2 Chronicles,
chapter 1
1: Solomon the son of David established himself in his kingdom,
and the Lord his God was with him and made him exceedingly great.
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 the Lord had made in the wilderness, was there.
4: (But David had brought up the ark of God from Kir'iath-je'arim
to the place that David had prepared for it, for he had pitched a tent
for it in Jerusalem.)
5: Moreover the bronze altar that Bez'alel the son of Uri, son of
Hur, had made, was there before the tabernacle of the Lord. And Solomon
and the assembly sought the Lord.
6: And Solomon went up there to the bronze altar before the Lord,
which was at the tent of meeting, and offered a thousand burnt offerings
upon it.
7: In that night God appeared to Solomon, and said to him,
"Ask what I shall give you."
8: And Solomon said to God, "Thou hast shown great and
steadfast love to David my father, and hast made me king in his stead.
9: O Lord God, let Thy promise to David my father be now
fulfilled, for Thou hast made me king over a people as many as the dust
of the earth.
10: Give me now wisdom and knowledge to go out and come in before
this people, for who can rule this Thy people, that is so great?"
11: God answered Solomon, "Because this was in your heart,
and you have not asked possessions, wealth, honor, or the life of those
who hate you, and have not even asked long life, but have asked wisdom
and knowledge for yourself that you may rule my people over whom I have
made you king,
12: wisdom and knowledge are granted to you. I will also give you
riches, possessions, and honor, such as none of the kings had who were
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.
14: Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen; he had
fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he
stationed in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.
15: And the king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as
stone, and he made cedar as plentiful as the sycamore of the Shephe'lah.
16: And Solomon's import of horses was from Egypt and Ku'e, and
the king's traders received them from Ku'e for a price.
17: They imported a chariot from Egypt for six hundred shekels of
silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty; likewise through them these
were exported to all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Syria.
2 Chronicles,
chapter 2
1: Now Solomon purposed to build a temple for the name of the
Lord, and a royal palace for himself.
2: And Solomon assigned seventy thousand men to bear burdens and
eighty thousand to quarry in the hill country, and three thousand six
hundred to oversee them.
3: And Solomon sent word to Huram the king of Tyre: "As you
dealt with David my father and sent him cedar to build himself a house
to dwell in, so deal with me.
4: Behold, I am about to build a house for the name of the Lord
my God and dedicate it to Him for the burning of incense of sweet spices
before Him, and for the continual offering of the showbread, and for
burnt offerings morning and evening, on the sabbaths and the new moons
and the appointed feasts of the Lord our God, as ordained for ever for
Israel.
5: The house which I am to build will be great, for our God is
greater than all gods.
6: But who is able to build Him a house, since heaven, even
highest heaven, cannot contain Him? Who am I to build a house for Him,
except as a place to burn incense before Him?
7: So now send me a man skilled to work in gold, silver, bronze,
and iron, and in purple, crimson, and blue fabrics, trained also in
engraving, 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 my
servants will be with your servants,
9: to prepare timber for me in abundance, for the house I am to
build will be great and wonderful.
10: I will give for your servants, the hewers who cut timber,
twenty thousand cors of crushed wheat, twenty thousand cors of barley,
twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil."
11: Then Huram the king of Tyre answered in a letter which he
sent to Solomon, "Because the Lord loves His people he has made you
king over them."
12: Huram also said, "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who
made heaven and earth, who has given King David a wise son, endued with
discretion and understanding, who will build a temple for the Lord, and
a royal palace for himself.
13: "Now I have sent a skilled man, endued with
understanding, Huram-abi,
14: the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father
was a man of Tyre. He is trained to work in gold, silver, bronze, iron,
stone, and wood, and in purple, blue, and crimson fabrics and fine
linen, and to do all sorts of engraving and execute any design that may
be assigned him, with your craftsmen, the craftsmen 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 whatever timber you need from Lebanon, and
bring it to you in rafts by sea to Joppa, so that you may take it up to
Jerusalem."
17: Then Solomon took a census of all the aliens who were in the
land of Israel, after the census of them which David his father had
taken; and there were found a hundred and fifty-three thousand six
hundred.
18: Seventy thousand of them he assigned to bear burdens, eighty
thousand to quarry in the hill country, and three thousand six hundred
as overseers to make the people work.
2 Chronicles,
chapter 3
1: Then Solomon began to build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem
on Mount Mori'ah, where the Lord had appeared to David his father, at
the place that David had appointed, on the threshing floor of Ornan the
Jeb'usite.
2: He began to build in the second month of the fourth year of
his reign.
3: These are Solomon's measurements for building the house of
God: the length, in cubits of the old standard, was sixty cubits, and
the breadth twenty cubits.
4: The vestibule in front of the nave of the house was twenty
cubits long, equal to the width of the house; and its height was a
hundred and twenty cubits. He overlaid it on the inside with pure gold.
5: The nave he lined with cypress, and covered it with fine gold,
and made palms and chains on it.
6: He adorned the house with settings of precious stones. The
gold was gold of Parva'im.
7: So he lined the house with gold -- its beams, its thresholds,
its walls, and its doors; and he carved cherubim on the walls.
8: And he made the most holy place; its length, corresponding to
the breadth of the house, was twenty cubits, and its breadth was twenty
cubits; he overlaid it with six hundred talents of fine gold.
9: The weight of the nails was one shekel to fifty shekels of
gold. And he overlaid the upper chambers with gold.
10: In the most holy place he made two cherubim of wood and
overlaid them with gold.
11: The wings of the cherubim together extended twenty cubits:
one wing of the one, of five cubits, touched the wall of the house, and
its other wing, of five cubits, touched the wing of the other cherub;
12: and of this cherub, one wing, of five cubits, touched the
wall of the house, and the other wing, also of five cubits, was joined
to the wing of the first cherub.
13: The wings of these cherubim extended twenty cubits; the
cherubim stood on their feet, facing the nave.
14: And he made the veil of blue and purple and crimson fabrics
and fine linen, and worked cherubim on it.
15: In front of the house he made two pillars thirty-five cubits
high, with a capital of five cubits on the top of each.
16: He made chains like a necklace and put them on the tops of
the pillars; and he made a hundred pomegranates, and put them on the
chains.
17: He set up the pillars in front of the temple, one on the
south, the other on the north; that on the south he called Jachin, and
that on the north Bo'az.
2 Chronicles,
chapter 4
1: He made an altar of bronze, twenty cubits long, and twenty
cubits wide, and ten cubits high.
2: Then he made the molten sea; it was round, ten cubits from
brim to brim, and five cubits high, and a line of thirty cubits measured
its circumference.
3: Under it were figures of gourds, for thirty cubits, compassing
the sea round about; the gourds were in two rows, cast with it when it
was cast.
4: It stood upon twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing
west, three facing south, and three facing east; the sea was set upon
them, and all their hinder parts were inward.
5: Its thickness was a handbreadth; and its brim was made like
the brim of a cup, like the flower of a lily; it held over three
thousand baths.
6: He also made ten lavers in which to wash, and set five on the
south side, and five on the north side. In these they were to rinse off
what was used for the burnt offering, and the sea was for the priests to
wash in.
7: And he made ten golden lampstands as prescribed, 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: He made the court of the priests, and the great court, and
doors for the court, and overlaid their doors with bronze;
10: and he set the sea at the southeast corner of the house.
11: Huram also made the pots, the shovels, and the basins. So
Huram finished the work that he did for King Solomon on the house of
God:
12: the two pillars, the bowls, and the two capitals on the top
of the pillars; and the two networks to cover the two bowls of the
capitals that were on the top of the pillars;
13: and the four hundred pomegranates for the two networks, two
rows of pomegranates for each network, to cover the two bowls of the
capitals that were upon the pillars.
14: He made the stands also, and the lavers upon the stands,
15: and the one sea, and the twelve oxen underneath it.
16: The pots, the shovels, the forks, and all the equipment for
these Huram-abi made of burnished bronze for King Solomon for the house
of the Lord.
17: In the plain of the Jordan the king cast them, in the clay
ground between Succoth and Zer'edah.
18: Solomon made all these things in great quantities, so that
the weight of the bronze was not ascertained.
19: So Solomon made all the things that were in the house of God:
the golden altar, the tables for the bread of the Presence,
20: the lampstands and their lamps of pure gold to burn before
the inner sanctuary, as prescribed;
21: the flowers, the lamps, and the tongs, of purest gold;
22: the snuffers, basins, dishes for incense, and firepans, of
pure gold; and the sockets of the temple, for the inner doors to the
most holy place and for the doors of the nave of the temple were of
gold.
2 Chronicles,
chapter 5
1: Thus all the work that Solomon did for the house of the Lord
was finished. And Solomon brought in the things which David his father
had dedicated, and stored the silver, the gold, and all the vessels in
the treasuries of the house of God.
2: Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads
of the tribes, the leaders of the fathers' houses of the people of
Israel, in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord
out of the city of David, which is Zion.
