 15. 13. 13 And also Maacah his mother he removed from being ' queen, because she had made an abom- inable image ^ for an Asherah ; and Asa cut down her image, and burnt it at the brook Kidron. 14 But the high places were not taken away : nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect with 15 the Lord all his days. And he brought into the house of the Lord the things that his father had dedicated, and the things that himself had dedicated, silver, 16 and gold, and vessels. And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days. 17 And Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah, and built Ramah, that he might not suffer any to go out or come in to Asa 18 king of Judah. Then Asa took all the silver and the gold that were left in the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king's house, and delivered them into the hand of his servants : and king Asa sent them to Ben-hadad, the son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, that dwelt 19 at Damascus, saying, "^ There is a league between me and thee, between my father and thy father: behold, I have sent unto thee a present of silver and gold; go, break thy league with Baasha king of Israel, that he may depart 20 from me. And Ben-hadad heark- ened unto king Asa, and sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel, and smote 2 Chronicles 15. 16. 16 And also Maacah the mother of Asa the king, he removed her from being ' queen, because she had made an abominable image ' for an Asherah ; and Asa cut down her image, and made dust of it, and burnt it 17 at the brook Kidron. But the high places were not taken away out of Israel : nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect all his 18 days. And he brought into the house of God the things that his father had dedicated, and that he himself had dedicated, silver, 19 and gold, and vessels. And there was no more war unto the five and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa. 16 In the six and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa, Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah, and built Ramah, that he might not suffer any to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. 2 Then Asa brought out silver and gold out of the treasures of the house of the Lord and of the king's house, and sent to Ben- hadad king of Syria, that dwelt 3 at ^ Damascus, saying, ■* There is a league between me and thee, as there was between my father and thy father : behold, I have sent thee silver and gold; go, break thy league with Baasha king of Israel, that he may 4 depart from me. And Ben- hadad hearkened unto king Asa, and sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Is- rael; and they smote Ijon, and ^ Or, queen mother ^ Or, /or Asherah 3 Or, Let there be ^ Or, queen mother - Or, for Asherah ^ Heb. Darmesek. ^ Or, Let there be 15 I Kings 15. 20. 2 Chronicles 16. 4, Ijon, and Dan, and Abel-beth- maacah, and all Chinneroth, with all the land of Naphtali. 21 And it came to pass, when Baasha heard thereof, that he left off building of Ramah, and 22 dwelt in Tirzah. Then king Asa made a proclamation unto all Judah ; none was exempted : and they carried away the stones of Ramah, and the timber thereof, wherewith Baasha had builded ; and king Asa built therewith Geba of Benjamin, and Mizpah. 23 Now the rest of all the acts of Asa, and all his might, and all that he did, and the cities which he built, are they not written in the book of the chro- nicles of the kings of Judah ? But in the time of his old age he 24 was diseased in his feet. And Asa Dan, and Abel-maim, and all the * store cities of Naphtali. 5 And it came to pass, when Baasha heard thereof, that he left off building of Ramah, and 6 let his work cease. Then Asa the king took all Judah ; and they carried away the stones of Ramah, and the timber thereof, wherewith Baasha had builded ; and he built therewith Geba and Mizpah. 7 And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him. Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and hast not relied on the Lord thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out 8 of thine hand. Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubim a huge host, with chariots and horsemen exceeding many? yet, because thou didst rely on the Lord, he delivered them into 9 thine hand. For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro through- out the whole earthy to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done fooUshly; for from hence- 10 forth thou shalt have wars. Then Asa was wroth with the seer, and put him in the ^prison house; for he was in a rage with him because of this thing. And Asa oppressed some of the people 11 the same time. And, behold, the acts of Asa, first and last, lo, they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Is- 12 rael. And in the thirty and ninth year of his reign Asa was diseased in his feet; his disease was exceeding great : yet in ^ Heb. storehouses of the cities. 2 Heb. house of the stocks. 16 I Kings 15. 24. 2 Chronicles 16. 12. slept with his fathers, and was his disease he sought not to buried with his fathers in the the Lord, but to the physicians. city of David his father: and 13 And Asa slept with his fathers, Jehoshaphat his son reigned and died in the one and fortieth in his stead. 14 year of his reign. And they buried him in his own sepul- chres, which he had hewn out for himself in the city of David, and laid him in the bed which was filled with sweet odours and divers kinds of spices prepared by the apothecaries' art : and they made a very great burning for him. I Kings 15. 25. 25 And Nadab the son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel two years. 2(i And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin. 27 And Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him ; and Baasha smote him at Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines ; for Nadab and all Israel were laying siege to Gibbethon. 28 Even in the third year of Asa king of Judah did Baasha slay him, and 29 reigned in his stead. And it came to pass that, as soon as he was king, he smote all the house of Jeroboam ; he left not to Jeroboam any that breathed, until he had destroyed him ; according unto the saying of the Lord, which he spake by the hand of his servant Ahijah the 30 Shilonite : for the sins of Jeroboam which he sinned, and wherewith he made Israel to sin ; because of his provocation wherewith he provoked 31 the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger. Now the rest of the acts of Nadab, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the 32 chronicles of the kings of Israel? And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days. 33 In the third year of Asa king of Judah began Baasha the son of Ahijah to reign over all Israel in Tirzah, and reigfied twenty and four 34 years. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin wherewith he made 16 Israel to sin. And the word of the Lord came to Jehu the son of 2 Hannai against Baasha, saying, Forasmuch as I exalted thee out of the dust, and made thee ^ prince over my people Israel ; and thou hast walked in the way of Jeroboam, and hast made my people Israel to sin, 3 to provoke me to anger with their sins ; behold, I will utterly sweep away Baasha and his house ; and I will make thy house like the house 4 of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. Him that dieth of Baasha in the city shall the dogs eat ; and him that dieth of his in the field shall the 5 fowls of the air eat. Now the rest of the acts of Baasha, and what he ■^ Or, leader S. 17 2 I Kings 16. 5. did, and his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles 6 of the kings of Israel? And Baasha slept with his fathers, and was 7 buried in Tirzah ; and Elah his son reigned in his stead. And moreover by the hand of the prophet Jehu the son of Hanani came the word of the Lord against Baasha, and against his house, both because of all the evil that he did in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger with the work of his hands, in being like the house of Jeroboam, and because he smote ' him. 8 In the twenty and sixth year of Asa king of Judah began Elah the son of Baasha to reign over Israel in Tirzah, and reigned two years. 9 And his servant Zimri, captain of half his chariots, conspired against him : now he was in Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in the house of 10 Arza, which was over the household in Tirzah : and Zimri went in and smote him, and killed him, in the twenty and seventh year of Asa 1 1 king of Judah, and reigned in his stead. And it came to pass, when he began to reign, as soon as he sat on his throne, that he smote all the house of Baasha : he left him not a single man child, neither of his 1 2 kinsfolks, nor of his friends. Thus did Zimri destroy all the house of Baasha, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake against 13 Baasha by Jehu the prophet, for all the sins of Baasha, and the sins of Elah his son, which they sinned, and wherewith they made Israel to sin, to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger with their 14 vanities. Now the rest of the acts of Elah, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel ? 15 In the twenty and seventh year of Asa king of Judah did Zimri reign seven days in Tirzah. Now the people were encamped against Gibbe- 16 thon, which belonged to the Philistines. And the people that were encamped heard say, Zimri hath conspired, and hath also smitten the king: wherefore all Israel made Omri, the captain of the host, king 17 over Israel that day in the camp. And Omri went up from Gibbethon, 18 and all Israel with him, and they besieged Tirzah. And it came to pass, when Zimri saw that the city was taken, that he went into the ^castle of the king's house, and burnt the king's house over him with 19 fire, and died, for his sins which he sinned in doing that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, in walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in 20 his sin which he did, to make Israel to sin. Now the rest of the acts of Zimri, and his treason that he wrought, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel ? 2 1 Then were the people of Israel divided into two parts : half of the people followed Tibni the son of Ginath, to make him king ; and half 22 followed Omri. But the people that followed Omri prevailed against the people that followed Tibni the son of Ginath : so Tibni died, and 23 Omri reigned. In the thirty and first year of Asa king of Judah began Omri to reign over Israel, and reigned twelve years : six years reigned 24 he in Tirzah. And he bought the hill ^ Samaria of Shemer for two talents of silver ; and he ^ built on the hill, and called the name of the city which he built, after the name of Shemer, the owner of the hill, 25 ^Samaria. And Omri did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, 1 Or, it 2 Or, palace ^ Heb. Shomeron. * Or, fortified the hill 18 I Kings 16. 25. 26 and dealt wickedly above all that were before him. For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in his sins wherewith he made Israel to sin, to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger 27 with their vanities. Now the rest of the acts of Omri which he did, and his might that he shewed, are they not written in the book of the 28 chronicles of the kings of Israel? So Omri slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria : and Ahab his son reigned in his stead. 29 And in the thirty and eighth year of Asa king of Judah began Ahab the son of Omri to reign over Israel : and Ahab the son of Omri 30 reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty and two years. And Ahab the son of Omri did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord above all 31 that were before him. And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife ^Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, 32 and went and served Baal, and worshipped him. And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. ;^;^ And Ahab made ^ the Asherah ; and Ahab did yet more to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel that were 34 before him. ^In his days did Hiel the Beth-elite build Jericho: he laid the foundation thereof with the loss of Abiram his firstborn, and set up the gates thereof with the loss of his youngest son Segub ; according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by the hand of Joshua the son of Nun. 17 And Elijah the Tishbite, who was "^of the sojourners of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the Lord, the God of Israel, liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my 2,3 word. And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, 4 that is before Jordan. And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the 5 brook ; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there. So he went and did according unto the word of the Lord : for he went and 6 dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in 7 the evening ; and he drank of the brook. And it came to pass, after a while, that the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land. 8,9 And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there : behold, I have 10 commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee. So he arose and went to Zarephath ; and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow woman was there gathering sticks : and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink. 1 1 And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I 1 2 pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand. And she said, As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in the barrel, and a little oil in the cruse : and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, ' Heb. Izedel. * According to the Sept., 0/ Tishbeh of - See 2 Kings xiii. 6. Gilead. ^ See Josh. vi. 26. 19 2 2 I Kings 17. 13. 13 and die. And Elijah said unto her, Fear not ; go and do as thou hast said : but make me thereof a Uttle cake first, and bring it forth unto 14 me, and afterward make for thee and for thy son. For thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon 15 the earth. And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah : 16 and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days. The barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word 17 of the Lord, which he spake by Elijah. And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell 18 sick; and his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in him. And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God ? ^ thou art come unto me to bring my sin to remembrance, 19 and to slay my son ! And he said unto her, Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into the chamber, 20 where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed. And he cried unto the Lord, and said, O Lord my God, hast thou also brought evil upon 21 the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son? And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the Lord, and said, O Lord my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again. 22 And the Lord hearkened unto the voice of Elijah ; and the soul of the 23 child came into him again, and he revived. And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered 24 him unto his mother : and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth. And the woman said to Elijah, Now I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth. 18 And it came to pass after many days, that the word of the Lord came to Elijah, in the third year, saying. Go, shew thyself unto Ahab ; 2 and I will send rain upon the earth. And Elijah went to shew himself 3 unto Ahab. And the famine was sore in Samaria. And Ahab called Obadiah, which was over the household. (Now Obadiah feared the 4 Lord greatly : for it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the Lord, that Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty 5 in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.) And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go through the land, unto all the fountains of water, and unto all the brooks : peradventure we may find grass and save the 6 horses and mules alive, ^that we lose not all the beasts. So they divided the land between them to pass throughout it : Ahab went one 7 way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself And as Obadiah was in the way, behold, Elijah met him : and he knew him, 8 and fell on his face, and said, Is it thou, my lord Elijah ? And he 9 answered him, It is I : go, tell thy lord. Behold, Elijah is here. And he said, Wherein have I sinned, that thou wouldest deliver thy servant 10 into the hand of Ahab, to slay me? As the Lord thy God liveth, there is no nation or kingdom, whither my lord hath not sent to seek thee : and when they said. He is not here, he took an oath of the kingdom 1 1 and nation, that they found thee not. And now thou sayest, Go, tell 12 thy lord. Behold, Elijah is here. And it shall come to pass, as soon as ^ Or, art thou &^c. ^ Or, aftd lose none of 20 I Kings 18. 12. I am gone from thee, that the spirit of the Lord shall carry thee whither I know not ; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, 13 he shall slay me : but I thy servant fear the Lord from my youth. Was it not told my lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of the Lord, how I hid an hundred men of the Lord's prophets by fifty in a 14 cave, and fed them with bread and water? And now thou sayest, Go, 15 tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here : and he shall slay me. And Elijah said, As the Lord of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, I will surely 16 shew myself unto him to-day. So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and 17 told him : and Ahab went to meet Elijah. And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him. Is it thou, thou troubler of 18 Israel? And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the 19 Lord, and thou hast followed the Baalim. Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the Asherah four hundred, 20 which eat at Jezebel's table. So Ahab sent unto all the children of 21 Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel. And Elijah came near unto all the people, and said. How long halt ye between two opinions ? if the Lord be God, follow him : but if Baal, 22 then follow him. And the people answered him not a word. Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, am left a prophet of the 23 Lord ; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men. Let them therefore give us two bullocks ; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, and put no fire under : and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on the wood, and 24 put no fire under. And call ye on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord : and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken. 25 And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first ; for ye are many ; and call on the name of 26 your god, but put no fire under. And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, 'hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they "leaped about the altar which 27 was made. And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said. Cry aloud : for he is a god ; either he is musing, or he is gone aside, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be 28 awaked. And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner 29 with -'knives and lances, till the blood gushed out upon them. And it was so, when midday was past, that they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening oblation ; but there was neither voice, nor 30 any to answer, nor any '*that regarded. And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me ; and all the people came near unto him. 31 And he repaired the altar of the Lord that was thrown down. And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the Lord came, saying, Israel ^ Or, answer ^ Or, nwords '^ Or, limped * Heb. attention. 21 I Kings 18. 31. 32 shall be thy name. And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord ; and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would 33 contain 'two measures of seed. And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid it on the wood. And he said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt offering, and on the wood. 34 And he said, Do it the second time ; and they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time ; and they did it the third time. 35 And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also 36 with water. And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening oblation, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, O Lord, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done 37 all these things at thy word. Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that thou, Lord, art God, ^and that thou hast turned 38 their heart back again. Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt offering, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and 39 licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces : and they said, The Lord, he is God ; 40 the Lord, he is God. And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal ; let not one of them escape. And they took them : and Elijah 41 brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there. And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink ; for there is the 42 sound of abundance of rain. So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel ; and he bowed himself down 43 upon the earth, and put his face between his knees. And he said to his servant. Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said. There is nothing. And he said. Go again seven times. 44 And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a cloud out of the sea, as small as a man's hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, ^Make ready thy chariot, and get thee down, 45 that the rain stop thee not. And it came to pass in a little while, that the heaven grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. 46 And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel. And the hand of the Lord was on Elijah ; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel. 19 And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he 2 had slain all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the hfe of one of them by to-morrow 3 about this time. '*And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beer-sheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his 4 servant there. But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a ^juniper tree : and he requested for himself that he might die ; and said, It is enough ; now, O Lord, take 5 away my life ; for I am not better than my fathers. And he lay down and slept under a juniper tree ; and, behold, an angel touched him, and ^ Or, a two-seah measure "* According to some ancient authorities, ^ Or, fo7' thou didst turn their heart And he was afraid, and arose, backward ^ Or, broom 3 Or, Yoke 22 I Kings 19. 5. 6 said unto him, Arise and eat. And he looked, and, behold, there was at his head a cake baken on the 'coals, and a cruse of water. And he 7 did eat and drink, and laid him down again. And the angel of the Lord came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise 8 and eat ; because the journey is too great for thee. And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and 9 forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God. And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there ; and, behold, the word of the Lord came to 10 him, and he said unto him. What doest thou here, Elijah? And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts ; for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword : and I, even I only, am left ; 11 and they seek my life, to take it away. And he said. Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord ; but the Lord was not in the wind : and after the wind an earthquake ; but the Lord was not in the earthquake : 1 2 and after the earthquake a fire ; but the Lord was not in the fire : and 13 after the fire ^a still small voice. And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, 14 and said, What doest thou here, Elijah? And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts ; for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword ; and I, even I only, am left ; and they seek 15 my life, to take it away. And the Lord said unto him, Go, return on thy way ^to the wilderness of Damascus : and when thou comest, thou 16 shalt anoint Hazael to be king over Syria : and Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel : and Elisha the son of Shaphat 17 of Abel-meholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room. And it shall come to pass, that him that escapeth from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay: and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall 18 Elisha slay. Yet will I leave ?ne seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not 19 kissed him. So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing, with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth : and Elijah passed over unto him, and cast his 20 mantle upon him. And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee. And he said unto him. Go back again ; for what have I 21 done to thee? And he returned from following him, and took the yoke of oxen, and slew them, and ^boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him. 20 And Ben-hadad the king of Syria gathered all his host together : and there were thirty and two kings with him, and horses and chariots : and 2 he went up and besieged Samaria, and fought against it. And he sent ^ Or, hot stones ^ Or, />y the wilderness to 2 Heb. a sound of gentle stillness, ^ Or, roasted 23 I Kings 20. 