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2ND
CHRONICLES
CHAPTER
1
1
And Solomon the son of David was strengthened in his kingdom, and Jehovah his
God was with him, and magnified him exceedingly.
2 And Solomon spake unto all Israel, to the captains of thousands and of
hundreds, and to the judges, and to every prince in all Israel, the heads of the
fathers' `houses'.
3 So Solomon, and all the assembly with him, went to the high place that was at
Gibeon; for there was the tent of meeting of God, which Moses the servant of
Jehovah had made in the wilderness.
4 But the ark of God had David brought up from Kiriath-jearim to `the place'
that David had prepared for it; for he had pitched a tent for it at Jerusalem.
5 Moreover the brazen altar, that Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, had
made, was there before the tabernacle of Jehovah: and Solomon and the assembly
sought unto it.
6 And Solomon went up thither to the brazen altar before Jehovah, which was at
the tent of meeting, and offered a thousand burnt-offerings upon it.
7 In that night did God appear unto Solomon, and said unto him, Ask what I shall
give thee.
8 And Solomon said unto God, Thou hast showed great lovingkindness unto David my
father, and hast made me king in his stead.
9 Now, O Jehovah God, let thy promise unto David my father be established; for
thou hast made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude.
10 Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this
people; for who can judge this thy people, that is so great?
11 And God said to Solomon, Because this was in thy heart, and thou hast not
asked riches, wealth, or honor, nor the life of them that hate thee, neither yet
hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou
mayest judge my people, over whom I have made thee king:
12 wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give thee riches, and
wealth, and honor, such as none of the kings have had that have been before
thee; neither shall there any after thee have the like.
13 So Solomon came from the high place that was at Gibeon, from before the tent
of meeting, unto Jerusalem; and he reigned over Israel.
14 And Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen: and he had a thousand and four
hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, that he placed in the chariot
cities, and with the king at Jerusalem.
15 And the king made silver and gold to be in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars
made he to be as the sycomore-trees that are in the lowland, for abundance.
16 And the horses which Solomon had were brought out of Egypt; the king's
merchants received them in droves, each drove at a price.
17 And they fetched up and brought out of Egypt a chariot for six hundred
`shekels' of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty: and so for all the
kings of the Hittites, and the kings of Syria, did they bring them out by their
means.
CHAPTER
2
1 Now Solomon purposed to build a house for the name of Jehovah, and a house for
his kingdom.
2 And Solomon counted out threescore and ten thousand men to bear burdens, and
fourscore thousand men that were hewers in the mountains, and three thousand and
six hundred to oversee them.
3 And Solomon sent to Huram the king of Tyre, saying, As thou didst deal with
David my father, and didst send him cedars to build him a house to dwell
therein, `even so deal with me'.
4 Behold, I am about to build a house for the name of Jehovah my God, to
dedicate it to him, and to burn before him incense of sweet spices, and for the
continual showbread, and for the burnt-offerings morning and evening, on the
sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the set feasts of Jehovah our God. This
is `an ordinance' for ever to Israel.
5 And the house which I build is great; for great is our God above all gods.
6 But who is able to build him a house, seeing heaven and the heaven of heavens
cannot contain him? who am I then, that I should build him a house, save only to
burn incense before him?
7 Now therefore send me a man skilful to work in gold, and in silver, and in
brass, and in iron, and in purple, and crimson, and blue, and that knoweth how
to grave `all manner of' gravings, `to be' with the skilful men that are with me
in Judah and in Jerusalem, whom David my father did provide.
8 Send me also cedar-trees, fir-trees, and algum-trees, out of Lebanon; for I
know that thy servants know how to cut timber in Lebanon: and, behold, my
servants shall be with thy servants,
9 even to prepare me timber in abundance; for the house which I am about to
build shall be great and wonderful.
10 And, behold, I will give to thy servants, the hewers that cut timber, twenty
thousand measures of beaten wheat, and twenty thousand measures of barley, and
twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil.
11 Then Huram the king of Tyre answered in writing, which he sent to Solomon,
Because Jehovah loveth his people, he hath made thee king over them.
12 Huram said moreover, Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Israel, that made heaven
and earth, who hath given to David the king a wise son, endued with discretion
and understanding, that should build a house for Jehovah, and a house for his
kingdom.
13 And now I have sent a skilful man, endued with understanding, of Huram my
father's,
14 the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan; and his father was a man of Tyre,
skilful to work in gold, and in silver, in brass, in iron, in stone, and in
timber, in purple, in blue, and in fine linen, and in crimson, also to grave any
manner of graving, and to devise any device; that there may be `a place'
appointed unto him with thy skilful men, and with the skilful men of my lord
David thy father.
15 Now therefore the wheat and the barley, the oil and the wine, which my lord
hath spoken of, let him send unto his servants:
16 and we will cut wood out of Lebanon, as much as thou shalt need; and we will
bring it to thee in floats by sea to Joppa; and thou shalt carry it up to
Jerusalem.
17 And Solomon numbered all the sojourners that were in the land of Israel,
after the numbering wherewith David his father had numbered them; and they were
found a hundred and fifty thousand and three thousand and six hundred.
18 And he set threescore and ten thousand of them to bear burdens, and fourscore
thousand that were hewers in the mountains, and three thousand and six hundred
overseers to set the people at work.
CHAPTER
3
1 Then Solomon began to build the house of Jehovah at Jerusalem on mount Moriah,
where `Jehovah' appeared unto David his father, which he made ready in the place
that David had appointed, in the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
2 And he began to build in the second `day' of the second month, in the fourth
year of his reign.
3 Now these are the foundations which Solomon laid for the building of the house
of God. The length by cubits after the first measure was threescore cubits, and
the breadth twenty cubits.
4 And the porch that was before `the house', the length of it, according to the
breadth of the house, was twenty cubits, and the height a hundred and twenty;
and he overlaid it within with pure gold.
5 And the greater house he ceiled with fir-wood, which he overlaid with fine
gold, and wrought thereon palm-trees and chains.
6 And he garnished the house with precious stones for beauty: and the gold was
gold of Parvaim.
7 He overlaid also the house, the beams, the thresholds, and the walls thereof,
and the doors thereof, with gold; and graved cherubim on the walls.
8 And he made the most holy house: the length thereof, according to the breadth
of the house, was twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof twenty cubits; and he
overlaid it with fine gold, amounting to six hundred talents.
9 And the weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold. And he overlaid the
upper chambers with gold.
10 And in the most holy house he made two cherubim of image work; and they
overlaid them with gold.
11 And the wings of the cherubim were twenty cubits long: the wing of the one
`cherub' was five cubits, reaching to the wall of the house; and the other wing
was `likewise' five cubits, reaching to the wing of the other cherub.
12 And the wing of the other cherub was five cubits, reaching to the wall of the
house; and the other wing was five cubits `also', joining to the wing of the
other cherub.
13 The wings of these cherubim spread themselves forth twenty cubits: and they
stood on their feet, and their faces were toward the house.
14 And he made the veil of blue, and purple, and crimson, and fine linen, and
wrought cherubim thereon.
15 Also he made before the house two pillars of thirty and five cubits high, and
the capital that was on the top of each of them was five cubits.
16 And he made chains in the oracle, and put `them' on the tops of the pillars;
and he made a hundred pomegranates, and put them on the chains.
17 And he set up the pillars before the temple, one on the right hand, and the
other on the left; and called the name of that on the right hand Jachin, and the
name of that on the left Boaz.
CHAPTER
4
1 Moreover he made an altar of brass, twenty cubits the length thereof, and
twenty cubits the breadth thereof, and ten cubits the height thereof.
2 Also he made the molten sea of ten cubits from brim to brim, round in compass;
and the height thereof was five cubits; and a line of thirty cubits compassed it
round about.
3 And under it was the likeness of oxen, which did compass it round about, for
ten cubits, compassing the sea round about. The oxen were in two rows, cast when
it was cast.
4 It stood upon twelve oxen, three looking toward the north, and three looking
toward the west, and three looking toward the south, and three looking toward
the east: and the sea was set upon them above, and all their hinder parts were
inward.
5 And it was a handbreadth thick; and the brim thereof was wrought like the brim
of a cup, like the flower of a lily: it received and held three thousand baths.
6 He made also ten lavers, and put five on the right hand, and five on the left,
to wash in them; such things as belonged to the burnt-offering they washed in
them; but the sea was for the priests to wash in.
7 And he made the ten candlesticks of gold according to the ordinance concerning
them; and he set them in the temple, five on the right hand, and five on the
left.
8 He made also ten tables, and placed them in the temple, five on the right
side, and five on the left. And he made a hundred basins of gold.
9 Furthermore he made the court of the priests, and the great court, and doors
for the court, and overlaid the doors of them with brass.
10 And he set the sea on the right side `of the house' eastward, toward the
south.
11 And Huram made the pots, and the shovels, and the basins. So Huram made an
end of doing the work that he wrought for king Solomon in the house of God:
12 the two pillars, and the bowls, and the two capitals which were on the top of
the pillars, and the two networks to cover the two bowls of the capitals that
were on the top of the pillars,
13 and the four hundred pomegranates for the two networks; two rows of
pomegranates for each network, to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were
upon the pillars.
14 He made also the bases, and the lavers made he upon the bases;
15 one sea, and the twelve oxen under it.
16 The pots also, and the shovels, and the flesh-hooks, and all the vessels
thereof, did Huram his father make for king Solomon for the house of Jehovah of
bright brass.
17 In the plain of the Jordan did the king cast them, in the clay ground between
Succoth and Zeredah.
18 Thus Solomon made all these vessels in great abundance: for the weight of the
brass could not be found out.
19 And Solomon made all the vessels that were in the house of God, the golden
altar also, and the tables whereon was the showbread;
20 and the candlesticks with their lamps, to burn according to the ordinance
before the oracle, of pure gold;
21 and the flowers, and the lamps, and the tongs, of gold, and that perfect
gold;
22 and the snuffers, and the basins, and the spoons, and the firepans, of pure
gold: and as for the entry of the house, the inner doors thereof for the most
holy place, and the doors of the house, `to wit', of the temple, were of gold.
CHAPTER
5
1 Thus all the work that Solomon wrought for the house of Jehovah was finished.
And Solomon brought in the things that David his father had dedicated, even the
silver, and the gold, and all the vessels, and put them in the treasuries of the
house of God.
2 Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes,
the princes of the fathers' `houses' of the children of Israel, unto Jerusalem,
to bring up the ark of the covenant of Jehovah out of the city of David, which
is Zion.
3 nd all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto the king at the feast,
which was `in' the seventh month.
4 And all the elders of Israel came: and the Levites took up the ark;
5 and they brought up the ark, and the tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels
that were in the Tent; these did the priests the Levites bring up.
6 And king Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, that were assembled unto
him, were before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen, that could not be counted
nor numbered for multitude.
7 And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of Jehovah unto its place,
into the oracle of the house, to the most holy place, even under the wings of
the cherubim.
8 For the cherubim spread forth their wings over the place of the ark, and the
cherubim covered the ark and the staves thereof above.