3: And all the men of Israel assembled before the king at the
feast which is 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 priests and the Levites 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: So the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord 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 out their wings over the place of the
ark, so that the cherubim made a covering above 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 to this day.
10: There was nothing in the ark except the two tables which
Moses put there at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the people
of Israel, when they came out of Egypt.
11: Now when the priests came out of the holy place (for all the
priests who were present had sanctified themselves, without regard to
their divisions;
12: and all the Levitical singers, Asaph, Heman, and Jedu'thun,
their sons and kinsmen, arrayed in fine linen, with cymbals, harps, and
lyres, stood east of the altar with a hundred and twenty priests who
were trumpeters;
13: and it was the duty of the trumpeters and singers to make
themselves heard in unison in praise and thanksgiving to the Lord), and
when the song was raised, with trumpets and cymbals and other musical
instruments, in praise to the Lord, "For He is good, for His
steadfast love endures for ever," the house, the house of the Lord,
was filled with a cloud,
14: so that the priests could not stand to minister because of
the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.
2 Chronicles,
chapter 6
1: Then Solomon said, "The Lord has said that He would dwell
in thick darkness.
2: I have built Thee an exalted house, a place for Thee to dwell
in for ever."
3: Then the king faced about, and blessed all the assembly of
Israel, while all the assembly of Israel stood.
4: And he said, "Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who
with his hand has fulfilled what He promised with his mouth to David my
father, saying,
5: `Since the day that I brought my people out of the land of
Egypt, I chose no city in all the tribes of Israel in which to build a
house, that my name might be there, and I chose no man as prince 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 the Lord, the God of Israel.
8: But the Lord 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: nevertheless you shall not build the house, but your son who
shall be born to you shall build the house for My name.'
10: Now the Lord has fulfilled his promise which He made; for I
have risen in the place of David my father, and sit on the throne of
Israel, as the Lord promised, and I have built the house for the name of
the Lord, the God of Israel.
11: And there I have set the ark, in which is the covenant of the
Lord which He made with the people of Israel."
12: Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the
presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread forth his hands.
13: Solomon had made a bronze platform five cubits long, five
cubits wide, and three cubits high, and had set it in the court; and he
stood upon it. Then he knelt upon his knees in the presence of all the
assembly of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven;
14: and said, "O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like
Thee, in heaven or on earth, keeping covenant and showing steadfast love
to Thy servants who walk before Thee with all their heart;
15: who hast kept with Thy servant David my father what Thou
didst declare to him; yea, Thou didst speak with Thy mouth, and with Thy
hand hast fulfilled it this day.
16: Now therefore, O Lord, God of Israel, keep with Thy servant
David my father what Thou hast promised him, saying, `There shall never
fail you a man before me to sit upon 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 Lord, God of Israel, let Thy word be
confirmed, which Thou hast spoken to Thy servant David.
18: "But will God dwell indeed with man on the earth?
Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain Thee; how much less
this house which I have built!
19: Yet have regard to the prayer of Thy servant and to his
supplication, O Lord my God, hearkening to the cry and to the prayer
which Thy servant prays before Thee;
20: that Thy eyes may be open day and night toward this house,
the place where Thou hast promised to set Thy name, that Thou may
hearken to the prayer which Thy servant offers toward this place.
21: And hearken Thou to the supplications of Thy servant and of
Thy people Israel, when they pray toward this place; yea, hear Thou from
heaven Thy dwelling place; and when Thou hears, forgive.
22: "If a man sins against his neighbor and is made to take
an oath, and comes and swears his oath before Thy altar in this house,
23: then hear Thou from heaven, and act, and judge Thy servants,
requiting the guilty by bringing his conduct upon his own head, and
vindicating the righteous by rewarding him according to his
righteousness.
24: "If Thy people Israel are defeated before the enemy
because they have sinned against Thee, when they turn again and
acknowledge Thy name, and pray and make supplication to Thee in this
house,
25: then hear Thou from heaven, and forgive the sin of Thy people
Israel, and bring them again to the land which Thou grave to them and
to their fathers.
26: "When heaven is shut up and there is no rain because
they have sinned against Thee, if they pray toward this place, and
acknowledge Thy name, and turn from their sin, when Thou dost afflict
them,
27: then hear Thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of Thy
servants, Thy people Israel, when Thou dost teach them the good way in
which they should walk; and grant rain upon Thy land, which Thou hast
given to Thy 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 any of their cities; whatever plague, whatever sickness there
is;
29: whatever prayer, whatever supplication is made by any man or
by all Thy people Israel, each knowing his own affliction, and his own
sorrow and stretching out his hands toward this house;
30: then hear Thou from heaven Thy dwelling place, and forgive,
and render to each whose heart Thou knowest, according to all his ways
(for Thou, Thou only, knowest the hearts of the children of men);
31: that they may fear Thee and walk in Thy ways all the days
that they live in the land which Thou grave to our fathers.
32: "Likewise when a foreigner, who is not of Thy people
Israel, comes from a far country for the sake of Thy great name, and Thy
mighty hand, and Thy outstretched arm, when he comes and prays toward
this house,
33: hear Thou from heaven Thy dwelling place, and do according to
all for which the foreigner calls to Thee; in order that all the peoples
of the earth may know Thy name and fear Thee, as do Thy people Israel,
and that they may know that this house which I have built is called by
Thy name.
34: "If Thy people go out to battle against their enemies,
by whatever way Thou shall send them, and they pray to Thee toward this
city which Thou hast chosen and the house which I have built for Thy
name,
35: then hear Thou from heaven their prayer and their
supplication, and maintain their cause.
36: "If they sin against Thee -- for
there is no man who does not sin -- and Thou art angry with them,
and dost give them to an enemy, so that they are carried away captive to
a land far or near;
37: yet if they lay it to heart in the land to which they have
been carried captive, and repent, and make supplication to Thee in the
land of their captivity, saying, `We have sinned, and have acted
perversely and wickedly';
38: if they repent with all their mind and with all their heart
in the land of their captivity, to which they were carried captive, and
pray toward their land, which Thou grave to their fathers, the city
which Thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for Thy name,
39: then hear Thou from heaven Thy dwelling place their prayer
and their supplications, and maintain their cause and forgive Thy people
who have sinned against Thee.
40: Now, O my God, let Thy eyes be open and Thy ears attentive to
a prayer of this place.
41: "And now arise, O Lord God, and go to Thy resting place,
Thou and the ark of Thy might. Let Thy priests, O Lord God, be clothed
with salvation, and let Thy saints rejoice in Thy goodness.
42: O Lord God, do not turn away the face of Thy anointed one!
Remember Thy steadfast love for David Thy servant."
2 Chronicles,
chapter 7
1: When Solomon had ended his prayer, fire came down from heaven
and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the
Lord filled the temple.
2: And the priests could not enter the house of the Lord, because
the glory of the Lord filled the Lord's house.
3: When all the children of Israel saw the fire come down and the
glory of the Lord upon the temple, they bowed down with their faces to
the earth on the pavement, and worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord,
saying, "For He is good, for his steadfast love endures for
ever."
4: Then the king and all the people offered sacrifice before the
Lord.
5: King Solomon offered as a sacrifice twenty-two thousand oxen
and a 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 the Lord which King David had made for giving
thanks to the Lord -- for his steadfast love endures for ever --
whenever David offered praises by their ministry; opposite them the
priests sounded trumpets; and all Israel stood.
7: And Solomon consecrated the middle of the court that was
before the house of the Lord; for there he offered the burnt offering
and the fat of the peace offerings, because the bronze altar Solomon had
made could not hold the burnt offering and the cereal offering and the
fat.
8: At that time Solomon held the feast for seven days, and all
Israel with him, a very great congregation, 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: 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 the Lord had shown to David and to Solomon and to Israel his
people.
11: Thus Solomon finished the house of the Lord and the king's
house; all that Solomon had planned to do in the house of the Lord and
in his own house he successfully accomplished.
12: Then the Lord 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 heaven, 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 consecrated this house that My name
may be there for ever; My eyes and My heart will be there for all time.
17: And as for you, if you walk before me, as David your father
walked, doing according to all that I have commanded you and keeping My
statutes and My ordinances,
18: then I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted with
David your father, saying, `There shall not fail you a man to rule
Israel.'
19: "But if you turn aside 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 the land which I have given
you; and this house, which I have consecrated for My name, I will cast
out of my sight, and will make it a proverb and a byword among all
peoples.
21: And at this house, which is exalted, every one passing by
will be astonished, and say, `Why has the Lord done thus to this land
and to this house?"
22: Then they will say, `Because they forsook the Lord the God of
their fathers who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold
on other gods, and worshiped them and served them; therefore He has
brought all this evil upon them'"
2 Chronicles,
chapter 8
1: At the end of twenty years, in which Solomon had built the
house of the Lord and his own house,
2: Solomon rebuilt the cities which Huram had given to him, and
settled the people of Israel in them.
