The Second Book of The Chronicles

• Author: Ezra
• Place Written: Jerusalem
• When Written: c. 450 B.C.E.

CHAPTER 1

Solomon Worships at Gibeon

1 And Solomon the son of David strengthened himself in his kingdom, and Jehovah his God was with him, and magnified him exceedingly.

² Solomon spoke to all Israel, to the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, to the judges, and to all the leaders in all Israel, the heads of fathers’ houses. ³ And Solomon, and all the assembly with him, went to the high place that was at Gibeon, for the tent of meeting of God, which Moses the servant of Jehovah had made in the wilderness was there. ⁴ But David had brought up the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim to the place that David had prepared for it, for he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem. ⁵ Moreover the copper 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 it out. ⁶ And Solomon went up there to the copper altar before Jehovah, which was at the tent of meeting, and offered a thousand burnt offerings upon it.

Solomon Requests Wisdom

⁷ In that night God appeared to Solomon, and said to him, “Ask what I shall give you.” ⁸ And Solomon said to God, “You have shown great and loyal love to David my father and have made me king in his place. ⁹ Now, O Jehovah God, let your promise to David my father prove to be faithful; for you have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth. ¹⁰ Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people; for who can judge this people, which is so great?” ¹¹ And God said to Solomon, “Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked for riches, wealth, or honor, nor the soul of them who hate you, nor have you asked for many days,[1] but have asked for wisdom and knowledge for yourself, that you may judge my people, over whom I have made you king, ¹² wisdom and knowledge is granted to you. And I will give you riches, and wealth, and honor, such as none of the kings have had that have been before you, and none after you shall have the like.” ¹³ So Solomon came from the high place at Gibeon, from before the tent of meeting, to Jerusalem. And he reigned over Israel.

Solomon Given Wealth

¹⁴ And Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen. And he had one thousand four hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, and he placed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. ¹⁵ And the king made silver and gold as plentiful in Jerusalem as stone, and he made cedar as plentiful as the sycamore of the Shephelah.[2] ¹⁶ And Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from Kue,[3] and the king’s traders received them from Kue at a price. ¹⁷ They imported a chariot from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for one hundred and fifty. Likewise, they would export them to all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Syria.

CHAPTER 2

Preparing to Build the Temple

2  Now Solomon purposed to build a temple for the name of Jehovah, and a royal palace for himself. ²  And Solomon assigned seventy thousand men to bear burdens and eighty thousand quarriers in the hill country, and three thousand six hundred men to supervise them. ³ And Solomon sent word to Hiram the king of Tyre, saying, “As you dealt with David my father and sent him cedars to build him a house to dwell in, so deal with me. ⁴ Look, I am about to build a house for the name of Jehovah my God and dedicate it to him for the burning of perfumed incense before him, and for the constant arrangement of the showbread, and for burnt offerings morning and evening, on the Sabbaths and the new moons and the appointed feasts of Jehovah our God, as ordained forever for Israel. ⁵ The house that I am to build will be great, for our God is greater than all the other gods ⁶ But who is able to build him a house, since the heavens and the heaven of the heavens cannot contain him? Who am I then, that I should build him a house, except only to burn incense before him? ⁷ So now send me a man skilled to work in gold, silver, copper, and iron, and in purple, crimson, and blue fabrics, who knows how to cut engravings, to be with the skilled workers who are with me in Judah and Jerusalem, whom David my father provided. ⁸ Send me also cedar, cypress, and algum timber from Lebanon, for I know that your servants know how to cut timber in Lebanon. And look my servants will be with your servants, ⁹ to prepare timber in abundance for me, for the house which I am about to build will be great and wonderful. ¹⁰ Now look, I will give twenty thousand dry cors[4] of crushed wheat, twenty thousand dry cors of barley, twenty thousand baths[5] of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil to the woodcarvers and those who cut timber.”

¹¹ Then Hiram[6] the king of Tyre answered in a letter that he sent to Solomon, “Because Jehovah loves his people, he has made you king over them.” ¹² Hiram[7] also said, “Blessed be Jehovah God of Israel, who made heaven and earth, who has given King David a wise son, who has discretion and understanding, who will build a temple for Jehovah and a royal palace for himself.

¹³ “Now I sent a skilled man with understanding, Huram-abi,[8] ¹⁴ the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father was a man of Tyre, experienced, to work in gold and in silver, in copper, in iron, in stones and in wood, and in purple, blue, and crimson fabrics and fine linen, and cutting every sort of engraving and execute any design that may be assigned him, with your own skillful men and the skillful men of my lord David your father. ¹⁵ Now therefore the wheat and barley, oil and wine, of which my lord has spoken, let him send to his servants. ¹⁶ And we will cut trees from Lebanon, as much as you shall need; and we will bring them to you as rafts by sea to Joppa; and you shall take them up to Jerusalem.”

¹⁷ And Solomon numbered all the sojourners who were in the land of Israel, after the census that David his father had taken of them; and there were found one hundred and fifty-three thousand six hundred. ¹⁸ So he assigned seventy thousand as burden bearers, eighty thousand as stonecutters in the mountains, and three thousand six hundred as overseers to make the people work.

CHAPTER 3

Solomon Builds the Temple

3 Then Solomon began to build the house of Jehovah in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where Jehovah[9] had appeared to David his father, at the place that David had appointed, on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. ² And he began to build on the second day in the second month of the fourth year of his reign. ³ Now these are the foundations which Solomon laid for building the house of God. The length in cubits,[10] according to the old standard, was sixty cubits, and the width, twenty cubits. ⁴ The porch in the front of the house was as long as the width of the house, twenty cubits, and the height one hundred and twenty;[11] and inside he overlaid it with pure gold. ⁵ And the great house he covered with cypress wood, after which he covered it with fine gold,  and decorated with palm trees and chains. ⁶ Further, he overlaid the house with precious stones for beauty, and the gold was the gold of Parvaim. ⁷ He also overlaid the house, the beams, the thresholds, its walls, and its doors with gold; and he engraved cherubs on the walls.

⁸ And he now made the Most Holy place;[12] its length matched the width of the house, twenty cubits, and its width was twenty cubits; and he overlaid it with fine gold, amounting to six hundred talents.[13] ⁹ The weight of the gold for the nails was fifty shekels.[14] And he overlaid the upper chambers with gold.

¹⁰ In the Most Holy place[15] he made two cherubim of wood and overlaid them with gold. ¹¹ The length of the wings of the cherubs was twenty cubits: one wing of the first cherub was five cubits and touched the wall of the house, and its other wing, of five cubits, touched the wing of the other cherub. ¹² The wing of the other cherub, of five cubits, touched the wall of the house; and its other wing, of five cubits, was touching the wing of the first cherub. ¹³ The wings of these cherubs extended twenty cubits, and they stood on their feet, their faces toward the house. ¹⁴ And he made the curtain of blue and purple and crimson and fine linen and put cherubim on it.

¹⁵ Then he made two pillars for the front of the house, thirty-five[16] cubits high,[17] and the capital on the top of each was five cubits. ¹⁶ He made chains in the inner sanctuary and placed them on the tops of the pillars; and he made a hundred pomegranates and placed them on the chains. ¹⁷ He set up the pillars in front of the temple, one on the south and the other on the north and named the one on the south Jachin[18] and the one on the north Boaz.[19]

CHAPTER 4

The Altar, the Sea, and the Basins

4 Then he made a copper altar, twenty cubits in length, twenty cubits in width, and ten cubits in height. ² And he made the Sea of cast metal ten cubits from its one brim to its other brim, circular all around, and its height was five cubits, and it took a line of thirty cubits to circle all around it. ³ Now under it were figures of oxen all around it, ten cubits high, encircling the Sea all around. The oxen were in two rows cast as one piece with it. ⁴ It stood on twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east. The Sea was set on them, and all their rear parts were inward. ⁵ And its thickness was a handbreadth,[20] and its brim was made like the brim of a cup, the blossom of a lily. And it held three thousand baths.[21] ⁶ And he also made ten basins in which to wash, and set five on the south side, and five on the north side to rinse things for the burnt offering; but the Sea was for the priests to wash in.

Lampstands, Tables, and Courtyards

⁷ And he made ten golden lampstands as specified, and set them in the temple, five on the south side and five on the north. ⁸ He also made ten tables and placed them in the temple, five on the south side and five on the north. And he made a hundred basins of gold. ⁹ Then he made the court of the priests and the great court and doors for the court and overlaid their doors with copper. ¹⁰ And he set the Sea on the right side of the house toward the southeast.

Completion of the Temple Furnishings

¹¹ And Hiram[22] made the pots, the shovels, and the basins. So Hiram finished the work that he did for King Solomon on 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 latticeworks 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 latticeworks, two rows of pomegranates for each latticework, to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the pillars.[23] ¹⁴ He also made the water carts, and he made the basins on the water carts, ¹⁵ and the one Sea, and the twelve oxen underneath it. ¹⁶ The pots, the shovels, the forks and all its utensils, Huram-abi[24] made of polished copper for King Solomon for the house of Jehovah. ¹⁷ In the plain of the Jordan the king cast them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zeredah. ¹⁸ Thus Solomon made all these utensils in great quantities, for the weight of the copper could not be determined.

¹⁹ So Solomon made all the vessels that were in the house of God: the golden altar, the tables for the Bread of the Presence, ²⁰ the lampstands, and the lamps for burning according to the requirements before the inner sanctuary, of pure gold; ²¹ the flowers, the lamps, and the tongs of gold, of purest gold; ²² and the snuffers, the drinking bowls, the dishes, and the firepans, of pure gold; and the entrance to the house, the inner doors to the Most Holy Place, and the doors to the house of the temple were of gold.

CHAPTER 5

Preparing for the Temple Dedication

5 Thus all the work that Solomon labored 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.

The Ark Brought to the Temple

² Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the chieftains of the fathers’ houses of the sons of Israel, to Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of Jehovah out of the city of David, which is Zion. ³ And all the men of Israel assembled themselves before 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, the tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the tent; the Levitical priests brought them up. ⁶ And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who had assembled before him, were before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered. ⁷ Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of Jehovah to its place, in the inner sanctuary of the house, in the Most Holy Place, underneath the wings of the cherubim. ⁸ For the cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark, so that the cherubim made a covering over the ark and its poles. ⁹ And the poles were so long that the ends of the poles were seen from the Holy Place before the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen from outside. And they are there until this day. ¹⁰ There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets which Moses put there at Horeb, where Jehovah made a covenant with the sons of Israel, when they came out of Egypt. ¹¹ When the priests came out from the Holy Place (for all the priests who were present had sanctified themselves, regardless of their divisions), ¹² and all the Levitical singers, Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and their sons and kinsmen, clothed in fine linen, with cymbals, stringed instruments, and harps, standing east of the altar, and with them one hundred and twenty priests blowing trumpets. ¹³ And it came about when the trumpeters and the singers were praising and thanking Jehovah in unison, and as the sound ascended from the trumpets, the cymbals, and the other musical instruments as they were praising Jehovah,

“For he is good,
    for his loyal love endures forever,”

the house, the house of Jehovah, was filled with a cloud, ¹⁴ so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of Jehovah filled the house of God.

CHAPTER 6

Solomon Addresses the People

6 Then Solomon said, “Jehovah has said that he would dwell in thick darkness. ² Now I have built a lofty house for you, an established place for you to dwell in forever.” ³ Then the king turned around and blessed all the assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel stood. ⁴ And he said, “Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Israel, who spoke with his mouth with David my father, and with his hands he has fulfilled it, saying, ⁵ ‘Since the day that I brought my people out of the land of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel in which to build a house, that my name might be there, and I chose no man as leader over my people Israel; ⁶ but I have chosen Jerusalem that my name may be there, and I 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 to David my father, ‘Whereas it was in your heart to build a house for my name, you did well that it was in your heart. ⁹ However, you will not build the house, but your son, the one coming out of your loins is the one who will build the house for my name.’ ¹⁰ Now Jehovah has fulfilled his word that he made. For I have risen in the place of David my father and sit on the throne of Israel, as Jehovah promised, and I have built the house for the name of Jehovah, the God of Israel. ¹¹ And there I have set the ark, in which is the covenant of Jehovah that he made with the people of Israel.”

Solomon’s Prayer of Dedication

¹² Then he stood before the altar of Jehovah in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands. ¹³ Now Solomon had made a copper platform, five cubits long, five cubits wide and three cubits high, and had set it in the midst of the court; and he stood on it, knelt on his knees in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward the heavens. ¹⁴ And said, “O Jehovah, God of Israel, there is no God like you, in the heavens or on earth, keeping covenant and showing loyal love to your servants who walk before you with all their heart, ¹⁵ who has kept with your servant David, my father, that which you have promised him; indeed you have spoken with your mouth and have fulfilled it with your hand, as it is this day. ¹⁶ Now therefore, O Jehovah, the God of Israel, keep with your servant David, my father, that which you have promised him, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your sons take heed to their way, to walk in my law as you have walked before me.’’ ¹⁷ Now therefore, O Jehovah, God of Israel, let your word be confirmed, which you have spoken to your servant David.