9 And the staves were so long that the ends of the staves were seen from the ark
before the oracle; but they were not seen without: and there it is unto this
day.
10 There was nothing in the ark save the two tables which Moses put `there' at
Horeb, when Jehovah made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came
out of Egypt.
11 And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, (for
all the priests that were present had sanctified themselves, and did not keep
their courses;
12 also the Levites who were the singers, all of them, even Asaph, Heman,
Jeduthun, and their sons and their brethren, arrayed in fine linen, with cymbals
and psalteries and harps, stood at the east end of the altar, and with them a
hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets;)
13 it came to pass, when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one
sound to be heard in praising and thanking Jehovah; and when they lifted up
their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised
Jehovah, `saying', For he is good; for his lovingkindness `endureth' for ever;
that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of Jehovah,
14 so that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for
the glory of Jehovah filled the house of God.
CHAPTER
6
1 Then spake Solomon, Jehovah hath said that he would dwell in the thick
darkness.
2 But I have built thee a house of habitation, and a place for thee to dwell in
for ever.
3 And the king turned his face, and blessed all the assembly of Israel: and all
the assembly of Israel stood.
4 And he said, Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Israel, who spake with his mouth
unto David my father, and hath with his hands fulfilled it, saying,
5 Since the day that I brought forth my people out of the land of Egypt, I chose
no city out of all the tribes of Israel to build a house in, that my name might
be there; neither chose I any man to be prince over my people Israel:
6 but I have chosen Jerusalem, that my name might be there; and have chosen
David to be over my people Israel.
7 Now it was in the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of
Jehovah, the God of Israel.
8 But Jehovah said unto David my father, Whereas it was in thy heart to build a
house for my name, thou didst well that it was in thy heart:
9 nevertheless thou shalt not build the house; but thy son that shall come forth
out of thy loins, he shall build the house for my name.
10 And Jehovah hath performed his word that he spake; for I am risen up in the
room of David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel, as Jehovah promised,
and have built the house for the name of Jehovah, the God of Israel.
11 And there have I set the ark, wherein is the covenant of Jehovah, which he
made with the children of Israel.
12 And he stood before the altar of Jehovah in the presence of all the assembly
of Israel, and spread forth his hands;
13 (for Solomon had made a brazen scaffold, five cubits long, and five cubits
broad, and three cubits high, and had set it in the midst of the court; and upon
it he stood, and kneeled down upon his knees before all the assembly of Israel,
and spread forth his hands toward heaven;)
14 and he said, O Jehovah, the God of Israel, there is no God like thee, in
heaven, or on earth; who keepest covenant and lovingkindness with thy servants,
that walk before thee with all their heart;
15 who hast kept with thy servant David my father that which thou didst promise
him: yea, thou spakest with thy mouth, and hast fulfilled it with thy hand, as
it is this day.
16 Now therefore, O Jehovah, the God of Israel, keep with thy servant David my
father that which thou hast promised him, saying, There shall not fail thee a
man in my sight to sit on the throne of Israel, if only thy children take heed
to their way, to walk in my law as thou hast walked before me.
17 Now therefore, O Jehovah, the God of Israel, let thy word be verified, which
thou spakest unto thy servant David.
18 But will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth? behold, heaven and the
heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house which I have
builded!
19 Yet have thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his
supplication, O Jehovah my God, to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer which
thy servant prayeth before thee;
20 that thine eyes may be open toward this house day and night, even toward the
place whereof thou hast said that thou wouldest put thy name there; to hearken
unto the prayer which thy servant shall pray toward this place.
21 And hearken thou to the supplications of thy servant, and of thy people
Israel, when they shall pray toward this place: yea, hear thou from thy
dwelling-place, even from heaven; and when thou hearest forgive.
22 If a man sin against his neighbor, and an oath be laid upon him to cause him
to swear, and he come `and' swear before thine altar in this house;
23 then hear thou from heaven, and do, and judge thy servants, requiting the
wicked, to bring his way upon his own head; and justifying the righteous, to
give him according to his righteousness.
24 And if thy people Israel be smitten down before the enemy, because they have
sinned against thee, and shall turn again and confess thy name, and pray and
make supplication before thee in this house;
25 then hear thou from heaven, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, and
bring them again unto the land which thou gavest to them and to their fathers.
26 When the heavens are shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned
against thee; if they pray toward this place, and confess thy name, and turn
from their sin, when thou dost afflict them:
27 then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servants, and of thy
people Israel, when thou teachest them the good way wherein they should walk;
and send rain upon thy land, which thou hast given to thy people for an
inheritance.
28 If there be in the land famine, if there be pestilence, if there be blasting
or mildew, locust or caterpillar; if their enemies besiege them in the land of
their cities; whatsoever plague or whatsoever sickness there be;
29 what prayer and supplication soever be made by any man, or by all thy people
Israel, who shall know every man his own plague and his own sorrow, and shall
spread forth his hands toward this house:
30 then hear thou from heaven thy dwelling-place and forgive, and render unto
every man according to all his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, even
thou only, knowest the hearts of the children of men;)
31 that they may fear thee, to walk in thy ways, so long as they live in the
land which thou gavest unto our fathers.
32 Moreover concerning the foreigner, that is not of thy people Israel, when he
shall come from a far country for thy great name's sake, and thy mighty hand,
and thine outstretched arm; when they shall come and pray toward this house:
33 then hear thou from heaven, even from thy dwelling-place, and do according to
all that the foreigner calleth to thee for; that all the peoples of the earth
may know thy name, and fear thee, as doth thy people Israel, and that they may
know that this house which I have built is called by thy name.
34 If thy people go out to battle against their enemies, by whatsoever way thou
shalt send them, and they pray unto thee toward this city which thou hast
chosen, and the house which I have built for thy name;
35 then hear thou from heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain
their cause.
36 If they sin against thee (for there is no man that sinneth not), and thou be
angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away
captive unto a land far off or near;
37 yet if they shall bethink themselves in the land whither they are carried
captive, and turn again, and make supplication unto thee in the land of their
captivity, saying, We have sinned, we have done perversely, and have dealt
wickedly;
38 if they return unto thee with all their heart and with all their soul in the
land of their captivity, whither they have carried them captive, and pray toward
their land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, and the city which thou hast
chosen, and toward the house which I have built for thy name:
39 then hear thou from heaven, even from thy dwelling-place, their prayer and
their supplications, and maintain their cause, and forgive thy people who have
sinned against thee.
40 Now, O my God, let, I beseech thee, thine eyes be open, and let thine ears be
attent, unto the prayer that is made in this place.
41 Now therefore arise, O Jehovah God, into thy resting-place, thou, and the ark
of thy strength: let thy priests, O Jehovah God, be clothed with salvation, and
let thy saints rejoice in goodness.
42 O Jehovah God, turn not away the face of thine anointed: remember `thy'
lovingkindnesses to David thy servant.
CHAPTER
7
1 Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven,
and consumed the burnt-offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of Jehovah
filled the house.
2 And the priests could not enter into the house of Jehovah, because the glory
of Jehovah filled Jehovah's house.
3 And all the children of Israel looked on, when the fire came down, and the
glory of Jehovah was upon the house; and they bowed themselves with their faces
to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped, and gave thanks unto Jehovah,
`saying', For he is good; for his lovingkindness `endureth' for ever.
4 Then the king and all the people offered sacrifice before Jehovah.
5 And king Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty and two thousand oxen, and a
hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the people dedicated the
house of God.
6 And the priests stood, according to their offices; the Levites also with
instruments of music of Jehovah, which David the king had made to give thanks
unto Jehovah, (for his lovingkindness `endureth' for ever,) when David praised
by their ministry: and the priests sounded trumpets before them; and all Israel
stood.
7 Moreover Solomon hallowed the middle of the court that was before the house of
Jehovah; for there he offered the burnt-offerings, and the fat of the
peace-offerings, because the brazen altar which Solomon had made was not able to
receive the burnt-offering, and the meal-offering, and the fat.
8 So Solomon held the feast at that time seven days, and all Israel with him, a
very great assembly, from the entrance of Hamath unto the brook of Egypt.
9 And on the eighth day they held a solemn assembly: for they kept the
dedication of the altar seven days, and the feast seven days.
10 And on the three and twentieth day of the seventh month he sent the people
away unto their tents, joyful and glad of heart for the goodness that Jehovah
had showed unto David, and to Solomon, and to Israel his people.
11 Thus Solomon finished the house of Jehovah, and the king's house: and all
that came into Solomon's heart to make in the house of Jehovah, and in his own
house, he prosperously effected.
12 And Jehovah appeared to Solomon by night, and said unto him, I have heard thy
prayer, and have chosen this place to myself for a house of sacrifice.
13 If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust
to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people;
14 if my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray,
and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven,
and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
15 Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent, unto the prayer that is
made in this place.
16 For now have I chosen and hallowed this house, that my name may be there for
ever; and mine eyes and my heart shall be there perpetually.
17 And as for thee, if thou wilt walk before me as David thy father walked, and
do according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep my statutes and
mine ordinances;
18 then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom, according as I covenanted
with David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man to be ruler in
Israel.
19 But if ye turn away, and forsake my statutes and my commandments which I have
set before you, and shall go and serve other gods, and worship them;
20 then will I pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given
them; and this house, which I have hallowed for my name, will I cast out of my
sight, and I will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples.
21 And this house, which is so high, every one that passeth by it shall be
astonished, and shall say, Why hath Jehovah done thus unto this land, and to
this house?
22 And they shall answer, Because they forsook Jehovah, the God of their
fathers, who brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other
gods, and worshipped them, and served them: therefore hath he brought all this
evil upon them.
CHAPTER
8
1 And it came to pass at the end of twenty years, wherein Solomon had built the
house of Jehovah, and his own house,
2 that the cities which Huram had given to Solomon, Solomon built them, and
caused the children of Israel to dwell there.
3 And Solomon went to Hamath-zobah, and prevailed against it.
4 And he built Tadmor in the wilderness, and all the store-cities, which he
built in Hamath.
5 Also he built Beth-horon the upper, and Beth-horon the nether, fortified
cities, with walls, gates, and bars;
6 and Baalath, and all the store-cities that Solomon had, and all the cities for
his chariots, and the cities for his horsemen, and all that Solomon desired to
build for his pleasure in Jerusalem, and in Lebanon, and in all the land of his
dominion.
7 As for all the people that were left of the Hittites, and the Amorites, and
the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, that were not of Israel;
8 of their children that were left after them in the land, whom the children of
Israel consumed not, of them did Solomon raise a levy `of bondservants' unto
this day.
9 But of the children of Israel did Solomon make no servants for his work; but
they were men of war, and chief of his captains, and rulers of his chariots and
of his horsemen.
10 And these were the chief officers of king Solomon, even two hundred and
fifty, that bare rule over the people.
11 And Solomon brought up the daughter of Pharaoh out of the city of David unto
the house that he had built for her; for he said, My wife shall not dwell in the
house of David king of Israel, because the places are holy, whereunto the ark of
Jehovah hath come.