3: And Solomon went to Ha'math-zo'bah, and took it.
4: He built Tadmor in the wilderness and all the store-cities
which he built in Hamath.
5: He also built Upper Beth-hor'on and Lower Beth-hor'on,
fortified cities with walls, gates, and bars,
6: and Ba'alath, and all the store-cities that Solomon had, and
all the cities for his chariots, and the cities for his horsemen, and
whatever 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 Per'izzites, the Hivites, and the Jeb'usites, who were not of
Israel,
8: from their descendants who were left after them in the land,
whom the people of Israel had not destroyed -- these Solomon made a
forced levy and so they are to this day.
9: But of the people of Israel Solomon made no slaves for his
work; they were soldiers, and his officers, the commanders of his
chariots, and his horsemen.
10: And these were the chief officers of King Solomon, two
hundred and fifty, who exercised authority over the people.
11: Solomon brought Pharaoh's daughter up from the city of David
to the house which he had built for her, for he said, "My
wife shall not live in the house of David king of Israel, for the places
to which the ark of the Lord has come are holy."
12: Then Solomon offered up burnt offerings to the Lord upon the
altar of the Lord which he had built before the vestibule,
13: as the duty of each day required, offering according to the
commandment of Moses for the sabbaths, the new moons, and the three
annual feasts -- the feast of unleavened bread, the feast of weeks, and
the feast of tabernacles.
14: According to the ordinance of David his father, he appointed
the divisions of the priests for their service, and the Levites for
their offices of praise and ministry before the priests as the duty of
each day required, and the gatekeepers in their divisions for the
several gates; for so David the man of God had commanded.
15: And they did not turn aside from what the king had commanded
the priests and Levites concerning any matter and concerning the
treasuries.
16: Thus was accomplished all the work of Solomon from the day
the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid until it was finished.
So the house of the Lord was completed.
17: Then Solomon went to E'zion-ge'ber and Eloth on the shore of
the sea, in the land of Edom.
18: And Huram sent him by his servants ships and servants
familiar with the sea, and they went to Ophir together with the servants
of Solomon, and fetched from there four hundred and fifty talents of
gold and brought it to King Solomon.
2 Chronicles,
chapter 9
1: 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. When she came to Solomon, she told him all that was on her mind.
2:
And Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing hidden from
Solomon which he could 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 of his table, the seating of his officials, and the
attendance of his servants, and their clothing, his cupbearers, and
their clothing, and his burnt offerings which he offered at the house of
the Lord, there was no more spirit in her.
5:
And she said to the king, "The report was true which I heard in my
own land of your affairs and of your wisdom,
6: but I did not believe the reports until I came and my own eyes
had seen it; and behold, half the greatness of your wisdom was not told
me; you surpass the report which I heard.
7:
Happy are your wives! Happy are these your servants, who continually
stand before you and hear your wisdom!
8: Blessed be the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and set
you on his throne as king for the Lord your God! Because
your God loved Israel and would establish them for ever, He has made you
king over them, that you may execute justice and righteousness."
9: Then she gave the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold,
and a very great quantity of spices, and precious stones: there were no
spices such as those which the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
10: Moreover the servants of Huram and the servants of Solomon,
who brought gold from Ophir, brought algum wood and precious stones.
11: And the king made of the algum wood steps for the house of
the Lord and for the king's house, lyres also and harps for the singers;
there never was seen the like of them 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.
13: Now the weight of 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 land brought gold and
silver to Solomon.
15: 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 shields of beaten gold; three
hundred shekels of gold went into each shield; and the king put them in
the House of the Forest of Lebanon.
17:
The king also made a great ivory throne, and overlaid it with pure gold.
18: The throne had six steps and a footstool of gold, which were
attached to the throne, and on each side of the seat were arm rests and
two lions standing beside the arm rests,
19:
while twelve lions stood there, one on each end of a step on the six
steps. The like of it was never made in any kingdom.
20: 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 as anything in the days of Solomon.
21: For the king's ships went to Tarshish with the servants of
Huram; once every three years the ships of Tarshish used to come
bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.
22: Thus King Solomon excelled all the kings of the earth in
riches and in wisdom.
23:
And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear
his wisdom, which God had put into his mind.
24: Every one of them brought his present, articles of silver and
of gold, garments, myrrh, spices, horses, and mules, so much year by
year.
25: And Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots,
and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he stationed in the chariot cities
and with the king in Jerusalem.
26: And he ruled over all the kings from the Euphra'tes to the
land of the Philistines, and to the border of Egypt.
27: And the king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stone, and
cedar as plentiful as the sycamore of the Shephe'lah.
28: And horses were imported for Solomon from Egypt and from all
lands.
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 Ahi'jah the Shi'lonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer
concerning Jerobo'am the son of Nebat?
30:
Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years.
31: And Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in the
city of David his father; and Rehobo'am his son reigned in his stead.
2 Chronicles,
chapter 10
1: Rehobo'am went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem
to make him king.
2: And when Jerobo'am the son of Nebat heard of it (for he was in
Egypt, whither he had fled from King Solomon), then Jerobo'am returned
from Egypt.
3: And they sent and called him; and Jerobo'am and all Israel
came and said to Rehobo'am,
4: "Your father made our yoke heavy. Now therefore lighten
the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke upon us, and we will
serve you."
5: He said to them, "Come to me again in three days."
So the people went away.
6: Then King Rehobo'am took counsel with the old 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 said to him, "If you will be kind to this people
and please them, and speak good words to them, then they will be your
servants for ever."
8: But he forsook the counsel which the old 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 do you advise that we answer
this people who have said to me, `Lighten the yoke that your father put
upon us'?"
10: And the young men who had grown up with him said to him,
"Thus shall you speak to the people who said to you, `Your father
made our yoke heavy, but do you lighten it for us'; thus shall you say
to them, `My little finger is thicker than my father's loins.
11: And now, whereas my father laid upon you a heavy yoke, I will
add to your yoke. My father chastised you with whips, but I will
chastise you with scorpions.'"
12: So Jerobo'am and all the people came to Rehobo'am the third
day, as the king said, "Come to me again the third day."
13: And the king answered them harshly, and forsaking the counsel
of the old men,
14: King Rehobo'am spoke to them according to the counsel of the
young men, saying, "My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add
to it; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with
scorpions."
15: So the king did not hearken to the people; for it was a turn
of affairs brought about by God that the Lord might fulfill his word,
which He spoke by Ahi'jah the Shi'lonite to Jerobo'am the son of Nebat.
16: And when all Israel saw that the king did not hearken to
them, the people answered the king, "What portion have we in David?
We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. Each of you to your tents, O
Israel! Look now to your own house, David." So all Israel departed
to their tents.
17: But Rehobo'am reigned over the people of Israel who dwelt in
the cities of Judah.
18: Then King Rehobo'am sent Hador'am, who was taskmaster over
the forced labor, and the people of Israel stoned him to death with
stones. And King Rehobo'am made haste to mount his chariot, to flee to
Jerusalem.
19: So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to
this day.
2 Chronicles,
chapter 11
1: When Rehobo'am came to Jerusalem, he assembled the house of
Judah, and Benjamin, a hundred and eighty thousand chosen warriors, to
fight against Israel, to restore the kingdom to Rehobo'am.
2: But the word of the Lord came to Shemai'ah the man of God:
3: "Say to Rehobo'am the son of Solomon king of Judah, and
to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin,
4: `Thus says the Lord, You shall not go up or fight against your
brethren. Return every man to his home, for this thing is from
me.'" So they hearkened to the word of the Lord, and returned and
did not go against Jerobo'am.
5: Rehobo'am dwelt in Jerusalem, and he built cities for defense
in Judah.
6: He built Bethlehem, Etam, Teko'a,
7: Beth-zur, Soco, Adullam,
8: Gath, Mare'shah, Ziph,
9: Adora'im, Lachish, Aze'kah,
10: Zorah, Ai'jalon, and Hebron, fortified cities which are in
Judah and in Benjamin.
11: He made the fortresses strong, and put commanders in them,
and stores of food, oil, and wine.
12: And he put shields and spears in all the cities, and made
them very strong. So he held Judah and Benjamin.
13: And the priests and the Levites that were in all Israel
resorted to him from all places where they lived.
14: For the Levites left their common lands and their holdings
and came to Judah and Jerusalem, because Jerobo'am and his sons cast
them out from serving as priests of the Lord,
15: and he appointed his own priests for the high places, and for
the satyrs, and for the calves which he had made.
16: And those who had set their hearts to seek the Lord God of
Israel came after them from all the tribes of Israel to Jerusalem to
sacrifice to the Lord, the God of their fathers.
17: They strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and for three years
they made Rehobo'am the son of Solomon secure, for they walked for three
years in the way of David and Solomon.