¹⁸ “But will God indeed dwell with mankind on the earth? Look, heaven and the heaven of the heavens
cannot contain you; how much less this house which I have built. ¹⁹ Yet have regard to the prayer of your servant and to his supplication, O Jehovah my God, to listen to the cry and to the prayer which your servant prays before you, ²⁰ that your eye may be open toward this house day and night, toward the place of which you have said that you would put your name there, to listen to the prayer which your servant shall pray toward this place. ²¹ And listen to the supplications of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place; hear from your dwelling place, from the heavens; hear and forgive.

²² “If a man sins against his fellow man and is made to take an oath and comes and swears his oath before your altar in this house, ²³ then hear from the heavens and act and judge your servants, paying back the wicked one and bringing what he did on his own head and justifying the righteous by giving him according to his righteousness.

²⁴ “If your people Israel are defeated before an enemy because they have sinned against you, and they turn again and confess your name, and pray and make supplication before you in this house, ²⁵ then hear from the heavens and forgive the sin of your people Israel and bring them again to the land that you gave to them and to their forefathers.

²⁶ “When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against you, and they pray toward this place and confess your name, and turn from their sin when you afflict them, ²⁷ then hear in the heavens and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel, when you teach them the good way in which they should walk, and send rain upon your land, which you have given to your people as an inheritance.

²⁸ “If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence or blight or mildew or locust or caterpillar, if their enemies besiege them in the land at their gates, whatever plague, whatever sickness there is, ²⁹ whatever prayer, whatever plea is made by any man or by all your people Israel, each knowing his own affliction and his own sorrow and spreading his hands toward this house, ³⁰ then hear from heaven your dwelling place, and forgive, and render to each according to all his ways, whose heart you know for you alone know the hearts of the sons of men, ³¹ that they may fear you and walk in your ways all the days that they live in the land that you gave to our fathers.

³² “And also concerning the foreigner who is not from your people Israel, when he comes from a far country for your great name’s sake and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm, when they come and pray toward this house, ³³ then hear from the heavens, from your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name, and fear you as do your people Israel, and that they may know that this house which I have built is called by your name.

³⁴ “If your people go out to battle against their enemies, by whatever way you shall send them, and they pray to you toward this city that you have chosen and the house that I have built for your name, ³⁵ then hear from heaven their prayer and their plea and maintain their cause.

³⁶ “When they sin against you (for there is no man who does not sin) and you are angry with them and deliver them to an enemy, so that their enemies take them captive to a land far off or near, ³⁷ yet if they come to their senses in the land to which they have been carried captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their captivity, saying, ‘We have sinned and have acted perversely and wickedly,’ ³⁸ if they return to you with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity, where they have been taken captive, and pray toward their land which you have given to their forefathers and the city which you have chosen, and toward the house which I have built for your name, ³⁹ then hear from the heavens, from your dwelling place, their prayer and supplications, and maintain their cause and forgive your people who have sinned against you. ⁴⁰ Now, O my God, please, may your eyes be opened and your ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place.

⁴¹ “Now therefore arise, O Jehovah God, and go to your resting place,
    you and the ark of your might.
Let your priests, O Jehovah God, be clothed with salvation,
    and let your holy ones rejoice in your goodness.
⁴² O Jehovah God, do not turn away the face of your anointed one![25]
    Remember your loyal love for David your servant.”

CHAPTER 7

Temple Filled with the Glory of Jehovah

7 Now when Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from the heavens 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 When all the sons of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of Jehovah on the temple, they bowed down with their faces to the ground on the pavement and prostrated themselves and gave thanks to Jehovah, saying, “For he is good, for his loyal love endures forever.”

The Dedication Ceremonies

⁴ Then the king and all the people offered sacrifice before Jehovah. ⁵ And King Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand cattle and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the people dedicated the house of God. ⁶ The priests stood at their posts; the Levites also, with the instruments for music to Jehovah that King David had made for giving thanks to Jehovah—for his loyal love endures forever—whenever David offered praises by their ministry; opposite them the priests sounded trumpets, and all Israel stood.

⁷ And Solomon sanctified 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 copper altar which Solomon had made was not able to contain the burnt offering, the grain offering and the fat.

⁸ So Solomon held the feast at that time for seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great assembly who came from the entrance of Hamath to the brook of Egypt. ⁹ And on the eighth day they held a solemn assembly, for they had kept the dedication of the altar seven days and the feast seven days. ¹⁰ And on the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people away to their homes, joyful and glad of heart for the goodness that Jehovah had granted to David and to Solomon and to Israel his people.

Jehovah Appears to Solomon

¹¹ Thus Solomon finished the house of Jehovah and the king’s house. Everything that came into Solomon’s heart to do regarding the house of Jehovah and in his own house he successfully accomplished. ¹² Then Jehovah appeared to Solomon in the night and said to him: “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice. ¹³ When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, ¹⁴ if my people who are called by my name humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from the heavens and will forgive their sin and heal their land. ¹⁵ Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place. ¹⁶ For now I have chosen and sanctified this house that my name may be there forever, and my eyes and my heart will be there perpetually. ¹⁷ And as for you, if you will walk before me as David your father walked, doing according to all that I have commanded you, and will keep my regulations and my judgments, ¹⁸ then I will establish your royal throne as I covenanted with your father David, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man to be ruler in Israel.’

¹⁹ “But if you turn away and forsake my statutes and my commandments which I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them, ²⁰ then I will pluck you up from my land that I have given you, and this house that I have sanctified for my name, I will cast out of my sight, and I will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples. ²¹ And at this house, which was exalted, everyone passing by will be astonished and say, ‘Why did Jehovah do that to this land and this house?’ ²² Then they will say, ‘Because they abandoned Jehovah, the God of their forefathers who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods and bowed down to them and served them. Therefore, he has brought all this calamity on them.’”

CHAPTER 8

Solomon’s Building Projects

8 And it came about at the end of twenty years, in which Solomon had built the house of Jehovah, and his own house, ² Solomon rebuilt the cities that Hiram[26] had given to him and settled the sons of Israel in them.

³ And Solomon went to Hamath-zobah and captured it. ⁴ Then he built Tadmor[27] in the wilderness and all the storage cities that he had built in Hamath. ⁵ He also built Upper Beth-horon and Lower Beth-horon, fortified cities with walls, gates, and bars, ⁶ and Baalath, and all the storage cities that Solomon had and all the cities for his chariots and the cities for his horsemen, and all that Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion. ⁷ All the people who were left of the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not of Israel, ⁸ from their sons who had been left after them in the land, whom the sons of Israel had not destroyed, these Solomon conscripted as forced labor until this day. ⁹ But of the sons of Israel Solomon made no slaves for his work; they were men of war, commanders of his captains, and commanders of his chariots and his horsemen. ¹⁰ These were the chief officers of King Solomon, two hundred and fifty who ruled over the people.

¹¹ Solomon brought Pharaoh’s daughter up from the city of David to the house that he had built for her, for he said, “My wife shall not dwell in the house of David king of Israel, for the places to which the ark of Jehovah has come are holy.”

Worship at the Temple Prepared

¹² Then Solomon offered burnt offerings to 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 Booths. ¹⁴ According to the ruling of David his father, he appointed the divisions of the priests for their service, and the Levites for their offices, to praise and to minister in the presence of the priests according to the daily routine, and the gatekeepers in their divisions for the different gates, for such was the command of David, the man of God. ¹⁵ And they did not deviate from the king’s commandment to the priests and the Levites concerning any matter or concerning the storehouses.

¹⁶ Thus all the work of Solomon was carried out from the day[28] of the foundation of the house of Jehovah, and until it was finished. So, the house of Jehovah was completed.

Solomon’s Fleet of Ships

¹⁷ Then Solomon went to Ezion-geber and to Eloth on the seashore in the land of Edom. ¹⁸ And Hiram[29] sent to him, by the hand of his servants, ships and servants knowledgeable of the sea. And they went with the servants of Solomon to Ophir, and from there they collected four hundred and fifty talents of gold and brought it to King Solomon.

CHAPTER 9

The Queen of Sheba Visits Solomon

9 Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions, having a very great retinue and camels bearing spices and very much gold and precious stones. And when she came to Solomon, she told him all that was on her heart. ² And Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was hidden from Solomon which he did not explain to her. ³ And when the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, ⁴ the food at his table, the seating of his servants, the attendance of his ministers and their attire, his cupbearers and their attire, and his burnt offerings that he offered at the house of Jehovah, there was no more spirit in her.[30]

⁵ So she said to the king: “The report that I heard in my own land about your words and about your wisdom was true. ⁶ But I did not put faith in the words until I came, and my own eyes had seen it. And look! I had not been told the half of your great wisdom. You surpass the report that I heard. ⁷ Happy are your men, and happy are your servants who stand before you constantly, listening to your wisdom! ⁸ Blessed be Jehovah your God, who has delighted in you and set you on his throne as king for Jehovah your God! Because your God loved Israel and would establish them forever, he has made you king over them, that you may administer justice and righteousness.” ⁹ And she gave to the king one hundred and twenty talents[31] of gold and a very great quantity of spices and precious stones. And there were no spices such as those that the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

¹⁰ Moreover, the servants of Hiram and the servants of Solomon who brought gold from Ophir, also brought algum trees and precious stones. ¹¹ And the algum trees the king made steps for the house of Jehovah and for the king’s palace, and harps and stringed instruments for the singers; and none like that was seen before in the land of Judah.

¹² And King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all that she desired, whatever she asked besides what she had brought to the king. So she turned and went back to her own land with her servants.

Solomon’s Wealth

¹³ Now the weight of the gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred and sixty-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 large shields of beaten gold; six hundred shekels of beaten gold went into each shield. ¹⁶ And he made three hundred small shields of beaten gold; three hundred shekels went into each small 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 And there were six steps to the throne and there was a gold footstool attached to the throne, and arms on each side of the seat, and two lions standing beside the arms. ¹⁹ And there were twelve lions standing on each of the six steps on each end. And there was nothing like it made in all the 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 not considered valuable in the days of Solomon. ²¹ For the king had ships which went to Tarshish with the servants of Hiram; once every three years the ships of Tarshish came bringing gold and silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.

²² So King Solomon was greater than all the other 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 gift, articles of silver, and articles of gold, and garments, armor, and spices, horses, and mules, a cost year by year. ²⁵ And Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. And he stationed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. ²⁶ And he ruled over all the kings from the River to the land of the Philistines, to the border of Egypt. ²⁷ And the king made the silver in Jerusalem as plentiful as the stones, and cedarwood as plentiful as the sycamore trees[32] that are in the Shephelah^[33] for abundance. ²⁸ And they brought horses for Solomon from Egypt, and from all lands.

Solomon’s Death

²⁹ Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, from first to 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[34] 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 forefathers and was buried in the city of David his father, and Rehoboam his son reigned in his place.

CHAPTER 10

Israel’s Revolt Against Rehoboam

10 Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king. ² And it came about when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it (for he was in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon), then Jeroboam returned from Egypt. ³ And they sent and called him; and Jeroboam and all Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, ⁴ “Your father made our yoke harsh. Now therefore lighten the harsh service of your father and his heavy yoke on us, and we will serve you.” ⁵ And he said to them, “Return to me after three days.” So, the people went away.

⁶ And then King Rehoboam took counsel with the older men, who had stood before Solomon his father while he was yet alive, saying, “How do you advise me to answer this people?” ⁷ And they spoke to him, “If you will be good to this people and please them and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever.” ⁸ But he forsook the counsel that the older men gave him, and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him and stood before him. ⁹ And he said to them, “What counsel do you give that we may answer this people, who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Lighten the yoke which your father put on us’?” ¹⁰ And the young men who grew up with him spoke to him, saying, “Thus you shall say to the people who spoke to you, saying, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you make it lighter for us.’ Thus, you shall say to them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s hips. ¹¹ And now, whereas my father laid on you a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.’”

¹² So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king ordered, saying “Come to me again the third day.” ¹³ And the king answered them harshly, and king Rehoboam forsook the counsel of the older men, ¹⁴ And he spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy,[35] but I will add to it; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.” ¹⁵ So the king did not listen to the people, for it was a turn of affairs brought about by God that Jehovah might fulfill his word, which he spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

¹⁶ When all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them the people answered the king, saying, “What portion do we have in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. Every man to your tents,[36] O Israel; Now look after your own house, David.” So all Israel departed to their tents. ¹⁷ But as for the sons of Israel who dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them. ¹⁸ Then King Rehoboam sent Hadoram, who was over the forced labor, and the sons of Israel stoned him to death. And King Rehoboam managed to mount his chariot to flee to Jerusalem. ¹⁹ So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.

CHAPTER 11

Rehoboam’s Rule

11 When Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled the house of Judah and Benjamin, one hundred and eighty thousand chosen warriors, to fight against Israel to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam. ² But the word of Jehovah came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying, ³ “Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, saying, ⁴ ‘Thus says Jehovah, “You shall not go up or fight against your brothers; return every man to his house, for this thing is from me.’” So, they obeyed the word of Jehovah and returned from going against Jeroboam.

⁵ And Rehoboam dwelt in Jerusalem and built cities for defense in Judah. ⁶ He built Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa, ⁷ Beth-zur, Soco, Adullam, ⁸ Gath, Mareshah, Ziph, ⁹ Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah, ¹⁰ Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron, fortified cities that are in Judah and in Benjamin. ¹¹ And he fortified the strongholds, and put commanders in them, and stores of food, and oil and wine. ¹² And in every city, he put shields and spears, and made them very strong. And Judah and Benjamin belonged to him.