2. messengers to Ahab king of Israel, into the city, and said unto him. 3 Thus saith Ben-hadad, Thy silver and thy gold is mine ; thy wives also 4 and thy children, even the goodliest, are mine. And the king of Israel answered and said, It is according to thy saying, my lord, O king ; I am 5 thine, and all that I have. And the messengers came again, and said. Thus speaketh Ben-hadad, saying, I sent indeed unto thee, saying, Thou shalt deliver me thy silver, and thy gold, and thy wives, and thy 6 children ; but I will send my servants unto thee to-morrow about this time, and they shall search thine house, and the houses of thy servants ; and it shall be, that 'whatsoever is pleasant in thine eyes, they shall put 7 it in their hand, and take it away. Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, Mark, I pray you, and see how this man seeketh mischief: for he sent unto me for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver, and for my gold ; and I denied him not. 8 And all the elders and all the people said unto him. Hearken thou not, 9 neither consent. Wherefore he said unto the messengers of Ben-hadad, Tell my lord the king. All that thou didst send for to thy servant at the first I will do : but this thing I may not do. And the messengers 10 departed, and brought him word again. And Ben-hadad sent unto him, and said, The gods do so unto me, and more also, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people that ^follow me. 1 1 And the king of Israel answered and said, Tell him. Let not him that 12 girdeth on his armour boast himself as he that putteth it off. And it came to pass, when Beii-hadad heard this message, as he was drinking, he and the kings, in the ^pavilions, that he said unto his servants, "^Set yourselves in array. And they set themselves in array against the city. 13 And, behold, a prophet came near unto Ahab king of Israel, and said. Thus saith the Lord, Hast thou seen all this great multitude ? behold, I will deliver it into thine hand this day ; and thou shalt know that I 14 am the Lord. And Ahab said, By whom? And he said. Thus saith the Lord, By the ^ young men of the princes of the provinces. Then 15 he said. Who shall *^ begin the battle? And he answered, Thou. Then he mustered the young men of the princes of the provinces, and they were two hundred and thirty two : and after them he mustered all the 16 people, even all the children of Israel, being seven thousand. And they went out at noon. But Ben-hadad was drinking himself drunk in the ^pavilions, he and the kings, the thirty and two kings that helped 17 him. And the young men of the princes of the provinces went out first; and Ben-hadad sent out, and they told him, saying, There are 18 men come out from Samaria. And he said, Whether they be come out for peace, take them alive ; or whether they be come out for war, take 19 them alive. So these went out of the city, the young men of the princes 20 of the provinces, and the army which followed them. And they slew every one his man ; and the Syrians fled, and Israel pursued them : and 21 Ben-hadad the king of Syria escaped 'on an horse with horsemen. And the king of Israel went out, and smote the horses and chariots, and slew ^ Yi€o. all the desire of thine eyes. placed ih.& engines - Heb. are at my feet. ^ Or, servants 3 Or, htits 6 Heb. bind * Or, Place the engines. And they ^ Or, with horse and horsemen 24 I Kings 20. 21. 2 2 the Syrians with a great slaughter. And the prophet came near to the king of Israel, and said unto him, Go, strengthen thyself, and mark, and see what thou doest : for at the return of the year the king of Syria will come up against thee. 23 And the servants of the king of Syria said unto him, Their god is a god of the hills ; therefore they were stronger than we : but let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they. 24 And do this thing ; take the kings away, every man out of his place, 25 and put 'captains in their room : and number thee an army, like the army that thou hast lost, horse for horse, and chariot for chariot : and we will fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger 26 than they. And he hearkened unto their voice, and did so. And it came to pass at the return of the year, that Ben-hadad mustered the 27 Syrians, and went up to Aphek, to fight against Israel. And the children of Israel were mustered, and were victualled, and went against them : and the children of Israel encamped before them like two little 28 flocks of kids ; but the Syrians filled the country. And '^a. man of God came near and spake unto the king of Israel, and said. Thus saith the Lord, Because the Syrians have said, The Lord is a god of the hills, but he is not a god of the valleys ; therefore will I deliver all this great multitude into thine hand, and ye shall know that I am the Lord. 29 And they encamped one over against the other seven days. And so it was, that in the seventh day the battle was joined; and the children of Israel slew of the Syrians an hundred thousand footmen in one day. 30 But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city ; and the wall fell upon twenty and seven thousand men that were left. And Ben-hadad fled, and 31 came into the city, ^into an inner chamber. And his servants said unto him, Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings ; let us, we pray thee, put sackcloth on our loins, and ropes upon our heads, and go out to the king of Israel : peradventure 32 he will save thy life. So they girded sackcloth on their loins, a.nd p!(f ropes on their heads, and came to the king of Israel, and said. Thy servant Ben-hadad saith, I pray thee, let me live. And he said. Is he 33 yet alive? he is my brother. Now the men ^observed diligently, and hasted ^to catch whether it were "'his mind ; and they said. Thy brother Ben-hadad. Then he said, Go ye, bring him. Then Ben-hadad came 34 forth to him ; and he caused him to come up into the chariot. And Be7i-hadad said unto him, The cities which my father took from thy father I will restore : and thou shalt make streets for thee in Damascus, as my father made in Samaria. And I, said Ahab, will let thee go with this covenant. So he made a covenant with him, and let him go. 35 And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said unto his fellow by the word of the Lord, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man refused to 36 smite him. Then said he unto him. Because thou hast not obeyed the voice of the Lord, behold, as soon as thou art departed from me, a lion shall slay thee. And as soon as he was departed from him, a lion ^ Or, governors See ch. x. 15. and hasted - Or, the ^ Another reading is, to catch it from ^ Or, from chamber to chaiiibt'r him. ■* Or, took it as an omen (Ileb. divined) y " Heh.from him. 25 I Kings 20. 36. 37 found him, and slew him. Then he found another man, and said, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man smote him, smiting and wounding 38 him. So the prophet departed, and waited for the king by the way, 39 and disguised himself with his headband over his eyes. And as the king passed by, he cried unto the, king: and he said. Thy servant went out into the midst of the battle ; and, behold, a man turned aside, and brought a man unto me, and said. Keep this man : if by any means he be missing, then shall thy life be for his life, or else thou shalt pay a 40 talent of silver. And as thy servant was busy here and there, he was gone. And the king of Israel said unto him. So shall thy judgement 41 be; thyself hast decided it. And he hasted, and took the headband away from his eyes ; and the king of Israel discerned him that he was 42 of the prophets. And he said unto him. Thus saith the Lord, Because thou hast let go out of thy hand the man whom I had devoted to destruction, therefore thy life shall go for his life, and thy people for his 43 people. And the king of Israel went to his house heavy and displeased, and came to Samaria. 21 And it came to pass after these things, that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard, which was in Jezreel, hard by the palace of Ahab king 2 of Samaria. And Ahab spake unto Naboth, saying. Give me thy vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near unto my house : and I will give thee for it a better vineyard than it : or, 3 if it seem good to thee, I will give thee the worth of it in money. And Naboth said to Ahab, The Lord forbid it me, that I should give the 4 inheritance of my fathers unto thee. And Ahab came into his house heavy and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him : for he had said, I will not give thee the inheritance of my fathers. And he laid him down upon his bed, and turned away 5 his face, and would eat no bread. But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said unto him, Why is thy spirit so sad, that thou eatest no 6 bread ? And he said unto her. Because I spake unto Naboth the Jezreelite, and said unto him, Give me thy vineyard for money ; or else, if it please thee, I will give thee another vineyard for it : and he 7 answered, I will not give thee my vineyard. And Jezebel his wife said unto him, Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? arise, and eat bread, and let thine heart be merry : I will give thee the vineyard of 8 Naboth the Jezreelite. So she wrote ^ letters in Ahab's name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters unto the elders and to 9 the nobles that were in his city, and that dwelt with Naboth. And she wrote in the letters, saying. Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth "^ on high 10 among the people : and set two men, sons of ^Belial, before him, and let them bear witness against him, saying, Thou didst * curse God and 1 1 the king. And then carry him out, and stone him, that he die. And the men of his city, even the elders and the nobles who dwelt in his city, did as Jezebel had sent unto them, according as it was written in 1 2 the letters which she had sent unto them. They proclaimed a fast, and 13 set Naboth ^on high among the people. And the two men, sons of ^ Or, a letter ^ That is, worthlessness. ^ Or, at the head of ■* Or, renounce 26 I Kings 21. 13. Belial, came in and sat before him : and the men of Belial bare witness against him, even against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, Naboth did ^ curse God and the king. Then they carried him forth 14 out of the city, and stoned him with stones, that he died. Then they 15 sent to Jezebel, saying, Naboth is stoned, and is dead. And it came to pass, when Jezebel heard that Naboth was stoned, and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give thee for money : for 16 Naboth is not alive, but dead. And it came to pass, when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, that Ahab rose up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it. 17 And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 18 Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, which dwelleth in Samaria : behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone 19 down to take possession of it. And thou shalt speak unto him, saying. Thus saith the Lord, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession ? and thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the Lord, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even 20 thine. And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy? And he answered, I have found thee : because thou hast sold thyself to 21 do that which is evil in the sight of the Lord. Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will utterly sweep thee away, and will cut off from Ahab every man child, and him that is shut up and him that is left at 22 large in Israel : and I will make thine house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked me to anger, and hast 23 made Israel to sin. And of Jezebel also spake the Lord, saying. The 24 dogs shall eat Jezebel ^ by the rampart of Jezreel. Him that dieth of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat ; and him that dieth in the field 25 shall the fowls of the air eat. (But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to do that which was evil in the sight of the 26 Lord, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up. And he did very abominably in following idols, according to all that the Amorites did, whom the 27 Lord cast out before the children of Israel.) And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went 28 softly. And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 29 Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me ? because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days : but in his son's days will I bring the evil upon his house. 2 Chronicles 17. i. 17 And Jehoshaphat"^ his son reigned in his stead, and strengthened 2 himself against Israel. And he placed forces in all the fenced cities of Judah, and set garrisons in the land of Judah, and in the cities of 3 Ephraim, which Asa his father had taken. And the Lord was with ' Or, renounce in the portion, as in ^ Kings i.\. lo, }fi. ^ According to some ancient authorities, ^ Asa's. 27 2 Chronicles 17. 3. Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the first ways of his father David, 4 and sought not unto the Baalim ; but sought to the God of his father, and walked in his commandments, and not after the doings of Israel. 5 Therefore the Lord stablished the kingdom in his hand ; and all Judah brought to Jehoshaphat presents ; and he had riches and honour in 6 abundance. And his heart was lifted up in the ways of the Lord : and furthermore he took away the high places and the Asherim out of 7 Judah. Also in the third year of his reign he sent his princes, even Ben-hail, and Obadiah, and Zechariah, and Nethanel, and Micaiah, to 8 teach in the cities of Judah; and with them the Levites, even Shemaiah, and Nethaniah, and Zebadiah, and Asahel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehonathan, and Adonijah, and Tobijah, and Tob-adonijah, the 9 Levites ; and with them Elishama and Jehoram, the priests. And they taught in Judah, having the book of the law of the Lord with them ; and they went about throughout all the cities of Judah, and taught 10 among the people. And ' the fear of the Lord fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were round about Judah, so that they made 11 no war against Jehoshaphat. And some of the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat presents, and silver for tribute ; the Arabians also brought him flocks, seven thousand and seven hundred rams, and seven 12 thousand and seven hundred he-goats. And Jehoshaphat waxed great 13 exceedingly; and he built in Judah castles and cities of store. And he had many works in the cities of Judah; and men of war, mighty men 14 of valour, in Jerusalem. And this was the numbering of them according to their fathers' houses : of Judah, the captains of thousands; Adnah the captain, and with him mighty men of valour three hundred 15 thousand : and next to him Jehohanan the captain, and with him two 16 hundred and fourscore thousand: and next to him Amasiah the son of Zichri, who willingly offered himself unto the Lord ; and with him two 17 hundred thousand mighty men of valour; and of Benjamin: Eliada a mighty man of valour, and with him two hundred thousand armed with 18 bow and shield : and next to him Jehozabad, and with him an hundred 19 and fourscore thousand ready prepared for war. These were they that waited on the king, beside those whom the king put in the fenced cities throughout all Judah. I Kings 22. i. 22 And they continued three years without war between Syria and 2 Israel. And it came to pass in the third year, that Jehosha- phat the king of Judah came 3 down to the king of Israel. And the king of Israel said unto his servants. Know ye that Ramoth- gilead is ours, and we ^be still, ^ Or, a terror from the Lord ^ Or, keep silence 2 Chronicles 18. i. 18 Now Jehoshaphat had riches and honour in abundance ; and he joined affinity with Ahab. 2 And after certain years he went down to Ahab to Samaria. And Ahab killed sheep and oxen for him in abundance, and for the people that were with him, and moved him to go up with him 28 I Kings 22. 3. and take it not out of the hand 4 of the king of Syria ? And he said unto Jehoshaphat, Wilt thou go with me to battle to Ramoth- gilead? And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, I am as thou art, my people as thy people, my horses as thy horses. 5 And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, Inquire, I pray thee, at the word of the Lord 6 to-day. Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said unto them, Shall I go against Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up ; for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the 7 king. But Jehoshaphat said. Is there not here besides a prophet of the Lord, that we 8 might inquire of him ? And the king of Israel said unto Jehosha- phat, There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord, Micaiah the son of Imlah: but I hate him ; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, 9 Let not the king say so. Then the king of Israel called an ^officer, and said. Fetch quickly 10 Micaiah the son of Imlah. Now the king of Israel and Jehosha- phat the king of Judah sat each on his throne, arrayed in their robes, in ^an open place at the entrance of the gate of Samaria ; and all the prophets prophesied 1 1 before them. And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made him horns of iron, and said. Thus saith the Lord, With these shalt thou push the Syrians, until they 12 be consumed. And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, ^ Or, etiniich - Heb. a threshing-floor. 2 Chronicles 18. 2. 3 to Ramoth-gilead. And Ahab king of Israel said unto Jehosha- phat king of Judah, Wilt thou go with me to Ramoth-gilead ? And he answered him, I am as thou art, and my people as thy people ; and tve will be with thee in the 4 war. And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, Inquire, I pray thee, at the word of the Lord 5 to-day. Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, four hundred men, and said unto them. Shall we go to Ramoth- gilead to battle, or shall I for- bear? And they said. Go up; for God shall deliver it into the 6 hand of the king. But Jehosha- phat said. Is there not here besides a prophet of the Lord, that we might inquire of him? 7 And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord : but I hate him ; for he never prophesieth good con- cerning me, but always evil : the same is Micaiah the son of Imla. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not 8 the king say so. Then the king of Israel called an ^officer, and said. Fetch quickly Micaiah the 9 son of Imla. Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah sat each on his throne, arrayed in their robes, and they sat in 'an open place at the entrance of the gate of Samaria ; and all the prophets prophesied 10 before them. And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made him horns of iron, and said. Thus saith the Lord, With these shalt thou push the Syrians, until they 1 1 be consumed. And all the prophets prophesied so, saying. ' Or, eunuch ' Heb. a threshing floor. 29 I Kings 22. 12. 2 Chronicles 18. 11. Go up to Ramoth-gilead, and prosper : for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the 13 king. And the messenger that went to call Micaiah spake unto him, saying, Behold now, the words of the prophets declare good unto the king with one mouth : let thy word, I pray thee, be like the word of one of them, and speak thou good. 14 And Micaiah said, As the Lord liveth, what the Lord saith unto 15 me, that will I speak. And when he was come to the king, the king said unto him, Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall we forbear? And he answered him. Go up, and prosper; and the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the 16 king. And the king said untx) him. How many times shall I adjure thee that thou speak unto me nothing but the truth in the 17 name of the Lord? And he said, I saw all Israel scattered upon the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd : and the Lord said. These have no master; let them return every man to his 18 house in peace. And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee that he would not prophesy good concerning 19 me, but evil? And he said. Therefore hear thou the word of the Lord : I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left. 20 And the Lord said. Who shall ^ entice Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead ? And one said on this manner; and another said on that manner. 21 And there came forth ^a spirit, Go up to Ramoth-gilead, and prosper : for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the 12 king. And the messenger that went to call Micaiah spake to him, saying, Behold, the words of the prophets declare good to the king with one mouth : let thy word therefore, I pray thee, be like one of theirs, and speak 13 thou good. And Micaiah said, As the Lord liveth, what my God saith, that will I speak. 14 And when he was come to the king, the king said unto him, ^Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth- gilead to battle, or shall I for- bear? And he said, Go ye up, and prosper; and they shall be delivered into your hand. 15 And the king said to him, How many times shall I adjure thee that thou speak unto me nothing but the truth in the name 1 6 of the Lord ? And he said, I saw all Israel scattered upon the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd : and the Lord said, These have no master; let them return every man to his 17 house in peace. And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee that he would not prophesy good concerning 18 me, but evil? And he said, Therefore hear ye the word of the Lord : I saw the Lord sitting upon his throne, and all the host of heaven standing on his right hand and on his left. 19 And the Lord said. Who shall ^entice Ahab king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth- gilead? And one spake saying after this manner, and another 20 saying after that manner. And there came forth ^a spirit, and ^ Or, deceive - Heb. the spirit. 1 Heb. A/icaA. ^ Or, deceive ^ Heb. the spirit. 30 I Kings 22. 21. 2 Chronicles 18. 20. and stood before the Lord, and 22 said, I will entice him. And the Lord said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt entice him, and shalt prevail also : go forth, and do so. 23 Now therefore, behold, the Lord hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets ; and the Lord hath spoken evil 24 concerning thee. Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near, and smote Micaiah on the cheek, and said, Which way went the spirit of the Lord from me to 25 speak unto thee? And Micaiah said, Behold, thou shalt see on that day, when thou shalt go 'into an inner chamber to hide 26 thyself. And the king of Israel said. Take Micaiah, and carry him back unto Amon the gover- nor of the city, and to Joash the 2 7 king's son ; and say, Thus saith the king, Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I come in peace. 28 And Micaiah said, If thou return at all in peace, the Lord hath not spoken by me. And he said, ^Hear, ye peoples, all of you. 29 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah 30 went up to Ramoth-gilead. And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, I will disguise my- self, and go into the battle ; but put thou on thy robes. And the king of Israel disguised himself, 31 and went into the battle. Now the king of Syria had commanded the thirty and two captains of his chariots, saying. Fight neither with small nor great, save only ^ Or, from chamber to chamber "■* See Micah i. 2. Stood before the Lord, and said, I will entice him. And the Lord 2 1 said unto him. Wherewith ? And he said, I will go forth, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt entice him, and shalt prevail also : go forth, and do so. 22 Now therefore, behold, the Lord hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of these thy prophets ; and the Lord hath spoken evil 23 concerning thee. Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near, and smote Micaiah upon the cheek, and said. Which way went the spirit of the Lord from 24 me to speak unto thee? And Micaiah said. Behold, thou shalt see on that day, when thou shalt go Mnto an inner chamber to 25 hide thyself. And the king of Israel said. Take ye Micaiah, and carry him back unto Amon the governor of the city, and to 26 Joash the king's son; and say. Thus saith the king. Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I 27 return in peace. And Micaiah said. If thou return at all in peace, the Lord hath not spoken by me. And he said, "Hear, ye peoples, all of you. 28 So the king of Israel and Jeho- shaphat the king of Judah went 29 up to Ramoth-gilead. And the king of Israel said unto Jehosha- phat, I will disguise myself, and go into the battle ; but put thou on thy robes. So the king of Israel disguised himself; and 30 they went into the battle. Now the king of Syria had commanded the captains of his chariots, saying. Fight neither with small nor great, ^ Or, from chamber to chamber ^ See Micah i. 1. 31 I Kings 22. 31. 2 Chronicles 18. 30. 32 with the king of Israel. And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, Surely it is the king of Israel ; and they turned aside to fight against him : and 33 Jehoshaphat cried out. And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, that they turned back from pursuing him. 34 And a certain man drew his bow *at a venture, and smote the king of Israel between "the joints of the harness : wherefore he said unto the driver of his chariot, Turn thine hand, and carry me out of the host; for I am sore 35 wounded. And the battle in- creased that day : and the king was stayed up in his chariot against the Syrians, and died at even : and the blood ran out of the wound into the bottom of the 36 chariot. And there went a cry throughout the host about the going down of the sun, saying. Every man to his city, and every 37 man to his country. So the king died, and was brought to Samaria; and they buried the king in Sa- 38 maria. And they washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria; and the dogs licked up his blood ; (^now the harlots washed them- selves there ;) according unto the word of the Lord which he 39 spake. Now the rest of the acts of Ahab, and all that he did, and the ivory house which he built, and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of 40 the kings of Israel ? So Ahab slept with his fathers ; and Aha- ziah his son reigned in his stead. ^ Heb. in his simplicity 2 Or, the lower arniour and the breast- plate 2 Or, and they washed the armour save only with the king of Israel. 31 And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said. It is the king of Israel. Therefore they turned about to fight against him : but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him ; and God moved them to depart from 32 him. And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, that they turned back from pur- 33 suing him. And a certain man drew his bow ^at a venture, and smote the king of Israel between ^the joints of the harness : where- fore he said to the driver of the chariot. Turn thine hand, and carry me out of the host ; for I 34 am sore wounded. And the battle increased that day : how- beit the king of Israel stayed himself up in his chariot against the Syrians until the even : and about the time of the going down of the sun he died. 1 Heb. in his simplicity. 2 Or, the lower armour and the breast- plate 32 2 Chronicles 19. i. 19 And Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned to his house in peace 2 to Jerusalem. And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the wicked, and love them that hate the Lord ? for this thing wrath is upon thee from 3 before the Lord. Nevertheless there are good things found in thee, in that thou hast put away the Asheroth out of the land, and hast set thine heart to seek God. 4 And Jehoshaphat dwelt at Jerusalem : and he went out again among the people from Beer-sheba to the hill country of Ephraim, and brought 5 them back unto the Lord, the God of their fathers. And he set judges 6 in the land throughout all the fenced cities of Judah, city by city, and said to the judges. Consider what ye do : for ye judge not for man, but 7 for the Lord ; and he is with you ^in the judgement. Now therefore let the fear of the Lord be upon you ; take heed and do it : for there is no iniquity with the Lord our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of 8 gifts. Moreover in Jerusalem did Jehoshaphat set of the Levites and the priests, and of the heads of the fathers' houses of Israel, for the judgement of the Lord, and for controversies. And they returned to 9 Jerusalem. And he charged them, saying, Thus shall ye do in the fear 10 of the Lord, faithfully, and with a perfect heart. And whensoever any controversy shall come to you from your brethren that dwell in their cities, between blood and blood, between law and commandment, statutes and judgements, ye shall warn them, that they be not guilty towards the Lord, and so wrath come upon you and upon your brethren : this do, 1 1 and ye shall not be guilty. And, behold, Amariah the chief priest is over you in all matters of the Lord ; and Zebadiah the son of Ishmael, the ruler of the house of Judah, in all the king's matters : also the Levites shall be officers before you. ^Deal courageously, and the Lord be with the good. 20 And it came to pass after this, that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them some of the ^ Ammonites, came 2 against Jehoshaphat to battle. Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying. There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea from Syria; and, behold, they be in Hazazon-tamar 3 (the same is En-gedi). And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek 4 unto the Lord ; and he proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah gathered themselves together, to seek help of the Lord : even 5 out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord. And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the 6 house of the Lord, before the new court ; and he said, O Lord, the God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and art not thou ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations ? and in thine hand is power 7 and might, so that none is able to withstand thee. Didst not thou, O our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, 8 and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever? And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, ^ Or, ill giving judgeynent Heb. in the ^ Perhaps an error for Meunim. So matter of Judgement. the Sept. Seech, xxvi. 7. - Heb. Be strong and do. s- 33 3 2 Chronicles 20. 9. 9 saying, If evil come upon us, Hhe sword, judgement, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house, and before thee, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, and thou wilt 10 hear and save. And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned aside from them, and 1 1 destroyed them not ; behold, how they reward us, to come to cast us 12 out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit. O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us ; neither know we what to do : but 13 our eyes are upon thee. And all Judah stood before the Lord, with 14 their little ones, their wives, and their children. Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, the Levite, of the sons of Asaph, came the spirit of the 15 Lord in the midst of the congregation; and he said. Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat : thus saith the Lord unto you. Fear not ye, neither be dismayed by reason of this great multitude ; for the battle is not yours, but God's. 16 To-morrow go ye down against them : behold, they come up by the ascent of Ziz ; and ye shall find them at the end of the valley, before 17 the wilderness of Jeruel. Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you, Judah and Jerusalem : fear not, nor be dismayed : to-morrow go out 18 against them; for the Lord is with you. And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground : and all Judah and the inhabitants of 19 Jerusalem fell down before the Lord, worshipping the Lord. And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites and of the children of the Korahites, stood up to praise the Lord, the God of Israel, with an 20 exceeding loud voice. And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa : and as they went forth, Jehosha- phat stood and said. Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem ; believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established ; 21 believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper. And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed them that should sing unto the Lord, and praise ^ the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and say. Give thanks unto the Lord ; for his mercy efidureth for 22 ever. And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set liers in wait against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which 23 were come against Judah ; and they were smitten. For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them : and when they had made an end of 24 the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another. And when Judah came to the watch-tower of the wilderness, they looked upon the multitude ; and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the 25 earth, and there were none that escaped. And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches and Mead bodies, and precious jewels, which 1 Or, the sword of judgement ^ According to some ancient authorities, 2 Or, in the beauty of holiness garments. 34 2 Chronicles 20. 25. they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away : and 26 they were three days in taking of the spoil, it was so much. And on the fourth day they assembled themselves in the valley of ^ Beracah ; for there they blessed the Lord : therefore the name of that place was 27 called The valley of ^Beracah, unto this day. Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat in the forefront of them, to go again to Jerusalem with joy ; for the Lord had made 28 them to rejoice over their enemies. And they came to Jerusalem with 29 psalteries and harps and trumpets unto the house of the Lord. And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of the countries, when they 30 heard that the Lord fought against the enemies of Israel. So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet : for his God gave him rest round about. I Kings 22. 41. 41 And Jehoshaphat the son of Asa began to reign over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king 42 of Israel. Jehoshaphat was thirty and five years old when he began to reign ; and he reigned twenty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Azubah 43 the daughter of Shilhi. And he walked in all the way of Asa his father; he turned not aside from it, doing that which was right in the eyes of the Lord : howbeit the high places were not taken away ; the people still sacrificed and burnt incense in the 44 high places. And Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of 45 Israel. Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, and his might that he shewed, and how he warred, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of 46 the kings of Judah? And the remnant of the sodomites, which remained in the days of his father Asa, he put away out of 47 the land. And there was no king 2 Chronicles 20. 31. 31 And Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah : he was thirty and five years old when he began to reign ; and he reigned twenty and five years in Jerusalem : and his mother's name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi. 32 And he walked in the way of Asa his father, and turned not aside from it, doing that which was right in the eyes of the 33 Lord. Howbeit the high places were not taken away ; neither as yet had the people set their hearts unto the God of their 34 fathers. Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, first and last, behold, they are written in the ' history of Jehu the son of Hanani, - which is inserted in the book of the kings of Israel. 35 And after this did Jehosha- phat king of Judah join himself with Ahaziah king of Israel ; the 36 same did very wickedly : and he joined himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish : and they made the ships in ^ That is, Blessing. ^ Heb. words. 2 Or, xuho is mentioned 35 3—2 I Kings 22. 47. in Edom : a deputy was king. 48 Jehoshaphat made ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold : but they went not ; for the ships 49 were broken at Ezion-geber. Then said Ahaziah the son of Ahab unto Jehoshaphat, Let my ser- vants go with thy servants in the ships. But Jehoshaphat 50 would not. And Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father : and Jehoram his son reigned in his stead. 2 Chronicles 20. 37. 37 Ezion-geber. Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because thou hast joined thyself with Ahaziah, the Lord hath ^ destroyed thy works. And the ships were broken, that they were not able to go to Tarshish. I 51 Ahaziah the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned two years over 52 Israel. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of his father, and in the way of his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, ^ wherein he made Israel to sin. 53 And he served Baal, and wor- shipped him, and provoked to anger the Lord, the God of Israel, according to all that his father had done. 2 Kings 1. I. I, 2 And Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab. And Ahaziah fell down through the lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria, and was sick : and he sent messengers, and said unto them, Go, inquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron whether I shall recover of 3 this sickness. But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say unto them, Is it because there is no God in Israel, that ye go to inquire ^ Or, who ffiade ^ Or, made a breach in 36 I 2 Kings 1. 4. 4 of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron ? Now therefore thus saith the Lord, Thou shalt not come down from the bed whither thou art gone up, but 5 shalt surely die. And Elijah departed. And the messengers returned unto him, and he said unto them, Why is it that ye are returned? 6 And they said unto him, There came up a man to meet us, and said unto us, Go, turn again unto the king that sent you, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Is it because there is no God in Israel, that thou sendest to inquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron? therefore thou shalt not come down from the bed whither thou art gone up, but shalt 7 surely die. And he said unto them. What manner of man was he 8 which came up to meet you, and told you these words? And they answered him. He was ^ an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather 9 about his loins. And he said. It is Elijah the Tishbite. Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him : and, behold, he ^ sat on the top of the hill. And he spake unto him, 10 O man of God, the king hath said. Come down. And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty. If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came 1 1 down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty. And again he sent unto him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he answered and said unto him, O man of God, thus hath the king said. Come down 1 2 quickly. And Elijah answered and said unto them. If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and 13 his fifty. And again he sent the captain of a third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and besought him, and said unto him, O man of God, I pray thee, let my life, and the life of these fifty thy servants, be 14 precious in thy sight. Behold, there came fire down from heaven, and consumed the two former captains of fifty with their fifties : but now let 15 my life be precious in thy sight. And the angel of the Lord said unto Elijah, Go down with him : be not afraid of him. And he arose, and 16 went down with him unto the king. And he said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Forasmuch as thou hast sent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron, is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of his word ? therefore thou shalt not come down from the bed 1 7 whither thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. So he died according to the word of the Lord which Elijah had spoken. And Jehoram began to reign in his stead in the second year of Jehoram the son of 18 Jehoshaphat king of Judah; because he had no son. Now the rest of the acts of Ahaziah which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel ? 2 And it came to pass, when the Lord would take up Elijah by a 2 whirlwind into heaven, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee ; for the Lord hath sent me as far as Beth-el. And EHsha said, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Beth-el. Or, a man with a garment of hair - Or, divelt 37 2 Kings 2. 3. 3 And the sons of the prophets that were at Beth-el came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head to-day? And he said, Yea, I know it; hold ye 4 your peace. And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee ; for the Lord hath sent me to Jericho. And he said. As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to 5 Jericho. And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came near to Ehsha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head to-day? And he answered, Yea, I 6 know it ; hold ye your peace. And Elijah said unto him. Tarry here, I pray thee ; for the Lord hath sent me to Jordan. And he said. As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And 7 they two went on. And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood over against them afar off: and they two stood by Jordan. 8 And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went 9 over on dry ground. And it came to pass, ' when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let "a double 10 portion of thy spirit be upon me. And he said. Thou hast asked a hard thing : nevertheless^ if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall 11 be so unto thee ; but if not, it shall not be so. And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared '^ tx. chariot of fire, and horses of fire, which parted them both asunder; and Elijah 1 2 went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried. My father, my father, the "* chariots of Israel and the horsemen thereof ! And he saw him no more : and he took hold of his own clothes, and 13 rent them in two pieces. He took up also the mantle of Elijah that 14 fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan. And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and -said. Where is the Lord, 'the God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they were divided hither and thither : and 15 Elisha went over. And when the sons of the prophets which were at Jericho over against him saw him, they said. The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to 16 the ground before him. And they said unto him, Behold now, there be with thy servants fifty strong men ; let them go, we pray thee, and seek thy master : lest peradventure the spirit of the Lord hath taken him up, and cast him upon some mountain, or into some valley. And 17 he said. Ye shall not send. And when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, Send. They sent therefore fifty men ; and they 18 sought three days, but found him not. And they came back to him, while he tarried at Jericho ; and he said unto them, Did I not say unto you. Go not ? ^ Or, as they wait 4 Or, chariot - That is, the portion of the firstborn. ^ Or, the God of Elijah, even he? and See Deut. xxi. 17. when he had smitten &^c. ''' Or, chariots 38 2 Kings 2. 19. 19 And the men of the city said unto Elisha, Behold, we pray thee, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord seeth : but the water is 20 naught, and the land ' miscarrieth. And he said, Bring me a new cruse, 21 and put salt therein. And they brought it to him. And he went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast salt therein, and said, Thus saith the Lord, I have healed these waters ; there shall not be from thence 22 any more death or "miscarrying. So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the word of Elisha which he spake. 23 And he went up from thence unto Beth-el : and as he was going up by the way, there came forth Mittle children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him. Go up, thou bald head ; go up, thou 24 bald head. And he looked behind him and saw them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord. And there came forth two she-bears 25 out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them. And he went from thence to mount Carmel, and from thence he returned to Samaria. 3 Now J eh Oram the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned 2 twelve years. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord ; but not like his father, and like his mother : for he put away the 3 " pillar of Baal that his father had made. Nevertheless he cleaved unto the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, wherewith he made Israel to sin ; he departed not therefrom. 4 Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheepmaster ; and he rendered unto the king of Israel ^ the wool of an hundred thousand lambs, and of an 5 hundred thousand rams. But it came to pass, when Ahab was dead, 6 that the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. And king Jehoram went out of Samaria at that time, and mustered all Israel. 7 And he went and sent to Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, saying, The king of Moab hath rebelled against me : wilt thou go with me against Moab to battle? And he said, I will go up : I am as thou art, my 8 people as thy people, my horses as thy horses. And he said, Which way shall we go up ? And he answered, The way of the wilderness of 9 Edom. So the king of Israel went, and the king of Judah, and the king of Edom : and they made a circuit of seven days' journey : and there was no water for the host, nor for the beasts that followed them. 10 And the king of Israel said, Alas ! for the Lord hath called these three 1 1 kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab. But Jehosha- phat said. Is there not here a prophet of the Lord, that we may inquire of the Lord by him ? And one of the king of Israel's servants answered and said, Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, which poured water on the 12 hands of Elijah. And Jehoshaphat said, The word of the Lord is with him. So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of 13 Edom went down to him. And Elisha said unto the king of Israel, What have I to do with thee ? get thee to the prophets of thy father, and to the prophets of thy mother. And the king of Israel said unto ^ Or, casteth her fruit - Or, casting of fruit ^ Or, young lads ■* Or, obelisk ■'' Or, an hundred thousand lambs, and an hundred thousand ratns, with the wool 39 2 Kings 3. 13. him, Nay : for the Lord hath called these three kings together to 14 deliver them into the hand of Moab. And Elisha said, As the Lord of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, surely, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look toward 15 thee, nor see thee. But now bring me a minstrel. And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the Lord came upon 16 him. And he said. Thus saith the Lord, Make this valley full of 17 trenches. For thus saith the Lord, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain, yet that valley shall be filled with water : and ye shall 18 drink, both ye and your cattle and your beasts. And this is but a light thing in the sight of the Lord : he will also deliver the Moabites into 19 your hand. And ye shall smite every fenced city, and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree, and stop all fountains of water, and 20 mar every good piece of land with stones. And it came to pass in the morning, about the time of offering the oblation, that, behold, there came water by the way of Edom, and the country was filled with water. 2 1 Now when all the Moabites heard that the kings were come up to fight against them, they ' gathered themselves together, all that were able to 22 ^put on armour, and upward, and stood on the border. And they rose up early in the morning, and the sun shone upon the water, and the 23 Moabites saw the water over against them as red as blood : and they said, This is blood ; the kings ^ are surely destroyed, and they have 24 smitten each man his fellow : now therefore, Moab, to the spoil. And when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and smote the Moabites, so that they fled before them : and they went forward 25 ^into the land smiting the Moabites. And they beat down the cities; and on every good piece of land they cast every man his stone, and filled it ; and they stopped all the fountains of water, and felled all the good trees: until in Kir-hareseth only they left the stones thereof; 26 howbeit the slingers went about it, and smote it. And when the king of Moab saw that the battle was too sore for him, he took with him seven hundred men that drew sword, to break through unto the king of 27 Edom : but they could not. Then he took his eldest son that should have reigned in his stead, and offered him for a burnt offering upon the wall. And ^ there was great wrath against Israel : and they departed from him, and returned to their own land. 4 Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying. Thy servant my husband is dead : and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the Lord : and the creditor is 2 come to take unto him my two children to be bondmen. And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee ? tell me ; what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the 3 house, save a pot of oil. Then he said. Go, borrow thee vessels abroad 4 of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels ; borrow not a few. And thou shalt go in, and shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and ' Or, were called together ^ Heb. into it. - Heb. gird themselves with a girdle. ^ Or, there came great wrath upon Is- ^ Or, have surely fought together rael 40 2 Kings 4. 