12 Then Solomon offered burnt-offerings unto Jehovah on the altar of Jehovah,
which he had built before the porch,
13 even as the duty of every day required, offering according to the commandment
of Moses, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the set feasts, three
times in the year, `even' in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of
weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles.
14 And he appointed, according to the ordinance of David his father, the courses
of the priests to their service, and the Levites to their offices, to praise,
and to minister before the priests, as the duty of every day required; the
doorkeepers also by their courses at every gate: for so had David the man of God
commanded.
15 And they departed not from the commandment of the king unto the priests and
Levites concerning any matter, or concerning the treasures.
16 Now all the work of Solomon was prepared unto the day of the foundation of
the house of Jehovah, and until it was finished. `So' the house of Jehovah was
completed.
17 Then went Solomon to Ezion-geber, and to Eloth, on the seashore in the land
of Edom.
18 And Huram sent him by the hands of his servants ships, and servants that had
knowledge of the sea; and they came with the servants of Solomon to Ophir, and
fetched from thence four hundred and fifty talents of gold, and brought them to
king Solomon.
CHAPTER
9
1 And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to prove
Solomon with hard questions at Jerusalem, with a very great train, and camels
that bare spices, and gold in abundance, and precious stones: and when she was
come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart.
2 And Solomon told her all her questions; and there was not anything hid from
Solomon which he told her not.
3 And when the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that
he had built,
4 and the food of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance
of his ministers, and their apparel, his cupbearers also, and their apparel, and
his ascent by which he went up unto the house of Jehovah; there was no more
spirit in her.
5 And she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in mine own land
of thine acts, and of thy wisdom.
6 Howbeit I believed not their words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it;
and, behold, the half of the greatness of thy wisdom was not told me: thou
exceedest the fame that I heard.
7 Happy are thy men, and happy are these thy servants, that stand continually
before thee, and hear thy wisdom.
8 Blessed be Jehovah thy God, who delighted in thee, to set thee on his throne,
to be king for Jehovah thy God: because thy God loved Israel, to establish them
for ever, therefore made he thee king over them, to do justice and
righteousness.
9 And she gave the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold, and spices in
great abundance, and precious stones: neither was there any such spice as the
queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon.
10 And the servants also of Huram, and the servants of Solomon, that brought
gold from Ophir, brought algum-trees and precious stones.
11 And the king made of the algum-trees terraces for the house of Jehovah, and
for the king's house, and harps and psalteries for the singers: and there were
none such seen before in the land of Judah.
12 And king Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she
asked, besides that which she had brought unto the king. So she turned, and went
to her own land, she and her servants.
13 Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred and
threescore and six talents of gold,
14 besides that which the traders and merchants brought: and all the kings of
Arabia and the governors of the country brought gold and silver to Solomon.
15 And king Solomon made two hundred bucklers of beaten gold; six hundred
`shekels' of beaten gold went to one buckler.
16 And `he made' three hundred shields of beaten gold; three hundred `shekels'
of gold went to one shield: and the king put them in the house of the forest of
Lebanon.
17 Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure
gold.
18 nd there were six steps to the throne, with a footstool of gold, which were
fastened to the throne, and stays on either side by the place of the seat, and
two lions standing beside the stays.
19 And twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other upon the six
steps: there was not the like made in any kingdom.
20 And all king Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of
the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold: silver was nothing
accounted of in the days of Solomon.
21 For the king had ships that went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram; once
every three years came the ships of Tarshish, bringing gold, and silver, ivory,
and apes, and peacocks.
22 So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.
23 And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon, to hear his
wisdom, which God had put in his heart.
24 And they brought every man his tribute, vessels of silver, and vessels of
gold, and raiment, armor, and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year.
25 And Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve
thousand horsemen, that he bestowed in the chariot cities, and with the king at
Jerusalem.
26 And he ruled over all the kings from the River even unto the land of the
Philistines, and to the border of Egypt.
27 And the king made silver to be in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars made he to
be as the sycomore-trees that are in the lowland, for abundance.
28 And they brought horses for Solomon out of Egypt, and out of all lands.
29 Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, first and last, are they not written in
the history of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite,
and in the visions of Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam the son of Nebat?
30 And Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years.
31 And Solomon slept with his fathers, and he was buried in the city of David
his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead.
CHAPTER
10
1 And Rehoboam went to Shechem; for all Israel were come to Shechem to make him
king.
2 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 Egypt.
3 And they sent and called him; and Jeroboam and all Israel came, and they spake
to Rehoboam, saying,
4 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
will serve thee.
5 And he said unto them, Come again unto me after three days. And the people
departed.
6 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 be thy servants for ever.
8 But he forsook the counsel of the old men which they had given him, and took
counsel with the 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
upon us lighter?
10 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
little finger is thicker than my father's loins.
11 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 you' with
scorpions.
12 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 them roughly; and king Rehoboam forsook the counsel of
the old men,
14 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 Jehovah might establish his word, which he spake by 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: every man to your tents, O Israel: now see to
thine own house, David. So all Israel departed unto their tents.
17 But as for the children of Israel that dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam
reigned over them.
18 Then king Rehoboam sent Hadoram, who was over the men subject to taskwork;
and the children of Israel stoned him to death with stones. And king Rehoboam
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.
CHAPTER
11
1 And when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he assembled the house of Judah and
Benjamin, a hundred and fourscore thousand chosen men, that were warriors, to
fight against Israel, to bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam.
2 But the word of Jehovah came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying,
3 Speak unto Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in
Judah and Benjamin, saying,
4 Thus saith Jehovah, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren:
return every man to his house; for this thing is of me. So they hearkened unto
the words of Jehovah, and returned from going against Jeroboam.
5 And Rehoboam dwelt in Jerusalem, and built cities for defence in Judah.
6 He built Beth-lehem, and Etam, and Tekoa,
7 And Beth-zur, and Soco, and Adullam,
8 and Gath, and Mareshah, and Ziph,
9 and Adoraim, and Lachish, and Azekah,
10 and Zorah, and Aijalon, and Hebron, which are in Judah and in Benjamin,
fortified cities.
11 And he fortified the strongholds, and put captains in them, and stores of
victuals, and oil and wine.
12 And in every city `he put' shields and spears, and made them exceeding
strong. And Judah and Benjamin belonged to him.
13 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 Jehovah;
15 and he appointed him priests for the high places, and for the he-goats, and
for the calves which he had made.
16 And after them, out of all the tribes of Israel, such as set their hearts to
seek Jehovah, the God of Israel, came to Jerusalem to sacrifice unto Jehovah,
the God of their fathers.
17 So they strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and made Rehoboam the son of
Solomon strong, three years; for they walked three years in the way of David and
Solomon.
18 And Rehoboam took him a wife, Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth the son of
David, `and of' Abihail the daughter of Eliab the son of Jesse;
19 and she bare him sons: Jeush, and Shemariah, and Zaham.
20 And after her he took Maacah the daughter of Absalom; and she bare him Abijah,
and Attai, and Ziza, and Shelomith.
21 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 and threescore daughters.)
22 And Rehoboam appointed Abijah the son of Maacah to be chief, `even' the
prince among his brethren; for `he was minded' to make him king.
23 And he dealt wisely, and dispersed of all his sons throughout all the lands
of Judah and Benjamin, unto every fortified city: and he gave them victuals in
abundance. And he sought `for them' many wives.
CHAPTER
12
1 And it came to pass, when the kingdom of Rehoboam was established, and he was
strong, that he forsook the law of Jehovah, and all Israel with him.
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 Jehovah,
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 Sukkiim, and
the Ethiopians.
4 And he took the fortified cities which pertained to Judah, and came unto
Jerusalem.
5 Now Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam, and to the princes of Judah, that
were gathered together to Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said unto them, Thus
saith Jehovah, Ye have forsaken me, therefore have I also left you in the hand
of Shishak.
6 Then the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves; and they said,
Jehovah is righteous.
7 And when Jehovah saw that they humbled themselves, the word of Jehovah came to
Shemaiah, saying, They have humbled themselves: I will not destroy them; but I
will grant them some deliverance, and my wrath shall not be poured out upon
Jerusalem 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 Jehovah, and the treasures of the king's house: he
took all away: he took away also the shields of gold which Solomon had made.
10 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 king's house.
11 And it was so, that, as oft as the king entered into the house of Jehovah,
the guard came and bare them, and brought them back into the guard-chamber.
12 And when he humbled himself, the wrath of Jehovah turned from him, so as not
to destroy him altogether: and moreover in Judah there were good things `found'.
13 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 Jehovah 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 seek Jehovah.
15 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 Jeroboam continually.
16 And Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David: and
Abijah his son reigned in his stead.
CHAPTER
13
1 In the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam began Abijah to reign over Judah.
2 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 Jeroboam.
3 And Abijah joined battle with an army of valiant men of war, even four hundred
thousand chosen men: and Jeroboam set the battle in array against him with eight
hundred thousand chosen men, who were mighty men of valor.
4 And Abijah stood up upon mount Zemaraim, which is in the hill-country of
Ephraim, and said, Hear me, O Jeroboam and all Israel:
5 Ought ye not to know that Jehovah, 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 against his lord.
7 And there were gathered unto him worthless men, base fellows, that
strengthened themselves against Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was
young and tender-hearted, and could not withstand them.
8 And now ye think to withstand the kingdom of Jehovah in the hand of the sons
of David; and ye are a great multitude, and there are with you the golden calves
which Jeroboam made you for gods.
9 Have ye not driven out the priests of Jehovah, the sons of Aaron, and the
Levites, and made you priests after the manner of the peoples of `other' lands?
so that whosoever cometh to consecrate himself with a young bullock and seven
rams, the same may be a priest of `them that are' no gods.
10 But as for us, Jehovah is our God, and we have not forsaken him; and `we
have' priests ministering unto Jehovah, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites in
their work:
11 and they burn unto Jehovah every morning and every evening burnt-offerings
and sweet incense: the showbread 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 Jehovah our God; but ye have forsaken him.
12 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
Jehovah, the God of your fathers; for ye shall not prosper.
13 But Jeroboam caused an ambushment to come about behind them: so they were
before Judah, and the ambushment was behind them.
14 And when Judah looked back, behold, the battle was before and behind them;
and they cried unto Jehovah, and the priests sounded with the trumpets.
15 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 and Judah.
16 And the children of Israel fled before Judah; and God delivered them into
their hand.
17 And Abijah and his people slew them with a great slaughter: so there fell
down slain of Israel five hundred thousand chosen men.
18 Thus the children of Israel were brought under at that time, and the children
of Judah prevailed, because they relied upon Jehovah, the God of their fathers.
19 And Abijah pursued after Jeroboam, and took cities from him, Beth-el with the
towns thereof, and Jeshanah with the towns thereof, and Ephron with the towns
thereof.
20 Neither did Jeroboam recover strength again in the days of Abijah: and
Jehovah smote him, and he died.