Loyal Priests and Levites Come to Jerusalem

¹³ And the priests and the Levites that were in all Israel stood with him out of all their territories. ¹⁴ For the Levites left their pastures and their possession and came to Judah and Jerusalem, for Jeroboam and his sons cast them off from serving as priests to Jehovah, ¹⁵ and he appointed him priests for the high places, and for the goats,[37] and for the calves which he had made. ¹⁶ And after them, from all the tribes of Israel, those who set their heart to seek Jehovah, the God of Israel, came to Jerusalem to offer to Jehovah, the God of their forefathers. ¹⁷ And they strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and for three years they made Rehoboam the son of Solomon secure, for they walked for three years in the way of David and Solomon.

Rehoboam’s Family

¹⁸ Rehoboam took as wife Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth the son of David, and of Abihail the daughter of Eliab the son of Jesse, ¹⁹ and she bore him sons, Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham. ²⁰ After her he took Maacah the daughter of Absalom, and she bore him Abijah, Attai, Ziza and Shelomith. ²¹ And Rehoboam loved Maacah the daughter of Absalom above all his wives and concubines. He took eighteen wives and sixty concubines and fathered twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters. ²² And Rehoboam appointed Abijah the son of Maacah as head and leader among his brothers, for he intended to make him king. ²³ And he dealt wisely and distributed some of his sons through all the territories of Judah and Benjamin to all the fortified cities, and he gave them food in abundance. And he sought many wives for them.

CHAPTER 12

Shishak Attacks Jerusalem

12 And when the kingdom of Rehoboam was established and when he had become strong, he forsook the law of Jehovah, and all Israel with him. ² And it came about in the fifth year of king Rehoboam, that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, because they had behaved unfaithfully toward Jehovah ³ with one thousand two hundred chariots, and sixty thousand horsemen. And the people were without number who came with him out of Egypt: the Lubim, the Sukkiim, and the Ethiopians. ⁴ And he took the fortified cities of Judah and came as far as Jerusalem. ⁵ Then Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and to the princes of Judah, who had gathered at Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said to them, “Thus says Jehovah, ‘You abandoned me, so I have abandoned you to 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: “They have humbled themselves. I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance, and my wrath shall not be poured out on 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 everything, including the shields of gold which Solomon had made. ¹⁰ And king Rehoboam made in their place shields of copper and committed them to the hands of the commanders of the guard, who kept the door of the king’s house. ¹¹ And it was so, that, as often as the king entered into the house of Jehovah, the guard came and carried 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 completely. And, moreover, there were good things in Judah.

Rehoboam’s Rule End

¹³ So king Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem, and reigned. Rehoboam was forty-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 did not set his heart to seek Jehovah.

¹⁵ Now the acts of Rehoboam, first and last, are they not written in the chronicles of Shemaiah the prophet and of Iddo the seer in the genealogical record? 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 place.

CHAPTER 13

Abijah Reigns in Judah

13 In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, Abijah began to reign over Judah. ² He reigned three years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Micaiah[38] the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. Now there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. 

Abijah Defeats Jeroboam

³ And Abijah joined in the battle with an army of four hundred thousand mighty, chosen warriors, chosen men, and Jeroboam put the battle in order against him with eight hundred thousand chosen men, mighty warriors. ⁴ Then Abijah stood up on Mount Zemaraim that is in the hill country of Ephraim and said, “Hear me, O Jeroboam and all Israel! ⁵ Ought you not to know that Jehovah, the God of Israel, gave to David a kingdom over Israel forever, even to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt? ⁶ Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon the son of David, rose up and rebelled against his lord. ⁷ And there were gathered to him worthless men, defiled, who proved superior to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and fainthearted, and could not withstand them.

⁸ “And now you think to withstand the kingdom of Jehovah in the hand of the sons of David, because you are a great multitude and have with you the golden calves that Jeroboam made you for gods. ⁹ Have you not driven out the priests of Jehovah, the sons of Aaron and the Levites, and made for yourselves priests like the peoples of other lands? Whoever comes to fill his hand with a young bull[39] and seven rams, even he may become a priest of what are no gods. ¹⁰ But as for us, Jehovah is our God, and we have not forsaken him. We have priests ministering to Jehovah who are sons of Aaron, and Levites assist in the work. ¹¹ They offer to Jehovah every morning and every evening burnt offerings and fragrant incense of sweet spices, set out the showbread on the table of pure gold, and they light up the golden lampstand and its lamps each evening. For we keep the charge of Jehovah our God, but you have forsaken him. ¹² Now look, God is with us at our head and his priests with the signal trumpets to sound the alarm against you. O sons of Israel, do not fight against Jehovah God of your forefathers, for you will not succeed.”

¹³ Jeroboam had sent an ambush to come from behind them. Thus, his troops were in front of Judah, and the ambush was behind them. ¹⁴ And when the men of Judah turned around, look, the battle was in front of and behind them. And they cried to Jehovah, and the priests blew the trumpets. ¹⁵ Then the men of Judah raised a battle cry. And when the men of Judah shouted a battle cry, God defeated Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. ¹⁶ And the sons of Israel fled before Judah, and God delivered them into their hand. ¹⁷ And Abijah and his people struck them down with a great slaughter, so there fell slain of Israel five hundred thousand chosen men. ¹⁸ Thus the sons of Israel were subdued at that time, and the sons of Judah prevailed, because they relied upon Jehovah, the God of their forefathers. ¹⁹ And Abijah pursued Jeroboam and took cities from him, Bethel with its villages and Jeshanah with its villages and Ephron[40] with its villages. ²⁰ Jeroboam did not recover his power in the days of Abijah. And Jehovah struck him down, and he died. ²¹ But Abijah grew strong, and he took to himself fourteen wives and fathered twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters. ²² Now the rest of the acts of Abijah, and his ways and his words are recorded in the writings of the prophet Iddo.

CHAPTER 14

Death of Abijah

14 Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David. And Asa his son reigned in his place. In his days the land had rest for ten years.[41]

Asa Reigns in Judah

²  And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of Jehovah his God. ³ He took away the foreign altars and the high places and broke down the pillars and cut down the Asherim. ⁴ And he commanded Judah to seek Jehovah, the God of their fathers, and to keep the law and the commandment. ⁵ He also took out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the incense stands. And the kingdom had rest under him. ⁶ And he built fortified cities in Judah, since the land had no disturbance and there was no war with him during those years, because Jehovah had given him rest. ⁷ For he said to Judah, “Let us build these cities and surround them with walls and towers, double doors and bars. The land is still ours because we have sought Jehovah our God. We have sought him, and he has given us peace on every side.” So, they built and prospered. ⁸ And Asa had an army of three hundred thousand from Judah, armed with large shields and spears, and two hundred eighty thousand men from Benjamin that carried shields and drew bows. All these were mighty men of valor.

Asa defeats One Million Cushites

⁹ Zerah the Cushite[42] came out against them with an army of a thousand thousands[43] men and three hundred chariots and came as far as Mareshah. ¹⁰ And Asa went out to meet him, and they drew up in battle formation in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah. ¹¹ And Asa cried to Jehovah his God, “O Jehovah, there is none like you to help, between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O Jehovah our God, for we rely on you, and in your name, we have come against this multitude. O Jehovah, you are our God; let not man prevail against you.” ¹² So Jehovah defeated the Cushites before Asa and before Judah, and the Cushites fled. ¹³ Asa and the people who were with him pursued them as far as Gerar; and so many Cushites fell that they could not recover, for they were shattered before Jehovah and before His army. And they carried away very much plunder. ¹⁴ And they struck all the cities around Gerar, for the fear of Jehovah was upon them. And they plundered all the cities, for there was much plunder in them. ¹⁵ And they struck down the tents of those who had livestock and carried away sheep in abundance and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.

CHAPTER 15

Asa’s Religious Reforms

15 Now the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded, ² and he went out before Asa and said to him, “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: Jehovah is with you while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. ³ And many days Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law, ⁴ but when in their distress they turned to Jehovah, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found by them. ⁵ In those times there was no peace to him who went out or to him who came in, for great disturbances afflicted all the inhabitants of the lands. ⁶ And they were broken in pieces, nation against nation, and city against city; for God kept them in disorder with every sort of distress. ⁷ But you be strong, and do not let your hands drop; for your work shall be rewarded.”

⁸ And when Asa heard these words, the prophecy of [44]Oded the prophet, he took courage and removed the disgusting idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and from the cities that he had taken in the hill country of Ephraim, and he restored the altar of Jehovah that was in front of the portico of Jehovah. ⁹ And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin and those sojourning with them, from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon, for they had deserted to him from Israel in great number when they saw that Jehovah his God was with him. ¹⁰ So they were gathered at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa. ¹¹ And they sacrificed to Jehovah on that day from the plunder they brought back: seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep. ¹² And they entered into a covenant to seek Jehovah, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul, ¹³ and whoever would not seek Jehovah God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, man or woman. ¹⁴ And they took an oath to Jehovah with a great voice, with shouting, with trumpets, and with horns. ¹⁵ And all Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and had sought him with their whole desire, and he was found by them, and Jehovah gave them rest all around.

¹⁶ And also Maacah, the mother of Asa, the king removed her from being queen, because she had made an abominable image for Asherah. And Asa cut down her abominable image, and he crushed and burned it at the Kidron Valley. ¹⁷ But the high places were not taken out of Israel. Nevertheless, the heart of Asa was complete all his days. ¹⁸ And he brought into the house of God the things made holy by his father and his own things made holy, silver, and gold, and utensils. ¹⁹ And there was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of the reign of Asa.

CHAPTER 16

Asa’s Last Years

16 In the thirty-sixth year of the reign of Asa, Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and built Ramah, that he might permit no one to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. ² Then Asa brought out silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of Jehovah and the king’s house and sent them to Ben-hadad king of Syria, who lived in Damascus, saying, ³ “There is a covenant between me and you, as there was between my father and your father. Look, I am sending to you silver and gold. Go, break your covenant with Baasha king of Israel, that he may withdraw from me.” ⁴ And Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel, and they conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel-maim, and all the storage places of Naphtali. ⁵ And when Baasha heard of it, he stopped building Ramah and let his work cease. ⁶ Then King Asa took all Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber, with which Baasha had been building, and with them he built Geba and Mizpah.

Hanani Admonishes Asa

⁷ At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, “Because you relied on the king of Syria, and did not rely on Jehovah your God, the army of the king of Syria has escaped out of your hand. ⁸ Were not the Cushites and the Libyans a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you relied on Jehovah, he gave them into your hand. ⁹ For the eyes of Jehovah run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is complete toward him. You have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars.” ¹⁰ Then Asa was angry with the seer and put him in prison, for he was in a rage with him because of this. And Asa oppressed some of the people at the same time.

Death of Asa

¹¹ Now, the acts of Asa from first to last, look, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. ¹² In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was diseased in his feet, and his disease became severe. And even in his sickness, he turned, not to Jehovah, but to the healers. ¹³ And Asa slept with his forefathers, dying in the forty-first year of his reign. ¹⁴ They buried him in his own tomb which he had cut out for himself in the city of David, and they laid him in the resting place which he had filled with spices of various kinds blended by the perfumers’ art; and they made a very great fire in his honor.

CHAPTER 17

Jehoshaphat Reigns in Judah

17 And Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place, and he 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 that Asa his father had captured. ³ And Jehovah was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the former ways of David[45] his forefather and did not search after the Baals, ⁴ but sought the God of his father and walked in his commandments, and not the practices of Israel. ⁵ Therefore Jehovah established the kingdom in his hand. And all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he had great riches and honor. ⁶ And his heart was courageous in the ways of Jehovah. And furthermore, he took the high places and the Asherim out of Judah.

⁷ Then in the third year of his reign he sent his officials, Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah; ⁸ and with them the Levites, Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah and Tobadonijah, 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 through all the cities of Judah and taught among the people.

Jehoshaphat’s Military Power

¹⁰ And the fear of Jehovah fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were around Judah, and they made no war against Jehoshaphat. ¹¹ And some of the Philistines brought a gift and silver to Jehoshaphat as tribute. The Arabians also brought him seven thousand seven hundred rams and seven thousand seven hundred goats. ¹² And Jehoshaphat grew steadily greater. He built in Judah fortresses and storage cities. ¹³ And he had many supplies in the cities of Judah, and he had soldiers, mighty warriors, in Jerusalem. ¹⁴ This was the muster of them by fathers’ houses: Of Judah, the commanders of thousands: Adnah the commander, with three hundred thousand mighty warriors; ¹⁵ and next to him Jehohanan the commander, with two hundred eighty thousand; ¹⁶ and next to him Amasiah the son of Zichri, who volunteered for Jehovah, and with him two hundred thousand mighty warriors; ¹⁷ And from Benjamin: Eliada, a mighty warrior, and with him were two hundred thousand armed with bow and shield; ¹⁸ and next to him Jehozabad with one hundred and eighty thousand armed for war. ¹⁹ These were in the service of the king, besides those whom the king had placed in the fortified cities throughout all Judah.