4. pour out into all those vessels ; and thou shalt set aside that which is 5 full. So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her 6 sons ; they brought the vessels to her, and she poured out. And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her. There is not a vessel more. And 7 the oil stayed. Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy sons of the rest. 8 And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great woman ; and she constrained him to eat bread. And so it was, that as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread. 9 And she said unto her husband. Behold now, I perceive that this is 10 an holy man of God, which passeth by us continually. Let us make, I pray thee, a little chamber ^ on the wall ; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick : and it shall be, when 11 he Cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither. And it fell on a day, that he came thither, and he turned into the chamber and lay there. 12 And he said to Gehazi his servant. Call this Shunammite. And when 13 he had called her, she stood before him. And he said unto him. Say now unto her. Behold, thou hast ^ been careful for us with all this care ; what is to be done for thee ? wouldest thou be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of the host ? And she answered, I dwell among mine 14 own people. And he said, What then is to be done for her? And 15 Gehazi answered. Verily she hath no son, and her husband is old. And he said. Call her. And when he had called her, she stood in the door. 16 And he said. At this season, when the time '''cometh round, thou shalt embrace a son. And she said, Nay, my lord, thou man of God, do not 17 lie unto thine handmaid. And the woman conceived, and bare a son at that season, when the time came round, as Elisha had said unto her. 18 And when the child was grown, it fell on a day, that he went out to his 19 father to the reapers. And he said unto his father. My head, my head. 20 And he said to his servant. Carry him to his mother. And when he had taken him, and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till 21 noon, and then died. And she went up, and laid him on the bed of 22 the man of God, and shut the door upon him, and went out. And she called unto her husband, and said. Send me, I pray thee, one of the servants, and one of the asses, that I may run to the man of God, and 23 come again. And he said. Wherefore wilt thou go to him to-day ? it is 24 neither new moon nor sabbath. And she said, * It shall be well. Then she saddled an ass, and said to her servant, Drive, and go forward ; 25 slacken me not the riding, except I bid thee. So she went, and came unto the man of God to mount Carmel. And it came to pass, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to Gehazi his servant, 26 Behold, yonder is the Shunammite: run, I pray thee, now to meet her, and say unto her, Is it well with thee? is it well with thy husband? is 27 it well with the child? And she answered. It is well. And when she ^ Or, with walls ^ Heb. liveth, or, reviveth. • Or, shewed tis all this reverence ■* Heb. Peace. 41 2 Kings 4. 27. came to the man of God to the hill, she caught hold of his feet. And Gehazi came near to thrust her away ; but the man of God said, Let her alone : for her soul is ^ vexed within her ; and the Lord hath hid it 28 from me, and hath not told me. Then she said. Did I desire a son of 29 my lord? did I not say, Do not deceive me? Then he said to Gehazi, Gird up thy loins, and take my staff in thine hand, and go thy way : if thou meet any man, salute him not ; and if any salute thee, answer him 30 not again : and lay my staff upon the face of the child. And the mother of the child said. As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not 31 leave thee. And he arose, and followed her. And Gehazi passed on before them, and laid the staff upon the face of the child; but there was neither voice, nor ' hearing. Wherefore he returned to meet him, and 32 told him, saying. The child is not awaked. And when Elisha was come 33 into the house, behold, the child was dead, and laid upon his bed. He went in therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and prayed unto 34 the Lord. And he went up, and lay upon the child, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands : and he ^stretched himself upon him ; and the flesh of the child 35 waxed warm. Then he returned, and walked in the house once to and fro ; and went up, and ^stretched himself upon him : "and the child 36 sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes. And he called Gehazi, and said, Call this Shunammite. So he called her. And when 37 she was come in unto him, he said, Take up thy son. Then she went in, and fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the ground ; and she took up her son, and went out. 38 And Elisha came again to Gilgal : and there was a dearth in the land ; and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him : and he said unto his servant, Set on the great pot, and seethe pottage for the 39 sons of the prophets. And one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered thereof wild gourds his lap full, and came and shred them into the pot of pottage : for they knew them 40 not. So they poured out for the men to eat. And it came to pass, as they were eating of the pottage, that they cried out, and said, O man of 41 God, there is death in the pot. And they could not eat thereof. But he said, Then bring meal. And he cast it into the pot ; and he said. Pour out for the people, that they may eat. And there was no ^harm in the pot. 42 And there came a man from Baal-shalishah, and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley, and fresh ears of corn in ''his sack. And he said. Give unto the people, that they may 43 eat. And his ^ servant said. What, should I set this before an hundred men ? But he said, Give the people, that they may eat ; for thus saith 44 the Lord, They shall eat, and shall leave thereof. So he set it before them, and they did eat, and left thereof, according to the word of the Lord. 1 Heb. bitter. - Heb. attention. ^ Or, bowed himself ■* Or, and einbraced the child ^ Heb. evil thing. '° Or, the husk thereof ^ Or, minister 42 2 Kings 5. I. 5 Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man ^ with his master, and honourable, because by him the Lord had given -victory unto Syria: he was also a mighty man of valour, but he 2 was a leper. And the Syrians had gone out in bands, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid ; and she ^ waited on 3 Naaman's wife. And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord were ' with the prophet that is in Samaria ! then would he recover him 4 of his leprosy. And ■* one went in, and told his lord, saying. Thus and 5 thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel. And the king of Syria said, Go to, go, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand 6 ^pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment. And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying. And now when this letter is come unto thee, behold, I have sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest 7 recover him of his leprosy. And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes, and said. Am I God, to kill and to make ahve, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy ? but consider, I pray you, and see how he 8 seeketh ^ a quarrel against me. And it was so, when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying. Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes ? let him come 9 now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel. So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariots, and stood at the 10 door of the house of Elisha. And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying. Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come 1 1 again to thee, and '' thou shalt be clean. But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said. Behold, I thought. He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the Eord his God, and wave 12 his hand over the place, and recover the leper. Are not ^Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and 13 went away in a rage. And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said. My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it ? how much rather then, when he 14 saith to thee, Wash, and be clean ? Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God : and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and 15 he was clean. And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him : and he said. Behold now, I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel : now there- 16 fore, I pray thee, take a ** present of thy servant. But he said. As the Lord liveth, before whom I stand, I will receive none. And he urged 17 him to take it; but he refused. And Naaman said. If not, yet I pray thee let there be given to thy servant two mules' burden of earth ; for ^ Heb. before. •* Or, an occasion - Heb. salvation. ^ Heb. be thou clean. •^ Heb. was before. ^ Another reading is, Anianah. -* Or, he ^ Heb. blessing. ^ Or, shekels 43 2 Kings 5. 17. thy servant will henceforth offer neither burnt offering nor sacrifice unto 18 other gods, but unto the Lord. In this thing the Lord pardon thy servant ; when my master goeth into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he leaneth on my hand, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, when I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, the Lord 19 pardon thy servant in this thing. And he said unto him, Go in peace. So he departed from him ^ a little way. 20 But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, Behold, my master hath spared this Naaman the Syrian, in not receiving at his hands that which he brought : as the Lord Hveth, I will run after him, 21 and take somewhat of him. So Gehazi followed after Naaman. And when Naaman saw one running after him, he lighted down from the 22 chariot to meet him, and said, Is all well? And he said, All is well. My master hath sent me, saying. Behold, even now there be come to me from the hill country of Ephraim two young men of the sons of the prophets ; give them, I pray thee, a talent of silver, and two changes of 23 raiment. And Naaman said. Be content, take two talents. And he urged him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of raiment, and laid them upon two of his servants ; and they 24 bare them before him. And when he came to the ^ hill, he took them from their hand, and bestowed them in the house : and he let the men 25 go, and they departed. But he went in, and stood before his master. And EHsha said unto him, Whence comest thou, Gehazi? And he 26 said. Thy servant went no whither. And he said unto him, ^Went not mine heart with thee, when the man turned again from his chariot to meet thee? Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments, and oliveyards and vineyards, and sheep and oxen, and menservants 27 and maidservants? The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow. 6 And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold now, the 2 place where we dwell before thee is too strait for us. Let us go, we pray thee, unto Jordan, and take thence every man a beam, and let us make us a place there, where we may dwell. And he answered. Go ye. 3 And one said, Be content, I pray thee, and go with thy servants. And 4 he answered, I will go. So he went with them. And when they came 5 to Jordan, they cut down wood. But as one was felling a beam, the axe-head fell into the water : and he cried, and said, Alas, my master ! 6 for it was borrowed. And the man of God said. Where fell it ? And he shewed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in 7 thither, and ^ made the iron to swim. And he said. Take it up to thee. So he put out his hand, and took it. 8 Now the king of Syria warred against Israel ; and he took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my ^ camp. 9 And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying. Beware that thou pass not such a place ; for thither the Syrians are coming down. 1 Or, some tuay when <&c. - Heb. Ophel. ^ Or, the iron did swim ^ Or, Mine heart went not from nie, ^ Or, encamping 44 i 2 Kings 6. 10. 10 And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of; and he saved himself there, not once nor 1 1 twice. And the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not shew 12 me which of us is for the king of Israel? And one of his servants said, Nay, my lord, O king : but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber. 13 And he said, Go and see where he is, that I may send and fetch him. 14 And it was told him, saying. Behold, he is in Dothan. Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host : and they came by 15 night, and compassed the city about. And when the ^servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host with horses and chariots was round about the city. And his servant said 16 unto him, Alas, my master ! how shall we do? And he answered. Fear not : for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. 17 And Elisha prayed, and said. Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man ; and he saw : and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire 18 round about EHsha. And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the Lord, and said, Smite this ^ people, I pray thee, with blind- ness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of 19 Elisha. And EUsha said unto them, This is not the way, neither is this the city : follow me. and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek. 20 And he led them to Samaria. And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that EHsha said, Lord, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. And the Lord opened their eyes, and they saw ; 21 and, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria. And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them ? 22 shall I smite them? And he answered, Thou shalt not smite them: wouldest thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow ? set bread and water before them, that they 23 may eat and drink, and go to their master. And he prepared great provision for them : and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. And the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel. 24 And it came to pass after this, that Ben-hadad king of Syria gathered 25 all his host, and went up, and besieged Samaria. And there was a great famine in Samaria : and, behold, they besieged it, until an ass's head was sold for fourscore '^pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a kab of 26 dove's dung for five ''^pieces of silver. And as the king of Israel was passing by upon the wall, there cried a woman unto him, saying. Help, 27 my lord, O king. And he said, ^ If the Lord do not help thee, whence shall I help thee ? out of the threshing-floor, or out of the winepress ? 28 And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, This woman said unto me. Give thy son, that we may eat him to-day, 29 and we will eat my son to-morrow. So we boiled my son, and did eat him : and I said unto her on the next day. Give thy son, that we may ^ Or, minister '^ Or, shekels - Heb. nation. "* Or, Nay, let the Lord help thee 45 2 Kings 6. 29. 30 eat him : and she hath hid her son. And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the woman, that he rent his clothes ; (now he was passing by upon the wall ;) and the people looked, and, behold, he 31 had sackcloth within upon his flesh. Then he said, God do so to me, and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat shall stand on 32 him this day. But Elisha sat in his house, and the elders sat with him ; and the king sent a man from before him : but ere the messenger came to him, he said to the elders. See ye how this son of a murderer hath sent to take away mine head ? look, when the messenger cometh, shut the door, and ^ hold the door fast against him : is not the sound of his 33 master's feet behind him ? And while he yet talked with them, behold, the messenger came down unto him : and he said. Behold, this evil is 7 of the Lord ; why should I wait for the Lord any longer ? And Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the Lord : thus saith the Lord, To-morrow about this time shall a ^measure of fine flour be sold (or a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria. 2 Then the captain on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if the Lord should make windows in heaven, might this thing be ? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof 3 Now there were four leprous men at the entering in of the gate : and 4 they said one to another. Why sit we here until we die? If we say, We will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city, and we shall die there : and if we sit still here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let us fall unto the host of the Syrians : if they save us aUve, we shall 5 live ; and if they kill us, we shall but die. And they rose up in the twilight, to go unto the camp of the Syrians : and when they were come to the outermost part of the camp of the Syrians, behold, there was no 6 man there. For the Lord had made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses, even the noise of a great host : and they said one to another, Lo, the king of Israel hath hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come 7 upon us. Wherefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents, and their horses, and their asses, even the camp as it was, and 8 fled for their life. And when these lepers came to the outermost part of the camp, they went into one tent, and did eat and drink, and carried thence silver, and gold, and raiment, and went and hid it; and they came back, and entered into another tent, and carried thence also, and 9 went and hid it. Then they said one to another, We do not well : this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace : if we tarry till the morning light, ^punishment will overtake us : now therefore come, let 10 us go and tell the king's household. So they came and called unto the ''porter of the city: and they told them, saying. We came to the camp of the Syrians, and, behold, there was no man there, neither voice of man, but the horses tied, and the asses tied, and the tents as they 11 were. And *he called the porters; and they told it to the king's house- ^ Heb. thrust him back with the door. ^ Or, porters 2 Heb. seah. ' Or, the porters called ^ Or, our iniquity will find us out 46 2 Kings 7. 12. 12 hold within. And the king arose in the night, and said unto his servants, I will now shew you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we be hungry; therefore are they gone out of the camp to hide themselves in the field, saying, When they come out of the city, 13 we shall take them alive, and get into the city. And one of his servants answered and said. Let some take, I pray thee, five of the horses that remain, which are left Mn the city, (behold, they are as all the multitude of Israel that are left in it ; behold, they are as all the multitude of 14 Israel that are consumed :) and let us send and see. They took there- fore two chariots with horses ; and the king sent after the host of the 15 Syrians, saying. Go and see. And they went after them unto Jordan: and, lo, all the way was full of garments and vessels, which the Syrians had cast away in their haste. And the messengers returned, and told 16 the king. And the people went out, and spoiled the camp of the Syrians. So a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the Lord. 17 And the king appointed the captain on whose hand he leaned to have the charge of the gate : and the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died as the man of God had said, who spake when the king came 18 down to him. And it came to pass, as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, Two measures of barley for a shekel, and a measure of fine flour for a shekel, shall be to-morrow about this time in the gate of 19 Samaria; and that captain answered the man of God, and said. Now, behold, if the Lord should make windows in heaven, might such a thing be.? and he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but 20 shalt not eat thereof: it came to pass even so unto him ; for the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died. 8 Now Elisha had spoken unto the woman, whose son he had restored to life, saying. Arise, and go thou and thine household, and sojourn where- soever thou canst sojourn : for the Lord hath called for a famine ; and 2 it shall also come upon the land seven years. And the woman arose, and did according to the word of the man of God : and she went with her household, and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years. 3 And it came to pass at the seven years' end, that the woman returned out of the land of the Philistines : and she went forth to cry unto the 4 king for her house and for her land. Now the king was talking with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying. Tell me, I pray thee, all 5 the great things that Elisha hath done. And it came to pass, as he was telling the king how he had restored to life him that was dead, that, behold, the woman, whose son he had restored to life, cried to the king for her house and for her land. And Gehazi said. My lord, O king, this is the woman, and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life. 6 And when the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed unto her a certain '^ofiicer, saying. Restore all that was hers, and all the fruits of the field since the day that she left the land, even until now. 7 And Elisha came to Damascus ; and Ben-hadad the king of Syria was sick ; and it was told him, saying. The man of God is come hither. ^ Heb. in it. 2 Qr, eunuch 47 2 Kings 8. 8. 8 And the king said unto Hazael, Take a present in thine hand, and go meet the man of God, and inquire of the Lord by him, saying, Shall I 9 recover of this sickness ? So Hazael went to meet him, and took a present ^with him, ^even of every good thing of Damascus, forty camels' burden, and came and stood before him, and said, Thy son Ben-hadad king of Syria hath sent me to thee, saying, Shall I recover 10 of this sickness? And Elisha said unto him, Go, -^say unto him. Thou shalt surely recover ; howbeit the Lord hath shewed me that he shall 11 surely die. And he settled his countenance stedfastly upon him, until 12 he was ashamed : and the man of God wept. And Hazael said, Why weepeth my lord ? And he answered, Because I know the evil that thou wilt do unto the children of Israel : their strong holds wilt thou set on fire, and their young men wilt thou slay with the sword, and wilt 13 dash in pieces their little ones, and rip up their women with child. And Hazael said. But what is thy servant, which is but a dog, that he should do this great thing ? And Elisha answered. The Lord hath shewed me 14 that thou shalt be king over Syria. Then he departed from Elisha, and came to his master ; who said to him, What said Elisha to thee ? 15 And he answered, He told me that thou shouldest surely recover. And it came to pass on the morrow, that he took the coverlet, and dipped it in water, and spread it on his face, so that he died: and Hazael reigned in his stead. 2 Kings 8. 16. 16 And in the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel, ^Jehoshaphat being then king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah began to reign. ■^ Heb. in his hand. - Or, and ^ According to another reading, say, Thou shalt not recover : for the Lord (&€. ^ Some ancient authorities omit the words Jehoshaphat being then king of Judah. 2 Chronicles 21. i. 21 And Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David : and Jehoram his son reigned in his 2 stead. And he had brethren the sons of Jehoshaphat, Azariah, and Jehiel, and Zechariah, and Azariah, and Michael, and She- phatiah : all these were the sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel. 3 And their father gave them great gifts, of silver, and of gold, and of precious things, with fenced cities in Judah : but the kingdom gave he to Jehoram, because he 48 2 Kings 8. 17. 2 Chronicles 21. 4. 