21 But Abijah waxed mighty, and took unto himself fourteen wives, and begat
twenty and two sons, and sixteen daughters.
22 And the rest of the acts of Abijah, and his ways, and his sayings, are
written in the commentary of the prophet Iddo.
CHAPTER
14
1 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 years.
2 And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of Jehovah his God:
3 for he took away the foreign altars, and the high places, and brake down the
pillars, and hewed down the Asherim,
4 and commanded Judah to seek Jehovah, 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 was quiet before him.
6 And he built fortified cities in Judah; for the land was quiet, and he had no
war in those years, because Jehovah had given him rest.
7 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
Jehovah our God; we have sought him, and he hath given us rest on every side. So
they built and prospered.
8 And Asa had an army that bare bucklers and spears, out of Judah three hundred
thousand; and out of Benjamin, that bare shields and drew bows, two hundred and
fourscore thousand: all these were mighty men of valor.
9 And there came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian with an army of a thousand
thousand, and three hundred chariots; and he came unto Mareshah.
10 Then Asa went out to meet him, and they set the battle in array in the valley
of Zephathah at Mareshah.
11 And Asa cried unto Jehovah his God, and said, Jehovah, there is none besides
thee to help, between the mighty and him that hath no strength: help us, O
Jehovah our God; for we rely on thee, and in thy name are we come against this
multitude. O Jehovah, thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee.
12 So Jehovah smote the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah; and the
Ethiopians fled.
13 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 Jehovah, and before his host; and they carried away very
much booty.
14 And they smote all the cities round about Gerar; for the fear of Jehovah came
upon them: and they despoiled all the cities; for there was much spoil in them.
15 They smote also the tents of cattle, and carried away sheep in abundance, and
camels, and returned to Jerusalem.
CHAPTER
15
1 And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded:
2 and he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah
and Benjamin: Jehovah is with you, while ye are with him; and if ye seek him, he
will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.
3 Now for a long season Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching
priest, and without law:
4 But when in their distress they turned unto Jehovah, the God of Israel, and
sought him, he was found of them.
5 And in those times there was no peace to him that went out, nor to him that
came in; but great vexations were upon all the inhabitants of the lands.
6 And they were broken in pieces, nation against nation, and city against city;
for God did vex them with all adversity.
7 But be ye strong, and let not your hands be slack; for your work shall be
rewarded.
8 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 Jehovah, that was before the porch of
Jehovah.
9 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 saw that Jehovah his God was with him.
10 So they gathered themselves together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the
fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.
11 And they sacrificed unto Jehovah in that day, of the spoil which they had
brought, seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep.
12 And they entered into the covenant to seek Jehovah, the God of their fathers,
with all their heart and with all their soul;
13 and that whosoever would not seek Jehovah, the God of Israel, should be put
to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.
14 And they sware unto Jehovah with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with
trumpets, and with cornets.
15 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 Jehovah
gave them rest round about.
16 And also Maacah, the mother of Asa the king, he removed 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 at the brook Kidron.
17 But the high places were not taken away out of Israel: nevertheless the heart
of Asa was perfect all his days.
18 And he brought into the house of God the things that his father had
dedicated, and that he himself had dedicated, silver, and gold, and vessels.
19 And there was no more war unto the five and thirtieth year of the reign of
Asa.
CHAPTER
16
1 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 one 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
Jehovah and of the king's house, and sent to Ben-hadad king of Syria, that dwelt
at Damascus, saying,
3 `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 depart from me.
4 And Ben-hadad hearkened unto king Asa, and sent the captains of his armies
against the cities of Israel; and they smote Ijon, and 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
Ramah, and let his work cease.
6 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 Jehovah
thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thy hand.
8 Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubim a huge host, with chariots and horsemen
exceeding many? yet, because thou didst rely on Jehovah, he delivered them into
thy hand.
9 For the eyes of Jehovah run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show
himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein
thou hast done foolishly; for from henceforth thou shalt have wars.
10 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
at the same time.
11 And, behold, the acts of Asa, first and last, lo, they are written in the
book of the kings of Judah and Israel.
12 And in the thirty and ninth year of his reign Asa was diseased in his feet;
his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to Jehovah,
but to the physicians.
13 And Asa slept with his fathers, and died in the one and fortieth year of his
reign.
14 And they buried him in his own sepulchres, which he had hewn out for himself
in the city of David, and laid him in the bed which was filled with sweet odors
and divers kinds `of spices' prepared by the perfumers' art: and they made a
very great burning for him.
CHAPTER
17
1 And Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his stead, and strengthened himself against
Israel.
2 And he placed forces in all the fortified cities of Judah, and set garrisons
in the land of Judah, and in the cities of Ephraim, which Asa his father had
taken.
3 And Jehovah was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the first ways of his
father David, and sought not unto the Baalim,
4 but sought to the God of his father, and walked in his commandments, and not
after the doings of Israel.
5 Therefore Jehovah established the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah brought
to Jehoshaphat tribute; and he had riches and honor in abundance.
6 And his heart was lifted up in the ways of Jehovah: and furthermore he took
away the high places and the Asherim out of Judah.
7 Also in the third year of his reign he sent his princes, even Ben-hail, and
Obadiah, and Zechariah, and Nethanel, and Micaiah, to teach in the cities of
Judah;
8 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 Levites; and with them Elishama and Jehoram, the priests.
9 And they taught in Judah, having the book of the law of Jehovah with them; and
they went about throughout all the cities of Judah, and taught among the people.
10 And the fear of Jehovah fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were
round about Judah, so that they made no war against Jehoshaphat.
11 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 thousand and seven hundred he-goats.
12 And Jehoshaphat waxed great exceedingly; and he built in Judah castles and
cities of store.
13 And he had many works in the cities of Judah; and men of war, mighty men of
valor, in Jerusalem.
14 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
valor three hundred thousand;
15 and next to him Jehohanan the captain, and with him two hundred and fourscore
thousand;
16 and next to him Amasiah the son of Zichri, who willingly offered himself unto
Jehovah; and with him two hundred thousand mighty men of valor.
17 And of Benjamin: Eliada a mighty man of valor, and with him two hundred
thousand armed with bow and shield;
18 and next to him Jehozabad and with him a hundred and fourscore thousand ready
prepared for war.
19 These were they that waited on the king, besides those whom the king put in
the fortified cities throughout all Judah.
CHAPTER
18
1 Now Jehoshaphat had riches and honor 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' to Ramoth-gilead.
3 And Ahab king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat 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 `we will be' with thee in the war.
4 And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, Inquire first, I pray thee, for
the word of Jehovah.
5 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 forbear? And
they said, Go up; for God will deliver it into the hand of the king.
6 But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of Jehovah besides, that we
may inquire of him?
7 And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man by whom we
may inquire of Jehovah: but I hate him; for he never prophesieth good concerning
me, but always evil: the same is Micaiah the son of Imla. And Jehoshaphat said,
Let not the king say so.
8 Then the king of Israel called an officer, and said, Fetch quickly Micaiah the
son of Imla.
9 Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah sat each on his
throne, arrayed in their robes, and they were sitting in an open place at the
entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets were prophesying before
them.
10 And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made him horns of iron, and said, Thus
saith Jehovah, With these shalt thou push the Syrians, until they be consumed.
11 And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramoth-gilead, and
prosper; for Jehovah will deliver it into the hand of the king.
12 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 thou good.
13 And Micaiah said, As Jehovah 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 forbear? 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 of Jehovah?
16 And he said, I saw all Israel scattered upon the mountains, as sheep that
have no shepherd: and Jehovah said, These have no master; let them return every
man to his house in peace.
17 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee that he would
not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?
18 And `Micaiah' said, Therefore hear ye the word of Jehovah: I saw Jehovah
sitting upon his throne, and all the host of heaven standing on his right hand
and on his left.
19 And Jehovah 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
saying after that manner.
20 And there came forth a spirit, and stood before Jehovah, and said, I will
entice him. And Jehovah said unto him, Wherewith?
21 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, Jehovah hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of these
thy prophets; and Jehovah hath spoken evil concerning thee.
23 Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near, and smote Micaiah upon the
cheek, and said, Which way went the Spirit of Jehovah from me to speak unto
thee?
24 And Micaiah said, Behold, thou shalt see on that day, when thou shalt go into
an inner chamber to hide thyself.
25 And the king of Israel said, Take ye Micaiah, and carry him back unto Amon
the governor of the city, and to Joash the king's son;
26 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 return in peace.
27 And Micaiah said, If thou return at all in peace, Jehovah hath not spoken by
me. And he said, Hear, ye peoples, all of you.
28 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to
Ramoth-gilead.
29 And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, I will disguise myself, and go
into the battle; but put thou on thy robes. So the king of Israel disguised
himself; and they went into the battle.
30 Now the king of Syria had commanded the captains of his chariots, saying,
Fight neither with small nor great, 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 Jehovah helped him; and God moved
them `to depart' from him.
32 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.
33 And a certain man drew his bow at a venture, and smote the king of Israel
between the joints of the armor: wherefore he said to the driver of the chariot,
Turn thy hand, and carry me out of the host; for I am sore wounded.
34 And the battle increased that day: howbeit 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.
CHAPTER
19
1 And Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned to his house in peace to Jerusalem.
2 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 Jehovah?
for this thing wrath is upon thee from before Jehovah.
3 Nevertheless there are good things found in thee, in that thou hast put away
the Asheroth out of the land, and hast set thy 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 them back unto
Jehovah, the God of their fathers.
5 And he set judges in the land throughout all the fortified cities of Judah,
city by city,
6 and said to the judges, Consider what ye do: for ye judge not for man, but for
Jehovah; and `he is' with you in the judgment.
7 Now therefore let the fear of Jehovah be upon you; take heed and do it: for
there is no iniquity with Jehovah our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of
bribes.
8 Moreover in Jerusalem did Jehoshaphat set of the Levites and the priests, and
of the heads of the fathers' `houses' of Israel, for the judgment of Jehovah,
and for controversies. And they returned to Jerusalem.
9 And he charged them, saying, Thus shall ye do in the fear of Jehovah,
faithfully, and with a perfect heart.
10 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 ordinances, ye shall warn them, that they be not guilty towards
Jehovah, and so wrath come upon you and upon your brethren: this do, and ye
shall not be guilty.
11 And, behold, Amariah the chief priest is over you in all matters of Jehovah;
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 Jehovah be with the good.
CHAPTER
20
1 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 against Jehoshaphat to battle.
2 Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great
multitude against thee from beyond the sea from Syria; and, behold, they are in
Hazazon-tamar (the same is En-gedi).
3 And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek unto Jehovah; and he
proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.
4 And Judah gathered themselves together, to seek `help' of Jehovah: even out of
all the cities of Judah they came to seek Jehovah.
5 And Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of
Jehovah, before the new court;
6 and he said, O Jehovah, 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 thy hand is
power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee.
7 Didst not thou, O our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy
people Israel, and give it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever?