CHAPTER 18

Jehoshaphat Allies with Ahab

18 Now Jehoshaphat had riches and honor in abundance, but he made a marriage alliance with Ahab. ² And after some years he went down to Ahab to Samaria. And Ahab sacrificed sheep and oxen for him in abundance, and for the people that were with him, and persuaded him to go up with him to Ramoth-gilead. ³ Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “Will you go with me to Ramoth-gilead?” He answered him, “I am as you are, my people as your people. We will be with you in the war.”

⁴ And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Inquire first for the word of Jehovah.” ⁵ Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for God will deliver it into the hand of the king.” ⁶ But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not yet a prophet of Jehovah here that we may inquire of him?” ⁷ The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of Jehovah, but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me but always evil. He is Micaiah, son of Imlah.” But Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say so.” ⁸ Then the king of Israel summoned a court official and said, “Bring quickly Micaiah the son of Imlah.” ⁹ Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting each on his throne, arrayed in their robes, and they were sitting at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets were prophesying before them. ¹⁰ And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made for himself horns of iron and said, “Thus says Jehovah, ‘With these you shall push the Syrians until they are destroyed.’ ” ¹¹ And all the prophets prophesied so and said, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and triumph. Jehovah will deliver it into the hand of the king.”

Micaiah Prophecies of Defeat

¹² And the messenger who went to call Micaiah said to him, “Look, the words of the prophets are good with one voice to the king. Please let your word be as one with them and speak good.” ¹³ But Micaiah said, “As Jehovah lives, what my God says, that I will speak.” ¹⁴ And when he had come to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I refrain?” And he said, “Go up and triumph; they will be delivered into your hand.” ¹⁵ But the king said to him, “How many times shall I put you under oath that you speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of Jehovah?” ¹⁶ And he said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And Jehovah said, ‘These have no master; let each return to his house in peace.’” ¹⁷ And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?” ¹⁸ And Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of Jehovah: I saw Jehovah sitting on his throne, and all the army of the heavens standing on his right hand and on his left. ¹⁹ And Jehovah said, ‘Who will entice Ahab the king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one was saying one thing while another said something else. ²⁰ And there came forth a spirit, and stood before Jehovah, and said, ‘I will entice him.’ And Jehovah said to him, ‘How?’ ²¹ And he said, ‘I will go forth, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And he said, ‘You are to entice him, and you shall succeed; go out and do so.’ ²² Now therefore look, Jehovah has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these your prophets. Jehovah has declared calamity for you.”

²³ Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “Which way did the Spirit of Jehovah go from me to speak to you?” ²⁴ And Micaiah said, “Look, you shall see on that day when you go into an inner chamber to hide yourself.” ²⁵ And the king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah and return him back to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son, ²⁶ and say, ‘Thus says the king, Put this fellow in prison and feed him with meager rations of bread and water until I return in peace.’” ²⁷ And Micaiah said, “If you return in peace, Jehovah has not spoken by me.” And he said, “Hear, you peoples, all of you!”

The Defeat and Death of Ahab at Ramoth-Gilead

²⁸ So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead. ²⁹ And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you put on your robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle. ³⁰ Now the king of Syria had commanded the captains of his chariots, “Fight with neither small nor great, but only with the king of Israel.” ³¹ And it came about when the commanders of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “It is the king of Israel.” So they turned to fight against him. And Jehoshaphat cried out, and Jehovah helped him; God diverted them away from him. ³² And it came about when the commanders of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him. ³³ But one man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel between the joints of his armor. Therefore, he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn around and carry me out of the battle, for I am wounded.” ³⁴ And the battle continued that day, and the king of Israel was propped up in his chariot facing the Syrians until evening. And he died at sunset.

CHAPTER 19

Jehoshaphat’s Reforms

19 Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned in safety to his house in Jerusalem. ² And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him and said to King Jehoshaphat, “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate Jehovah? Because of this, wrath has gone out against you from Jehovah. ³ Nevertheless, some good is found in you, for you destroyed the Asheroth out of the land, and have set your heart to seek God.”

⁴ Jehoshaphat dwelt at Jerusalem. And he went out again among the people, from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim, and brought them back to Jehovah, the God of their fathers. ⁵ And he appointed judges in the land and in all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city. ⁶ And said to the judges, “Consider what you do, for you judge not for man but for Jehovah. And he is with you when you pass judgment. ⁷ Now then, let the fear of Jehovah be upon you. Be careful what you do, for there is no injustice with Jehovah our God, or partiality or taking bribes.”

⁸ In Jerusalem also Jehoshaphat appointed some of the Levites and priests, and some of the heads of the fathers’ households of Israel, for the judgment of Jehovah and to settle legal cases for the inhabitants of Jerusalem. ⁹ And he commanded them, saying, “Thus you must do in the fear of Jehovah with faithfulness and with a complete heart. ¹⁰ Whenever any dispute comes to you from your brothers who dwell in their cities, between blood and blood, between law and commandment, statutes and ordinances, you shall warn them so that they may not be guilty before Jehovah, and wrath may not come on you and your brothers. This is what you shall do, so that you may not incur guilt. ¹¹ And look, Amariah the chief priest is over you in all matters of Jehovah; and Zebadiah the son of Ishmael, the leader of the house of Judah, in all the king’s matters, and the Levites will serve you as officers. Deal courageously, and may Jehovah be with the upright!”

CHAPTER 20

Neighboring Nations Threaten Judah

20 And it came about after this, that the sons of Moab and the sons of Ammon, together with some of the Meunites, came against Jehoshaphat in war. ² Then there came some who reported to Jehoshaphat, saying, “There comes a great multitude against you from beyond the sea from Syria;[46] and look, they are in Hazazon-tamar, that is Engedi.” ³ Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek Jehovah, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. ⁴ And Judah gathered themselves together, to seek help from Jehovah: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek Jehovah.

Jehoshaphat’s Prayer

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 forefathers, are you not God in the heavens? And are you not ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations? And in your hand are power and might, so that none is able to stand against you. ⁷ Did you not, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it forever to the offspring of Abraham your friend? ⁸ And they have dwelt in it and have built you a sanctuary for your name, saying, ⁹ ‘If disaster comes upon us, the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house and before you (for your name is in this house) and cry to you in our affliction, and you will hear and save.’ ¹⁰ And now look, the sons of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom You did not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt (they turned aside from them and did not destroy them), ¹¹ look, they reward us by coming to drive us out of your possession, which you have given us to inherit. ¹² O our God, will you not judge them? For we are powerless against this great multitude that is coming against us; and we do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”

¹³ And all Judah stood before Jehovah, with their little ones, their wives, and their children. 

Answer from Jehovah

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, “Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says Jehovah to you, ‘Do not fear or be dismayed at this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but God’s. ¹⁶ Tomorrow go down against them. Look, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the valley, facing the wilderness of Jeruel. ¹⁷ You will not need to fight in this battle. Take your position stand still, and see the salvation of Jehovah on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and Jehovah will be with you.”

¹⁸ Then Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before Jehovah, worshiping Jehovah. ¹⁹ And the Levites, from the sons of the Kohathites and of the sons of the Korahites, stood up to praise Jehovah God of Israel, with a very loud voice.

Judah Miraculously Saved

²⁰ And they rose early in the morning and went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. And when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Put faith in Jehovah your God, and you will be established; put faith in his prophets, and you will succeed.” ²¹ And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed men to sing to Jehovah and to offer praise in holy attire, as they went before the army, and say, “Give thanks to Jehovah, for his loyal love endures forever.”

²² And when they began to sing and praise, Jehovah set ambushes against the sons of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; so, they were routed. ²³ For the sons of Ammon and Moab rose up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, to destroy and annihilate them, and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they all helped to destroy one another.

Jehovah Delivers Judah

²⁴ When Judah came to the watchtower of the wilderness, they looked toward the multitude, and look, there were dead bodies lying on the ground; none had escaped. ²⁵ When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take their spoil, they found among them, an abundance of goods, garments,[47] and valuable articles, which they took for themselves until they could carry no more. They were three days in taking the spoil, it was so much. ²⁶ On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Beracah,[48] for there they blessed Jehovah. Therefore, the name of that place has been called the Valley of Beracah until this day. ²⁷ Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat at their head, returning to Jerusalem with joy, for Jehovah had made them rejoice over their enemies. ²⁸ And they came to Jerusalem with harps, stringed instruments, and trumpets to the house of Jehovah. ²⁹ And the fear of God came on all the kingdoms of the countries when they heard that Jehovah had fought against the enemies of Israel. ³⁰ So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest all around.

The End of Jehoshaphat’s Reign

³¹ Thus Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi. ³² He walked in the way of Asa his father and did not turn aside from it, doing what was right in the eyes of Jehovah. ³³ The high places, however, were not taken away; the people had not yet set their hearts to the God of their forefathers.

³⁴ Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, from first to last, are written in the chronicles of Jehu the son of Hanani, which are recorded in the Book of the Kings of Israel.

³⁵ After this Jehoshaphat king of Judah joined with Ahaziah king of Israel, who acted wickedly. ³⁶ He allied 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 you have joined yourself with Ahaziah, Jehovah has destroyed your works.” So, the ships were broken and were not able to go to Tarshish.

CHAPTER 21

Jehoram Reigns in Judah

21 Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David, and Jehoram his son reigned in his place. ² And he had brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat: Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariah, Michael, and Shephatiah; all these were the sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel.[49] 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 he gave to Jehoram, because he was the firstborn. ⁴ When Jehoram rose up over the kingdom of his father he made his position strong, and so he killed all his brothers with the sword and also some of the princes of Israel. ⁵ Jehoram was thirty-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 as his wife. And he did that which was evil in the eyes of Jehovah. ⁷ Nevertheless, Jehovah did not want to 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 sons always.

⁸ In his days Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah and chose a king over themselves. ⁹ Then Jehoram passed over with his commanders, and all his chariots with him, and he rose up by night, and struck down the Edomites that surrounded him, and the commanders of the chariots. ¹⁰ So Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah to this day. Then Libnah revolted at the same time from under his hand because he had forsaken Jehovah, the God of his forefathers. ¹¹ Moreover he made high places in the mountains of Judah, and made the inhabitants of Jerusalem to be unfaithful,[50] and led Judah astray. 

Written Message from Elijah

¹² And a letter came to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, “Thus says Jehovah, the God of David your father, ‘Because you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat your father, or in the ways of Asa king of Judah, ¹³ but have walked in the way of the kings of Israel and have caused Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to be unfaithful[51] as the house of Ahab was unfaithful, and also you have killed your brothers, of your father’s house, who were better than you, ¹⁴ look, Jehovah will strike your people, your sons, your wives, and all your possessions, ¹⁵ and you shall have a severe sickness with a disease of your bowels, until your bowels come out because of the disease, day by day.’”

Jehoram’s Bad End

¹⁶ And Jehovah stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines, and of the Arabians who are near the Cushites.[52] ¹⁷ And they came against Judah and invaded it and carried away all the possessions found in the king’s house together with his sons and his wives, so that no son was left to him except Jehoahaz,[53] the youngest of his sons.

¹⁸ And after all this Jehovah struck him in his bowels with an incurable disease. ¹⁹ And it came about in the course of time, at the end of two years, that his bowels came out because of his sickness, and he died in great pain. And his people made no fire for him like the fire for his forefathers. ²⁰ He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years; and he departed with no one’s regret, and they buried him in the city of David, but not in the burial places of the kings.

CHAPTER 22

Ahaziah Reigns in Judah

22 And the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah, his youngest son, king in his place, for the band of men that came with the Arabians to the camp had killed all the older sons. So Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah reigned. ² Ahaziah was twenty-two[54] years old when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Athaliah, the granddaughter[55] of Omri. ³ He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother was his counselor to do wickedly. ⁴ He did evil in the eyes of Jehovah like the house of Ahab, for they were his counselors 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 from God, in that he went to Joram. For when he came, he went out with Jehoram against Jehu the son of Nimshi,[56] whom Jehovah had anointed to cut off the house of Ahab. ⁸ And it came about, when Jehu was executing judgment on the house of Ahab, that he found the princes of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah’s brothers attending to Ahaziah and killed them. ⁹ Then he looked for Ahaziah; they captured him where he was hiding in Samaria, and they brought him to Jehu. Then they put him to death and buried him, for they said, “He is the grandson of Jehoshaphat, who searched for Jehovah with all his heart.” There was no one of the house of Ahaziah who had the power to rule the kingdom.

Athaliah Reigns in Judah

¹⁰ Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal offspring 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 who were about to be put to death, and she put him and his nurse in a bedroom. 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 did not put him to death. ¹² And he was with them hid in the house of God six years, while Athaliah reigned over the land.

CHAPTER 23

Joash Made King

23 And in the seventh year Jehoiada strengthened himself and took commanders of hundreds: Azariah the son of Jeroham, Ishmael the son of Johanan, Azariah the son of Obed, Maaseiah the son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat the son of Zichri, and they entered into a covenant with him. ² And they went about through Judah and gathered the Levites from 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 Jehoiada said to them, “Look, the king’s son! Let him reign, as Jehovah has spoken concerning the sons of David. ⁴ This is what you are to do: One third of the priests and of the Levites who will be on duty on the Sabbath will be gatekeepers, ⁵ another third will be at the house of the king, and the other third will be at the Gate of the Foundation, and all the people will be in the courtyards of the house of Jehovah. ⁶ Let no one enter the house of Jehovah except the priests and ministering Levites. They may enter, for they are holy, but all the people shall keep the charge of Jehovah. ⁷ The Levites shall surround the king, each man with his weapons in his hand; and whoever enters the house, let him be killed. Thus, be with the king when he comes in and when he goes out.”