17 Thirty and two years old was he when he began to reign ; and he reigned eight years in Jeru- 18 salem. And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as did the house of Ahab : for he had 'the daughter of Ahab to wife : and he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord. 19 Howbeit the Lord would not destroy Judah, for David his servant's sake, as he promised him to give unto him a lamp 20 ^for his children alway. In his days Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah, and made a 21 king over themselves. Then J Oram passed over to Zair, and all his chariots with him : and he rose up by night, and smote the Edomites which compassed him about, and the captains of the chariots : and the people fled to 22 their tents. So Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah, unto this day. Then did Libnah 23 revolt at the same time. And the rest of the acts of Joram, and all that he did, are they not writ- ten in the book of the chronicles 24 of the kings of Judah ? And Joram slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David : and Ahaziah his son reigned in his stead. ^ See ver, 26. - Another reading is, and to his chil- dren. 4 was the firstborn. Now when Jehoram was risen up over the kingdom of his father, and had strengthened himself, he slew all his brethren with the sword, and divers also of the princes of 5 Israel. Jehoram was thirty and two years old when he began to reign ; and he reigned eight years 6 in Jerusalem. And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as did the house of Ahab : for he had the daughter of Ahab to wife : and he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord. 7 Howbeit the Lord would not destroy the house of David, be- cause of the covenant that he had made with David, and as he promised to give a lamp to him 8 and to his children alway. In his days Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah, and made a king over themselves. 9 Then Jehoram passed over with his captains, and all his chariots with him : and he rose up by night, and smote the Edomites which compassed him about, and 10 the captains of the chariots. So Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah, unto this day : then did Libnah revolt at the same time from under his hand : because he had forsaken the Lord, the God of his fathers. 11 Moreover he made high places in the 'mountains of Judah, and made the inhabitants of Jerusa- lem to go a whoring, and ^led 12 Judah astray. And there came a writing to him from Elijah the prophet, saying. Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father, Because thou hast not walked in the ways of Jehosha- ^ According to some ancient authorities, cities. - Or, compelled Judah thereto S. 49 2 Chronicles 21. 12. phat thy father, nor in the ways 13 of Asa king of Judah ; but hast walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and hast made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to go a whoring, like as the house of Ahab Mid , and also hast slain thy brethren of thy father's house, which were better than thyself: 14 behold, the Lord will smite with a great ^plague thy people, and thy children, and thy wives, and 15 all thy substance : and thou shalt have great sickness by disease of thy bowels, until thy bowels fall out by reason of the sickness, 16 May by day. And the Lord stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines, and of the Arabians which are beside 17 the Ethiopians: and they came up against Judah, and brake into it, and carried away all the substance that was found '^in the king's house, and his sons also, and his wives ; so that there was never a son left him, save ^Je- hoahaz, the youngest of his sons. 18 And after all this the Lord smote him in his bowels with an 19 incurable disease. And it came to pass, in process of time, at the end of two years, that his bowels fell out by reason of his sickness, and he died of sore diseases. And his people made no burning for him, like the burning of his 20 fathers. Thirty and two years ' old was he when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jeru- salem eight years : and he de- parted without being desired; and they buried him in the city of David, but not in the sepul- chres of the kings. ^ Heb. viade to go a whoring. 2 Heb. stroke. ^ Or, year after year * Or, belonging to ^ In ch. xxii. i, Ahaziah. 50 2 Kings 8. 25. 2 Chronicles 22. i. \ 25 In the twelfth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel did Ahaziah the son of Jeho- ram king of Judah begin to reign. 26 Two and twenty years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign; and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Athaliah the 'daughter 27 of Omri king of Israel. And he walked in the way of the house of Ahab, and did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, as did the house of Ahab : for he was the son in law of the house 28 of Ahab. And he went with Joram the son of Ahab to war against Hazael king of Syria at Ramoth-gilead : and the Syrians 29 wounded Joram. And king Jo- ram returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Syrians had given him at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. And Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick. 22 And the inhabitants of Je- rusalem made ^Ahaziah his youngest son king in his stead : for the band of men that came with the Arabians to the camp had slain all the eldest. So Ahaziah the son of Jehoram 2 king of Judah reigned. Forty and two years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign ; and he reigned one year in Jerusalem : and his mother's name was Atha- 3 Hah the ^daughter of Omri. He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab : for his mother was his counsellor to do wickedly. 4 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, as did the house of Ahab : for they were his counsellors after the death of his father, to his destruction. 5 He walked also after their coun- sel, and went with Jehoram the son of Ahab king of Israel to war against Hazael king of Syria at Ramoth-gilead : and the Syrians 6 wounded Joram. And he re- turned to be healed in Jezreel ^of the wounds which they had given him at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. And "^Azariah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Jehoram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick. 9 And Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets, and said unto him. Gird up thy loins, and take this vial of oil in thine hand, and go to Ramoth- 2 gilead. And when thou comest thither, look out there Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi, and go in, and make him arise up from among his brethren, and carry him to an inner ^ Qx^ gratid-daughter See ver. 18. ^ In ch. xxi. 1 7, Jehoahaz. ^ Or, grand-daughter " So in -2 Kings viii. 29, and in the Sept. and Syriac versions. The text has, because the 7voiinds which ^c. ^ In ver. i, Ahaziah. 51 2 Kings 9. 3. 3 chamber. Then take the vial of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, Thus saith the Lord, I have anointed thee king over Israel. Then open the door, 4 and flee, and tarry not. So the young man, even the young man the prophet, went to Ramoth- 5 gilead. And when he came, behold, the captains of the host were sitting ; and he said, I have an errand to thee, O captain. And Jehu said, Unto which of all us? And he said, To thee, 6 O captain. And he arose, and went into the house; and he poured the oil on his head, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, I have anointed thee king over the people of the Lord, even over 7 Israel. And thou shalt smite the house of Ahab thy master, that I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord, at the hand of Jezebel. 8 For the whole house of Ahab shall perish : and I will cut off from Ahab every man child, and him that is shut up and him that 9 is left at large in Israel. And I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of 10 Baasha the son of Ahijah. And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the portion of Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her. And he 11 opened the door, and fled. Then Jehu came forth to the servants of his lord : and one said unto him, Is all well? wherefore came this mad fellow to thee? And he said unto them, Ye know the man and what his talk was. 1 2 And they said, It is false ; tell us now. And he said, Thus and thus spake he to me, saying. Thus saith the Lord, I have 52 2 Kings 9. 12. anointed thee king over Israel. 13 Then they hasted, and took every man his garment, and put it under him ^on the top of the stairs, and blew the trumpet, 14 saying, Jehu is king. So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi conspired against Jo- ram. (Now Joram kept Ramoth- gilead, he and all Israel, because 15 of Hazael king of Syria : but king ^Joram was returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Syrians had given him, when he fought with Hazael king of Syria.) And Jehu said, If this be your mind, then let none escape and go forth out of the city, to go to tell it in Jezreel. 16 So Jehu rode in a chariot, and went to Jezreel ; for Joram lay there. And Ahaziah king of Judah was come down to see 1 7 Joram. Now the watchman stood on the tower in Jezreel, and he spied the company of Jehu as he came, and said, I see a company. And Joram said. Take an horse- man, and send to meet them, and let him say, ^Is it peace? 18 So there went one on horseback to meet him, and said, Thus saith the king, Is it peace? And Jehu said. What hast thou do with peace? turn thee behind me. And the watchman told, saying, The messenger came to them, 19 but he cometh not again. Then he sent out a second on horse- back, which came to them, and said, Thus saith the king, Is it peace? And Jehu answered, What hast thou to do with peace? turn thee behind me. 20 And the watchman told, saying, ^ Or, on the bare steps ^ Heb. yekoram, and in vv. 17, 21, 22, 23, 24. 3 Or, Is all well? 53 2 Kings 9. 20. He came even unto them, and cometh not again : and the driving is hke the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi ; for he 21 driveth furiously. And J Oram said, ^Make ready. And they made ready his chariot. And Jo- ram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his chariot, and they went out to meet Jehu, and found him in the portion of Naboth the Jez- 22 reelite. And it came to pass, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said. Is it peace, Jehu ? And he answered, What peace, so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are 23 so many? And Joram turned his hands, and fled, and said to Ahaziah, There is treachery, O 24 Ahaziah. And Jehu ^drew his bow with his full strength, and smote Joram between his arms, and the arrow went out at his heart, and he sunk down in his 25 chariot. Then ^z\AJehu\.Q Bid- kar his captain. Take up, and cast him in the portion of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite : for remember how that, when I and thou rode together after Ahab his father, the Lord ^laid 26 this burden upon him ; Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth, and the blood of his sons, saith the Lord ; and I will requite thee in this ^plat, saith the Lord. Now therefore take and cast him into the plat of ground, according to the word of 27 the Lord. But when Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this, he fled by the way of the garden house. And Jehu followed after 1 Or, Yoke - Yleh. filled his hand with the bow. ^ Or, uttered this oracle against him ^ Ot, portion 2 Chronicles 22. 7. 7 Now the destruction of Aha- ziah was of God, in that he went unto Joram : for when he was come, he went out with Jehoram against Jehu the son of Nimshi, whom the Lord had anointed to 8 cut ofif the house of Ahab. And it came to pass, when Jehu was executing judgement upon the house of Ahab, that he found the princes of Judah, and the sons of the brethren of Ahaziah, ministering to Ahaziah, and slew them. 9 And he sought Ahaziah, and they caught him, (now he was hiding in Samaria,) and they brought him to Jehu, and slew him ; and they buried him, for they said, He is the son of Jeho- ^ Heb. treading down. 54 2 Kings 9. 27. 2 Chronicles 22. 9. him, and said, Smite him also in shaphat, who sought the Lord the chariot: and they sffiote ht7?i with all his heart. 'And the at the ascent of Gur, which is by house of Ahaziah had no power Ibleam. And he fled to Megid- to hold the kingdom. 28 do, and died there. And his servants carried him in a chariot to Jerusalem, and buried him in his sepulchre with his fathers in the city of David. 29 And in the eleventh year of J cram the son of Ahab began Ahaziah to reign over Judah. 2 Kings 9. 30. 30 And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her eyes, and tired her head, and looked out at the window. 31 And as Jehu entered in at the gate, she said, ^Is it peace, thou Zimri, 32 thy master's murderer? And he lifted up his face to the window, and said, Who is on my side ? who ? And there looked out to him two or 33 three eunuchs. And he said, Throw her down. So they threw her down : and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the 34 horses : and he trode her under foot. And when he was come in, he did eat and drink ; and he said. See now to this cursed woman, and 35 bury her : for she is a king's daughter. And they went to bury her : but they found no more of her than the skull, and the feet, and the 36 palms of her hands. Wherefore they came again, and told him. And he said. This is the word of the Lord, which he spake by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying. In the portion of Jezreel shall the dogs eat 37 the flesh of Jezebel ; and the carcase of Jezebel shall be as dung upon the face of the field in the portion of Jezreel; so that they shall not say, This is Jezebel. 10 Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote letters, and sent to Samaria, unto the rulers of Jezreel, even the elders, and 2 unto them that brought up the sons of Ahab, saying. And now as soon as this letter cometh to you, seeing your master's sons are with you, and there are with you chariots and horses, a fenced city also, and armour ; 3 look ye out the best and meetest of your master's sons, and set him on 4 his father's throne, and fight for your master's house. But they were exceedingly afraid, and said, Behold, the two kings stood not before 5 him : how then shall we stand ? And he that was over the household, and he that was over the city, the elders also, and they that brought up the children, sent to Jehu, saying. We are thy servants, and will do all that thou shalt bid us ; we will not make any man king : do thou that 6 which is good in thine eyes. Then he wrote a letter the second time to them, saying, If ye be on my side, and if ye will hearken unto my voice, take ye the heads of the men your master's sons, and come to me ^ Or, And there luas none of the house of Ahaziah that had poiver &'c. '^ Or, /s it well 55 2 Kings 10. 6. to Jezreel by to-morrow this time. Now the king's sons, being seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, which brought them up. 7 And it came to pass, when the letter came to them, that they took the king's sons, and slew them, even seventy persons, and put their heads 8 in baskets, and sent them unto him to Jezreel. And there came a messenger, and told him, saying. They have brought the heads of the king's sons. And he said, Lay ye them in two heaps at the entering in 9 of the gate until the morning. And it came to pass in the morning, that he went out, and stood, and said to all the people. Ye be righteous : behold, I conspired against my master, and slew him : but who smote ID all these? Know now that there shall fall unto the earth nothing of the word of the Lord, which the Lord spake concerning the house of Ahab : for the Lord hath done that which he spake by his servant 11 Elijah. So Jehu smote all that remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men, and his familiar friends, and his priests, 12 until he left him none remaining. And he arose and departed, and went to Samaria. And as he was at the ^shearing house of the shep- 13 herds in the way, Jehu met with the brethren of Ahaziah king of Judah, and said, Who are ye? And they answered, We are the brethren of Ahaziah : and we go down to salute the children of the king and the 14 children of the queen. And he said. Take them alive. And they took them alive, and slew them at the ^pit of the 'shearing house, even two and forty men ; neither left he any of them. 15 And when he was departed thence, he lighted on Jehonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet him : and he saluted him, and said to him, Is thine heart right, as my heart is with thy heart ? And Jehonadab answered, It is. If it be, give me thine hand. And he gave him his 16 hand, and he took him up to him into the chariot. And he said, Come with me, and see my zeal for the Lord. So they made him ride in his 17 chariot. And when he came to Samaria, he smote all that remained unto Ahab in Samaria, till he had destroyed him, according to the word 18 of the IvORD, which he spake to Elijah. And Jehu gathered all the people together, and said unto them, Ahab served Baal a little ; but 19 Jehu shall serve him much. Now therefore call unto me all the prophets of Baal, all his worshippers, and all his priests ; let none be wanting : for I have a great sacrifice to do to Baal ; whosoever shall be wanting, he shall not live. But Jehu did it in subtilty, to the intent that he 20 might destroy the worshippers of Baal. And Jehu said, Sanctify a 21 solemn assembly for Baal. And they proclaimed it. And Jehu sent through all Israel : and all the worshippers of Baal came, so that there was not a man left that came not. And they came into the house of 22 Baal ; and the house of Baal was filled from one end to another. And he said unto him that was over the vestry. Bring forth vestments for all 23 the worshippers of Baal. And he brought them forth vestments. And Jehu went, and Jehonadab the son of Rechab, into the house of Baal ; and he said unto the worshippers of Baal, Search, and look that there be here with you none of the servants of the Lord, but the worshippers 24 of Baal only. And they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. 1 Or, house of gathering ^ Or, cistern 56 2 Kings 10. 24. Now Jehu had appointed him fourscore men without, and said, If any of the men whom I bring into your hands escape, he that letteth him go, 25 his life shall be for the hfe of him. And it came to pass, as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, that Jehu said to the ^guard and to the captains, Go in, and slay them ; let none come forth. And they smote them with the edge of the sword ; and the guard and the captains cast them out, and went to the city of the house of Baal. 26 And they brought forth the ^pillars that were in the house of Baal, and 27 burned them. And they brake down the pillar of Baal, and brake down 28 the house of Baal, and made it a draught house, unto this day. Thus 29 Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel. Howbeit from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, ^wherewith he made Israel to sin, Jehu departed not from after them, to wit, the golden calves that were in Beth-el, and that 30 were in Dan. And the Lord said unto Jehu, Because thou hast ''done well in executing that which is right in mine eyes, a/i^ hast done unto the house of Ahab according to all that was in mine heart, thy sons of 31 the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel. But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart : he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam, wherewith he made Israel to sin. 32 In those days the Lord began to cut Israel short : and Hazael smote $;^ them in all the coasts of Israel ; from Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites, and the Reubenites. and the Manassites, from 34 Aroer, which is by the valley of Arnon, even Gilead and Bashan. Now the rest of the acts of Jehu, and all that he did, and all his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel ? 35 And Jehu slept with his fathers : and they buried him in Samaria. 36 And Jehoahaz his son reigned in his stead. And the time that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty and eight years. 2 Kings 11. I. 11 Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all 2 the seed royal. But Jehosheba, the daughter of king Joram, sister of Ahaziah^ took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king's sons that were slain, even him and his nurse, '^a?id put them in the ^bed- chamber; and they hid him from Heb. runners. Or, obelisks Or, who Or, executed well Or, who were Or, chamber for the beds 2 Chronicles 22. 10. 10 Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal of the house of 11 Judah. But Jehoshabeath, the daughter of the king, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king's sons that were slain, and put him and his nurse in the ' bedchamber. So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of king Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the priest, (for she was the sister of Ahaziah,) hid him from Athaliah, so that she slew •* Or, chamber for the beds 57 2 Kings 11. 2. 2 Chronicles 22. 12. Athaliah, so that he was not 3 slain. And he was with her hid in the house of the Lord six years : and Athaliah reigned over the land. 12 him not. And he was with them hid in the house of God six years : and Athaliah reigned over the land. 4 And in the seventh year Je- hoiada sent and fetched the captains over hundreds, of the ^Carites and of the ^guard, and brought them to him into the house of the Lord; and he made a covenant with them, and took an oath of them in the house of the Lord, and shewed them the 5 king's son. And he commanded them, saying, This is the thing that ye shall do : a third part of you, that come in on the sabbath, shall be keepers of the watch of 6 the king's house ; and a third part shall be at the gate Sur; and a third part at the gate be- hind the guard: so shall ye keep the watch of the house, and be a 7 barrier. And the two companies of you, even all that go forth on the sabbath, shall keep the watch of the house of the Lord about 8 the king. And ye shall compass the king round about, every man with his weapons in his hand ; and he that cometh within the ranks, let him be slain: and be ye with the king when he goeth out, and when he cometh in. 9 And the captains over hundreds did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded : and they took every man his men, those that were to come in on the sabbath, with those that were to go out on the sabbath, and came to Jehoiada the priest. 23 And in the seventh year Je- hoiada strengthened himself, and took the captains of hundreds, Azariah the son of Jeroham, and Ishmael the son of Jehohanan, and Azariah the son of Obed, and Maaseiah the son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat the son of Zichri, 2 into covenant with him. And they went about in Judah, and gathered the Levites out of all the cities of Judah, and the heads of fathers' houses of Israel, and 3 they came to Jerusalem. And all the congregation made a co- venant with the king in the house of God. And he said unto them, Behold, the king's son shall reign, as the Lord hath spoken con- 4 cerning the sons of David. This is the thing that ye shall do : ^a third part of you, that come in on the sabbath, of the priests and of the Levites, shall be 5 porters of the ^ doors; and a third part shall be at the king's house; and a third part at the gate of the foundation : and all the people shall be in the courts of the house 6 of the Lord. But let none come into the house of the Lord, save the priests, and they that minister of the Levites ; they shall come in, for they are holy : but all the people shall keep the watch of 7 the Lord. And the Levites shall compass the king round about, every man with his weapons in his hand; and whosoever cometh into the house, let him be slain : and be ye with the king when he ^ Or, executioners ^ Heb. runners. ^ See I Chr. xxiv. 4. ^ Heb. thresholds. S8 2 Kings 11. lo. 10 And the priest delivered to the captains over hundreds the spears and shields that had been king David's, which were in the 11 house of the Lord. And the guard stood, every man with his weapons in his hand, from the right ^side of the house to the left side of the house, along by the altar and the house, by the 12 king round about. Then he brought out the king's son, and ^put the crown upon him, and gave him the testimony ; and they made him king, and anointed him ; and they clapped their hands, and said, ^God save the 13 king. And when Athaliah heard the noise of the guard a?id of the people, she came to the people 14 into the house of the Lord : and she looked, and, behold, the king stood ^by the pillar, as the manner was, and the captains and the trumpets by the king ; and all the people of the land rejoiced, and blew with trumpets. Then Athaliah rent her clothes, and 15 cried. Treason, treason. And Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains of hundreds that were set over the host, and said unto them, Have her forth be- tween the ranks ; and him that followeth her slay with the sword : for the priest said, Let her not ^ Heb. shoulder. ^ Or, put upon him the cro^vn and the testimony ^ Heb. Let the king live. ^ Or, on the platform 2 Chronicles 23. 