8 And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name,
saying,
9 If evil come upon us, the sword, judgment, 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 hear and save.
10 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 destroyed them not;
11 behold, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which
thou hast given us to inherit.
12 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 out eyes are
upon thee.
13 And all Judah stood before Jehovah, with their little ones, their wives, and
their children.
14 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
Jehovah in the midst of the assembly;
15 and he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou
king Jehoshaphat: Thus saith Jehovah 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 the wilderness of Jeruel.
17 Ye shall not need to fight in this `battle': set yourselves, stand ye still,
and see the salvation of Jehovah with you, O Judah and Jerusalem; fear not, nor
be dismayed: to-morrow go out against them: for Jehovah is with you.
18 And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground; and all Judah and
the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before Jehovah, worshipping Jehovah.
19 And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites and of the children of the
Korahites, stood up to praise Jehovah, the God of Israel, with an exceeding loud
voice.
20 And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of
Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and
ye inhabitants of Jerusalem: believe in Jehovah your God, so shall ye be
established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.
21 And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed them that should
sing unto Jehovah, and give praise in holy array, as they went out before the
army, and say, Give thanks unto Jehovah; for his lovingkindness `endureth' for
ever.
22 And when they began to sing and to praise, Jehovah set liers-in-wait against
the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, that were come against Judah; and
they were smitten.
23 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 the
inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another.
24 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 earth, and there
were none that escaped.
25 And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take the spoil of them, they
found among them in abundance both riches and dead bodies, and precious jewels,
which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away: and
they were three days in taking the spoil, it was so much.
26 And on the fourth day they assembled themselves in the valley of Beracah; for
there they blessed Jehovah: therefore the name of that place was called The
valley of Beracah unto this day.
27 Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat in the
forefront of them, to go again to Jerusalem with joy; for Jehovah had made them
to rejoice over their enemies.
28 And they came to Jerusalem with psalteries and harps and trumpets unto the
house of Jehovah.
29 And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of the countries, when they heard
that Jehovah fought against the enemies of Israel.
30 So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet; for his God gave him rest round about.
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 Jehovah.
33 Howbeit the high places were not taken away; neither as yet had the people
set their hearts unto the God of their fathers.
34 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 Jehoshaphat king of Judah join himself with Ahaziah king
of Israel; the same did very wickedly:
36 and he joined himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish; and they made
the ships in Ezion-geber.
37 Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat,
saying, Because thou hast joined thyself with Ahaziah, Jehovah hath destroyed
thy works. And the ships were broken, so that they were not able to go to
Tarshish.
CHAPTER
21
1 And Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the
city of David: and Jehoram his son reigned in his stead.
2 And he had brethren, the sons of Jehoshaphat: Azariah, and Jehiel, and
Zechariah, and Azariah, and Michael, and Shephatiah; 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 fortified cities in Judah: but the kingdom gave he to
Jehoram, because he was the first-born.
4 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 Israel.
5 Jehoram was thirty and two years old when he began to reign; and he reigned
eight years in Jerusalem.
6 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 Jehovah.
7 Howbeit Jehovah would not destroy the house of David, because of the covenant
that he had made with David, and as he promised to give a lamp to him and to his
children alway.
8 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 that compassed him about, and the
captains of the chariots.
10 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 Jehovah,
the God of his fathers.
11 Moreover he made high places in the mountains of Judah, and made the
inhabitants of Jerusalem to play the harlot, and led Judah astray.
12 And there came a writing to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, Thus saith
Jehovah, the God of David thy father, Because thou hast not walked in the ways
of Jehoshaphat thy father, nor in the ways of Asa king of Judah,
13 but hast walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and hast made Judah and
the inhabitants of Jerusalem to play the harlot, like as the house of Ahab did,
and also hast slain thy brethren of thy father's house, who were better than
thyself:
14 behold, Jehovah will smite with a great plague thy people, and thy children,
and thy wives, and all thy substance;
15 and thou shalt have great sickness by disease of thy bowels, until thy bowels
fall out by reason of the sickness, day by day.
16 And Jehovah stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines, and of
the Arabians that are beside the Ethiopians:
17 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 Jehoahaz, the youngest of his sons.
18 And after all this Jehovah smote him in his bowels with an incurable disease.
19 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 fathers.
20 Thirty and two years old was he when he began to reign, and he reigned in
Jerusalem eight years: and he departed without being desired; and they buried
him in the city of David, but not in the sepulchres of the kings.
CHAPTER
22
1 And the inhabitants of Jerusalem 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 king of Judah reigned.
2 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 Athaliah the daughter of Omri.
3 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 Jehovah, 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 counsel, and went with Jehoram the son of Ahab king
of Israel to war against Hazael king of Syria at Ramoth-gilead: and the Syrians
wounded Joram.
6 And he returned 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.
7 Now the destruction of Ahaziah 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
Jehovah had anointed to cut off the house of Ahab.
8 And it came to pass, when Jehu was executing judgment 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 Jehoshaphat, who sought Jehovah with all his heart. And the house
of Ahaziah had no power to hold the kingdom.
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 Judah.
11 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 him not.
12 And he was with them hid in the house of God six years: and Athaliah reigned
over the land.
CHAPTER
23
1 And in the seventh year Jehoiada 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, into covenant with him.
2 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 they came to
Jerusalem.
3 And all the assembly made a covenant with the king in the house of God. And he
said unto them, Behold, the king's son shall reign, as Jehovah hath spoken
concerning the sons of David.
4 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 porters of the thresholds;
5 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 of
Jehovah.
6 But let none come into the house of Jehovah, 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 charge of Jehovah.
7 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 cometh in, and when he goeth out.
8 So the Levites and all Judah 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 not the courses.
9 And Jehoiada the priest delivered to the captains of hundreds the spears, and
bucklers, and shields, that had been king David's, which were in the house of
God.
10 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, by the king round about.
11 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, `Long' live 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 Jehovah:
13 and she looked, and, behold, 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 trumpets; the singers also `played' on instruments of music,
and led the singing of praise. Then Athaliah rent her clothes, and said,
Treason! treason!
14 And Jehoiada the priest brought out the captains of hundreds that were set
over 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 in the house of Jehovah.
15 So they made way for her; and she went to the entrance of the horse gate to
the king's house: and they slew her there.
16 And Jehoiada made a covenant between himself, and all the people, and the
king, that they should be Jehovah'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 Mattan the priest of Baal before
the altars.
18 And Jehoiada appointed the officers of the house of Jehovah under the hand of
the priests the Levites, whom David had distributed in the house of Jehovah, to
offer the burnt-offerings of Jehovah, as it is written in the law of Moses, with
rejoicing and with singing, according to the order of David.
19 And he set the porters at the gates of the house of Jehovah, that none that
was unclean in anything should enter in.
20 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 Jehovah: and they came through the upper gate unto the king's house,
and set the king upon the throne of the kingdom.
21 So all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet. And Athaliah
they had slain with the sword.
CHAPTER
24
1 Joash was seven years old when he began to reign; and he reigned forty years
in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Zibiah, of Beer-sheba.
2 And Joash did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah all the days of
Jehoiada the priest.
3 And Jehoiada took for him two wives; and he begat sons and daughters.
4 And it came to pass after this, that Joash was minded to restore the house of
Jehovah.
5 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 repair the house of
your God from year to year; and see that ye hasten the matter. Howbeit the
Levites hastened it not.
6 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 Jehovah, and of the assembly of Israel, for the tent
of the testimony?
7 For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken up the house of God;
and also all the dedicated things of the house of Jehovah 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 Jehovah.
9 And they made a proclamation through Judah and Jerusalem, to bring in for
Jehovah the tax that Moses the servant of God laid upon Israel in the
wilderness.
10 And all the princes and all the people rejoiced, and brought in, and cast
into the chest, until they had made an end.
11 And it was so, that, at what time the chest was brought unto the king's
officers 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 money in abundance.
12 And the king and Jehoiada gave it to such as did the work of the service of
the house of Jehovah; and they hired masons and carpenters to restore the house
of Jehovah, and also such as wrought iron and brass to repair the house of
Jehovah.
13 So the workmen wrought, and the work of repairing went forward in their
hands, 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 Jehovah, even
vessels wherewith to minister and to offer, and spoons, and vessels of gold and
silver. And they offered burnt-offerings in the house of Jehovah continually all
the days of Jehoiada.
15 But Jehoiada waxed old and was full of days, and he died; a hundred and
thirty years old was he when he died.
16 And they buried him in the city of David among the kings, because he had done
good in Israel, and toward God and his house.
17 Now after the death of Jehoiada came the princes of Judah, and made obeisance
to the king. Then the king hearkened unto them.
18 And they forsook the house of Jehovah, the God of their fathers, and served
the Asherim and the idols: and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this
their guiltiness.
19 Yet he sent prophets to them, to bring them again unto Jehovah; 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 Jehovah, so that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken
Jehovah, he hath also forsaken you.
21 And they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment
of the king in the court of the house of Jehovah.
22 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, Jehovah look upon it,
and require it.
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 Damascus.
24 For the army of the Syrians came with a small company of men; and Jehovah
delivered a very great host into their hand, because they had forsaken Jehovah,
the God of their fathers. So they executed judgment upon Joash.
25 And when they were departed for him (for they left him very sick), 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 of David,
but they buried him not in the sepulchres of the kings.
26 And these are they that conspired against him: Zabad the son of Shimeath the
Ammonitess, and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith the Moabitess.
27 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.
CHAPTER
25
1 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 Jehoaddan, of
Jerusalem.
2 And he did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, but not with a perfect
heart.
3 Now it came to pass, when the kingdom was established unto him, that he slew
his servants that had killed the king his father.
4 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 Jehovah commanded, saying, The
fathers shall not die for the children, neither shall the children die for the
fathers; but every man shall die for his own sin.
5 Moreover Amaziah gathered Judah together, and ordered them according to their
fathers' houses, under captains of thousands 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 handle spear and shield.
6 He hired also a hundred thousand mighty men of valor out of Israel for a
hundred talents of silver.
7 But there came a man of God to him, saying, O king, let not the army of Israel
go with thee; for Jehovah is not with Israel, `to wit', with all the children of
Ephraim.
8 But if thou wilt go, do `valiantly', be strong for the battle: God will cast
thee down before the enemy; for God hath power to help, and to cast down.
9 And Amaziah said to the man of God, But what shall we do for the hundred
talents which I have given to the army of Israel? And the man of God answered,
Jehovah is able to give thee much more than this.
10 Then Amaziah separated them, `to wit', 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 in fierce anger.
11 And Amaziah took courage, and led forth his people, and went to the Valley of
Salt, and smote of the children of Seir ten thousand.
12 And `other' ten thousand did the children of Judah carry away alive, and
brought them unto the top of the rock, and cast them down from the top of the
rock, so that they all were broken in pieces.
13 But the men of the army whom 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 Jehovah was kindled against Amaziah, and he sent unto
him a prophet, who said unto him, Why hast thou sought after the gods of the
people, which have not delivered their own people out of thy hand?