⁸ So the Levites and all Judah did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded. And each one of them took his men who were to come in on the Sabbath, with those who were to go out on the Sabbath, for Jehoiada the priest did not dismiss any of the divisions. ⁹ And Jehoiada the priest gave to the captains the spears and the large and small shields that had been King David’s, which were in the house of God. ¹⁰ And he set all the people, each man with his weapon in his hand, from the right side of the house to the left side of the house, by the altar and by the house, around the king. ¹¹ Then they brought out the king’s son and put the crown on him and gave him the testimony and made him king. And Jehoiada and his sons anointed him and said, “Long live the king!”

Athaliah Executed

¹² When Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and praising the king, she came into the house of Jehovah to the people. ¹³ She looked, and behold, the king was standing by his pillar at the entrance, and the commanders and the trumpeters were beside the king, and all the people of the land rejoiced and blew trumpets, the singers with their musical instruments leading the praise. Then Athaliah tore her garments and cried out, “Treason! Treason!” ¹⁴ And Jehoiada the priest brought out the commanders of hundreds who were appointed over the army, and said to them, “Bring her out between the ranks, and whoever follows her is to be put to death with the sword.” For the priest said, “Do not put her to death in the house of Jehovah.” ¹⁵ So they laid hands on her, and she went into the entrance of the Horse Gate of the king’s house, and they put her to death there.

Jehoiada’s Reforms

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 tore it down, and tore his altars and his images in pieces, and killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. ¹⁸ And Jehoiada appointed the officers of the house of Jehovah under the hands of the priests and the Levites,[57] whom David had assigned in divisions over the house of Jehovah, to offer the burnt offerings to Jehovah, as it is written in the Law of Moses, with rejoicing and with singing, according to the hands of David. ¹⁹ He stationed the gatekeepers by the gates of the house of Jehovah, so that no one unclean in any respect could enter. ²⁰ And he took the commanders, the nobles, the governors of the people, and all the people of the land, and they brought the king down from the house of Jehovah, marching through the upper gate to the king’s house and seated the king on the throne of the kingdom. ²¹ So all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet, after they had killed Athaliah with the sword.

CHAPTER 24

Joash Reigns In Jerusalem

24 Joash was seven years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah of Beersheba. ² And Joash did what was right in the eyes of Jehovah all the days of Jehoiada the priest. ³ And Jehoiada took for him two wives, and he fathered sons and daughters.

Joash Repairs the Temple

⁴ And it came about after this, that Joash was decided to restore the house of Jehovah. ⁵ And he gathered the priests and the Levites and said to them, “Go out to the cities of Judah and gather from all Israel money to repair the house of your God from year to year and see that you act quickly.” But the Levites did not act quickly. ⁶ So the king summoned Jehoiada, the chief priest, and said to him, “Why have you not required the Levites to bring in from Judah and from Jerusalem the tax ordered by Moses, the servant of Jehovah, and the congregation of Israel, for the tent of the testimony?” ⁷ For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken into the house of God, and had also used all the dedicated things of the house of Jehovah for the Baals.

⁸ So the king commanded, and they made a chest and set it outside the gate of the house of Jehovah. ⁹ After that a proclamation was issued throughout Judah and Jerusalem to bring in for Jehovah the tax that Moses the servant of God laid on Israel in the wilderness. ¹⁰ And all the princes and all the people rejoiced and brought their tax and dropped it into the chest until they had finished. ¹¹ And whenever the chest was brought to the king’s officers by the Levites, when they saw that there was much money in it, the king’s secretary and the officer of the chief priest would come and empty the chest and then they would take it back to its place. Thus, they did from day to day, and collected money in abundance. ¹² And the king and Jehoiada gave it to those who 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 workers in iron and copper to repair the house of Jehovah. ¹³ So the workmen labored, and the repair work went forward in their hands, and they restored the house of God to its proper condition and strengthened it. ¹⁴ And when they had finished, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada; and it was made into utensils for the house of Jehovah, utensils for the service and the burnt offering, and pans and utensils of gold and silver. And they offered burnt offerings in the house of Jehovah continually all the days of Jehoiada.

Joash’s Apostasy

¹⁵ And Jehoiada grew old and full of days, and he died; he was one hundred and thirty years old at his death. 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, the princes of Judah came and bowed down to the king. Then the king listened to 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 because of their guilt. ¹⁹ Yet he sent prophets to them, to bring them back to Jehovah; and they testified against them, but they would not listen.

²⁰ Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, and he stood above the people, and said to them, “Thus says God, ‘Why do you break the commandments of Jehovah, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken Jehovah, he has forsaken you.’” ²¹ But they conspired against him and stoned him with stones at the command of the king in the courtyard of the house of Jehovah. ²² Thus King Joash did not remember the loyal love that his father[58] Jehoiada had shown toward him, and he killed his son. And when he was dying, he said,  “May Jehovah see and avenge!”

Joash Assassinated

²³ Now it came about at the turn of the year that the army of the Syrians came up against him; and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, destroyed all the officials of the people from among the people, and sent all their spoil to the king of Damascus. ²⁴ Though the army of the Syrians came with a small number of men; yet Jehovah delivered a very great army into their hands, because they had forsaken Jehovah, the God of their forefathers. Thus, they executed judgment on Joash.

²⁵ And when they had departed from him (for they left him very sick), his own servants conspired against him because of the blood of the son[59] of Jehoiada the priest and killed him on his bed. So, he died, and they buried him in the city of David, but they did not bury him in the burial places of the kings. ²⁶ Now these are the men who 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 many pronouncements against him, and the rebuilding of the house of God, look, they are written in the Book of the Kings. And Amaziah his son reigned in his place.

CHAPTER 25

Amaziah Reigns in Judah

25 Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem. ² And he continued to do what was right in Jehovah’s eyes, but not with a complete heart. ³ Now it came about, as soon as the kingdom was firmly in his grasp, that he killed his servants who had killed his father the king. ⁴ But he did not put their sons to death, according to what is written in the Law, in the Book of Moses, where Jehovah commanded, “Fathers should not die for their sons, and sons should not die for their fathers; but each one should die for his own sin.”

War with Edom

⁵ Moreover, Amaziah gathered Judah and appointed them according to their fathers’ households under commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds throughout Judah and Benjamin; and he registered those from twenty years old and upward and found them to be three hundred thousand choice men, able to go to war and 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 you; for Jehovah is not with Israel, nor with all the sons of Ephraim. ⁸ But if you do go, do it, be strong for the battle; yet God[60] will cast you down before the enemy, for God has power to help and to cast down.” ⁹ And Amaziah said to the man of God, “But what shall we do about the hundred talents that I have given to the army of Israel?” The man of God answered, “Jehovah is able to give you much more than this.” ¹⁰ Then Amaziah dismissed them, the troops which came to him from Ephraim, to go home; so, their anger got very hot against Judah, and they returned home in fierce anger. ¹¹ Then Amaziah gathered his courage and led his people out, and went to the Valley of Salt, and struck down and killed ten thousand of the sons of Seir. ¹² The sons of Judah also captured ten thousand alive and brought them to the top of the crag,[61] and threw them down from the top of the crag, and they were all dashed to pieces. ¹³ But the men of the army whom Amaziah sent back, so that they would not go with him into battle, raided the cities of Judah, from Samaria to Beth-horon, and struck down three thousand of them, and took much spoil.

Amaziah’s Idolatry

¹⁴ Now after Amaziah came from striking down the Edomites, he brought the gods of the sons of Seir, set them up as his gods, bowed down before them and burned incense to them. ¹⁵ So the anger of Jehovah burned against Amaziah, and he sent him a prophet who said to him, “Why have you sought the gods of the people who have not delivered their own people out of your hand?” ¹⁶ And it came about as he was talking with him, the king said to him, “Have we appointed you as an adviser to the king? Stop! Why should you be struck down?” Then the prophet stopped and said, “I know that God has determined to destroy you, because you have done this and have not listened to my counsel.”

Israel Defeats Amaziah

¹⁷ Then Amaziah king of Judah took counsel and sent to Joash the son of Jehoahaz, son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, “Come, let us look one another in the face.” ¹⁸ And Joash the king of Israel sent a reply to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, “The thorn bush that was in Lebanon sent word to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son in marriage.’ But a wild beast that was in Lebanon passed by and trampled down the thorn bush. ¹⁹ You say, ‘Look, you have struck down Edom,’ and your heart has lifted you up in boastfulness. But now stay at home. Why should you provoke disaster so that you fall, you and Judah with you?”

²⁰ But Amaziah would not listen, for it was of God, in order that he might give them into the hand of their enemies, because they had sought the gods of Edom. ²¹ So Joash king of Israel went up, and he and Amaziah king of Judah faced one another in battle at Beth-shemesh, which belongs to Judah. ²² And Judah was defeated by Israel, and every man fled to his tent. ²³ And Joash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh, and brought him to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate, four hundred cubits. ²⁴ And he took all the gold and silver and all the utensils which 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.

Death of Amaziah

²⁵ And Amaziah, the son of Joash king of Judah, lived fifteen years after the death of Joash, son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel. ²⁶ Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, from first to last, look, are they not written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel? ²⁷ From the time that Amaziah turned 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 killed him there. ²⁸ And they brought him upon horses and buried him with his forefathers in the city of Judah.[62]

CHAPTER 26

Uzziah Reigns in Judah

26 And all the people of Judah took Uzziah,[63] who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the place of his father Amaziah. ² He built Eloth and restored it to Judah, after the king slept with his forefathers. ³ Uzziah[64] was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Jechiliah[65] of Jerusalem. ⁴ And he did what was right in the eyes of Jehovah, according to all that his father Amaziah had done. ⁵ And he kept searching for God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding through the vision of God;[66] and in the days of his seeking Jehovah, God prospered him.

⁶ Now he went out and warred against the Philistines and broke down the wall of Gath and the wall of Jabneh and the wall of Ashdod; and he built cities in the territory of Ashdod and among the Philistines. ⁷ God helped him against the Philistines, and against the Arabians who dwelt in Gur-baal, and the Meunites. ⁸ And the Ammonites[67] gave tribute to Uzziah, and his name spread abroad even to the border of Egypt; for he became extremely powerful. ⁹ Moreover, Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate and at the Valley Gate and at the Buttress and fortified them. ¹⁰ And he built towers in the wilderness and hewed many cisterns, for he had much livestock, both in the Shephelah^[68] and in the plain. He also had plowmen and vinedressers in the hill country and the fertile fields, for he loved the soil. ¹¹ Moreover, Uzziah had an army ready for battle, which entered combat by divisions according to the number of their muster, registered by Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the official, under the direction of Hananiah, one of the king’s commanders. ¹² The whole number of the heads of fathers’ households of mighty men of valor was two thousand six hundred. ¹³ And under their hand were army troops numbering three hundred and seven thousand five hundred who could make war with mighty power to help the king against an enemy. ¹⁴ And Uzziah prepared for all the army shields, spears, helmets, coats of mail, bows, and stones for slinging. ¹⁵ In Jerusalem he made engines of war, invented by skillful men, to be on the towers and the corners, to shoot arrows and great stones. And his fame spread far, for he was marvelously helped, till he was strong.

Uzziah’s Pride and Punishment

¹⁶ But when he became strong, his heart was lifted up[69] so that he acted corruptly, and he was unfaithful to Jehovah his God, for he entered the temple of Jehovah to burn incense on the altar of incense. ¹⁷ Then Azariah the priest entered after him and with him eighty priests of Jehovah, valiant men. ¹⁸ They opposed Uzziah[70] the king and said to him, “It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to Jehovah, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron who are sanctified to burn incense. Go out of the sanctuary, for you have been unfaithful and will have no honor from Jehovah God.” ¹⁹ Then Uzziah was angry. Now he had a censer in his hand to burn incense, and when he became angry with the priests, leprosy[71] broke out on his forehead in the presence of the priests in the house of Jehovah, by the altar of incense. ²⁰ And Azariah the chief priest and all the priests looked at him, and behold, he was leprous in his forehead; and they rushed him out quickly, and he himself also hastened to go out, because Jehovah had struck him. ²¹ And King Uzziah was a leper to the day of his death, and being a leper dwelt in a separate house, for he was excluded 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, from first to last, Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz wrote. ²³ And Uzziah slept with his forefathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the burial field that belonged to the kings, for they said, “He is a leper.” And Jotham his son reigned in his place.

CHAPTER 27

Jotham Reigns in Judah

27 Jotham was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jerushah the daughter of Zadok. ² And he did what was right in the eyes of Jehovah according to all that his father Uzziah had done, except he did not enter the temple of Jehovah. But the people were still acting corruptly. ³ He built the upper gate of the house of Jehovah, and he did much building on the wall of Ophel. ⁴ Moreover, he built cities in the hill country of Judah, and he built fortified places and towers in the wooded areas. ⁵ He waged war against the king of the sons of Ammon and eventually prevailed against them, so that the sons of Ammon gave him in that year one hundred silver talents,[72] ten thousand cor measures[73] of wheat, and ten thousand of barley. The sons of Ammon also paid this to him in the second and third years. 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, look, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. ⁸ He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. ⁹ And Jotham slept with his forefathers, and they buried him in the city of David, and Ahaz his son reigned in his place.