7. cometh in, and when he goeth 8 out. So the Levites and all Ju- dah did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded : and they took every man his men, those that were to come in on the sabbath, with those that were to go out on the sabbath ; for Jehoiada the priest dismissed 9 not the courses. And Jehoiada the priest delivered to the cap- tains of hundreds the spears, and bucklers, and shields, that had been king David's, which were 10 in the house of God. And he set all the people, every man with his weapon in his hand, from the right 'side of the house to the left side of the house, along by the altar and the house, 1 1 by the king round about. Then they brought out the king's son, and -put the crown upon him, and gave him the testimony, and made him king : and Jehoiada and his sons anointed him ; and they said, ^God save the king. 12 And when Athaliah heard the noise "^of the people running and praising the king, she came to the people into the house of the 13 Lord : and she looked, and, be- hold, the king stood by his pillar at the entrance, and the captains and the trumpets by the king ; and all the people of the land rejoiced, and blew with trumpets; the singers also played on instru- ments of music, and led the sing- ing of praise. Then Athaliah rent her clothes, and said, Trea- 14 son, treason. And Jehoiada the priest brought out the captains of hundreds that were set over ^ Heb. shoulder. - Ox, put upon him the croT.vn and the testimony ^ Heb. Let the kitig live. ■* Or, 0/ the people, of the guard, and of those who praised the king 59 2 Kings 11. 15. be slain in the house of the 16 Lord. So they made way for her; and she went by the way of the horses' entry to the king's house: and there was she slain. 1 7 And Jehoiada made a covenant between the Lord and the king and the people, that they should be the Lord's people ; between 18 the king also and the people. And all the people of the land went to the house of Baal, and brake it down; his altars and his images brake they in pieces thoroughly, and slew Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. And the priest appointed ' officers over 19 the house of the Lord. And he took the captains over hun- dreds, and the Carites, and the guard, and all the people of the land; and they brought down the king from the house of the Lord, and came by the way of the gate of the guard unto the king's house. And he sat on the throne of the 20 kings. So all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet : and they slew Athaliah with the sword at the king's house. 21 Jehoash was seven years old 12 when he began to reign. In the seventh year of Jehu began Je- 2 Chronicles 23. 14. the host, and said unto them. Have her forth between the ranks ; and whoso followeth her, let him be slain with the sword : for the priest said. Slay her not 15 in the house of the Lord. So they made way for her; and she went to the entry of the horse gate to the king's house : and they slew her there. t6 And Jehoiada made a covenant between himself, and all the people, and the king, that they should be the Lord's people, 17 And all the people went to the house of Baal, and brake it down, and brake his altars and his images in pieces, and slew Mat- tan the priest of Baal before the 18 altars. And Jehoiada appointed the officers of the house of the Lord under the hand of the priests the Levites, whom David had distributed in the house of the Lord, to offer the burnt offerings of the Lord, as it is written in the law of Moses, with rejoicing and with singing, ^ac- cording to the order of David. 19 And he set the porters at the gates of the house of the Lord, that none which was unclean in 20 any thing should enter in. And he took the captains of hundreds, and the nobles, and the governors of the people, and all the people of the land, and brought down the king from the house of the Lord : and they came through the upper gate unto the king's house, and set the king upon the throne of 2 1 the kingdom. So all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet : and they slew Athaliah with the sword. 24 Joash was seven years old when he began to reign ; and he ^ Heb. offices. 60 Heb. by the hands of David. 2 Kings 12. I. hoash to reign ; and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Zibiah of 2 Beer-sheba. And Jehoash did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord all his days wherein Jehoiada the priest instructed him. 3 Howbeit the high places were not taken away : the people still sacri- ficed and burnt incense in the high places. 4 And Jehoash said to the priests, All the money of the hallowed things that is brought into the house of the Lord, ^in current money, "^the money of the persons for whom each man is rated, and all the money that it cometh into any man's heart to bring into the 5 house of the Lord, let the priests take it to them, every man from his acquaintance : and they shall repair the breaches of the house, wheresoever any breach shall be 6 found. But it was so, that in the three and twentieth year of king Jehoash the priests had not re- paired the breaches of the house. 7 Then king Jehoash called for Jehoiada the priest, and for the other priests, and said unto them. Why repair ye not the breaches of the house? now therefore take no more money from your ac- quaintance, but deliver it for the 8 breaches of the house. And the priests consented that they should take no inore money from the people, neither repair the 9 breaches of the house. But Je- hoiada the priest took a chest, and bored a hole in the lid of it, and set it beside the altar, on the right side as one cometh into the house of the Lord : and the 2 Chronicles 24. i. reigned forty years in Jerusalem : and his mother's name was Zibiah 2 of Beer-sheba. And Joash did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord all the days of Je- 3 hoiada the priest. And Jehoiada took for him two wives ; and he 4 begat sons and daughters. And it came to pass after this, that Joash was minded to restore the 5 house of the Lord. And he gathered together the priests and the Levites, and said to them. Go out unto the cities of Judah, and gather of all Israel money to re- pair the house of your God from year to year, and see that ye hasten the matter. Howbeit the 6 Levites hastened it not. And the king called for Jehoiada the chief, and said unto him. Why hast thou not required of the Levites to bring in out of Judah and out of Jerusalem the tax of Moses the servant of the Lord, and of the congregation ^of Israel, for the 7 tent of the testimony? For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked wo- man, had broken up the house of God ; and also all the dedicated things of the house of the Lord did they bestow upon the Baalim. 8 So the king commanded, and they made a chest, and set it without at the gate of the house of the 9 Lord. And they made a procla- mation through Judah and Jeru- salem, to bring in for the Lord the tax that Moses the servant of God laid upon Israel in the 10 wilderness. And all the princes and all the people rejoiced, and brought in, and cast into the chest, until they had made an 1 1 end. And it was so, that at what time the chest was brought unto ^ Or, even the money of every one that passeth the numbering See Ex. xxx, 13. - Heb. each man the money of the souls of his estimation. See Lev. xxvii. 1. ^ Or, for Israel. 6t 2 Kings 12. 9. 2 Chronicles 24. 11. priests that kept 'the door put therein all the money that was brought into the house of the 10 Lord. And it was so, when they saw that there was much money in the chest, that the king's ^scribe and the high priest came up, and they ^put up in bags and told the money that was found in the 11 house of the Lord. And they gave the money that was weighed out into the hands of them that did the work, that had the over- sight of the house of the Lord : and they *paid it out to the car- penters and the builders, that wrought upon the house of the 12 Lord, and to the masons and the hewers of stone, and for buying timber and hewn stone to repair the breaches of the house of the Lord, and for all that ^was laid 13 out for the house to repair it. But there were not made for the house of the Lord cups of silver, snuffers, basons, trumpets, any vessels of gold, or vessels of silver, of the money that was brought into the house of the 14 Lord : for they gave that to them that did the work, and repaired therewith the house of the Lord. 15 Moreover they reckoned not with the men, into whose hand they delivered the money to give to them that did the work: for they 1 6 dealt faithfully. The money for the guilt oflferings, and the money for the sin offerings, was not brought into the house of the Lord : it was the priests'. the king's 'office ^by the hand of the Levites, and when they saw that there was much money, the king's ^scribe and the chief priest's officer came and emptied the chest, and took it, and carried it to its place again. Thus they did day by day, and gathered 12 money in abundance. And the king and Jehoiada gave it to such as did the work of the service of the house of the Lord ; and they hired masons and carpenters to restore the house of the Lord, and also such as wrought iron and brass to repair the house of the Lord. 13 So the workmen wrought, and ■^the work was perfected by them, and they set up the house of God ^in its state, and strengthened it. 14 And when they had made an end, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada, whereof were made vessels for the house of the Lord, even vessels to minister, and ®to offer withal, and spoons, and vessels of gold and silver. And they offered burnt offerings in the house of the Lord continually all the days of Jehoiada. 15 But Jehoiada waxed old and was full of days, and he died ; an hundred and thirty years old 16 was he when he died. And they ^ Heb. threshold. ^ Or, secretary ^ Heb. bound up and dtc. ^ Heb, brought it forth. ^ Heb. went forth. ^ Or, officers ^ Or, which was under the hand ^ Or, secretary ^ Heb. healing went up upon the work. ^ Or, according to the proportion thereof ^ Or, pestles 62 2 Chronicles 24. i6. buried him in the city of David among the kings, because he had done 17 good in Israel, and toward God and his house. Now after the death of Jehoiada came the princes of Judah, and made obeisance to the king. 18 Then the king hearkened unto them. And they forsook the house of the Lord, the God of their fathers, and served the Asherim and the idols : and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their 19 guiltiness. Yet he sent prophets to them, to bring them again unto the Lord ; and they testified against them : but they would not give ear. 20 And the spirit of God ^came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest ; and he stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the Lord, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the Lord, he hath also 21 forsaken you. And they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the house of the 22 Lord. Thus Joash the king remembered not the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but slew his son. And when he died, he said. The Lord look upon it, and require it. 2 Kings 12. 17. 17 Then Hazael king of Syria went up, and fought against Gath, and took it : and Hazael set his 18 face to go up to Jerusalem. And Jehoash king of Judah took all the hallowed things that Jehosha- phat, and Jehoram, and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own hallowed things, and all the gold that was found in the treasures of the house of the Lord, and of the king's house, and sent it to Hazael king of Syria : and he 1 9 went away from Jerusalem. Now the rest of the acts of Joash, and all that he did, are they not writ- ten in the book of the chronicles 20 of the kings of Judah ? And his servants arose, and made a con- spiracy, and smote Joash at the house of Millo, on the way that 21 goeth down to Silla. For Joza- car the son of Shimeath, and Jehozabad the son of Shomer, ^ W€o. clothed itself loith. 2 Chronicles 24. 23. 23 And it came to pass at the ^ end of the year, that the army of the Syrians came up against him : and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people, and sent all the spoil of them unto the king of Da- 24 mascus. For the army of the Syrians came with a small com- pany of men ; and the Lord delivered a very great host into their hand, because they had for- saken the Lord, the God of their fathers. So they executed " j udge- 25 ment upon Joash. And when they were departed from him, (for they left him in great dis- eases,) his own servants conspired against him for the blood of the ^ sons of Jehoiada the priest, and slew him on his bed, and he died : and they buried him in the city ^ Heb. revolution. ^ Heb. judgements. 3 The Sept. and Vulgate read, son. 63 2 Kings 12. 21. 2 Chronicles 24. 25. his servants, smote him, and he of David, but they buried him died ; and they buried him with not in the sepulchres of the kings, his fathers in the city of David: 26 And these are they that conspired and Amaziah his son reigned against him ; Zabad the son of in his stead. Shimeath the Ammonitess, and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith 27 the Moabitess. Now concerning his sons, and the greatness of the burdens ' laid upon him, and the ^ rebuilding of the house of God, behold, they are written in the commentary of the book of the kings. And Amaziah his son reigned in his stead. 2 Kings 13. I. 13 In the three and twentieth year of Joash the son of Ahaziah, king of Judah, Jehoahaz the son of Jehu began to reign over Israel in 2 Samaria, and reigned seventeen years. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, wherewith he made Israel to sin ; he departed not therefrom. 3 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he delivered them into the hand of Hazael king of Syria, and into the hand of Ben- 4 hadad the son of Hazael, ^continually. And Jehoahaz besought the Lord, and the Lord hearkened unto him : for he saw the oppression 5 of Israel, how that the king of Syria oppressed them. (And the Lord gave Israel a saviour, so that they went out from under the hand of the Syrians ; and the children of Israel dwelt in their tents, as beforetime. 6 Nevertheless they departed not from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, wherewith he made Israel to sin, but ^ walked therein : and there 7 remained the Asherah also in Samaria.) For he left not to Jehoahaz of the people save fifty horsemen, and ten chariots, and ten thousand footmen ; for the king of Syria destroyed them, and made them Hke the 8 dust ^ in threshing. Now the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz, and all that he did, and his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles 9 of the kings of Israel ? And Jehoahaz slept with his fathers ; and they buried him in Samaria : and Joash his son reigned in his stead. 10 In the thirty and seventh year of Joash king of Judah began Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz to reign over Israel in Samaria, and 11 reigned sixteen years. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord ; he departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, wherewith he made Israel to sin : but he walked therein. ^ Or, uttered against * Heb. he walked. 2 Heb. founding, 5 Or, to trample on ^ Heb. all the days. 64 2 Kings 13. 12. 12 Now the rest of the acts of Joash, and all that he did, and his might wherewith he fought against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not 13 written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? And Joash slept with his fathers; and Jeroboam sat upon his throne: and Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. 14 Now Ehsha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died: and Joash the king of Israel came down unto him, and wept over ' him, and said, ' My father, my father, the ^ chariots of Israel and the horsemen 15 thereof I And Elisha said unto him, Take bow and arrows: and he took 16 unto him bow and arrows. And he said to the king of Israel, Put thine hand upon the bow : and he put his hand 2//>on it. And Elisha laid his 1 7 hands upon the king's hands. And he said. Open the window eastward : and he opened it. Then Elisha said, Shoot : and he shot. And he said, The Lord's arrow of * victory, even the arrow of * victory *over Syria : for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek, till thou have con- 18 sumed them. And he said. Take the arrows : and he took them. And he said unto the king of Israel, Smite upon the ground : and he smote 19 thrice, and stayed. And the man of God was wroth with him, and said. Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times ; then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it : whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice. 20 And Elisha died, and they buried him. Now the bands of the Moab- 2 1 ites invaded the land at the coming in of the year. And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band ; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha : and ^ as soon as the man touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet. 22 And Hazael king of Syria oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz. 23 But the Lord was gracious unto them, and had compassion on them, and had respect unto them, because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not destroy them, neither cast he them 24 from his presence "' as yet. And Hazael king of Syria died ; and Ben- 25 hadad his son reigned in his stead. And Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz took again out of the hand of Benhadad the son of Hazael the cities which he had taken out of the hand of Jehoahaz his father by war. Three times did Joash smite him, and recovered the cities of Israel. ^ Heb. his face. '' Or^ against ^ See ch. ii. 12. ^ Heb. 7vhen the man went and touched. ^ Or, chariot ^ Heb. //;//// now. '* Heb. salvation. S. 65 2 Kings 14. I. 2 Chronicles 25. i. 14 In the second year of Joash son of Joahaz king of Israel began Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah to reign. 2 *He was twenty and five years old when he began to reign ; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem : and his mother's name was Jehoaddin 3 of Jerusalem. And he did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, yet not like David his father : he did according to all that Joash his father had 4 done. Howbeit the high places were not taken away : the people still sacrificed and burnt incense 5 in the high places. And it came to pass, as soon as the kingdom was established in his hand, that he slew his servants which had 6 slain the king his father : but the children of the murderers he put not to death : according to that which is written in the book of the law of Moses, as the Lord commanded, saying, The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, nor the children be put to death for the fathers ; but every man shall die for his own sin. 25 Amaziah was twenty and five years old when he began to reign ; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem : and his mother's name was Je- 2 hoaddan of Jerusalem. And he did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, but not with a 3 perfect heart. Now it came to pass, when the kingdom was established unto him, that he slew his servants which had 4 killed the king his father. But he put not their children to death, but did according to that which is written in the law in the book of Moses, as the Lord commanded, saying, The fathers shall not die for the children, neither shall the chil- dren die for the fathers ; but every man shall die for his own 5 sin. Moreover Amaziah gather- ed Judah together, and ordered them according to their fathers' houses, under captains of thou- sands and captains of hundreds, even all Judah and Benjamin : and he numbered them from twenty years old and upward, and found them three hundred thousand chosen men, able to go forth to war, that could 6 handle spear and shield. He hired also an hundred thousand mighty men of valour out of Israel for an hundred talents of 7 silver. But there came a man , of God to him, saying, O king, let not the army of Israel go with thee ; for the Lord is not with Israel, to ivit, with all the children 8 of Ephraim. But ' if thou wilt go, do valia7itly, be strong for the battle : God shall cast thee down before the enemy ; for God hath power to help, and to cast 9 down. And Amaziah said to the ^ Or, go tJiou 66 2 Kings 14. 7. 2 Chronicles 25. 9. 7 He slew of Edom in the Valley of Salt ten thousand, and took ' Sela by war, and called the name of it Joktheel, unto this day. man of God, But what shall we do for the hundred talents which 1 have given to the ^ army of Israel ? And the man of God answered, The Lord is able to give thee much more than this. 10 Then Amaziah separated them, to tvtf, the ^ army that was come to him out of Ephraim, to go home again : wherefore their anger was greatly kindled against Judah, and they returned home 11 in fierce anger. And Amaziah took courage, and led forth his people, and went to "the Valley of Salt, and smote of the chil- 1 2 dren of Seir ten thousand. And other ten thousand did the chil- dren of Judah carry away alive, and brought them unto the top of ^the rock, and cast them down from the top of '^ the rock, that they all were broken in pieces. 13 But ^the men of the army which Amaziah sent back, that they should not go with him to battle, fell upon the cities of Judah, from Samaria even unto Beth- horon, and smote of them three thousand, and took much spoil. 14 Now it came to pass, after that Amaziah was come from the slaughter of the Edomites, that he brought the gods of the children of Seir, and set them up to be his gods, and bowed down himself before them, and burned incense unto them. 15 Wherefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against Ama- ziah, and he sent unto him a prophet, which said unto him, Why hast thou sought after the gods of the people, which have not delivered their own people out ^ Or, i/u rock 67 ^ Heb. troop. - See 2 Kings xiv, 7. -^ Or, Sela * Heb. thf sons of the troop. 2 Kings 14. 8. 2 Chronicles 25. i6. 8 Then Amaziah sent mes- sengers to Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying. Come, let us look one another in the face. 9 And Jehoash the king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, The ' thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying. Give thy daughter to my son to wife : and there passed by a wild beast that was in Lebanon, and 10 trode down the thistle. Thou hast indeed smitten Edom, and thine heart hath lifted thee up : glory thereof, and abide at home ; for why shouldest thou ^meddle to thy hurt, that thou shouldest fall, even thou, and Judah with 11 thee? But Amaziah would not hear. So Jehoash king of Israel went up; and he and Amaziah king of Judah looked one another in the face at Beth-shemesh, which 12 belongeth to Judah. And Judah was put to the worse before Israel ; and they fled every man to his 13 tent. And Jehoash king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash the son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh, and came to Jerusalem, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim unto the corner gate, four hundred cubits. ^ Or, thorn ^ Or, provoke calamity 1 6 of thine hand ? And it came to pass, as he talked with him, that the king said unto him, Have we made thee of the king's counsel ? forbear; why shouldest thou be smitten ? Then the prophet for- bare, and said, I know that God hath determined to destroy thee, because thou hast done this, and hast not hearkened unto my counsel. 1 7 Then Amaziah king of Judah took advice, and sent to Joash, the son of Jehoahaz the son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying. Come, let us look one another in the 18 face. And Joash king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying. The ^ thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying. Give thy daughter to my son to wife : and there passed by a wild beast that was in Lebanon, and trode down 19 the thistle. Thou say est, Lo, thou hast smitten Edom ; and thine heart lifteth thee up to boast : abide now at home ; why shouldest thou 'meddle to thy hurt, that thou shouldest fall, even thou, and Judah with thee ? 20 But Amaziah would not hear; for it was of God, that he might deliver them into the hand of their enemies^ because they had sought after the gods of Edom. 21 So Joash king of Israel went up; and he and Amaziah king of Judah looked one another in the face at Beth-shemesh, which 22 belongeth to Judah. And Judah was put to the worse before Israel; and they fled every man to his 23 tent. And Joash king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash the son of Jehoahaz, at Beth-shemesh, and brought ^ Or, thorn ^ Or, pj'ovoke calafnity 68 2 Kings 14. 14. 14 And he took all the gold and silver, and all the vessels that were found in the house of the Lord, and in the treasures of the king's house, the hostages also, and returned to Samaria. 15 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoash which he did, and his might, and how he fought with Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of 16 Israel? And Jehoash slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel; and Jeroboam his son reigned in his stead. 