18: Rehobo'am took as wife Ma'halath the daughter of Jer'imoth
the son of David, and of Ab'ihail the daughter of Eli'ab the son of
Jesse;
19: and she bore him sons, Je'ush, Shemari'ah, and Zaham.
20: After her he took Ma'acah the daughter of Ab'salom, who bore
him Abi'jah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelo'mith.
21: Rehobo'am loved Ma'acah the daughter of Ab'salom above all
his wives and concubines (he took eighteen wives and sixty concubines,
and had twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters);
22: and Rehobo'am appointed Abi'jah the son of Ma'acah as chief
prince among his brothers, for he intended to make him king.
23: And he dealt wisely, and distributed some of his sons through
all the districts of Judah and Benjamin, in all the fortified cities;
and he gave them abundant provisions, and procured wives for them.
2 Chronicles,
chapter 12
1: When the rule of Rehobo'am was established and was strong, he
forsook the law of the Lord, and all Israel with him.
2: In the fifth year of King Rehobo'am, because they had been
unfaithful to the Lord, Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem
3: with twelve hundred chariots and sixty thousand horsemen. And
the people were without number who came with him from Egypt -- Libyans,
Suk'ki-im, and Ethiopians.
4: And he took the fortified cities of Judah and came as far as
Jerusalem.
5: Then Shemai'ah the prophet came to Rehobo'am and to the
princes of Judah, who had gathered at Jerusalem because of Shishak, and
said to them, "Thus says the Lord, `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
said, "The Lord is righteous."
7: When the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, the word of
the Lord came to Shemai'ah: "They have humbled themselves; I will
not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance, and my wrath
shall not be poured out upon Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak.
8: Nevertheless they shall be servants to him, 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; he took
away the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the
king's house; he took away everything. He also took away the shields of
gold which Solomon had made;
10: and King Rehobo'am made in their stead shields of bronze, and
committed them to the hands of the officers of the guard, who kept the
door of the king's house.
11: And as often as the king went into the house of the Lord, the
guard came and bore them, and brought them back to the guardroom.
12: And when he humbled himself the wrath of the Lord turned from
him, so as not to make a complete destruction; moreover, conditions were
good in Judah.
13: So King Rehobo'am established himself in Jerusalem and
reigned. Rehobo'am was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and
he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the Lord had
chosen out of all the tribes of Israel to put his name there. His
mother's name was Na'amah the Ammonitess.
14: And he did evil, for he did not set his heart to seek the
Lord.
15: Now the acts of Rehobo'am, from first to last, are they not
written in the chronicles of Shemai'ah the prophet and of Iddo the seer?
There were continual wars between Rehobo'am and Jerobo'am.
16: And Rehobo'am slept with his fathers, and was buried in the
city of David; and Abi'jah his son reigned in his stead.
2 Chronicles,
chapter 13
1: In the eighteenth year of King Jerobo'am Abi'jah began to
reign over Judah.
2: He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was
Micai'ah the daughter of U'riel of Gib'e-ah. Now there was war between
Abi'jah and Jerobo'am.
3: Abi'jah went out to battle having an army of valiant men of
war, four hundred thousand picked men; and Jerobo'am drew up his line of
battle against him with eight hundred thousand picked mighty warriors.
4: Then Abi'jah stood up on Mount Zemara'im which is in the hill
country of E'phraim, and said, "Hear me, O Jerobo'am and all
Israel!
5: Ought you not to know that the Lord God of Israel gave the
kingship over Israel for ever to David and his sons by a covenant of
salt?
6: Yet Jerobo'am the son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon the son
of David, rose up and rebelled against his lord;
7: and certain worthless scoundrels gathered about him and defied
Rehobo'am the son of Solomon, when Rehobo'am was young and irresolute
and could not withstand them.
8: "And now you think to withstand the kingdom of the Lord
in the hand of the sons of David, because you are a great multitude and
have with you the golden calves which Jerobo'am made you for gods.
9: Have you not driven out the priests of the Lord, the sons of
Aaron, and the Levites, and made priests for yourselves like the peoples
of other lands? Whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bull or
seven rams becomes a priest of what are no gods.
10: But as for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken
him. We have priests ministering to the Lord who are sons of Aaron, and
Levites for their service.
11: They offer to the Lord every morning and every evening burnt
offerings and incense of sweet spices, set out the showbread on the
table of pure gold, and care for the golden lampstand that its lamps may
burn every evening; for we keep the charge of the Lord our God, but you
have forsaken him.
12: Behold, God is with us at our head, and his priests with
their battle trumpets to sound the call to battle against you. O sons of
Israel, do not fight against the Lord, the God of your fathers; for you
cannot succeed."
13: Jerobo'am had sent an ambush around to come on them from
behind; thus his troops were in front of Judah, and the ambush was
behind them.
14: And when Judah looked, behold, the battle was before and
behind them; and they cried to the Lord, and the priests blew the
trumpets.
15: Then the men of Judah raised the battle shout. And when the
men of Judah shouted, God defeated Jerobo'am and all Israel before
Abi'jah and Judah.
16: The men of Israel fled before Judah, and God gave them into
their hand.
17: Abi'jah and his people slew them with a great slaughter; so
there fell slain of Israel five hundred thousand picked men.
18: Thus the men of Israel were subdued at that time, and the men
of Judah prevailed, because they relied upon the Lord, the God of their
fathers.
19: And Abi'jah pursued Jerobo'am, and took cities from him,
Bethel with its villages and Jesha'nah with its villages and Ephron with
its villages.
20: Jerobo'am did not recover his power in the days of Abi'jah;
and the Lord smote him, and he died.
21: But Abi'jah grew mighty. And he took fourteen wives, and had
twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.
22: The rest of the acts of Abi'jah, his ways and his sayings,
are written in the story of the prophet Iddo.
2 Chronicles,
chapter 14
1: So Abi'jah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the
city of David; and Asa his son reigned in his stead. In his days the
land had rest for ten years.
2: And Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord
his God.
3: He took away the foreign altars and the high places, and broke
down the pillars and hewed down the Ashe'rim,
4: and commanded Judah to seek the Lord, 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 altars. And the kingdom had rest under him.
6: He built fortified cities in Judah, for the land had rest. He
had no war in those years, for the Lord gave him peace.
7: And he said to Judah, "Let us build these cities, and
surround them with walls and towers, gates and bars; the land is still
ours, because we have sought the Lord 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 bucklers and spears, and two hundred and eighty thousand men
from Benjamin, that carried shields and drew bows; all these were mighty
men of valor.
9: Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a
million men and three hundred chariots, and came as far as Mare'shah.
10: And Asa went out to meet him, and they drew up their lines of
battle in the valley of Zeph'athah at Mare'shah.
11: And Asa cried to the Lord his God, "O Lord, there is
none like Thee to help, between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O Lord
our God, for we rely on Thee, and in Thy name we have come against this
multitude. O Lord, Thou art our God; let not man prevail against
Thee."
12: So the Lord defeated the Ethiopians before Asa and before
Judah, and the Ethiopians fled.
13: Asa and the people that were with him pursued them as far as
Gerar, and the Ethiopians fell until none remained alive; for they were
broken before the Lord and his army. The men of Judah carried away very
much booty.
14: And they smote all the cities round about Gerar, for the fear
of the Lord was upon them. They plundered all the cities, for there was
much plunder in them.
15: And they smote the tents of those who had cattle, and carried
away sheep in abundance and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles,
chapter 15
1: The Spirit of God came upon Azari'ah the son of Oded,
2: and he went out to meet Asa, and said to him, "Hear me,
Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: The Lord 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: For a long time Israel was without the true God, and without a
teaching priest, and without law;
4:
but when in their distress they turned to the Lord, 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:
They were broken in pieces, nation against nation and city against city,
for God troubled them with every sort of distress.
7: But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your
work shall be rewarded."
8: When Asa heard these words, the prophecy of Azari'ah the son
of Oded, he took courage, and put away the abominable idols from all the
land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities which he had taken in the
hill country of E'phraim, and he repaired the altar of the Lord that was
in front of the vestibule of the house of the Lord.
9: And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and those from
E'phraim, Manas'seh, and Simeon who were sojourning with them, for great
numbers had deserted to him from Israel when they saw that the Lord his
God was with him.
10: They were gathered at Jerusalem in the third month of the
fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.
11: They sacrificed to the Lord on that day, from the spoil which
they had brought, seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep.
12: And they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of
their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul;
13: and that whoever would not seek the Lord, the God of Israel,
should be put to death, whether young or old, man or woman.
14: They took oath to the Lord with a loud voice, and with
shouting, and 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 the Lord gave them rest round about.
16: Even Ma'acah, his mother, King Asa removed from being queen
mother because
she had made an abominable image for ashe'rah. Asa cut down her image,
crushed it, and burned it at the brook Kidron.
17: But the high places were not taken out of Israel.
Nevertheless the heart of Asa was blameless all his days.