CHAPTER 28

Ahaz Reigns in Judah

28 Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And he did not do what was right in the eyes of Jehovah, as his forefather David had done. ² But he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel; he also made molten images for the Baals. ³ Moreover, he burned incense in the valley of Ben-hinnom and burned his sons[74] in fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom Jehovah had driven out before the sons of Israel. ⁴ And he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places, on the hills and under every green tree.

Judah Defeated by Syria and Israel

⁵ Wherefore, Jehovah his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria; and they defeated him and carried away from him a great number of captives and brought them to Damascus. And he was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who inflicted on him a great slaughter. ⁶ For Pekah the son of Remaliah killed one hundred and twenty thousand from Judah in one day, all of them men of valor, because they had forsaken Jehovah, the God of their forefathers. ⁷ And Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, killed Maaseiah the king’s son, Azrikam the ruler of the house, and Elkanah the second to the king. ⁸ The sons of Israel carried away captive of their brethren two hundred thousand women, sons and daughters; and they took also much spoil from them, and brought the spoil to Samaria.

 Oded Warns Israel

⁹ But a prophet of Jehovah was there, whose name was Oded, and he went out to meet the army that came to Samaria and said to them, “Look, because Jehovah, the God of your fathers, was angry with Judah, he gave them into your hand, but you have killed them in a rage that has reached up to heaven. ¹⁰ And now you intend to make the sons of Judah and sons of Jerusalem your male and female servants. Nevertheless, are you not also guilty before Jehovah your God? ¹¹ Now hear me and send back the captives from your brothers whom you have taken, for the fierce wrath of Jehovah is upon you.”

¹² Certain chiefs also of the sons of Ephraim, Azariah the son of Johanan, Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai, stood up against those who were coming from the war, ¹³ and said to them, “You shall not bring the captives in here, for it will make us guilty before Jehovah in addition to our present sins and guilt. For our guilt is already 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 who have been mentioned by name rose up and took the captives, and with the spoil they clothed all who were naked among them. They clothed them, gave them sandals, provided them with food and drink, and anointed them, and carrying all the feeble among them on donkeys, they brought them to their kinsfolk at Jericho, the city of palm trees. Then they returned to Samaria.

Judah Is Humbled

¹⁶ At that time King Ahaz asked the king[75] of Assyria for help. ¹⁷ For again the Edomites had come and attacked Judah and carried away captives. ¹⁸ The Philistines also had invaded the cities of the Shephelah[76] and of the Negev[77] of Judah, and had taken Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, and Soco with its villages, Timnah with its villages, and Gimzo with its villages, and they settled there. ¹⁹ For Jehovah humbled Judah because of Ahaz king of Israel,[78] for he had made Judah act sinfully, resulting in great unfaithfulness toward Jehovah. ²⁰ So Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came against him and afflicted him instead of strengthening him. ²¹ For Ahaz took a portion out of the house of Jehovah and the house of the king and of the princes, and gave it to the king of Assyria, but it did not help him.

Ahaz’s Idolatry and Death

²² And in the time of distress, King Ahaz acted even more unfaithfully toward Jehovah. ²³ For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus that had defeated him and said, “Because the gods of the kings of Syria helped them, I will 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 he shut up the doors of the house of Jehovah, and he made himself altars in every corner of Jerusalem. ²⁵ In every city of Judah he made high places to burn incense to other gods, and provoked Jehovah, the God of his forefathers, to anger. ²⁶ Now the rest of his acts and all his ways, from first to last, look, 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, in Jerusalem, for they did not bring him into the burial places of the kings of Israel; and Hezekiah his son reigned in his place.

CHAPTER 29

Hezekiah Reigns in Judah

29 Hezekiah began to reign when he was twenty-five years old, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abijah the daughter of Zechariah. ² And he did what was right in the eyes of Jehovah, according to all that David his forefather had done.

Hezekiah Cleanses the Temple

³ In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of Jehovah and repaired them. ⁴ He brought in the priests and the Levites and gathered them into the square on the east. ⁵ Then he said to them, “Listen to me, you Levites. sanctify yourselves now, and sanctify the house of Jehovah, the God of your forefathers, and remove what is impure from the holy place. ⁶ For our fathers have been unfaithful and have done what was evil in the sight of Jehovah our God. They have forsaken him and have turned away their faces from the habitation of Jehovah and turned their backs. ⁷ They have also shut the doors of the porch and put out the lamps and have not burned incense or offered burnt offerings in the holy place to the God of Israel. ⁸ Therefore the wrath of Jehovah came on Judah and Jerusalem, and he has made them an object of horror, of astonishment, and of mocking, as you see with your own eyes. ⁹ For look, our forefathers 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, do not be negligent now, for Jehovah has chosen you to stand before him, to minister to him, and to be his ministers and burn incense.”

Temple Cleansed

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 They gathered their brothers and sanctified themselves and went in as the king had commanded, by the words of Jehovah, to cleanse the house of Jehovah. ¹⁶ The priests went into the inner part of the house of Jehovah to cleanse it, and they 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 and carried it out to the Kidron Valley. ¹⁷ Now they began the sanctification on the first day of the first month, and on the eighth day of the month they entered the porch of Jehovah. Then they sanctified the house of Jehovah in eight days and finished on the sixteenth day of the first month. ¹⁸ Then they went in to Hezekiah the king and said, “We have cleansed all the house of Jehovah, the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the table for the showbread and all its utensils. ¹⁹ All the utensils that King Ahaz discarded in his reign when he was faithless, we have made ready and sanctified, and look, they are before the altar of Jehovah.”

Hezekiah Restores Temple Worship

²⁰ Then Hezekiah the king rose early and gathered the officials of the city and went up to the house of Jehovah. ²¹ And they brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male 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 slaughtered the bulls, and the priests took the blood and sprinkled it on the altar. They also slaughtered the rams and sprinkled the blood on the altar; they slaughtered the lambs also and sprinkled the blood on the altar. ²³ Then they brought the male goats of the sin offering before the king and the assembly, and they laid their hands on them. ²⁴ And the priests slaughtered them and made a sin offering with their blood on 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 stationed the Levites in the house of Jehovah with cymbals, harps, and lyres, according to the commandment of David and of Gad the king’s seer and of Nathan the prophet, for the commandment was from Jehovah through his prophets. ²⁶ The Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets. ²⁷ Then Hezekiah commanded that the burnt offering be offered on the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the song to Jehovah began also, and the trumpets, accompanied by the instruments of David king of Israel. ²⁸ And all the assembly bowed down, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded; all this continued until the burnt offering was finished. ²⁹ And when they had finished the offering, the king and all that were present with him bowed low and prostrated themselves. ³⁰ And Hezekiah the king and the officials commanded the Levites to sing praises to Jehovah with the words of David and of Asaph the seer. And they sang praises with gladness, and they bent down and prostrated themselves.

³¹ Then Hezekiah said, “You have now sanctified yourselves to Jehovah. Come near; bring sacrifices and thank offerings to the house of Jehovah.” And the assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and all who were of a willing heart brought burnt offerings. ³² The number of the burnt offerings which the assembly brought was seventy bulls, a hundred rams, and two hundred lambs; all of these were for a burnt offering to Jehovah. ³³ And the holy offerings were six hundred bulls and three thousand sheep. ³⁴ But the priests were too few, so that they were unable to skin all the burnt offerings; therefore, their brothers the Levites helped them until the work was completed and until the other priests had sanctified themselves. For the Levites were more upright of heart about sanctifying themselves than the priests. ³⁵ There were also many burnt offerings with the fat of the peace offerings and the drink offerings for the burnt offerings. So the service of the house of Jehovah was restored. ³⁶ And Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced because God had provided for the people, for the thing came about suddenly.

CHAPTER 30

Passover Celebrated

30 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 to Jehovah, the God of Israel. ² For his princes, and the whole assembly in Jerusalem decided to observe the Passover in the second month ³ since they could not celebrate it at that time, because the priests had not sanctified themselves in sufficient numbers, nor had the people been gathered to Jerusalem. ⁴ And the thing was right in the sight of the king and all the assembly. ⁵ So they decreed to make a proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, that the people should come and keep the Passover to Jehovah, the God of Israel, at Jerusalem, for they had not observed it according to what is written. ⁶ And the runners went with the letter from the hand of the king and his princes throughout all Israel and Judah according to the command of the king, saying, “O sons of Israel, return to Jehovah, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, so that he may return to the remnant who escaped out of the hand of the kings of Assyria. ⁷ Do not be like your forefathers and your brothers who acted unfaithfully toward Jehovah the God of their forefathers, so that he made them a desolation, as you see. ⁸ Do not now be stiff-necked as your fathers were but yield yourselves to Jehovah and come to his sanctuary, which he has sanctified forever, and serve Jehovah your God, that his fierce anger may turn away from you. ⁹ For if you return to Jehovah, your brothers and your sons will find compassion with their captors and return to this land. For Jehovah your God is gracious and merciful and will not turn away his face from you, if you return to him.”

¹⁰ So the runners passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, and as far as 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 The hand of God was also on Judah to give them one heart to do what the king and the princes commanded by the word of Jehovah.

¹³ A multitude of people gathered together at Jerusalem to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the second month, a very great assembly. ¹⁴ They rose up and removed the altars that were in Jerusalem, and all the altars for burning incense they took away and threw into the Kidron Valley. ¹⁵ And they slaughtered the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the second month. And the priests and the Levites were ashamed, so that they sanctified themselves and brought burnt offerings into the house of Jehovah. ¹⁶ They took their customary places, according to the law of Moses the man of God; the priests sprinkled the blood which they received from the hand of the Levites. ¹⁷ For there were many in the assembly who had not sanctified themselves. Therefore, the Levites had to slaughter the Passover lamb for everyone who was not clean, to sanctify it to Jehovah. ¹⁸ For a multitude of the people, even many from Ephraim and Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the Passover otherwise than prescribed. For Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May the good Jehovah pardon ¹⁹ who sets his heart to seek God, Jehovah, the God of his forefathers, even though not according to the purification rules of the sanctuary.” ²⁰ And Jehovah heard Hezekiah and healed the people. ²¹ And the sons of Israel who 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 to Jehovah. ²² And Hezekiah spoke to the heart of all the Levites who served Jehovah with discretion. And they ate throughout the festival for seven days, sacrificing communion sacrifices and giving thanks to Jehovah the God of their forefathers.

²³ Then all the assembly decided to observe it for seven more days, so they observed it for seven days with gladness. ²⁴ For Hezekiah king of Judah had contributed to the assembly a thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep, and the princes had contributed to the assembly a thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep; and a large number of priests sanctified themselves. ²⁵ The whole assembly of Judah, and the priests and the Levites, and the whole assembly that came out of Israel, and the sojourners who came out of the land of Israel, and the sojourners who 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 had been nothing like this in Jerusalem. ²⁷ Then the priests and the Levites arose and blessed the people, and their voice was heard, and their prayer came to his holy dwelling, the heavens.

CHAPTER 31

Hezekiah Eradicates Apostasy

31 Now when all this was finished, all Israel who were present went out to the cities of Judah and broke in pieces the pillars and cut down the Asherim and broke down the high places and the altars throughout all Judah and Benjamin, and in Ephraim and Manasseh, until they had destroyed them all. Then all the sons of Israel returned to their cities, every man to his possession.

Hezekiah Organizes the Priests

² And Hezekiah appointed the divisions of the priests and the Levites by their divisions, each 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 also appointed the king’s portion of his goods for the burnt offerings, namely, for the morning and evening burnt offerings, and the burnt offerings for the Sabbaths and for the new moons and for the festivals, as it is written in the Law of Jehovah. ⁴ And he commanded the people who lived in Jerusalem to give the portion due to the priests and the Levites, that they might give themselves to the Law of Jehovah. ⁵ As soon as the order was issued, the Israelites gave in great quantities the firstfruits of the grain, new wine, oil, honey and of all the produce of the field; and they brought in abundantly the tenth of all. ⁶ The sons of Israel and Judah who lived in the cities of Judah also brought in[79] the tenth of oxen and sheep, and the tenth of sacred gifts which were sanctified to Jehovah their God and laid them in heaps. ⁷ In the third month they began to pile up the heaps and finished them in the seventh month. ⁸ 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 Azariah the chief priest, who was of the house of Zadok, answered him, “Since they began to bring the contributions into the house of Jehovah, we have eaten and had enough and have plenty left, for Jehovah has blessed his people, and this great quantity is left over.”