1 7 And Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah lived after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king i8 of Israel fifteen years. Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of 19 Judah? And they made a con- spiracy against him in Jerusalem; and he fled to Lachish : but they sent after him to Lachish, and 20 slew him there. And they brought him upon horses : and he was buried at Jerusalem with his fathers in the city of David. 2 1 And all the people of Judah took ' Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the 22 room of his father Amaziah. He built Elath, and restored it to Judah, after that the king slept with his fathers. 2 Chronicles 25. 23. him to Jerusalem, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim unto ^the corner gate, four hundred cubits. 24 And he took all the gold and silver, and all the vessels that were found in the house of God with " Obed-edom, and the treasures of the king's house, the hostages also, and returned to Samaria. ^ In ch. XV. 13, Uzziah. 25 And Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah lived after the death of Joash son of Jehoa- haz king of Israel fifteen years. 26 Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, first and last, behold, are they not written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel? 27 Now from the time that Amaziah did turn away from following the Lord they made a conspiracy against him in J erusalem ; and he fled to Lachish : but they sent after him to Lachish, and 28 slew him there. And they brought him upon horses, and buried him with his fathers in the city of Judah. 26 And all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the room of his father Amaziah. 2 He built Eloth, and restored it to Judah, after that the king slept with his fathers. ^ The text has, the gate that looketh. - See I Chr. xxvi. 15. 69 2 Kings 14. 23. 23 In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel began to reign in Samaria, 24 and reigned forty and one years. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord : he departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam 25 the son of Nebat, wherewith he made Israel to sin. He restored the border of Israel from the entering in of Hamath unto the sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the Lord, the God of Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, 26 which was of Gath-hepher. For the Lord saw the affliction of Israel, that it was very bitter : for there was none shut up nor left at large, 27 neither was there any helper for Israel. And the Lord said not that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven : but he 28 saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash. Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, and all that he did, and his might, how he warred, and how he recovered Damascus, and Hamath, which had belonged to Judah, for Israel, are they not written in the book of 29 the chronicles of the kings of Israel? And Jeroboam slept with his fathers, even with the kings of Israel ; and Zechariah his son reigned in his stead. 2 Kings 15. I. 15 In the twenty and seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel began ^ Azariah son of Ama- ziah king of Judah to reign. 2 Sixteen years old was he when he began to reign ; and he reigned two and fifty years in Jerusalem : and his mother's name was Jecoliah of Jerusa- 3 lem. And he did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that his 4 father Amaziah had done. How- beit the high places were not taken away : the people still sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places. ^ In verses 13, 30, &c., Uzziah, 2 Chronicles 26. 3. 3 Sixteen years old was Uzziah when he began to reign ; and he reigned fifty and two years in Jerusalem : and his mother's name was Jechiliah of Jerusa- 4 lem. And he did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that his 5 father Amaziah had done. And he set himself to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who ^ had understanding in ^the vision of God : and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him to 6 prosper. And he went forth and warred against the Philis- tines, and brake down the wall of Gath, and the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod ; and he built cities in the coimiry of Ash- dod, and among the Philistines. 7 And God helped him against the ^ Or, gave instrtution 2 Heb. the seeing. Many ancient authorities have, the fear. 70 2 Chronicles 26. 7. Philistines, and against the Ara- bians that dwelt in Gur-baal, and 8 the Meunim. And the Ammon- ites gave gifts to Uzziah : and his name spread abroad even to the entering in of Egypt ; for he 9 waxed exceeding strong. More- over Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the corner gate, and at the valley gate, and at the turning of the luall, and 10 fortified them. And he built towers in the wilderness, and hewed out many cisterns, for he had much cattle ; in the lowland also, and in the ' plain : and he had husbandmen and vinedressers in the mountains and in "the fruitful fields; for 11 he loved husbandry. Moreover Uzziah had an army of fighting men, that went out to war by bands, according to the number of their reckoning made by Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the officer, under the hand of Hana- niah, one of the king's captains. 12 The whole number of the heads of fathers' houses, even the mighty men of valour, was two thousand 13 and six hundred. And under their hand was "a trained army, three hundred thousand and seven thousand and five hun- dred, that made war with mighty power, to help the king against 14 the enemy. And Uzziah pre- pared for them, even for all the host, shields, and spears, and helmets, and coats of mail, and bows, and stones for slinging. 15 And he made in Jerusalem engines, invented by cunning men, to be on the towers and upon the ^battlements, to shoot ^ Or, table land ^ Or, Cartnd See i Sam. xxv. 2. ^ Or, the power of an army * Or, corner toivers 71 2 Kings 15. 5. 5 And the Lord smote the king, so that he was a leper unto the day of his death and dwelt in a ^ several house. And Jotham the king's son was over the household, judg- 6 ing the people of the land. Now ^ Or, lazar hottse 2 Chronicles 26. 15. arrows and great stones withal. And his name spread far abroad ; for he was marvellously helped, till he was strong. 16 But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up ^so that he did corruptly, and he trespassed against the Lord his God ; for he went into the temple of the Lord to burn incense upon the 17 altar of incense. And Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him fourscore priests of the Lord, that were valiant men : 18 and they withstood Uzziah the king, and said unto him, It per- taineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the Lord, but to the priests the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn incense : go out of the sanctuary ; for thou hast trespassed ; neither shall it be for thine honour from 19 the Lord God. Then Uzziah was wroth ; and he had a censer in his hand to burn incense ; and while he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy "brake forth in his forehead before the priests in the house of the Lord, beside 20 the altar of incense. And Azariah the chief priest, and all the priests, looked upon him, and, behold, he was leprous in his forehead, and they thrust him out quickly from thence; yea, himself hasted also to go out, because the Lord had smitten 2 1 him. And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a "several house, being a leper ; for he was cut off from the house of the Lord : and Jotham his son was over the king's house, judging the people 22 of the land. Now the rest of ^ Or, to his destruction - Heb. rose (as the sun) "^ Or, lazar house 72 2 Kings 15. 6. 2 Chronicles 26. 22. the rest of the acts of Azariah, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Ju- 7 dah ? And Azariah slept with his fathers ; and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David : and Jotham his son reigned in his stead. the acts of Uzziah, first and last,, did Isaiah the prophet, the son 23 of Amoz, write. So Uzziah slept with his fathers ; and they buried him with his fathers in the field of burial which belonged to the kings ; for they said, He is a leper : and Jotham his son reigned in his stead. 2 Kings 15. 8. 8 In the thirty and eighth year of Azariah king of Judah did Zecha- riah the son of Jeroboam reign over Israel in Samaria six months. 9 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, as his fathers had done : he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, 10 wherewith he made Israel to sin. And Shallum the son of Jabesh conspired against him, and smote him before the people, and slew him, 1 1 and reigned in his stead. Now the rest of the acts of Zechariah, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of 12 Israel. This was the word of the Lord which he spake unto Jehu, saying, Thy sons to the fourth generation shall sit upon the throne of Israel. And so it came to pass. 13 Shallum the son of Jabesh began to reign in the nine and thirtieth year of Uzziah king of Judah ; and he reigned the space of a month in 14 Samaria. And Menahem the son of Gadi went up from Tirzah, and came to Samaria, and smote Shallum the son of Jabesh in Samaria, and 15 slew him, and reigned in his stead. Now the rest of the acts of Shallum, and his conspiracy which he made, behold, they are written in the book 16 of the chronicles of the kings of Israel. Then Menahem smote Tiphsah, and all that were therein, and the borders thereof, from Tirzah : because they opened not to him, therefore he smote it ; and all the women therein that were with child he ripped up. 17 In the nine and thirtieth year of Azariah king of Judah began Mena- hem the son of Gadi to reign over Israel, and reigned ten years in 1 8 Samaria. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord : he departed not all his days from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, 19 wherewith he made Israel to sin. There came against the land Pul the king of Assyria ; and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver, that his hand might be with him to confirm the kingdom in his hand. 20 And Menahem exacted the money of Israel, even of all the mighty men of wealth, of each man fifty shekels of silver, to give to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria turned back, and stayed not there in 2 1 the land. Now the rest of the acts of Menahem, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel ? 22 And Menahem slept with his fathers; and Pekahiah his son reigned in his stead. 73 2 Kings 15. 23. 23 In the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah Pekahiah the son of Menahem began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned two years. 24 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord : he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, wherewith he made 25 Israel to sin. And Pekah the son of RemaHah, his captain, conspired against him, and smote him in Samaria, in the ^castle of the king's house, with Argob and Arieh; and with him were fifty men of the 26 Gileadites: and he slew him, and reigned in his stead. Now the rest of the acts of Pekahiah, and all that he did, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel. 27 In the two and fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah Pekah the son of Remaliah began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned twenty 28 years. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord : he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, wherewith he 29 made Israel to sin. In the days of Pekah king of Israel came Tiglath- pileser king of Assyria, and took Ijon, and Abel-beth-maacah, and Janoah, and Kedesh, and Hazor, and Gilead, and Galilee, all the land 30 of Naphtah ; and he carried them captive to Assyria. And Hoshea the son of Elah made a conspiracy against Pekah the son of Remaliah, and smote him, and slew him, and reigned in his stead, in the twentieth 31 year of Jotham the son of Uzziah. Now the rest of the acts of Pekah, and all that he did, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel. 2 Kings 15. 32. 32 In the second year of Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel began Jotham the son of Uzziah 33 king of Judah to reign. Five and twenty years old was he when he began to reign ; and he reigned sixteen years in Jeru- salem : and his mother's name was Jerusha the daughter of 34 Zadok. And he did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord : he did according to all that his 35 father Uzziah had done. How- beit the high places were not taken away : the people still sacrificed and burned incense in the high places. He built the upper gate of the house of the Lord. 2 Chronicles 27. i. 27 Jotham was twenty and five years old when he began to reign ; and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem : and his mother's name was Jerushah the 2 daughter of Zadok. And he did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that his father LTzziah had done : howbeit he entered not into the temple of the Lord. And the 3 people did yet corruptly. He built the upper gate of the house of the Lord, and on the wall of 4 Ophel he built much. Moreover he built cities in the hill country of Judah, and in the forests he 5 built castles and towers. He fought also with the king of the ^ Or, palace 74 2 Kings 15. 36. 36 Now the rest of the acts of Jotham, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of 37 Judah ? In those days the Lord began to send against Judah Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah. 38 And Jotham slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father : and Ahaz his son reigned in his stead. 16 In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah Ahaz the son of Jotham king of Judah 2 began to reign. Twenty years old was Ahaz when he began to reign ; and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem : and he did not that which was right in the eyes of the Lord his God, like 3 David his father. But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, yea, and made his son to pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the heathen, whom the Lord cast out from before the children of Israel. 4 And he sacrificed and burnt in- cense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green 5 tree. Then Rezin king of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel came up to Jerusalem to war : and they besieged Ahaz, but could not overcome him. 2 Chronicles 27. 5. children of Amnion, and pre- vailed against them. And the children of Amnion gave him the same year an hundred talents of silver, and ten thousand 'mea- sures of wheat, and ten thousand of barley. So much did the children of Amnion render unto him, in the second year also, and 6 in the third. So Jotham be- came mighty, because he ordered his ways before the Lord his 7 God. Now the rest of the acts of Jotham, and all his wars, and his ways, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel 8 and Judah. He was five and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned sixteen 9 years in Jerusalem. And Jotham slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David : and Ahaz his son reigned in his stead. 28 Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign ; and he reigned sixteen years in Jeru- salem : and he did not that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, like David his father : 2 but he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made also molten images for the Baalim. 3 Moreover he burnt incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burnt his children in the fire, according to the abominations of the heathen, whom the Lord cast out before the children of 4 Israel. And he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every 5 green tree. Wherefore the Lord his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria; and they smote him, and carried away of his a great multitude of cap- tives, and brought them to Da- * Heb. cors. 75 2 Chronicles 28. 5. mascus. And he was also de- livered into the hand of the king of Israel, who smote him with 6 a great slaughter. For Pekah the son of Remaliah slew in Judah an hundred and twenty thousand in one day, all of them valiant men ; because they had forsaken the Lord, the God of 7 their fathers. And Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, slew Maaseiah the king's son, and Azrikam the ruler of the house, and Elkanah that was ^next to the 8 king. And the children of Israel carried away captive of their brethren two hundred thousand, women, sons, and daughters, and took also away much spoil from them, and brought the spoil to 9 Samaria. But a prophet of the Lord was there, whose name was Oded : and he went out to meet the host that came to Samaria, and said unto them, Behold, because the Lord, the God of your fathers, was wroth with Judah, he hath delivered them into your hand, and ye have slain them in a rage which hath reached 10 up unto heaven. And now ye purpose to keep under the chil- dren of Judah and Jerusalem for bondmen and bondwomen unto you : but are there not even with you ^trespasses of your own against the Lord your God? 1 1 Now hear me therefore, and send back the captives, which ye have taken captive of your brethren : for the fierce wrath of the Lord 12 is upon you. Then certain of the heads of the children of Ephraim, Azariah the son of Johanan, Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, and Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the ^ Heb. second. - Heb. guiltinesses. 76 2 Kings 16. 6. 6 At that time Rezin king of Syria recovered Elath to Syria, and drave the Jews from ' Elath : and the "Syrians came to Elath, and dwelt there, unto this day. 7 So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, I am thy servant and thy son : come up, and save me out of the hand of the king of Syria, and out of the hand of the king of Israel, which rise up against 8 me. And Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the Lord, and in the treasures of the king's house, and sent it for a present to the king 9 of Assyria. And the king of Assyria hearkened unto him : and the king of Assyria went up 1 Heb. Eloth. '^ According to another reading, Edorn- ites. 2 Chronicles 28. I2. son of Hadlai, stood up against them that came from the war, 1 3 and said unto them, Ye shall not bring in the captives hither : for ye purpose that which will bring upon us 'a trespass against the Lord, to add unto our sins and to our ' trespass : for our ' trespass is great, and there is fierce wrath 14 against Israel. So the armed men left the captives and the spoil before the princes and all 15 the congregation. And the men which have been expressed by name rose up, and took the cap- tives, and with the spoil clothed all that were naked among them, and arrayed them, and shod them, and gave them to eat and to drink, and anointed them, and carried all the feeble of them upon asses, and brought them to Jericho, the city of palm trees, unto their brethren : then they returned to Samaria. 16 At that time did king Ahaz send unto the -kings of Assyria 17 to help him. For again the E- domites had come and smitten Judah, and carried away ^cap- 18 tives. The Philistines also had invaded the cities of the lowland, and of the South of Judah, and had taken Beth-shemesh, and Aijalon, and Gederoth, and Soco with the "* towns thereof, and Timnah with the * towns thereof, Gimzo also and the ^ towns thereof: and they dwelt there. 19 For the Lord brought Judah 1 Ox, guilt 2 Many ancient authorities read, king. 3 Heb. a captivity. * Heb. damrhters. 77 2 Kings 16. g. 2 Chronicles 28. ig. against Damascus, and took it, and carried the people of it cap- tive to Kir, and slew Rezin. 10 And king Ahaz went to Da- mascus to meet Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, and saw the altar that was at Damascus : and king Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the fashion of the altar, and the pattern of it, according to all the 1 1 workmanship thereof. And Uri- jah the priest built an altar : according to all that king Ahaz had sent from Damascus, so did Urijah the priest make it against king Ahaz came from Damascus. 12 And when the king was come from Damascus, the king saw the altar : and the king drew near unto the altar, and ' offered 1 3 thereon. And he burnt his burnt offering and his meal offering, and poured his drink offering, and sprinkled the blood of "his peace offerings, upon the altar. 14 And the brasen altar, which was before the Lord, he brought from the forefront of the house, from between his altar and the house of the Lord, and put it on the north side of his altar. 15 And king Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying. Upon the great altar burn the morning burnt offering, and the evening meal offering, and the king's burnt offering, and his meal offering, with the burnt offering of all the people, of the land, and their meal offering, and their drink offerings ; and sprinkle upon it all the blood of the burnt offering, and all the blood of the sacrifice : but the brasen altar shall be for me to 16 inquire by. Thus did Urijah ^ Or, xvent zip unto it ^ Heb. the peace offerings which were low because of Ahaz king of Israel; for he had 'dealt wan- tonly in Judah, and trespassed 20 sore against the Lord. And Tilgath-pilneser king of Assyria came ^unto him, and distressed him, but ^strengthened him not. 21 For Ahaz took away a portion out of the house of the Lord, and out of the house of the king and of the princes, and gave it unto the king of Assyria : but it 22 helped him not. And in the time ^of his distress did he tres- pass yet more against the Lord, 23 this same king Ahaz. For he sacrificed unto the gods of ^ Da- mascus, which smote him : and he said. Because the gods of the kings of Syria helped them, therefore will I sacrifice to them, that they may help me. But they were the ruin of him, and of 24 all Israel. And Ahaz gathered together the vessels of the house of God, and cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God, and shut up the doors of the house of the Lord ; and he made him altars in every corner of Jeru- 25 salem. And in every several city of Judah he made high places to burn incense unto other gods, and provoked to anger the Lord, the God of his fathers. his ^ Or, cast axvay restraint ^ Or, against ^ Or, prevailed not against him ■* Or, that he distressed him ^ Heb. Darniesek. 78 2 Kings 16. i6. 2 Chronicles 28. 26. the priest, according to all that 1 7 king Ahaz commanded. And king Ahaz cut off the 'borders of the bases, and removed the laver from off them ; and took down the sea from off the brasen oxen that were under it, and put it upon a pavement Of stone. 18 And the -covered way for the sabbath that they had built in the house, and the king's entry without, turned he ^unto the house of the Lord, because of 19 the king of Assyria. Now the rest of the acts of Ahaz which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the 20 kings of Judah? And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David : and Hezekiah his son reigned in his stead. 26 Now the rest of his acts, and all his ways, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. 27 And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, even in Jerusalem ; for they brought him not into the se- pulchres of the kings of Israel : and Hezekiah his son reigned in his stead. 2 Kings 17. I. 17 In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah began Hoshea the son 2 of Elah to reign in Samaria over Israel, and reigned nine years. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, yet not as the 3 kings of Israel that were before him. Against him came up Shal- maneser king of Assyria ; and Hoshea became his servant, and brought 4 him presents. And the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea ; for he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and offered no present to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year : therefore the king 5 of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in prison. Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and 6 beseiged it three years. In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away unto Assyria, and placed them in Halah, and in Habor, on the river of Gozan, and in the cities 7 of the Medes. And it was so, because the children of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, which brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared 8 other gods, and walked in the statutes of the nations, whom the Lord cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, 9 which they * made. And the children of Israel did secretly things that were not right against the Lord their God, and they built them high ^ Or, panels - Or, covei'ed place ^ Or, round < Or, practised 79 2 Kings 17. 