18: And he brought into the house of God the votive gifts of his
father and his own votive gifts, silver, and gold, and vessels.
19: And there was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of the
reign of Asa.
2 Chronicles,
chapter 16
1: In the thirty-sixth year of the reign of Asa, Ba'asha 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 took silver and gold from the treasures of the house
of the Lord and the king's house, and sent them to Ben-ha'dad king of
Syria, who dwelt in Damascus, saying,
3: "Let there be a league between me and you, as between my
father and your father; behold, I am sending to you silver and gold; go,
break your league with Ba'asha king of Israel, that he may withdraw from
me."
4: And Ben-ha'dad hearkened to King Asa, and sent the commanders
of his armies against the cities of Israel, and they conquered I'jon,
Dan, A'bel-ma'im, and all the store-cities of Naph'tali.
5: And when Ba'asha 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 Ba'asha had been building, and with
them he built Geba and Mizpah.
7: At that time Hana'ni 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 the Lord your God, the army of the king of Syria has escaped
you.
8: Were not the Ethiopians and the Libyans a huge army with
exceedingly many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you relied on the
Lord, he gave them into your hand.
9: For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole
earth, to show His might in behalf of those whose heart is blameless
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 the stocks,
in prison, for he was in a rage with him because of this. And Asa
inflicted cruelties upon some of the people at the same time.
11: The acts of Asa, from first to last, 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; yet even in his disease he did not
seek the Lord, but sought help from physicians.
13: And Asa slept with his fathers, dying in the forty-first year
of his reign.
14: They buried him in the tomb which he had hewn out for himself
in the city of David. They laid him on a bier which had been filled with
various kinds of spices prepared by the perfumer's art; and they made a
very great fire in his honor.
2 Chronicles,
chapter 17
1: Jehosh'aphat his son reigned in his stead, and strengthened
himself against Israel.
2: He placed forces in all the fortified cities of Judah, and set
garrisons in the land of Judah, and in the cities of E'phraim which Asa
his father had taken.
3: The Lord was with Jehosh'aphat, because he walked in the
earlier ways of his father; he did not seek the Ba'als,
4: but sought the God of his father and walked in his
commandments, and not according to the ways of Israel.
5: Therefore the Lord established the kingdom in his hand; and
all Judah brought tribute to Jehosh'aphat; and he had great riches and
honor.
6: His heart was courageous in the ways of the Lord; and
furthermore he took the high places and the Ashe'rim out of Judah.
7: In the third year of his reign he sent his princes, Ben-hail,
Obadi'ah, Zechari'ah, Nethan'el, and Micai'ah, to teach in the cities of
Judah;
8: and with them the Levites, Shemai'ah, Nethani'ah, Zebadi'ah,
As'ahel, Shemi'ramoth, Jehon'athan, Adoni'jah, Tobi'jah, and
Tobadoni'jah; and with these Levites, the priests Eli'shama and Jeho'ram.
9: And they taught in Judah, having the book of the law of the
Lord with them; they went about through all the cities of Judah and
taught among the people.
10: And the fear of the Lord fell upon all the kingdoms of the
lands that were round about Judah, and they made no war against
Jehosh'aphat.
11: Some of the Philistines brought Jehosh'aphat presents, and
silver for tribute; and the Arabs also brought him seven thousand seven
hundred rams and seven thousand seven hundred he-goats.
12: And Jehosh'aphat grew steadily greater. He built in Judah
fortresses and store-cities,
13: and he had great stores in the cities of Judah. He had
soldiers, mighty men of valor, 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 men of valor,
15: and next to him Jehoha'nan the commander, with two hundred
and eighty thousand,
16: and next to him Amasi'ah the son of Zichri, a volunteer for
the service of the Lord, with two hundred thousand mighty men of valor.
17: Of Benjamin: Eli'ada, a mighty man of valor, with two hundred
thousand men armed with bow and shield,
18: and next to him Jeho'zabad with a 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.
2 Chronicles,
chapter 18
1: Now Jehosh'aphat had great riches and honor; and he made a
marriage alliance with Ahab.
2: After some years he went down to Ahab in Sama'ria. And Ahab
killed an abundance of sheep and oxen for him and for the people who
were with him, and induced him to go up against Ramoth-gilead.
3: Ahab king of Israel said to Jehosh'aphat 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 Jehosh'aphat said to the king of Israel, "Inquire
first for the word of the Lord."
5: Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, four
hundred men, and said to them, "Shall we go to battle against
Ramoth-gilead, or shall I forbear?" And they said, "Go up; for
God will give it into the hand of the king."
6: But Jehosh'aphat said, "Is there not here another prophet
of the Lord of whom we may inquire?"
7: And the king of Israel said to Jehosh'aphat, "There is
yet one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord, Micai'ah the son of
Imlah; but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me, but
always evil." And Jehosh'aphat said, "Let not the king say
so."
8: Then the king of Israel summoned an officer and said,
"Bring quickly Micai'ah the son of Imlah."
9: Now the king of Israel and Jehosh'aphat the king of Judah were
sitting on their thrones, arrayed in their robes; and they were sitting
at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Sama'ria; and all
the prophets were prophesying before them.
10: And Zedeki'ah the son of Chena'anah made for himself horns of
iron, and said, "Thus says the Lord, `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; the Lord will give it into the hand of the
king."
12: And the messenger who went to summon Micai'ah said to him,
"Behold, the words of the prophets with one accord are favorable to
the king; let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak
favorably."
13: But Micai'ah said, "As the Lord lives, what my God says,
that I will speak."
14: And when he had come to the king, the king said to him,
"Micai'ah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I
forbear?" And he answered, "Go up and triumph; they will be
given into your hand."
15: But the king said to him, "How many times shall I adjure
you that you speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the
Lord?"
16: And he said, "I saw all Israel scattered upon the
mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd; and the Lord said, `These
have no master; let each return to his home in peace.'"
17: And the king of Israel said to Jehosh'aphat, "Did I not
tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?"
18: And Micai'ah said, "Therefore hear the word of the Lord:
I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven
standing on his right hand and on his left;
19: and the Lord said, `Who will entice Ahab the king of Israel,
that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?' And one said one thing,
and another said another.
20: Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, saying,
`I will entice him.' And the Lord said to him, `By what means?'
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 forth and do so.'
22: Now therefore behold, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the
mouth of these your prophets; the Lord has spoken evil concerning
you."
23: Then Zedeki'ah the son of Chena'anah came near and struck
Micai'ah on the cheek, and said, "Which way did the Spirit of the
Lord go from me to speak to you?"
24: And Micai'ah said, "Behold, you shall see on that day
when you go into an inner chamber to hide yourself."
25: And the king of Israel said, "Seize Micai'ah, and take
him back to Amon the governor of the city and to Jo'ash the king's son;
26: and say, `Thus says the king, Put this fellow in prison, and
feed him with scant fare of bread and water, until I return in
peace.'"
27: And Micai'ah said, "If you return in peace, the Lord has
not spoken by me." And he said, "Hear, all you peoples!"
28: So the king of Israel and Jehosh'aphat the king of Judah went
up to Ramoth-gilead.
29: And the king of Israel said to Jehosh'aphat, "I will
disguise myself and go into battle, but you wear your robes." And
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 when the captains of the chariots saw Jehosh'aphat, they
said, "It is the king of Israel." So they turned to fight
against him; and Jehosh'aphat cried out, and the Lord helped him. God
drew them away from him,
32: for when the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the
king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him.
33: But a certain man drew his bow at a venture, and struck the
king of Israel between the scale armor and the breastplate; therefore he
said to the driver of his chariot, "Turn about, and carry me out of
the battle, for I am wounded."
34: And the battle grew hot that day, and the king of Israel
propped himself up in his chariot facing the Syrians until evening; then
at sunset he died.
2 Chronicles,
chapter 19
1: Jehosh'aphat the king of Judah returned in safety to his house
in Jerusalem.
2: But Jehu the son of Hana'ni the seer went out to meet him, and
said to King Jehosh'aphat, "Should you help the wicked and love
those who hate the Lord? Because of this, wrath has gone out against you
from the Lord.
3: Nevertheless some good is found in you, for you destroyed the
ashe'rahs out of the land, and have set your heart to seek God."
4: Jehosh'aphat dwelt at Jerusalem; and he went out again among
the people, from Beer-sheba to the hill country of E'phraim, and brought
them back to the Lord, the God of their fathers.
5: He appointed judges in the land 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 the Lord; he is with you in giving judgment.
7: Now then, let the fear of the Lord be upon you; take heed what
you do, for there is no perversion of justice with the Lord our God, or
partiality, or taking bribes."
8: Moreover in Jerusalem Jehosh'aphat appointed certain Levites
and priests and heads of families of Israel, to give judgment for the
Lord and to decide disputed cases. They had their seat at Jerusalem.