16 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 forbare, and said, I know that God hath determined to destroy
thee, because thou hast done this, and hast not hearkened unto my counsel.
17 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 face.
18 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 trod down the thistle.
19 Thou sayest, Lo, thou hast smitten Edom; and thy 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 belongeth to Judah.
22 And Judah was put to the worse before Israel; and they fled every man to his
tent.
23 And Joash king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash the son
of Jehoahaz, at Beth-shemesh, and brought 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.
25 And Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah lived after the death of Joash son
of Jehoahaz 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 Jehovah they made
a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem; and he fled to Lachish: but they sent
after him to Lachish, and slew him there.
28 And they brought him upon horses, and buried him with his fathers in the city
of Judah.
CHAPTER
26
1 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.
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 Jerusalem.
4 And he did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, according to all that
his father Amaziah had done.
5 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 Jehovah, God made him to prosper.
6 And he went forth and warred against the Philistines, and brake down the wall
of Gath, and the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod; and he built cities in
`the country of' Ashdod, and among the Philistines.
7 And God helped him against the Philistines, and against the Arabians that
dwelt in Gur-baal, and the Meunim.
8 And the Ammonites gave tribute to Uzziah: and his name spread abroad even to
the entrance of Egypt; for he waxed exceeding strong.
9 Moreover Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the corner gate, and at the
valley gate, and at the turning `of the wall', and fortified them.
10 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 he loved
husbandry.
11 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 Hananiah, one of the king's captains.
12 The whole number of the heads of fathers' `houses', even the mighty men of
valor, was two thousand and six hundred.
13 And under their hand was an army, three hundred thousand and seven thousand
and five hundred, that made war with mighty power, to help the king against the
enemy.
14 And Uzziah prepared 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 skilful men, to be on the
towers and upon the battlements, wherewith to shoot arrows and great stones. 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 Jehovah his God; for he went into the temple of
Jehovah to burn incense upon the altar of incense.
17 And Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him fourscore priests of
Jehovah, that were valiant men:
18 and they withstood Uzziah the king, and said unto him, It pertaineth not unto
thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto Jehovah, 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 honor from Jehovah God.
19 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 Jehovah, beside the altar of incense.
20 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 Jehovah had smitten him.
21 And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a
separate house, being a leper; for he was cut off from the house of Jehovah: and
Jotham his son was over the king's house, judging the people of the land.
22 Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, first and last, did Isaiah the prophet,
the son of Amoz, write.
23 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.
CHAPTER
27
1 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 daughter of
Zadok.
2 And he did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, according to all that
his father Uzziah had done: howbeit he entered not into the temple of Jehovah.
And the people did yet corruptly.
3 He built the upper gate of the house of Jehovah, and on the wall of Ophel he
built much.
4 Moreover he built cities in the hill-country of Judah, and in the forests he
built castles and towers.
5 He fought also with the king of the children of Ammon, and prevailed against
them. And the children of Ammon gave him the same year a hundred talents of
silver, and ten thousand measures of wheat, and ten thousand of barley. So much
did the children of Ammon render unto him, in the second year also, and in the
third.
6 So Jotham became mighty, because he ordered his ways before Jehovah his God.
7 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 and Judah.
8 He was five and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned sixteen
years in Jerusalem.
9 And Jotham slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David:
and Ahaz his son reigned in his stead.
CHAPTER
28
1 Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign; and he reigned sixteen years
in Jerusalem: and he did not that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, 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 nations whom Jehovah
cast out before the children of Israel.
4 And he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and
under every green tree.
5 Wherefore Jehovah 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 captives, and
brought them to Damascus. And he was also delivered into the hand of the king of
Israel, who smote him with a great slaughter.
6 For Pekah the son of Remaliah slew in Judah a hundred and twenty thousand in
one day, all of them valiant men; because they had forsaken Jehovah, the God of
their fathers.
7 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 king.
8 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 Samaria.
9 But a prophet of Jehovah was there, whose name was Oded: and he went out to
meet the host that came to Samaria, and said unto them, Behold, because Jehovah,
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 up to heaven.
10 And now ye purpose to keep under the children of Judah and Jerusalem for
bondmen and bondwomen unto you: `but' are there not even with you trespasses of
your own against Jehovah your God?
11 Now hear me therefore, and send back the captives, that ye have taken captive
of your brethren; for the fierce wrath of Jehovah is upon you.
12 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 son of Hadlai, stood up against them that came from the war,
13 and said unto them, Ye shall not bring in the captives hither: for ye purpose
that which will bring upon us a trespass against Jehovah, to add unto our sins
and to our trespass; for our trespass is great, and there is fierce wrath
against Israel.
14 So the armed men left the captives and the spoil before the princes and all
the assembly.
15 And the men that have been mentioned by name rose up, and took the captives,
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 to help him.
17 For again the Edomites had come and smitten Judah, and carried away captives.
18 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 Jehovah brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel; for he had
dealt wantonly in Judah, and trespassed sore against Jehovah.
20 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 Jehovah, and out of the
house of the king and of the princes, and gave it unto the king of Assyria: but
it helped him not.
22 And in the time of his distress did he trespass yet more against Jehovah,
this same king Ahaz.
23 For he sacrificed unto the gods of Damascus, 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 all
Israel.
24 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 Jehovah;
and he made him altars in every corner of Jerusalem.
25 And in every city of Judah he made high places to burn incense unto other
gods, and provoked to anger Jehovah, the God of his fathers.
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 sepulchres of the kings of Israel:
and Hezekiah his son reigned in his stead.
CHAPTER
29
1 Hezekiah began to reign when he was five and twenty years old; and he reigned
nine and twenty years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Abijah, the
daughter of Zechariah.
2 And he did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, according to all that
David his father had done.
3 He in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the
house of Jehovah, and repaired them.
4 And he brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them together into
the broad place on the east,
5 and said unto them, Hear me, ye Levites; now sanctify yourselves, and sanctify
the house of Jehovah, the God of your fathers, and carry forth the filthiness
out of the holy place.
6 For our fathers have trespassed, and done that which was evil in the sight of
Jehovah our God, and have forsaken him, and have turned away their faces from
the habitation of Jehovah, 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 the God of
Israel.
8 Wherefore the wrath of Jehovah was upon Judah and Jerusalem, and he hath
delivered them to be tossed to and fro, to be an astonishment, and a hissing, as
ye see with your eyes.
9 For, lo, our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and our daughters
and our wives are in captivity for this.
10 Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with Jehovah, the God of Israel,
that his fierce anger may turn away from us.
11 My sons, be not now negligent; for Jehovah hath chosen you to stand before
him, to minister unto him, and that ye should be his ministers, and burn
incense.
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 Gershonites, Joah the son
of Zimmah, and Eden the son of Joah;
13 and of the sons of Elizaphan, Shimri and Jeuel; and of the sons of Asaph,
Zechariah and Mattaniah;
14 and of the sons of Heman, Jehuel and Shimei; and of the sons of Jeduthun,
Shemaiah and Uzziel.
15 And they gathered their brethren, and sanctified themselves, and went in,
according to the commandment of the king by the words of Jehovah, to cleanse the
house of Jehovah.
16 And the priests went in unto the inner part of the house of Jehovah, to
cleanse it, and brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of
Jehovah into the court of the house of Jehovah. And the Levites took it, to
carry it out abroad to the brook Kidron.
17 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 Jehovah; and they sanctified
the house of Jehovah in eight days: and on the sixteenth day of the first month
they made an end.
18 Then they went in to Hezekiah the king within `the palace', and said, We have
cleansed all the house of Jehovah, and the altar of burnt-offering, with all the
vessels thereof, and the table of showbread, with all the vessels thereof.
19 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 Jehovah.
20 Then Hezekiah the king arose early, and gathered the princes of the city, and
went up to the house of Jehovah.
21 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
of Jehovah.
22 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 sprinkled the blood upon the
altar.
23 And they brought near the he-goats for the sin-offering before the king and
the assembly; and they laid their hands upon them:
24 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-offering and the sin-offering `should be made' for all Israel.
25 And he set the Levites in the house of Jehovah 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 of Jehovah by his
prophets.
26 And the Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the
trumpets.
27 And Hezekiah commanded to offer the burnt-offering upon the altar. And when
the burnt-offering began, the song of Jehovah began also, and the trumpets,
together with the instruments of David king of Israel.
28 And all the assembly worshipped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters
sounded; all this `continued' until the burnt-offering was finished.
29 And when they had made an end of offering, the king and all that were present
with him bowed themselves and worshipped.
30 Moreover Hezekiah the king and the princes commanded the Levites to sing
praises unto Jehovah with the words of David, and of Asaph the seer. And they
sang praises with gladness, and they bowed their heads and worshipped.
31 Then Hezekiah answered and said, Now ye have consecrated yourselves unto
Jehovah; come near and bring sacrifices and thank-offerings into the house of
Jehovah. And the assembly brought in sacrifices and thank-offerings; and as many
as were of a willing heart `brought' burnt-offerings.
32 And the number of the burnt-offerings which the assembly brought was
threescore and ten bullocks, a hundred rams, and two hundred lambs: all these
were for a burnt-offering to Jehovah.
33 And the consecrated things were six hundred oxen and three thousand sheep.
34 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 in heart to sanctify themselves than the priests.
35 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 house of Jehovah was set in order.
36 And Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people, because of that which God had
prepared for the people: for the thing was done suddenly.
CHAPTER
30
1 And Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to Ephraim
and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of Jehovah at Jerusalem, to
keep the passover unto Jehovah, the God of Israel.
2 For the king had taken counsel, and his princes, and all the assembly in
Jerusalem, to keep the passover in the second month.
3 For they could not keep it at that time, because the priests had not
sanctified themselves in sufficient number, neither had the people gathered
themselves together to Jerusalem.
4 And the thing was right in the eyes of the king and of all the assembly.
5 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 Jehovah,
the God of Israel, at Jerusalem: for they had not kept it in great numbers in
such sort as it is written.
6 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 Jehovah, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and
Israel, that he may return to the remnant that are escaped of you out of the
hand of the kings of Assyria.
7 And be not ye like your fathers, and like your brethren, who trespassed
against Jehovah, the God of their fathers, so that he gave them up to
desolation, as ye see.
8 Now be ye not stiffnecked, as your fathers were; but yield yourselves unto
Jehovah, and enter into his sanctuary, which he hath sanctified for ever, and
serve Jehovah your God, that his fierce anger may turn away from you.
9 For if ye turn again unto Jehovah, your brethren and your children shall find
compassion before them that led them captive, and shall come again into this
land: for Jehovah your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his
face from you, if ye return unto him.
10 So the posts passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and
Manasseh, even unto Zebulun: but they laughed them to scorn, and mocked them.
11 Nevertheless certain men of Asher and Manasseh and of Zebulun humbled
themselves, and came to Jerusalem.
12 Also upon Judah came the hand of God to give them one heart, to do the
commandment of the king and of the princes by the word of Jehovah.
13 And there assembled at Jerusalem much people to keep the feast of unleavened
bread in the second month, a very great assembly.