¹¹ Then Hezekiah commanded them to prepare chambers in the house of Jehovah, and they prepared them. ¹² And they faithfully brought in the contributions, the tenth parts, and the dedicated things. The officer in charge of them was Conaniah the Levite, with Shimei his brother as second. ¹³ And Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismachiah, Mahath, and Benaiah were overseers assisting Conaniah and Shimei his brother, by the appointment of Hezekiah the king and Azariah the chief officer of the house of God. ¹⁴ And Kore the son of Imnah the Levite, keeper of the east gate, was over the freewill offerings to God, to apportion the contribution for Jehovah and the most holy things. ¹⁵ And under him were Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah in the cities of the priests, to distribute their portions faithfully to their brothers by divisions, whether great or small, ¹⁶ besides those who were listed by genealogy of males, from three years old and upward, even every one that entered into the house of Jehovah, as the duty of each day required, for their service according to their offices, by their divisions; ¹⁷ and those who were listed by genealogy of the priests by their fathers’ houses, and the Levites from twenty years old and upward, in their offices by their divisions; ¹⁸ and those who were listed by genealogy of all their little children, their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, for the whole assembly because of their faithfulness. And they sanctified themselves in holiness. ¹⁹ Also for the sons of Aaron the priests who were in the pasture lands of their cities, or in each and every city, there were men who were designated by name to distribute portions to every male among the priests and to all that were listed by genealogy among the Levites.

²⁰ Thus Hezekiah did throughout all Judah, and he did what 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

Sennacherib Threatens and Invades Judah

32 After these things and these acts of faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah and encamped against the fortified cities, thinking to win them for himself. ² And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and intended to fight against Jerusalem, ³ he took counsel with his officers and his mighty warriors to stop the water of the springs that were outside the city; and they helped him. ⁴ Many people were gathered together, and they stopped all the springs and the brook that flowed through the land, saying, “Why should the kings[80] of Assyria come and find much water?” ⁵ And he took courage and rebuilt all the wall that had been broken down and erected towers on it, and built another outside wall and strengthened the Millo in the city of David, and made weapons and shields in abundance. ⁶ And he set military commanders over the people and gathered them together to him in the square at the gate of the city and spoke encouragingly to them, saying, ⁷ “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or dismayed before the king of Assyria and all the multitude that is with him, for there are more with us than with him. ⁸ With him is only an arm of flesh, but with us is Jehovah our God to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people relied on the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

Sennacherib Blasphemes

⁹ After this Sennacherib king of Assyria sent his servants to Jerusalem while he was besieging Lachish with all his forces with him, against Hezekiah king of Judah and against all Judah who were at Jerusalem, saying, ¹⁰ “This is what King Sennacherib of Assyria says, ‘In what are you trusting that you remain in Jerusalem while it is besieged? ¹¹ Is not Hezekiah misleading you to give yourselves over to die by famine and by thirst, saying, “Jehovah our God will deliver us from the hand of the king of Assyria”? ¹² Has not the same Hezekiah taken away his high places and his altars, and said to Judah and Jerusalem, “You shall bow down before one altar, and on it you shall burn incense”? ¹³ Do you not know what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of the lands? Were the gods of the nations of the lands able at all to deliver their land from my hand? ¹⁴ Who was there among all the gods of those nations which my forefathers utterly destroyed who could deliver his people out of my hand, that your God should be able to deliver you from my hand? ¹⁵ Now therefore, do not let Hezekiah deceive you or mislead you like this, and do not believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver his people from my hand or from the hand of my fathers. How much less will your God deliver you from my hand?’”

¹⁶ And his servants said still more against Jehovah God and against his servant Hezekiah. ¹⁷ And he wrote letters to insult Jehovah, the God of Israel, and to speak against him, saying, “Like the gods of the nations of the lands who have not delivered their people from my hands, so the God of Hezekiah will not deliver his people from my hand.” ¹⁸ And they called loudly in the language of the Jews to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to frighten and terrify them, in order that they might take the city. ¹⁹ And they spoke of the God of Jerusalem as they spoke of the gods of the peoples of the earth, which are the work of men’s hands.

Jehovah Delivers Jerusalem

²⁰ Then 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 warriors and commanders and officers in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he came into the house of his god, some of his own sons struck him down there with the sword. ²² So Jehovah saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib king of Assyria and from the hand of all others and gave them rest[81] on every side. ²³ And many brought gifts to Jehovah to Jerusalem and precious things to Hezekiah king of Judah, so that he was exalted in the eyes of all nations after that.

Hezekiah’s Pride and Achievements

²⁴ In those days Hezekiah fell ill unto death, and he prayed to Jehovah, and he spoke to him and gave him a sign. ²⁵ But Hezekiah did not respond according to the benefit done to him, for his heart was proud. Therefore, wrath came upon him and Judah and Jerusalem. ²⁶ But Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of Jehovah did not come upon them in the days of Hezekiah.

²⁷ And Hezekiah had vast riches and honor, and he made for himself treasuries for silver, for gold, for precious stones, for spices, for shields, and for all kinds of desirable articles; ²⁸ storage places also for the produce of grain, wine, and oil; and stalls for all kinds of cattle, and stalls for the flocks. ²⁹ He also made cities for himself, and flocks and herds in abundance, for God had given him very many possessions. ³⁰ This same Hezekiah stopped up the upper source of the waters of Gihon and directed them down to the west side of the city of David. And Hezekiah prospered in all his works. ³¹ And thus it was in the matter of the spokesmen of the leaders of Babylon,[82] who sent to him to inquire of the wonder that had happened in the land, God left him alone only to test him, that he might know all that was in his heart.

³² Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah and his good deeds, look, 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 forefathers, and they buried him in the upper part of the burial places 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 place.

CHAPTER 33

Manasseh Reigns in Judah

33 Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. ² And he did what was evil in the eyes of Jehovah, according to the abominations of the nations whom Jehovah drove out before the sons of Israel. ³ For he rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his father had torn down; he also erected altars for the Baals and made Asherah poles[83] and bowed down to all the armies of the heavens and served them. ⁴ And he built altars in the house of Jehovah, of which Jehovah had said, “In Jerusalem shall my name be forever.” ⁵ And he built altars for all the army of the heavens in the two courts of the house of Jehovah. ⁶ He made his sons pass through the fire in the valley of Ben-hinnom; and he practiced magic, used divination, practiced sorcery and dealt with mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the eyes of Jehovah, provoking him to anger. ⁷ And the carved image of the idol that he had made he set 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, I will put my name forever, ⁸ and I will no more remove the foot of Israel from the land which I have appointed for your[84] forefathers, if only they will observe to do all that I have commanded them according to all the law, the statutes and the ordinances given through 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 sons of Israel.

Manasseh’s Repentance

¹⁰ And Jehovah spoke to Manasseh, and to his people; but they gave no attention. ¹¹ Therefore Jehovah brought upon them the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria, who captured Manasseh with hooks and bound him with chains of copper and brought him to Babylon. ¹² And when he was in distress, he entreated the favor of Jehovah his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his forefathers. ¹³ He prayed to him, and God was moved by his entreaty and heard his plea and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that Jehovah was God.

¹⁴ Now after this he built the outer wall of the city of David on the west side of Gihon, in the valley, even to the entrance of the Fish Gate; and he encircled the Ophel with it and made it very high. Then he put army commanders in all the fortified cities of Judah. ¹⁵ And he took away the foreign gods and the idol from the house of Jehovah, and all the altars that he had built on the mountain of the house of Jehovah and in Jerusalem, and he threw them outside of the city. ¹⁶ And he set up the altar of Jehovah and offered on it sacrifices of peace offerings and of thanksgiving, and commanded Judah to serve Jehovah, the God of Israel. ¹⁷ Nevertheless the people still sacrificed in the high places, but only to Jehovah their God.

Death of Manasseh

¹⁸ Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, and his prayer to his God, and the words of the seers who spoke to him in the name of Jehovah, the God of Israel, look, they are in the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. ¹⁹ His prayer also and how God was entreated by him, and all his sin, his unfaithfulness, and the sites on which he built high places and erected the Asherah poles[85] and the graven images, before he humbled himself, look, they are written in the words of the seers. ²⁰ So Manasseh slept with his fathers, and they buried him in his house, and Amon his son reigned in his place.

Amon’s Reign and Death

²¹ Amon was twenty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. ²² And he did what was evil in the eyes of Jehovah, as Manasseh his father had done. Amon sacrificed to all the graven images that Manasseh his father had made and served them. ²³ And he did not humble himself before Jehovah, as Manasseh his father had humbled himself, but this Amon increased guilt more and more. ²⁴ And his servants conspired against him and put him to death in his house. ²⁵ But the people of the land struck down all those who had conspired against King Amon. And the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his place.

CHAPTER 34

Josiah Reigns in Judah

34 Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. ² And he did what was right in the eyes of Jehovah and walked in the ways of David his forefather; and he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.

The Reforms of Josiah

³ For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet a boy, he began to seek the God of David his father, and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the Asherah poles,[86] and the graven images and the metal images. ⁴ And they tore down the altars of the Baals in his presence, and the incense altars that were high above them he cut down; also, the Asherah poles,[87] the graven images and the molten images he broke in pieces and ground to powder and scattered it on the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. ⁵ And he burned the bones of the priests upon their altars, and purged Judah and Jerusalem. ⁶ And in the cities of Manasseh and Ephraim and Simeon, and as far as Naphtali, in their surrounding ruins. ⁷ And he tore down the altars and beat the Asherah poles[88] and the graven images into powder and cut down all the incense altars throughout all the land of Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem.

The Book of the Law Found

⁸ Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had cleansed 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 doorkeepers had collected from the hand of Manasseh and Ephraim, and from all the remnant of Israel, and from all Judah and Benjamin and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.[89] ¹⁰ And they delivered it into the hand of the workmen who had the oversight of the house of Jehovah; and the workmen that were working in the house of Jehovah used it to mend and repair the house. ¹¹ They gave it to the craftsmen and the builders to buy hewn stones 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. Over them were set Jahath and Obadiah the Levites, of the sons of Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam, of the sons of the Kohathites, to have oversight. The Levites, all who were skillful with instruments of music, ¹³ were over the burden bearers and were overseers of all those who were doing the work in every kind of service, and some of the Levites were scribes and officials and gatekeepers.

Book of the Law Found

¹⁴ And when they were bringing out the money which had been brought into the house of Jehovah, Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of Jehovah given by the hand of Moses. ¹⁵ And Hilkiah responded and said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the book of the law in the house of Jehovah.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan. ¹⁶ Then Shaphan brought the book to the king, and reported further word to the king, saying, “All that was put in the hand of your servants they are doing. ¹⁷ They have emptied out the money that was found in the house of Jehovah and have given it into the hand of the overseers and into the hand of the workmen.” ¹⁸ Then Shaphan the secretary told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read from it before the king.

¹⁹ And when the king heard the words of the Law, he ripped his garments. ²⁰ And the king commanded Hilkiah, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Abdon the son of Micah, Shaphan the secretary, and Asaiah the king’s servant, saying, ²¹ “Go, inquire of Jehovah for me and for those who are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book that has been found. For great is the wrath of Jehovah that is poured out on us, because our fathers have not kept the word of Jehovah, to do according to all that is written in this book.”

Huldah Prophesies Disaster

²² So Hilkiah and those whom the king had sent went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tokhath, son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe (now she lived in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter) and spoke to her to that effect. ²³ And she said to them, “Thus says Jehovah, the God of Israel: ‘Tell the man who sent you to me, ²⁴ Thus says Jehovah, Look, I will bring disaster upon this place and upon its inhabitants, all the curses that are written in the book that was read before the king of Judah. ²⁵ Because they have forsaken me and have burned incense to other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore, my wrath will be poured out on this place, and it shall not be quenched. ²⁶ But to the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of Jehovah, thus shall you say to him, Thus says Jehovah, the God of Israel: Regarding the words that you have heard, ²⁷ because your heart was tender[90] and you humbled yourself before God when you heard his words against this place and its inhabitants, and you have humbled yourself before me and have torn your garments and wept before me, I also have heard you, declares Jehovah. ²⁸ Look, I will gather you to your forefathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace, and your eyes shall not see all the disaster that I will bring upon this place and its inhabitants.’” And they brought back word to the king.

Josiah Reads the Book to the People

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, with all the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the priests and the Levites, all the people both great and small. And he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant that had been 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 all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant that were written in this book. ³² Then he made all who were present in Jerusalem and in Benjamin to take their stand to it. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their forefathers. ³³ And Josiah took away all the abominations from all the lands that belonged to the sons of Israel and made all who were present in Israel serve Jehovah their God. All his days they did not turn away from following Jehovah, the God of their forefathers.

CHAPTER 35

Josiah Keeps the Passover

35 Josiah kept a Passover to Jehovah in Jerusalem. And they slaughtered the Passover lamb 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 to the Levites who taught all Israel, who were holy to Jehovah, “Put the holy ark in the house that Solomon the son of David king of Israel built, there shall no more be a burden upon your shoulders. Now serve Jehovah your God, and his people Israel. ⁴ And prepare yourselves by your forefathers’ households by your divisions, according to the writing of David king of Israel, and according to the writing of Solomon his son. ⁵ Stand in the holy place grouped by the forefathers’ households of your brothers, the rest of the sons of the people, and according to the division of the Levites by fathers’ household. ⁶ And slaughter the Passover lamb, and sanctify yourselves, and prepare for your brothers, to do according to the word of Jehovah by Moses.”