9: And he charged them: "Thus you shall do in the fear of
the Lord, in faithfulness, and with your whole heart:
10: whenever a case comes to you from your brethren who live in
their cities, concerning bloodshed, law or commandment, statutes or
ordinances, then you shall instruct them, that they may not incur guilt
before the Lord and wrath may not come upon you and your brethren. Thus
you shall do, and you will not incur guilt.
11: And behold, Amari'ah the chief priest is over you in all
matters of the Lord; and Zebadi'ah the son of Ish'mael, the governor of
the house of Judah, in all the king's matters; and the Levites will
serve you as officers. Deal courageously, and may the Lord be with the
upright!"
2 Chronicles,
chapter 20
1: After this the Moabites and Ammonites, and with them some of
the Me-u'nites, came against Jehosh'aphat for battle.
2: Some men came and told Jehosh'aphat, "A great multitude
is coming against you from Edom, from beyond the sea; and, behold, they
are in Haz'azon-ta'mar" (that is, En-ge'di).
3: Then Jehosh'aphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord,
and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.
4: And Judah assembled to seek help from the Lord; from all the
cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.
5: And Jehosh'aphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem,
in the house of the Lord, before the new court,
6: and said, "O Lord, God of our fathers, art Thou not God
in heaven? Dost Thou not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations? In
Thy hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand Thee.
7: Didst Thou not, O our God, drive out the inhabitants of this
land before Thy people Israel, and give it for ever to the descendants
of Abraham Thy friend?
8: And they have dwelt in it, and have built Thee in it a
sanctuary for Thy name, saying,
9: `If evil comes upon us, the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or
famine, we will stand before this house, and before Thee, for Thy name
is in this house, and cry to Thee in our affliction, and Thou wilt hear
and save.'
10: And now behold, the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Se'ir,
whom Thou would not let Israel invade when they came from the land of
Egypt, and whom they avoided and did not destroy --
11: behold, they reward us by coming to drive us out of Thy
possession, which Thou hast given us to inherit.
12:
O our God, wilt Thou not execute judgment upon them? For we are
powerless against this great multitude that is coming against us. We do
not know what to do, but our eyes are upon Thee."
13: Meanwhile all the men of Judah stood before the Lord, with
their little ones, their wives, and their children.
14: And the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jaha'ziel the son of
Zechari'ah, son of Benai'ah, son of Je-i'el, son of Mattani'ah, a Levite
of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly.
15: And he said, "Hearken, all Judah and inhabitants of
Jerusalem, and King Jehosh'aphat: Thus says the Lord to you, `Fear not,
and be not dismayed at this great multitude; for the battle is not yours
but God's.
16: Tomorrow go down against them; behold, they will come up by
the ascent of Ziz; you will find them at the end of the valley, east of
the wilderness of Jeru'el.
17: You will not need to fight in this battle; take your
position, stand still, and see the victory of the Lord on your behalf, O
Judah and Jerusalem.' Fear not, and be not dismayed; tomorrow go out
against them, and the Lord will be with you."
18: Then Jehosh'aphat bowed his head with his face to the ground,
and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the
Lord, worshiping the Lord.
19: And the Levites, of the Ko'hathites and the Kor'ahites, stood
up to praise the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.
20: And they rose early in the morning and went out into the
wilderness of Teko'a; and as they went out, Jehosh'aphat stood and said,
"Hear me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord
your God, and you will be established; believe his prophets, and you
will succeed."
21: And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed
those who were to sing to the Lord and praise him in holy array, as they
went before the army, and say, "Give thanks to the Lord, for his
steadfast love endures for ever."
22: And when they began to sing and praise, the Lord set an
ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Se'ir, who had come
against Judah, so that they were routed.
23:
For the men of Ammon and Moab rose against the inhabitants of Mount
Se'ir, destroying them utterly, and when they had made an end of the
inhabitants of Se'ir, they all helped to destroy one another.
24: When Judah came to the watchtower of the wilderness, they
looked toward the multitude; and behold, they were dead bodies lying on
the ground; none had escaped.
25: When Jehosh'aphat and his people came to take the spoil from
them, they found cattle in great numbers, goods, clothing, and precious
things, 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 Bera'cah,
for there they blessed the Lord; therefore the name of that place has
been called the Valley of Bera'cah to this day.
27: Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and
Jehosh'aphat at their head, returning to Jerusalem with joy, for the
Lord had made them rejoice over their enemies.
28: They came to Jerusalem, with harps and lyres and trumpets, to
the house of the Lord.
29: And the fear of God came on all the kingdoms of the countries
when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel.
30: So the realm of Jehosh'aphat was quiet, for his God gave him
rest round about.
31: Thus Jehosh'aphat 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 Azu'bah the daughter of Shilhi.
32: He walked in the way of Asa his father and did not turn aside
from it; he did what was right in the sight of the Lord.
33: The high places, however, were not taken away; the people had
not yet set their hearts upon the God of their fathers.
34: Now the rest of the acts of Jehosh'aphat, from first to last,
are written in the chronicles of Jehu the son of Hana'ni, which are
recorded in the Book of the Kings of Israel.
35: After this Jehosh'aphat king of Judah joined with Ahazi'ah
king of Israel, who did wickedly.
36: He joined him in building ships to go to Tarshish, and they
built the ships in E'zion-ge'ber.
37: Then Elie'zer the son of Do-dav'ahu of Mare'shah prophesied
against Jehosh'aphat, saying, "Because you have joined with
Ahazi'ah, the Lord will destroy what you have made." And the ships
were wrecked and were not able to go to Tarshish.
|
|
2 Chronicles,
chapter 21
1: Jehosh'aphat slept with his fathers, and was buried with his
fathers in the city of David; and Jeho'ram his son reigned in his stead.
2: He had brothers, the sons of Jehosh'aphat: Azari'ah, Jehi'el,
Zechari'ah, Azari'ah, Michael, and Shephati'ah; all these were the sons
of Jehosh'aphat king of Judah.
3: Their father gave them great gifts, of silver, gold, and
valuable possessions, together with fortified cities in Judah; but he
gave the kingdom to Jeho'ram, because he was the first-born.
4: When Jeho'ram had ascended the throne of his father and was
established, he slew all his brothers with the sword, and also some of
the princes of Israel.
5: Jeho'ram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he
reigned eight years in Jerusalem.
6: And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house
of Ahab had done; for the daughter of Ahab was his wife. And he did what
was evil in the sight of the Lord.
7: Yet the Lord would not destroy the house of David, because of
the covenant which he had made with David, and since he had promised to
give a lamp to him and to his sons for ever.
8: In his days Edom revolted from the rule of Judah, and set up a
king of their own.
9: Then Jeho'ram passed over with his commanders and all his
chariots, and he rose by night and smote the E'domites who had
surrounded him and his chariot commanders.
10: So Edom revolted from the rule of Judah to this day. At that
time Libnah also revolted from his rule, because he had forsaken the
Lord, the God of his fathers.
11: Moreover he made high places in the hill country of Judah,
and led the inhabitants of Jerusalem into unfaithfulness, and made Judah
go astray.
12: And a letter came to him from Eli'jah the prophet, saying,
"Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father, `Because you
have not walked in the ways of Jehosh'aphat 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
led Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem into unfaithfulness, as the
house of Ahab led Israel into unfaithfulness, and also you have killed
your brothers, of your father's house, who were better than yourself;
14: behold, the Lord will bring a great plague on your people,
your children, your wives, and all your possessions,
15: and you yourself will have a severe sickness with a disease
of your bowels, until your bowels come out because of the disease, day
by day.'"
16: And the Lord stirred up against Jeho'ram the anger of the
Philistines and of the Arabs who are near the Ethiopians;
17: and they came up against Judah, and invaded it, and carried
away all the possessions they found that belonged to the king's house,
and also his sons and his wives, so that no son was left to him except
Jeho'ahaz, his youngest son.
18: And after all this the Lord smote him in his bowels with an
incurable disease.
19: In course of time, at the end of two years, his bowels came
out because of the disease, and he died in great agony. His people made
no fire in his honor, like the fires made for his fathers.
20: He was thirty-two years old when he began to reign, and he
reigned eight years in Jerusalem; and he departed with no one's regret.
They buried him in the city of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.
2 Chronicles,
chapter 22
1: And the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahazi'ah his youngest
son king in his stead; for the band of men that came with the Arabs to
the camp had slain all the older sons. So Ahazi'ah the son of Jeho'ram
king of Judah reigned.
2: Ahazi'ah was forty-two years old when he began to reign, and
he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Athali'ah, the
granddaughter of Omri.
3: He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his
mother was his counselor in doing wickedly.
4: He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, as the house of
Ahab had done; for after the death of his father they were his
counselors, to his undoing.
5: He even followed their counsel, and went with Jeho'ram the son
of Ahab king of Israel to make war against Haz'ael king of Syria at
Ramoth-gilead. And the Syrians wounded Joram,
6: and he returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which he
had received at Ramah, when he fought against Haz'ael king of Syria. And
Ahazi'ah the son of Jeho'ram king of Judah went down to see Joram the
son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.