14 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 Kidron.
15 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 Jehovah.
16 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 they received' of
the hand of the Levites.
17 For there were many in the assembly that had not sanctified themselves:
therefore the Levites had the charge of killing the passovers for every one that
was not clean, to sanctify them unto Jehovah.
18 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
Jehovah pardon every one
19 that setteth his heart to seek God, Jehovah, the God of his fathers, though
`he be' not `cleansed' according to the purification of the sanctuary.
20 And Jehovah hearkened to Hezekiah, and healed the people.
21 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 Jehovah day by day, `singing' with loud instruments unto Jehovah.
22 And Hezekiah spake comfortably unto all the Levites that had good
understanding `in the service' of Jehovah. So they did eat throughout the feast
for the seven days, offering sacrifices of peace-offerings, and making
confession to Jehovah, the God of their fathers.
23 And the whole assembly took counsel to keep other seven days; and they kept
`other' seven days with gladness.
24 For Hezekiah king of Judah did give to the assembly for offerings a thousand
bullocks and seven thousand sheep; and the princes gave to the assembly a
thousand bullocks and ten thousand sheep: and a great number of priests
sanctified themselves.
25 And all the assembly of Judah, with the priests and the Levites, and all the
assembly that came out of Israel, and the sojourners that came out of the land
of Israel, and that dwelt in Judah, rejoiced.
26 So there was great joy in Jerusalem; for since the time of Solomon the son of
David king of Israel there was not the like in Jerusalem.
27 Then the priests the Levites arose and blessed the people: and their voice
was heard, and their prayer came up to his holy habitation, even unto heaven.
CHAPTER
31
1 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 to his possession, into their own cities.
2 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 to praise in the gates of the camp of Jehovah.
3 `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 in the law of Jehovah.
4 Moreover he commanded the people that dwelt in Jerusalem to give the portion
of the priests and the Levites, that they might give themselves to the law of
Jehovah.
5 And as soon as the commandment came abroad, the children of Israel gave in
abundance the first-fruits of grain, new wine, and oil, and honey, and of all
the increase of the field; and the tithe of all things brought they in
abundantly.
6 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 Jehovah their God, and laid them by heaps.
7 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 blessed
Jehovah, and his people Israel.
9 Then Hezekiah questioned the priests and the Levites concerning the heaps.
10 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 Jehovah, we
have eaten and had enough, and have left plenty: for Jehovah hath blessed his
people; and that which is left is this great store.
11 Then Hezekiah commanded to prepare chambers in the house of Jehovah; and they
prepared them.
12 And they brought in the oblations and the tithes and the dedicated things
faithfully: and over them Conaniah the Levite was ruler, and Shimei his brother
was second.
13 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 Hezekiah the king, and
Azariah the ruler of the house of God.
14 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 Jehovah, and the
most holy things.
15 And under him were Eden, and Miniamin, and Jeshua, and Shemaiah, Amariah, and
Shecaniah, in the cities of the priests, in their office of trust, to give to
their brethren by courses, as well to the great as to the small:
16 besides them that were reckoned by genealogy of males, from three years old
and upward, even every one that entered into the house of Jehovah, as the duty
of every day required, for their service in their offices according to their
courses;
17 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 offices by
their courses;
18 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 office of trust they sanctified themselves in holiness.
19 Also for the sons of Aaron the priests, that were in the fields of the
suburbs of their cities, in every city, there were men that were mentioned 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 Jehovah 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.
CHAPTER
32
1 After these things, and this faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came,
and entered into Judah, and encamped against the fortified cities, and thought
to win them for himself.
2 And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib was come, and that he was purposed to
fight against Jerusalem,
3 he took counsel with his princes and his mighty men to stop the waters of the
fountains which were without the city; and they helped him.
4 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 much water?
5 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 and shields in abundance.
6 And he set captains of war over the people, and gathered them together to him
in the broad place at the gate of the city, and spake comfortably to them,
saying,
7 Be strong and of 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 with him:
8 with him is an arm of flesh; but with us is Jehovah our God to help us, and to
fight our battles. And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah
king of Judah.
9 After this did Sennacherib king of Assyria send his servants to Jerusalem,
(now he was before Lachish, and all his power with him,) unto Hezekiah king of
Judah, and unto all Judah that were at Jerusalem, saying,
10 Thus saith Sennacherib king of Assyria, Whereon do ye trust, that ye abide
the siege in Jerusalem?
11 Doth not Hezekiah persuade you, to give you over to die by famine and by
thirst, saying, Jehovah our God will deliver us out of the hand of the king of
Assyria?
12 Hath not the same Hezekiah taken away his high places and his altars, and
commanded Judah and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall worship before one altar, and
upon it shall ye burn incense?
13 Know ye not what I and my fathers have done unto all the peoples of the
lands? Were the gods of the nations of the lands in any wise able to deliver
their land out of my hand?
14 Who was there among all the gods of those nations which my fathers utterly
destroyed, that could deliver his people out of my hand, that your God should be
able to deliver you out of my hand?
15 Now therefore let not Hezekiah deceive you, nor persuade you after this
manner, neither believe ye him; for no god of any nation or kingdom was able to
deliver his people out of my hand, and out of the hand of my fathers: how much
less shall your God deliver you out of my hand?
16 And his servants spake yet more against Jehovah God, and against his servant
Hezekiah.
17 He wrote also letters, to rail on Jehovah, the God of Israel, and to speak
against him, saying, As the gods of the nations of the lands, which have not
delivered their people out of my hand, so shall not the God of Hezekiah deliver
his people out of my hand.
18 And they cried with a loud voice in the Jews' language unto the people of
Jerusalem that were on the wall, to affright them, and to trouble them; that
they might take the city.
19 And they spake of the God of Jerusalem, as of the gods of the peoples of the
earth, which are the work of men's hands.
20 And Hezekiah the king, and Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz, prayed because
of this, and cried to heaven.
21 And Jehovah sent an angel, who cut off all the mighty men of valor, and the
leaders and captains, in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with
shame of face to his own land. And when he was come into the house of his god,
they that came forth from his own bowels slew him there with the sword.
22 Thus Jehovah saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of
Sennacherib the king of Assyria, and from the hand of all `others', and guided
them on every side.
23 And many brought gifts unto Jehovah to Jerusalem, and precious things to
Hezekiah king of Judah; so that he was exalted in the sight of all nations from
thenceforth.
24 In those days Hezekiah was sick even unto death: and he prayed unto Jehovah;
and he spake unto him, and gave him a sign.
25 But Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him; for
his heart was lifted up: therefore there was wrath upon him, and upon Judah and
Jerusalem.
26 Notwithstanding Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he
and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of Jehovah came not upon
them in the days of Hezekiah.
27 And Hezekiah had exceeding much riches and honor: and he provided him
treasuries for silver, and for gold, and for precious stones, and for spices,
and for shields, and for all manner of goodly vessels;
28 store-houses also for the increase of grain and new wine and oil; and stalls
for all manner of beasts, and flocks in folds.
29 Moreover he provided him cities, and possessions of flocks and herds in
abundance; for God had given him very much substance.
30 This same Hezekiah also stopped the upper spring of the waters of Gihon, and
brought them straight down on the west side of the city of David. And Hezekiah
prospered in all his works.
31 Howbeit in `the business of' the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, who
sent unto him to inquire of the wonder that was done in the land, God left him,
to try him, that he might know all that was in his heart.
32 Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and his good deeds, behold, they are
written in the vision of Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz, in the book of the
kings of Judah and Israel.
33 And Hezekiah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the ascent of the
sepulchres of the sons of David: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem
did him honor at his death. And Manasseh his son reigned in his stead.
CHAPTER
33
1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign; and he reigned fifty and
five years in Jerusalem.
2 And he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, after the abominations
of the nations whom Jehovah cast out before the children of Israel.
3 For he built again the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down;
and he reared up altars for the Baalim, and made Asheroth, and worshipped all
the host of heaven, and served them.
4 And he built altars in the house of Jehovah, whereof Jehovah said, In
Jerusalem shall my name be for ever.
5 And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house
of Jehovah.
6 He also made his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of
Hinnom; and he practised augury, and used enchantments, and practised sorcery,
and dealt with them that had familiar spirits, and with wizards: he wrought much
evil in the sight of Jehovah, to provoke him to anger.
7 And he set the graven image of the idol, which he had made, in the house of
God, of which God said to David and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in
Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, will I put my
name for ever:
8 neither will I any more remove the foot of Israel from off the land which I
have appointed for your fathers, if only they will observe to do all that I have
commanded them, even all the law and the statutes and the ordinances `given' by
Moses.
9 And Manasseh seduced Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that they did
evil more than did the nations whom Jehovah destroyed before the children of
Israel.
10 And Jehovah spake to Manasseh, and to his people; but they gave no heed.
11 Wherefore Jehovah brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of
Assyria, who took Manasseh in chains, and bound him with fetters, and carried
him to Babylon.
12 And when he was in distress, he besought Jehovah his God, and humbled himself
greatly before the God of his fathers.
13 And he prayed unto him; and he was entreated of him, and heard his
supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh
knew that Jehovah he was God.
14 Now after this he built an outer wall to the city of David, on the west side
of Gihon, in the valley, even to the entrance at the fish gate; and he compassed
Ophel about `with it', and raised it up to a very great height: and he put
valiant captains in all the fortified cities of Judah.
15 And he took away the foreign gods, and the idol out of the house of Jehovah,
and all the altars that he had built in the mount of the house of Jehovah, and
in Jerusalem, and cast them out of the city.
16 And he built up the altar of Jehovah, and offered thereon sacrifices of
peace-offerings and of thanksgiving, and commanded Judah to serve Jehovah, the
God of Israel.
17 Nevertheless the people sacrificed still in the high places, but only unto
Jehovah their God.
18 Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, and his prayer unto his God, and the
words of the seers that spake to him in the name of Jehovah, the God of Israel,
behold, they are written among the acts of the kings of Israel.
19 His prayer also, and how `God' was entreated of him, and all his sin and his
trespass, and the places wherein he built high places, and set up the Asherim
and the graven images, before he humbled himself: behold, they are written in
the history of Hozai.
20 So Manasseh slept with his fathers, and they buried him in his own house: and
Amon his son reigned in his stead.
21 Amon was twenty and two years old when he began to reign; and he reigned two
years in Jerusalem.
22 And he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, as did Manasseh his
father; and Amon sacrificed unto all the graven images which Manasseh his father
had made, and served them.
23 And he humbled not himself before Jehovah, as Manasseh his father had humbled
himself; but this same Amon trespassed more and more.
24 And his servants conspired against him, and put him to death in his own
house.
25 But the people of the land slew all them that had conspired against king Amon;
and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his stead.
CHAPTER
34
1 Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign; and he reigned thirty and
one years in Jerusalem.
2 And he did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, and walked in the ways
of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.
3 For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek
after the God of David his father; and in the twelfth year he began to purge
Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the Asherim, and the graven
images, and the molten images.