⁷ Then Josiah contributed to the sons of the people flocks, male lambs and young male goats, the whole for the Passover offerings for all who were to be found, to the number of thirty thousand, and cattle, three thousand. These were from the property of the king. ⁸ And his officials contributed willingly to the people, to the priests, and to the Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, the commanders of the house of God, gave to the priests for the Passover offerings two thousand six hundred Passover lambs and three hundred bulls. ⁹ Conaniah also, and Shemaiah and Nethanel his brothers, and Hashabiah and Jeiel and Jozabad, the chiefs of the Levites, gave to the Levites for the Passover offerings five thousand lambs and young goats and five hundred bulls.

¹⁰ So the service was prepared, and the priests stood in their place, and the Levites by their divisions, according to the king’s command. ¹¹ And they slaughtered the Passover lamb, and the priests sprinkled the blood from their hand,[91] and the Levites flayed the sacrifices. ¹² And they removed[92] the burnt offerings that they might distribute them according to the groupings of the fathers’ houses of the sons of the people, to offer to Jehovah, as it is written in the Book of Moses. And so they did with the bulls. ¹³ And they roasted the Passover lamb with fire according to the rule; and they boiled the holy offerings in pots, in cauldrons, and in pans, and carried them quickly to all the sons of the people. ¹⁴ And afterward they prepared for themselves and for the priests, because the priests, the sons of Aaron, were offering the burnt offerings and the fat parts until night; so 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 command of David, and Asaph, and Heman, and Jeduthun the king’s seer; and the gatekeepers were at each gate. They did not need to depart from their service, for their brothers the Levites prepared for them.

¹⁶ So all the service of Jehovah was prepared that day, to keep the Passover and to offer burnt offerings on the altar of Jehovah, according to the command of King Josiah. ¹⁷ And the sons of Israel who were present kept the Passover at that time, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days. ¹⁸ And there was no Passover like it kept in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet. And none of the kings of Israel kept a Passover like that which Josiah and the priests and the Levites, and all of Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. ¹⁹ In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah this Passover was kept.

Josiah Killed by Pharaoh Necho

²⁰ After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Neco king of Egypt went up to fight at Carchemish on the Euphrates, and Josiah went out against him. ²¹ But he sent messengers to him, saying, “What have I to do with you, you king of Judah? I am not coming against you this day, but against the house with which I am at war. And God has commanded me to make haste. Stop opposing God, who is with me, lest he destroy you.” ²² Nevertheless Josiah would not turn his face from him, but disguised himself, that he might fight with him, and did not listen to the words of Neco from the mouth of God and came to fight in the Plain of Megiddo. ²³ And the archers shot King Josiah, and the king said to his servants, “Take me away, for I am badly wounded.” ²⁴ So his servants took him out of the chariot and carried him in his second chariot and brought him to Jerusalem. And he died and was buried in the tombs of his forefathers. All Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah. ²⁵ And Jeremiah chanted a song of mourning for Josiah: and all the singing men and singing women spoke of Josiah in their songs of mourning to this day. And they made them an ordinance in Israel; look, they are also written in the Lamentations. ²⁶ Now the rest of the acts of Josiah, and his good deeds according to what is written in the Law of Jehovah, ²⁷ and his acts, first and last, look, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah.

CHAPTER 36

Judah’s Decline

36 The people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah and made him king in his father’s place in Jerusalem. ² Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. ³ Then the king of Egypt deposed him in Jerusalem and laid on the land a tribute of a hundred talents[93] 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. But Neco took Jehoahaz his brother and carried him to Egypt.

⁵ Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. He did what was evil in the eyes of Jehovah his God. ⁶ Against him came up Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and bound him in copper chains to take him to Babylon. ⁷ Nebuchadnezzar also brought some of the utensils of the house of Jehovah to Babylon, and he put them in his temple in Babylon. ⁸ Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and the abominations that he did, and what was found against him, look, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. And Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place.

⁹ Jehoiachin was eighteen[94] years old when he became king, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem. He did what was evil in the eyes of Jehovah. ¹⁰ At the start of the year[95] King Nebuchadnezzar sent and brought him to Babylon, with the precious utensils of the house of Jehovah, and made his brother Zedekiah king over Judah and Jerusalem.

¹¹ Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. ¹² And he did what was evil in the eyes of Jehovah his God. He did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke 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 to Jehovah, the God of Israel. ¹⁴ All the leaders of the priests and the people were very unfaithful following all the abominations of the nations; and they defiled the house of Jehovah that he had sanctified in Jerusalem.

¹⁵ Jehovah, the God of their forefathers, kept sending to them by his messengers, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place. ¹⁶ But they kept ridiculing the messengers of God, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets, until the wrath of Jehovah arose against his people, until there was no remedy.

Jerusalem Captured and Burned

¹⁷ Therefore he brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary and had no compassion on young man or virgin, old man or aged. He gave them all into his hand. ¹⁸ And all the utensils 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 burned the house of God and broke down the wall of Jerusalem and burned all its palaces with fire and destroyed all its valuable articles. ²⁰ And he carried off captive to Babylon those who escaped the sword, and they became servants to him and his sons until the kingdom of Persia began to reign, ²¹ to fulfill the word of Jehovah by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had paid off its Sabbaths. All the days that it lay desolate it kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years.

The Proclamation of Cyrus

²² Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of Jehovah by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, Jehovah stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing: ²³ “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, ‘Jehovah, the God of the heavens, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all his people, may Jehovah his God be with him. Let him go up.’”

[1] That is, a long life

[2] Or the lowland

[3] Kue is a place from which Solomon imported horses (1 Kings 10:28; 2 Chron. 1:16), which is identified with Cilicia in southeast Asia Minor.

[4] A cor equaled 220 L (200 dry qt).

[5] A bath equaled 22 L (5.81 gal).

[6] MT “Huram” some Heb. MSS LXX SYR VG 1 Chron. 14:1 “Hiram” “Huram” is an alternative spelling, which refers to the same person.

[7] MT “Huram” some Heb. MSS LXX SYR VG 1 Chron. 14:1 “Hiram” “Huram” is an alternative spelling, which refers to the same person.

[8] Meaning to Huram my father

[9] LXX “Jehovah had appeared” MT “he had appeared” AT “the Angel of the Lord had appeared”

[10] A cubit was about 44.5 cm (17.5 in.)

[11] LXX SYR “twenty cubits” MT “one hundred and twenty cubits.” One hundred and twenty cubits would have been about 175 feet (53.4 m), which is incredibly high. Twenty cubits would have been about 29.1 feet (8.9 m).

[12] Lit house

[13] A talent equaled 34.2 kg (1,101 oz t).

[14] A shekel equaled 11.4 g (0.367 oz t).

[15] Lit house

[16] SYR “eighteen cubits” See 1 Kgs 7:15; 2 Kgs 25:17; Jer. 52:21

[17] MT SYR “length” LXX “height”

[18] Meaning he will establish

[19] Meaning in strength

[20] About 7.4 cm (2.9 in.).

[21] A bath equaled 22 L (5.81 gal).

[22] LXX VG “Hiram” MT “Huram”

[23] LXX “on the pillars” MT “in front of the pillars”

[24] Meaning to Huram my father

[25] Many Heb. MSS “anointed ones”

[26] LXX SYR VG “Hiram” MT “Huram.” “Huram” is an alternative spelling, which refers to the same person.

[27] MT LXX SYR “Tadmor” VG “Palmyra”

[28]  MT “to the day” LXX SYR VG “from the day”

[29] LXX SYR VG “Hiram” MT “Huram.” “Huram” is an alternative spelling, which refers to the same person.

[30] That is, there was no more breath in her

[31] A talent equaled 34.2 kg (1,101 oz t).

[32] Lit the silver in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedar as the sycamore trees

[33] Or the lowland

[34] MT “Jedi” MT^margin “Jedo” See 12:15.

[35] MT “I will make your yoke heavy” LXX SYR VG “my father made your yoke heavy”

[36] Or to your gods This is one of the Eighteen Emendations of the Sopherim. The original Heb. text is claimed to have used a form of elohim (“gods” here), but by reversing the l and h, the second and third letters of the word, the Jewish Sopherim made MT read “tents.” See 2 Sam. 20:1 f.n.; 1 Ki 12:16 f.n. Some notes read in the Masoretic text margin: “This is one of the eighteen emendations of the Sopherim” or similar words. The scribe who made these revisions had good intentions as he saw the original reading as though it showed a lack of respect for God or his people.

[37] Or goatlike demons

[38] MT VG “Micaiah” LXX SYR 2 Chron 11:20-22 1Ki 15:2 “Maacah.”

[39] That is, whoever comes to sanctify himself with a young bull

[40] MT^margin “Ephrain” MT LXX SYR VG “Ephron”

[41] MT LXX end chapter 13 here.

[42] LXX VG “Ethiopian” MT “Cushite”

[43] That is, a million men

[44] SYR VG have “Azariah the son of” before “Oded”

[45] LXX lacks “David”

[46] LXX VG one Heb. MS “Edom”

[47] VG seven Heb. MSS “clothing” MT “corpses”

[48] Meaning Blessing

[49] LXX SYR VG^c about forty Heb. MSS “Judah” MT “Israel”

[50] Jehoram caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to act unfaithful, thought of as a life of spiritual prostitution.

[51] See vs. 11 fn.

[52] LXX VG “Ethiopians” MT “Cushites”

[53] LXX SYR AT “Ahaziah” MT Jehoahaz

[54] LXX^GS SYR 2Ki 8:26 “Twenty-two” MT VG “forty-two” LXX “twenty”

[55] Lit daughter

[56] Nimshi is the grandfather of Jehu (2 Kings 9:2, 14), but he is also called his father (9:20; 2 Ch 22:7).

[57] LXX SYR VG some Heb. MSS “the priests and the Levites” MT “the priests, the Levites”

[58] That is, Zechariah’s father

[59] MT SYR “sons” LXX VG “son”

[60] MT VG “God”  LXX “Jehovah”

[61] A crag (סֶלַע sela) is a steep or rugged cliff or rock face.

[62] MT “Judah” LXX SYR VG 12 Heb. MSS 2Ki 14:20 “David”

[63] Meaning My Strength Is Jehovah

[64] In 2Ki 15:13, he is called Azariah

[65] In 2 Ki 15:2, she is called Jecoliah

[66] MT LXX SYR AT several Heb. MSS “fear of God” other Heb. MSS VG “visions of God”

[67] MT “Ammonites” LXX “Meunites”

[68] Or the lowland

[69] That is, he became haughty, proud, arrogant

[70] In 2Ki 15:13, he is called Azariah

[71] Leprosy: (צָרַעַת tsaraath; λεπρός lepros) is a disease mainly affecting the skin and nerves that can cause tissue change and, in severe cases, loss of sensation and disfigurement. In Bible times, it could affect homes and clothing as well as humans. It is transmitted following close personal contact and has an incubation period of 1-30 years. – Lev. 13:1-46; Deut. 24:8; 2 Ki 5:3, 6, 7, 27; 2 Ch. 26:19; Matt. 8:2; 10:8; 11:5; 26:6; Mark 1:40; 14:3; Lu 4:27; 7:22; 17:12.

[72] A talent equaled 34.2 kg (1,101 oz t).

[73] A cor equaled 220 L (200 dry qt).

[74] MT LXX VG “sons” SYR 2Ki 16:3 “son”

[75] Most Heb. MSS “kings” one Heb. MS LXX VG “king”

[76] Or the lowland

[77] Or the south. That is the southern part of the Promised Land. The Negev was an arid region in the southern part of Palestine, and its name came to mean south.

[78] MT “Israel” AT LXX SYR VG about 12 Heb. MSS “Judah”

[79] LXX VG “brought in” MT lacks

[80] LXX SYR “king”

[81] MT “guided them” LXX VG “gave them rest”

[82] LXX VG “Babylon” MT “Babel”

[83] Asherah poles:  The Hebrew word (אֲשֵׁרָה Asherah) refers to (1) a sacred wooden pole used in the worship of Asherah, a Canaanite goddess of fertility, or (2) an Asherah image of the goddess. These were upright poles made of wood.​ – Deut. 16:21; Judges 6:26; 1Ki 15:13.

[84] LXX SYR VG 2Ki 21:8 “their” MT “your”

[85] Asherah poles:  The Hebrew word (אֲשֵׁרָה Asherah) refers to (1) a sacred wooden pole used in the worship of Asherah, a Canaanite goddess of fertility, or (2) an Asherah image of the goddess. These were upright poles made of wood.​ – Deut. 16:21; Judges 6:26; 1Ki 15:13.

[86] Asherah poles:  The Hebrew word (אֲשֵׁרָה Asherah) refers to (1) a sacred wooden pole used in the worship of Asherah, a Canaanite goddess of fertility, or (2) an Asherah image of the goddess. These were upright poles made of wood.​ – Deut. 16:21; Judges 6:26; 1Ki 15:13.

[87] See vs. 34:3 fn.

[88] See vs. 34:3 fn.

[89] MT LXX SYR VG “the inhabitants of Jerusalem” MT^margin many Heb. MSS “they returned to Jerusalem”

[90] Lit soft

[91] LXX AT “the blood from their hand” SYR “some of the blood” MT lacks “the blood”

[92] LXX “hey prepared” MT “they removed”

[93] A talent equaled 34.2 kg (1,101 oz t).

[94] LXX^A,GS SYR 2Ki 24:8 “eighteen” MT most Heb. MSS LXX VG “eight”

[95] Or in the spring of the year