7: But it was ordained by God that the downfall of Ahazi'ah
should come about through his going to visit Joram. For when he came
there he went out with Jeho'ram to meet Jehu the son of Nimshi, whom the
Lord had anointed to destroy the house of Ahab.
8: And when Jehu was executing judgment upon the house of Ahab,
he met the princes of Judah and the sons of Ahazi'ah's brothers, who
attended Ahazi'ah, and he killed them.
9: He searched for Ahazi'ah, and he was captured while hiding in
Sama'ria, and he was brought to Jehu and put to death. They buried him,
for they said, "He is the grandson of Jehosh'aphat, who sought the
Lord with all his heart." And the house of Ahazi'ah had no one able
to rule the kingdom.
10: Now when Athali'ah the mother of Ahazi'ah saw that her son
was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal family of the house of
Judah.
11: But Jeho-shab'e-ath, the daughter of the king, took Jo'ash
the son of Ahazi'ah, and stole him away from among the king's sons who
were about to be slain, and she put him and his nurse in a bedchamber.
Thus Jeho-shab'e-ath, the daughter of King Jeho'ram and wife of
Jehoi'ada the priest, because she was a sister of Ahazi'ah, hid him from
Athali'ah, so that she did not slay him;
12: and he remained with them six years, hid in the house of God,
while Athali'ah reigned over the land.
2 Chronicles,
chapter 23
1: But in the seventh year Jehoi'ada took courage, and entered
into a compact with the commanders of hundreds, Azari'ah the son of
Jero'ham, Ish'mael the son of Jehoha'nan, Azari'ah the son of Obed,
Ma-asei'ah the son of Adai'ah, and Elisha'phat the son of Zichri.
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 Jehoi'ada said to them, "Behold, the king's son!
Let him reign, as the Lord spoke concerning the sons of David.
4: This is the thing that you shall do: of you priests and
Levites who come off duty on the sabbath, one third shall be
gatekeepers,
5: and one third shall be at the king's house and one third at
the Gate of the Foundation; and all the people shall be in the courts of
the house of the Lord.
6: Let no one enter the house of the Lord except the priests and
ministering Levites; they may enter, for they are holy, but all the
people shall keep the charge of the Lord.
7: The Levites shall surround the king, each with his weapons in
his hand; and whoever enters the house shall be slain. Be with the king
when he comes in, and when he goes out."
8: The Levites and all Judah did according to all that Jehoi'ada
the priest commanded. They each brought his men, who were to go off duty
on the sabbath, with those who were to come on duty on the sabbath; for
Jehoi'ada the priest did not dismiss the divisions.
9: And Jehoi'ada the priest delivered 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 as a guard for the king, every man
with his weapon in his hand, from the south side of the house to the
north side of the house, around the altar and the house.
11: Then he brought out the king's son, and put the crown upon
him, and gave him the testimony; and they proclaimed him king, and
Jehoi'ada and his sons anointed him, and they said, "Long live the
king."
12: When Athali'ah heard the noise of the people running and
praising the king, she went into the house of the Lord to the people;
13: and when she looked, there was the king standing by his
pillar at the entrance, and the captains and the trumpeters beside the
king, and all the people of the land rejoicing and blowing trumpets, and
the singers with their musical instruments leading in the celebration.
And Athali'ah rent her clothes, and cried, "Treason! Treason!"
14: Then Jehoi'ada the priest brought out the captains who were
set over the army, saying to them, "Bring her out between the
ranks; any one who follows her is to be slain with the sword." For
the priest said, "Do not slay her in the house of the Lord."
15: So they laid hands on her; and she went into the entrance of
the horse gate of the king's house, and they slew her there.
16: And Jehoi'ada made a covenant between himself and all the
people and the king that they should be the Lord's people.
17: Then all the people went to the house of Ba'al, and tore it
down; his altars and his images they broke in pieces, and they slew
Mattan the priest of Ba'al before the altars.
18: And Jehoi'ada posted watchmen for the house of the Lord under
the direction of the Levitical priests and the Levites whom David had
organized to be in charge of the house of the Lord, to offer burnt
offerings to the Lord, as it is written in the law of Moses, with
rejoicing and with singing, according to the order of David.
19: He stationed the gatekeepers at the gates of the house of the
Lord so that no one should enter who was in any way unclean.
20: And he took the captains, the nobles, the governors of the
people, and all the people of the land; and they brought the king down
from the house of the Lord, marching through the upper gate to the
king's house. And they set the king upon the royal throne.
21: So all the people of the land rejoiced; and the city was
quiet, after Athali'ah had been slain with the sword.
2 Chronicles,
chapter 24
1: Jo'ash was seven years old when he began to reign, and he
reigned forty years in Jerusalem; his mother's name was Zib'iah of
Beer-sheba.
2: And Jo'ash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the
days of Jehoi'ada the priest.
3: Jehoi'ada got for him two wives, and he had sons and
daughters.
4: After this Jo'ash decided to restore the house of the Lord.
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 hasten
the matter." But the Levites did not hasten it.
6: So the king summoned Jehoi'ada the chief, and said to him,
"Why have you not required the Levites to bring in from Judah and
Jerusalem the tax levied by Moses, the servant of the Lord, on the
congregation of Israel for the tent of testimony?"
7: For the sons of Athali'ah, that wicked woman, had broken into
the house of God; and had also used all the dedicated things of the
house of the Lord for the Ba'als.
8: So the king commanded, and they made a chest, and set it
outside the gate of the house of the Lord.
9: And proclamation was made throughout Judah and Jerusalem, to
bring in for the Lord the tax that Moses the servant of God laid upon
Israel in the wilderness.
10: And all the princes and all the people rejoiced and brought
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 take it and return it to its place. Thus they did day after
day, and collected money in abundance.
12: And the king and Jehoi'ada gave it to those who had charge of
the work of the house of the Lord, and they hired masons and carpenters
to restore the house of the Lord, and also workers in iron and bronze to
repair the house of the Lord.
13: So those who were engaged in the work labored, and the
repairing 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 Jehoi'ada, and with it were made utensils for
the house of the Lord, both for the service and for the burnt offerings,
and dishes for incense, and vessels of gold and silver. And they offered
burnt offerings in the house of the Lord continually all the days of
Jehoi'ada.
15: But Jehoi'ada grew old and full of days, and died; he was a
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 Jehoi'ada the princes of Judah came
and did obeisance to the king; then the king hearkened to them.
18: And they forsook the house of the Lord, the God of their
fathers, and served the Ashe'rim and the idols. And wrath came upon
Judah and Jerusalem for this their guilt.
19: Yet he sent prophets among them to bring them back to the
Lord; these testified against them, but they would not give heed.
20: Then the Spirit of God took possession of Zechari'ah the son
of Jehoi'ada the priest; and he stood above the people, and said to
them, "Thus says God, `Why do you transgress the commandments of
the Lord, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the
Lord, he has forsaken you.'"
21: But they conspired against him, and by command of the king
they stoned him with stones in the court of the house of the Lord.
22: Thus Jo'ash the king did not remember the kindness which
Jehoi'ada, Zechari'ah's father, had shown him, but killed his son. And
when he was dying, he said, "May the Lord see and avenge!"
23: At the end of the year the army of the Syrians came up
against Jo'ash. They came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the
princes of the people from among the people, and sent all their spoil to
the king of Damascus.
24: Though the army of the Syrians had come with few men, the
Lord delivered into their hand a very great army, because they had
forsaken the Lord, the God of their fathers. Thus they executed judgment
on Jo'ash.
25: When they had departed from him, leaving him severely
wounded, his servants conspired against him because of the blood of the
son of Jehoi'ada the priest, and slew him on his bed. So he died; and
they buried him in the city of David, but they did not bury him in the
tombs of the kings.
26: Those who conspired against him were Zabad the son of
Shim'e-ath the Ammonitess, and Jeho'zabad the son of Shimrith the
Moabitess.
27: Accounts of his sons, and of the many oracles against him,
and of the rebuilding of the house of God are written in the Commentary
on the Book of the Kings. And Amazi'ah his son reigned in his stead.
1: Amazi'ah was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and
he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was
Jeho-ad'dan of Jerusalem.
2: And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, yet not
with a blameless heart.
3: And as soon as the royal power was firmly in his hand he
killed his servants who had slain the king his father.
4: But he did not put their children to death, according to what
is written in the law, in the book of Moses, where the Lord commanded,
"The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, or the
children be put to death for the fathers; but every man shall die for
his own sin."
5: Then Amazi'ah assembled the men of Judah, and set them by
fathers' houses under commanders of thousands and of hundreds for all
Judah and Benjamin. He mustered those twenty years old and upward, and
found that they were three hundred thousand picked men, fit for war,
able to handle spear and shield.