9. places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced 10 city. And they set them up ^pillars and Asherim upon every high hill, 1 1 and under every green tree : and there they burnt incense in all the high places, as did the nations whom the Lord carried away before 1 2 them ; and wrought wicked things to provoke the Lord to anger : and they served idols, whereof the Lord had said unto them, Ye shall not 13 do this thing. Yet the Lord testified unto Israel, and unto Judah, by the hand of every prophet, and of every seer, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you 14 by the hand of my servants the prophets. Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their neck, like to the neck of their fathers, who 15 believed not in the Lord their God. And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified unto them ; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the nations that were round about them, concern- ing whom the Lord had charged them that they should not do like 16 them. And they forsook all the commandments of the Lord their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made an Asherah, 17 and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal. And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do that which was 18 evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger. Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight : 19 there was none left but the tribe of Judah only. Also Judah kept not the commandments of the Lord their God, but walked in the statutes 20 of Israel which they 'made. And the Lord rejected all the seed of Israel, and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of spoilers, 21 until he had cast them out of his sight. For he rent Israel from the house of David ; and they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king : and Jeroboam ^drave Israel from following the Lord, and made them sin a 22 great sin. x\nd the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam 23 which he did; they departed not from them; until the Lord removed Israel out of his sight, as he spake by the hand of all his servants the prophets. So Israel was carried away out of their own land to Assyria, unto this day. 24 And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Avva, and from Hamath and Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel : 25 and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof. And so it was, at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they feared not the Lord : therefore the Lord sent lions among them, which killed some 26 of them. Wherefore they spake to the king of Assyria, saying. The nations which thou hast carried away, and placed in the cities of Samaria, know not the manner of the God of the land : therefore he hath sent lions among them, and, behold, they slay them, because they 27 know not the manner of the God of the land. Then the king of ^ Or, obelisks ^ According to another reading, drew ^ Ox, practised Israel away. 80 2 Kings 17. 27. Assyria commanded, saying, Carry thither one of the priests whom ye brought from thence ; and let them go and dwell there, and let him 28 teach them the manner of the God of the land. So one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and dwelt in Beth-el, 29 and taught them how they should fear the Lord. Howbeit every nation made gods of their own, and put them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities 30 wherein they dwelt. And the men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made 31 Ashima, and the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burnt their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the 32 'gods of Sepharvaim. So they feared the Lord, and made unto them from among themselves priests of the high places, which sacrificed for :^:i them in the houses of the high places. They feared the Lord, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations from among 34 whom they had been carried away. Unto this day they do after the former manners : they fear not the Lord, neither do they after their statutes, or after their ordinances, or after the law or after the command- ment which the Lord commanded the children of Jacob, whom he 35 named Israel; with whom the Lord had made a covenant, and charged them, saying, Ye shall not fear other gods, nor bow yourselves to them, 36 nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them : but the Lord, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a stretched out arm, him shall ye fear, and unto him shall ye bow yourselves, and to 37 him shall ye sacrifice : and the statutes and the ordinances, and the law and the commandment, which he wrote for you, ye shall observe to do 38 for evermore ; and ye shall not fear other gods : and the covenant that I have made with you ye shall not forget ; neither shall ye fear other 39 gods : but the Lord your God shall ye fear; and he shall deliver you 40 out of the hand of all your enemies. Howbeit they did not hearken, 41 but they did after their former manner. So these nations feared the Lord, and served their graven images ; their children likewise, and their children's children, as did their fathers, so do they unto this day. 2 Kings 18. I. 2 Chronicles 29. i. 18 Now it came to pass in the 29 Hezekiah began to reign third year of Hoshea son of Elah when he was five and twenty king of Israel, that Hezekiah years old; and he reigned nine the son of Ahaz king of Judah and twenty years in Jerusalem: 2 began to reign. Twenty and and his mother's name was Abi- five years old was he when he jah the daughter of Zechariah. began to reign ; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusa- lem : and his mother's name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah. 1 Or, ^Oi/ s. 81 6 2 Kings 18. 3. 2 Chronicles 29. 2. 3 And he did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, accord- ing to all that David his father 4 had done. He removed the high places, and brake the pil- lars, and cut down the Asherah : and he brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made; for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it ; and ' he called it ^ Nehushtan. 5 He trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel ; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor among 6 them that were before him. For he clave to the Lord, he depart- ed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which the Lord commanded Moses. 7 And the Lord was with him ; whithersoever he went forth he prospered : and he rebelled against the king of Assyria, 8 and served him not. He smote the Philistines unto Gaza and the borders thereof, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city. 1 Or, // was called 2 That is, A piece of brass. 2 And he did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that David his 3 father had done. He in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of the Lord, and repaired 4 them. And he brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them together into the 5 broad place on the east, and said unto them. Hear me, ye Levites; now sanctify yourselves, and sanctify the house of the Lord, the God of your fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out 6 of the holy place. For our fathers have trespassed, and done that which was evil in the sight of the Lord our God, and have forsaken him, and have turned away their faces from the habitation of the Lord, and turned their backs. 7 Also they have shut up the doors of the porch, and put out the lamps, and have not burned incense nor offered burnt offerings in the holy place unto 8 the God of Israel. Wherefore the wrath of the Lord was upon Judah and Jerusalem, and he hath delivered them to be ' tossed to and fro, to be an astonishment, and an hissing, as ye see with 9 your eyes. For, lo, our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity for 10 this. Now it is in mine heart to make a covenant with the Lord, the God of Israel, that his fierce anger may turn away 11 from us. My sons, be not now negligent : for the Lord hath chosen you to stand before him, to minister unto him, and that ye should be his ministers, and burn incense. ^ Or, a terror 82 2 Chronicles 29. 12. 12 Then the Levites arose, Mahath the son of Amasai, and Joel the son of Azariah, of the sons of the Kohathites : and of the sons of Merari, Kish the son of Abdi, and Azariah the son of Jehallelel : and of the 13 Gershonites, Joah the son of Zimmah, and Eden the son of Joah : and of the sons of EUzaphan, Shimri and Jeuel : and of the sons of Asaph, 14 Zechariah and Mattaniah : and of the sons of Heman, Jehuel and 15 Shimei : and of the sons of Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel. And they gathered their brethren, and sanctified themselves, and went in, according to the commandment of the king by the words of the Lord, 16 to cleanse the house of the Lord. And the priests went in unto the inner part of the house of the Lord, to cleanse it, and brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of the Lord into the court of the house of the Lord. And the Levites took it, to carry it 17 out abroad to the brook Kidron. Now they began on the first day of the first month to sanctify, and on the eighth day of the month came they to the porch of the Lord ; and they sanctified the house of the Lord in eight days : and on the sixteenth day of the first month they 18 made an end. Then they went in to Hezekiah the king within the palace^ and said. We have cleansed all the house of the Lord, and the altar of burnt offering, with all the vessels thereof, and the table of 19 shewbread, with all the vessels thereof. Moreover all the vessels, which king Ahaz in his reign did cast away when he trespassed, have we prepared and sanctified ; and, behold, they are before the altar of the Lord. 20 Then Hezekiah the king arose early, and gathered the princes of the 21 city, and went up to the house of the Lord. And they brought seven bullocks, and seven rams, and seven lambs, and seven he-goats, for a sin offering for the kingdom and for the sanctuary and for Judah. And he commanded the priests the sons of Aaron to offer them on the altar 22 of the Lord. So they killed the bullocks, and the priests received the blood, and sprinkled it on the altar : and they killed the rams, and sprinkled the blood upon the altar : they killed also the lambs, and 23 sprinkled the blood upon the altar. And they brought near the he-goats for the sin offering before the king and the congregation ; 24 and they laid their hands upon them : and the priests killed them, and they made a sin offering with their blood upon the altar, to make atonement for all Israel : for the king commanded that the burnt 25 offering and the sin offering should be fnade for all Israel. And he set the Levites in the house of the Lord with cymbals, with psalteries, and with harps, according to the commandment of David, and of Gad the king's seer, and Nathan the prophet : for the commandment was 26 of the Lord by his prophets. And the Levites stood with the instru- 27 ments of David, and the priests with the trumpets. And Hezekiah commanded to offer the burnt offering upon the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the song of the Lord began also, and the 28 trumpets, together with the instruments of David king of Israel. And all the congregation worshipped, and the singers sang, and the trum- peters sounded ; all this contimied until the burnt offering was finished. 29 And when they had made an end of offering, the king and all that 30 were present with him bowed themselves and worshipped. Moreover 83 2 Chronicles 29. 30. Hezekiah the king and the princes commanded the Levites to sing praises unto the Lord with the words of David, and of Asaph the seer. And they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed their heads 31 and worshipped. Then Hezekiah answered and said, Now ye have ^ consecrated yourselves unto the Lord, come near and bring sacrifices and thank offerings into the house of the Lord. And the congregation brought in sacrifices and thank offerings ; and as many as were of a 32 willing heart brought burnt offerings. And the number of the burnt offerings, which the congregation brought, was threescore and ten bullocks, an hundred rams, and two hundred lambs : all these were 33 for a burnt offering to the Lord. And the consecrated things were six 34 hundred oxen and three thousand sheep. But the priests were too few, so that they could not flay all the burnt offerings : wherefore their brethren the Levites did help them, till the work was ended, and until the priests had sanctified themselves : for the Levites were more upright 35 in heart to sanctify themselves than the priests. And also the burnt offerings were in abundance, with the fat of the peace offerings, and with the drink offerings for every burnt offering. So the service of the 36 house of the Lord was set in order. And Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people, because of that which God had prepared for the people : for the thing was done suddenly. 30 And Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, to keep the passover unto the Lord, the God of Israel. 2 For the king had taken counsel, and his princes, and all the congrega- 3 tion in Jerusalem, to keep the passover in the second month. For they could not keep it at that time, because the priests had not sanctified themselves in sufficient number, neither had the people 4 gathered themselves together to Jerusalem. And the thing was right 5 in the eyes of the king and of all the congregation. So they established a decree to make proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beer-sheba even to Dan, that they should come to keep the passover unto the Lord, the God of Israel, at Jerusalem: for they had not kept it *in 6 great numbers in such sort as it is written. So the posts went with the letters from the king and his princes throughout all Israel and Judah, and according to the commandment of the king, saying, Ye children of Israel, turn again unto the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, that he may return to the remnant that are escaped of you out 7 of the hand of the kings of Assyria. And be not ye like your fathers, and like your brethren, which trespassed against the Lord, the God of 8 their fathers, so that he gave them up ^ to desolation, as ye see. Now be ye not stiffnecked, as your fathers were ; but ^ yield yourselves unto the Lord, and enter into his sanctuary, which he hath sanctified for ever, and serve the Lord your God, that his fierce anger may turn 9 away from you. For if ye turn again unto the Lord, your brethren and your children shall find compassion before them that led them captive, ^ Heb. filled your hand. ^ Or, to be an astonishment 2 Or. of a long time ■* H^h. give the hand. 84 2 Chronicles 30. 9. and shall come again into this land : for the Lord your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you, if ye return 10 unto him. So the posts passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, even unto Zebulun : but they laughed them 1 1 to scorn, and mocked them. Nevertheless divers of Asher and Manasseh 12 and of Zebulun humbled themselves, and came to Jerusalem. Also in Judah was the hand of God to give them one heart, to do the command- 13 ment of the king and of the princes by the word of the Lord. And there assembled at Jerusalem much people to keep the feast of un- 14 leavened bread in the second month, a very great congregation. And they arose and took away the altars that were in Jerusalem, and all the ^ altars for incense took they away, and cast them into the brook 15 Kidron. Then they killed the passover on the fourteenth day of the second month : and the priests and the Levites were ashamed, and sanctified themselves, and brought burnt offerings into the house of the 16 Lord. And they stood in their place after their order, according to the law of Moses the man of God : the priests sprinkled the blood, which 17 they received of the hand of the Levites. For there were many in the congregation that had not sanctified themselves : therefore the Levites had the charge of killing the passovers for every one that was not clean, 18 to sanctify them unto the Lord. For a multitude of the people, even many of Ephraim and Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet did they eat the passover otherwise than it is written. For Hezekiah had prayed for them, saying, The good 19 Lord pardon ^ every one that setteth his heart to seek God, the Lord, the God of his fathers, though he be not cleansed according to the purifi- 20 cation of the sanctuary. And the Lord hearkened to Hezekiah, and 21 healed the people. And the children of Israel that were present at Jerusalem kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with great gladness : and the Levites and the priests praised the Lord day by 22 day, singing with loud instruments unto the Lord. And Hezekiah spake comfortably unto all the Levites that were well skilled in the sennce of the Lord. So they did eat throughout the feast for the seven days, offering sacrifices of peace offerings, and 'making confession to 23 the Lord, the God of their fathers. And the whole congregation took counsel to keep other seven days : and they kept other seven days with 24 gladness. For Hezekiah king of Judah did give to the congregation for offerings a thousand bullocks and seven thousand sheep ; and the princes gave to the congregation a thousand bullocks and ten thou- 25 sand sheep : and a great number of priests sanctified themselves. And all the congregation of Judah, with the priests and the Levites, and all the congregation that came out of Israel, and the strangers that came 26 out of the land of Israel, and that dwelt in Judah, rejoiced. So there was great joy in Jerusalem : for since the time of Solomon the son of 27 David king of Israel there was not the like in Jerusalem. Then the priests the Levites arose and blessed the people : and their voice was ^ Or, vessels ** Or, giving thanks - Or, hitn that setteth his whole heart 85 2 Chronicles 30. 27. heard, and their prayer came up to his holy habitation, even unto heaven. 31 Now when all this was finished, all Israel that were present went out to the cities of Judah, and brake in pieces the ^pillars, and hewed down the Asherim, and brake down the high places and the altars out of all Judah and Benjamin, in Ephraim also and Manasseh, until they had destroyed them all. Then all the children of Israel returned, every man 2 to his possession, into their own cities. And Hezekiah appointed the courses of the priests and the Levites after their courses, every man according to his service, both the priests and the Levites, for burnt offerings and for peace offerings, to minister, and to give thanks, and 3 to praise in the gates of the camp of the Lord. He appointed also the king's portion of his substance for the burnt offerings, to wit^ for the morning and evening burnt offerings, and the burnt offerings for the sabbaths, and for the new moons, and for the set feasts, as it is written 4 in the law of the Lord. Moreover he commanded the people that dwelt in Jerusalem to give the portion of the priests and the Levites, 5 that they might * give themselves to the law of the Lord. And as soon as the commandment came abroad, the children of Israel gave in abundance the firstfruits of corn, wine, and oil, and honey, and of all the increase of the field ; and the tithe of all things brought they in 6 abundantly. And the children of Israel and Judah, that dwelt in the cities of Judah, they also brought in the tithe of oxen and sheep, and the tithe of dedicated things which were consecrated unto the Lord 7 their God, and laid them by heaps. In the third month they began to lay the foundation of the heaps, and finished them in the seventh month. 8 And when Hezekiah and the princes came and saw the heaps, they 9 blessed the Lord, and his people Israel. Then Hezekiah questioned 10 with the priests and the Levites concerning the heaps. And Azariah the chief priest, of the house of Zadok, answered him and said, Since the people began to bring the oblations into the house of the Lord, we have eaten and had enough, and have left plenty : for the Lord hath 11 blessed his people; and that which is left is this great store. Then Hezekiah commanded to prepare chambers in the house of the Lord ; 1 2 and they prepared them. And they brought in the oblations and the tithes and the dedicated things faithfully : and over them Conaniah the 13 Levite was ruler, and Shimei his brother was second. And Jehiel, and Azaziah, and Nahath, and Asahel, and Jerimoth, and Jozabad, and Eliel, and Ismachiah, and Mahath, and Benaiah, were overseers under the hand of Conaniah and Shimei his brother, by the appointment of 14 Hezekiah the king, and Azariah the ruler of the house of God. And Kore the son of Imnah the Levite, the porter at the east gate, was over the freewill offerings of God, to distribute the oblations of the Lord, 15 and the most holy things. And under him were Eden, and Miniamin, and Jeshua, and Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah, in the cities of the priests, in their ^ set office, to give to their brethren by courses, as well 16 to the great as to the small : beside them that were reckoned by genea- 1 Or, obelisks ^ Or, trust ^ Heb. 3^ strong in, 86 2 Chronicles 31. i6. logy of males, from three years old and upward, even every one that entered into the house of the Lord, ' as the duty of every day required, 17 for their service in their charges according to their courses; and them that were reckoned by genealogy of the priests by their fathers' houses, and the Levites from twenty years old and upward, in their charges by 18 their courses ; ^and them that were reckoned by genealogy of all their little ones, their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, through all the congregation : for in their ^ set office they sanctified themselves in 19 holiness: also for the sons of Aaron the priests, which were in the fields of the suburbs of their cities, in every several city, there were men that were expressed by name, to give portions to all the males among the priests, and to all that were reckoned by genealogy among the Levites. 20 And thus did Hezekiah throughout all Judah; and he wrought that which was good and right and '* faithful before the Lord his God. 21 And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered. 2 Kings 18. 9. 9 And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Shalmaneser 10 king of Assyria came up against Samaria, and besieged it. And at the end of three years they took it : even in the sixth year of Hezekiah, which was the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was taken. 1 1 And the king of Assyria carried Israel away unto Assyria, and put them in Halah, and in Habor, on the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the 1 2 Medes : because they obeyed not the voice of the Lord their God, but transgressed his covenant, even all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded, and would not hear it, nor do it. ^ Ox, J or his daily portion ^ Ox, trust. '^ Or, even to give to them ^c. ^ Heh. /aith/u/ngss. 87 2 Kings 18. 13. 2 Chronicles 32. i. 13 Now in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah did ^Sennache- rib king of Assyria come up against all the fenced cities of 14 Judah, and took them. And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria to Lachish, saying, I have offended ; return from me : that which thou puttest on me will I bear. And the king of Assyria appointed unto Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and 15 thirty talents of gold. And Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the Lord, and in the treasures 16 of the king's house. At that time did Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the tem- ple of the Lord, and from the ^pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria. ^ Heb. Sanherib. ^ Or, door posts [The narrative of 2 Kings, 18 — 20 is reproduced, with little variation, in Isaiah, 36 — 39. Hezekiah's song, in the 38th chapter, is the only important addition.] 32 After these things, and this faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came, and entered into Judah, and encamped against the fenced cities, and thought 2 ^to win them for himself And when Hezekiah saw that Sen- nacherib was come, and that ^he was purposed to fight against 3 Jerusalem, he took counsel with his princes and his mighty men to stop the waters of the foun- tains which were without the 4 city ; and they helped him. So there was gathered much people together, and they stopped all the fountains, and the brook that flowed through the midst of the land; saying, Why should the kings of Assyria come, and find 5 much water? And he took courage, and built up all the wall that was broken down, and ^raised it up to the towers, and *the other wall without, and strengthened Millo in the city of David, and made weapons 6 and shields in abundance. And he set captains of war over the people, and gathered them to- gether to him in the broad place at the gate of the city, and spake 7 comfortably to them, saying. Be strong and of a good courage, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him : for ^ there is a greater with us than 8 with him : with him is an arm of flesh ; but with us is the Lord our God to help us, and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves upon the ^ Heb. /