4 And they brake down the altars of the Baalim in his presence; and the
sun-images that were on high above them he hewed down; and the Asherim, and the
graven images, and the molten images, he brake in pieces, and made dust of them,
and strewed it upon the graves `of them' that had sacrificed unto them.
5 And he burnt the bones of the priests upon their altars, and purged Judah and
Jerusalem.
6 And `so did he' in the cities of Manasseh and Ephraim and Simeon, even unto
Naphtali, in their ruins round about.
7 And he brake down the altars, and beat the Asherim and the graven images into
powder, and hewed down all the sun-images throughout all the land of Israel, and
returned to Jerusalem.
8 Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land and the
house, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah the governor of the
city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of Jehovah
his God.
9 And they came to Hilkiah the high priest, and delivered the money that was
brought into the house of God, which the Levites, the keepers of the threshold,
had gathered of the hand of Manasseh and Ephraim, and of all the remnant of
Israel, and of all Judah and Benjamin, and of the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
10 And they delivered it into the hand of the workmen that had the oversight of
the house of Jehovah; and the workmen that wrought in the house of Jehovah gave
it to mend and repair the house;
11 even to the carpenters and to the builders gave they it, to buy hewn stone,
and timber for couplings, and to make beams for the houses which the kings of
Judah had destroyed.
12 And the men did the work faithfully: and the overseers of them were Jahath
and Obadiah, the Levites, of the sons of Merari; and Zechariah and Meshullam, of
the sons of the Kohathites, to set it forward; and `others of' the Levites, all
that were skilful with instruments of music.
13 Also they were over the bearers of burdens, and set forward all that did the
work in every manner of service: and of the Levites there were scribes, and
officers, and porters.
14 And when they brought out the money that was brought into the house of
Jehovah, Hilkiah the priest found the book of the law of Jehovah `given' by
Moses.
15 And Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of
the law in the house of Jehovah. And Hilkiah delivered the book to Shaphan.
16 And Shaphan carried the book to the king, and moreover brought back word to
the king, saying, All that was committed to thy servants, they are doing.
17 And they have emptied out the money that was found in the house of Jehovah,
and have delivered it into the hand of the overseers, and into the hand of the
workmen.
18 And Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath
delivered me a book. And Shaphan read therein before the king.
19 And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the law, that he
rent his clothes.
20 And the king commanded Hilkiah, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Abdon the
son of Micah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king's servant, saying,
21 Go ye, inquire of Jehovah for me, and for them that are left in Israel and in
Judah, concerning the words of the book that is found; for great is the wrath of
Jehovah that is poured out upon us, because our fathers have not kept the word
of Jehovah, to do according unto all that is written in this book.
22 So Hilkiah, and they whom the king `had commanded', went to Huldah the
prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tokhath, the son of Hasrah, keeper of
the wardrobe; (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the second quarter;) and they spake
to her to that effect.
23 And she said unto them, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel: Tell ye the
man that sent you unto me,
24 Thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the
inhabitants thereof, even all the curses that are written in the book which they
have read before the king of Judah.
25 Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that
they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore is
my wrath poured out upon this place, and it shall not be quenched.
26 But unto the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of Jehovah, thus shall ye
say to him, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel: As touching the words which
thou hast heard,
27 because thy heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before God, when
thou heardest his words against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof,
and hast humbled thyself before me, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before
me; I also have heard thee, saith Jehovah.
28 Behold, I will gather thee to thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered to thy
grave in peace, neither shall thine eyes see all the evil that I will bring upon
this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof. And they brought back word to the
king.
29 Then the king sent and gathered together all the elders of Judah and
Jerusalem.
30 And the king went up to the house of Jehovah, and all the men of Judah and
the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests, and the Levites, and all the
people, both great and small: and he read in their ears all the words of the
book of the covenant that was found in the house of Jehovah.
31 And the king stood in his place, and made a covenant before Jehovah, to walk
after Jehovah, and to keep his commandments, and his testimonies, and his
statutes, with all his heart, and with all his soul, to perform the words of the
covenant that were written in this book.
32 And he caused all that were found in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand `to it'.
And the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God
of their fathers.
33 And Josiah took away all the abominations out of all the countries that
pertained to the children of Israel, and made all that were found in Israel to
serve, even to serve Jehovah their God. All his days they departed not from
following Jehovah, the God of their fathers.
CHAPTER
35
1 And Josiah kept a passover unto Jehovah in Jerusalem: and they killed the
passover on the fourteenth `day' of the first month.
2 And he set the priests in their offices, and encouraged them to the service of
the house of Jehovah.
3 And he said unto the Levites that taught all Israel, that were holy unto
Jehovah, Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David king of
Israel did build; there shall no more be a burden upon your shoulders: now serve
Jehovah your God, and his people Israel.
4 And prepare yourselves after your fathers' houses by your courses, according
to the writing of David king of Israel, and according to the writing of Solomon
his son.
5 And stand in the holy place according to the divisions of the fathers' houses
of your brethren the children of the people, and `let there be for each' a
portion of a fathers' house of the Levites.
6 And kill the passover, and sanctify yourselves, and prepare for your brethren,
to do according to the word of Jehovah by Moses.
7 And Josiah gave to the children of the people, of the flock, lambs and kids,
all of them for the passover-offerings, unto all that were present, to the
number of thirty thousand, and three thousand bullocks: these were of the king's
substance.
8 And his princes gave for a freewill-offering unto the people, to the priests,
and to the Levites. Hilkiah and Zechariah and Jehiel, the rulers of the house of
God, gave unto the priests for the passover-offerings two thousand and six
hundred `small cattle', and three hundred oxen.
9 Conaniah also, and Shemaiah and Nethanel, his brethren, and Hashabiah and
Jeiel and Jozabad, the chiefs of the Levites, gave unto the Levites for the
passover-offerings five thousand `small cattle', and five hundred oxen.
10 So the service was prepared, and the priests stood in their place, and the
Levites by their courses, according to the king's commandment.
11 And they killed the passover, and the priests sprinkled `the blood which they
received' of their hand, and the Levites flayed them.
12 And they removed the burnt-offerings, that they might give them according to
the divisions of the fathers' houses of the children of the people, to offer
unto Jehovah, as it is written in the book of Moses. And so did they with the
oxen.
13 And they roasted the passover with fire according to the ordinance: and the
holy offerings boiled they in pots, and in caldrons, and in pans, and carried
them quickly to all the children of the people.
14 And afterward they prepared for themselves, and for the priests, because the
priests the sons of Aaron `were busied' in offering the burnt-offerings and the
fat until night: therefore the Levites prepared for themselves, and for the
priests the sons of Aaron.
15 And the singers the sons of Asaph were in their place, according to the
commandment of David, and Asaph, and Heman, and Jeduthun the king's seer; and
the porters were at every gate: they needed not to depart from their service;
for their brethren the Levites prepared for them.
16 So all the service of Jehovah was prepared the same day, to keep the passover,
and to offer burnt-offerings upon the altar of Jehovah, according to the
commandment of king Josiah.
17 And the children of Israel that were present kept the passover at that time,
and the feast of unleavened bread seven days.
18 And there was no passover like to that kept in Israel from the days of Samuel
the prophet; neither did any of the kings of Israel keep such a passover as
Josiah kept, and the priests, and the Levites, and all Judah and Israel that
were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
19 In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah was this passover kept.
20 After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Neco king of Egypt went
up to fight against Carchemish by the Euphrates: and Josiah went out against
him.
21 But he sent ambassadors to him, saying, What have I to do with thee, thou
king of Judah? `I come' not against thee this day, but against the house
wherewith I have war; and God hath commanded me to make haste: forbear thee from
`meddling with' God, who is with me, that he destroy thee not.
22 Nevertheless Josiah would not turn his face from him, but disguised himself,
that he might fight with him, and hearkened not unto the words of Neco from the
mouth of God, and came to fight in the valley of Megiddo.
23 And the archers shot at king Josiah; and the king said to his servants, Have
me away; for I am sore wounded.
24 So his servants took him out of the chariot, and put him in the second
chariot that he had, and brought him to Jerusalem; and he died, and was buried
in the sepulchres of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for
Josiah.
25 And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah: and all the singing men and singing women
spake of Josiah in their lamentations unto this day; and they made them an
ordinance in Israel: and, behold, they are written in the lamentations.
26 Now the rest of the acts of Josiah, and his good deeds, according to that
which is written in the law of Jehovah,
27 and his acts, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of the
kings of Israel and Judah.
CHAPTER
36
1 Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and made him king
in his father's stead in Jerusalem.
2 Joahaz was twenty and three years old when he began to reign; and he reigned
three months in Jerusalem.
3 And the king of Egypt deposed him at Jerusalem, and fined the land a hundred
talents of silver and a talent of gold.
4 And the king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem,
and changed his name to Jehoiakim. And Neco took Joahaz his brother, and carried
him to Egypt.
5 Jehoiakim was twenty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned
eleven years in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of
Jehovah his God.
6 Against him came up Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and bound him in fetters,
to carry him to Babylon.
7 Nebuchadnezzar also carried of the vessels of the house of Jehovah to Babylon,
and put them in his temple at Babylon.
8 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and his abominations which he did, and
that which was found in him, behold, they are written in the book of the kings
of Israel and Judah: and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead.
9 Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign; and he reigned three
months and ten days in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of
Jehovah.
10 And at the return of the year king Nebuchadnezzar sent, and brought him to
Babylon, with the goodly vessels of the house of Jehovah, and made Zedekiah his
brother king over Judah and Jerusalem.
11 Zedekiah was twenty and one years old when he began to reign; and he reigned
eleven years in Jerusalem:
12 and he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah his God; he humbled
not himself before Jeremiah the prophet `speaking' from the mouth of Jehovah.
13 And he also rebelled against king Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by
God: but he stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart against turning unto
Jehovah, the God of Israel.
14 Moreover all the chiefs of the priests, and the people, trespassed very
greatly after all the abominations of the nations; and they polluted the house
of Jehovah which he had hallowed in Jerusalem.
15 And Jehovah, the God of their fathers, sent to them by his messengers, rising
up early and sending, because he had compassion on his people, and on his
dwelling-place:
16 but they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and scoffed at
his prophets, until the wrath of Jehovah arose against his people, till there
was no remedy.
17 Therefore he brought upon them the king of the Chaldeans, who slew their
young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion
upon young man or virgin, old man or hoary-headed: he gave them all into his
hand.
18 And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures
of the house of Jehovah, and the treasures of the king, and of his princes, all
these he brought to Babylon.
19 And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and
burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels
thereof.
20 And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; and they
were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia:
21 to fulfil the word of Jehovah by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had
enjoyed its sabbaths: `for' as long as it lay desolate it kept sabbath, to
fulfil threescore and ten years.
22 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of Jehovah by
the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, Jehovah stirred up the spirit of
Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom,
and `put it' also in writing, saying,
23 Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath Jehovah,
the God of heaven, given me; and he hath charged me to build him a house in
Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whosoever there is among you of all his people,
Jehovah his God be with him, and let him go up.
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