6: He hired also a hundred thousand mighty men of valor from
Israel for a hundred talents of silver.
7: But a man of God came to him and said, "O king, do not
let the army of Israel go with you, for the Lord is not with Israel,
with all these E'phraimites.
8: But if you suppose that in this way you will be strong for
war, God will cast you down before the enemy; for God has power to help
or to cast down."
9: And Amazi'ah said to the man of God, "But what shall we
do about the hundred talents which I have given to the army of
Israel?" The man of God answered, "The Lord is able to give
you much more than this."
10: Then Amazi'ah discharged the army that had come to him from
E'phraim, to go home again. And they became very angry with Judah, and
returned home in fierce anger.
11: But Amazi'ah took courage, and led out his people, and went
to the Valley of Salt and smote ten thousand men of Se'ir.
12: The men of Judah captured another ten thousand alive, and
took them to the top of a rock and threw them down from the top of the
rock; and they were all dashed to pieces.
13: But the men of the army whom Amazi'ah sent back, not letting
them go with him to battle, fell upon the cities of Judah, from Sama'ria
to Beth-hor'on, and killed three thousand people in them, and took much
spoil.
14: After Amazi'ah came from the slaughter of the E'domites, he
brought the gods of the men of Se'ir, and set them up as his gods, and
worshiped them, making offerings to them.
15: Therefore the Lord was angry with Amazi'ah and sent to him a
prophet, who said to him, "Why have you resorted to the gods of a
people, which did not deliver their own people from your hand?"
16: But as he was speaking the king said to him, "Have we
made you a royal counselor? Stop! Why should you be put to death?"
So the prophet stopped, but said, "I know that God has determined
to destroy you, because you have done this and have not listened to my
counsel."
17: Then Amazi'ah king of Judah took counsel and sent to Jo'ash
the son of Jeho'ahaz, son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, "Come,
let us look one another in the face."
18: And Jo'ash the king of Israel sent word to Amazi'ah king of
Judah, "A thistle on Lebanon sent to a cedar on Lebanon, saying,
`Give your daughter to my son for a wife'; and a wild beast of Lebanon
passed by and trampled down the thistle.
19: You say, `See, I have smitten Edom,' and your heart has
lifted you up in boastfulness. But now stay at home; why should you
provoke trouble so that you fall, you and Judah with you?"
20: But Amazi'ah 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 Jo'ash king of Israel went up; and he and Amazi'ah king of
Judah faced one another in battle at Beth-she'mesh, which belongs to
Judah.
22: And Judah was defeated by Israel, and every man fled to his
home.
23: And Jo'ash king of Israel captured Amazi'ah king of Judah,
the son of Jo'ash, son of Ahazi'ah, at Beth-she'mesh, and brought him to
Jerusalem, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem for four hundred cubits,
from the E'phraim Gate to the Corner Gate.
24: And he seized all the gold and silver, and all the vessels
that were found in the house of God, and O'bed-e'dom with them; he
seized also the treasuries of the king's house, and hostages, and he
returned to Sama'ria.
25: Amazi'ah the son of Jo'ash king of Judah lived fifteen years
after the death of Jo'ash the son of Jeho'ahaz, king of Israel.
26: Now the rest of the deeds of Amazi'ah, from first to last,
are they not written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel?
27: From the time when he turned away from the Lord they made a
conspiracy against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish. But they
sent after him to Lachish, and slew him there.
28: And they brought him upon horses; and he was buried with his
fathers in the city of David.
2 Chronicles,
chapter 26
1: And all the people of Judah took Uzzi'ah, who was sixteen
years old, and made him king instead of his father Amazi'ah.
2: He built Eloth and restored it to Judah, after the king slept
with his fathers.
3: Uzzi'ah was sixteen years old when he began to reign, and he
reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jecoli'ah of
Jerusalem.
4: And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according
to all that his father Amazi'ah had done.
5:
He set himself to seek God in the days of Zechari'ah, who instructed him
in the fear of God; and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him
prosper.
6: He went out and made war 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 elsewhere among the
Philistines.
7: God helped him against the Philistines, and against the Arabs
that dwelt in Gurba'al, and against the Me-u'nites.
8: The Ammonites paid tribute to Uzzi'ah, and his fame spread
even to the border of Egypt, for he became very strong.
9: Moreover Uzzi'ah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate
and at the Valley Gate and at the Angle, and fortified them.
10: And he built towers in the wilderness, and hewed out many
cisterns, for he had large herds, both in the Shephe'lah and in the
plain, and he had farmers and vinedressers in the hills and in the
fertile lands, for he loved the soil.
11: Moreover Uzzi'ah had an army of soldiers, fit for war, in
divisions according to the numbers in the muster made by Je-i'el the
secretary and Ma-asei'ah the officer, under the direction of Hanani'ah,
one of the king's commanders.
12: The whole number of the heads of fathers' houses of mighty
men of valor was two thousand six hundred.
13: Under their command was an army of three hundred and seven
thousand five hundred, who could make war with mighty power, to help the
king against the enemy.
14: And Uzzi'ah prepared for all the army shields, spears,
helmets, coats of mail, bows, and stones for slinging.
15: In Jerusalem he made engines, invented by skilful 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.
16: But when he was strong he grew proud, to his destruction. For
he was false to the Lord his God, and entered the temple of the Lord to
burn incense on the altar of incense.
17: But Azari'ah the priest went in after him, with eighty
priests of the Lord who were men of valor;
18: and they withstood King Uzzi'ah, and said to him, "It is
not for you, Uzzi'ah, to burn incense to the Lord, but for the priests
the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense. Go out of the
sanctuary; for you have done wrong, and it will bring you no honor from
the Lord God."
19: Then Uzzi'ah was angry. Now he had a censer in his hand to
burn incense, and when he became angry with the priests leprosy broke
out on his forehead, in the presence of the priests in the house of the
Lord, by the altar of incense.
20: And Azari'ah the chief priest, and all the priests, looked at
him, and behold, he was leprous in his forehead! And they thrust him out
quickly, and he himself hastened to go out, because the Lord had smitten
him.
21: And King Uzzi'ah 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 the Lord. And Jotham his son was over the king's household,
governing the people of the land.
22: Now the rest of the acts of Uzzi'ah, from first to last,
Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz wrote.
23: And Uzzi'ah slept with his fathers, and they buried him with
his fathers in the burial field which belonged to the kings, for they
said, "He is a leper." And Jotham his son reigned in his
stead.
2 Chronicles,
chapter 27
1: Jotham was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and
he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jeru'shah
the daughter of Zadok.
2: And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord according to
all that his father Uzzi'ah had done -- only he did not invade the
temple of the Lord. But the people still followed corrupt practices.
3: He built the upper gate of the house of the Lord, and did much
building on the wall of Ophel.
4: Moreover he built cities in the hill country of Judah, and
forts and towers on the wooded hills.
5: He fought with the king of the Ammonites and prevailed against
them. And the Ammonites gave him that year a hundred talents of silver,
and ten thousand cors of wheat and ten thousand of barley. The Ammonites
paid him the same amount in the second and the third years.
6: So Jotham became mighty, because he ordered his ways before
the Lord his God.
7: Now the rest of the acts of Jotham, and all his wars, and his
ways, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and
Judah.
8: He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he
reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem.
9: And Jotham slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the
city of David; and Ahaz his son reigned in his stead.
2 Chronicles,
chapter 28
1: 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 the Lord, like his father David,
2: but walked in the ways of the kings of Israel. He even made
molten images for the Ba'als;
3: and he burned incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and
burned his sons as an offering, according to the abominable practices of
the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel.
4: And he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places, and
on the hills, and under every green tree.
5: Therefore the Lord his God gave him into the hand of the king
of Syria, who defeated him and took captive a great number of his people
and brought them to Damascus. He was also given into the hand of the
king of Israel, who defeated him with great slaughter.
6: For Pekah the son of Remali'ah slew a hundred and twenty
thousand in Judah in one day, all of them men of valor, because they had
forsaken the Lord, the God of their fathers.
7: And Zichri, a mighty man of E'phraim, slew Ma-asei'ah the
king's son and Azri'kam the commander of the palace and Elka'nah the
next in authority to the king.
8: The men of Israel took captive two hundred thousand of their
kinsfolk, women, sons, and daughters; they also took much spoil from
them and brought the spoil to Sama'ria.
9: But a prophet of the Lord was there, whose name was Oded; and
he went out to meet the army that came to Sama'ria, and said to them,
"Behold, because the Lord, the God of your fathers, was angry with
Judah, he gave them into your hand, but you have slain them in a rage
which has reached up to heaven.
10: And now you intend to subjugate the people of Judah and
Jerusalem, male and female, as your slaves. Have you not sins of your
own against the Lord your God?
11: Now hear me, and send back the captives from your kinsfolk
whom you have taken, for the fierce wrath of the Lord is upon you."
12: Certain chiefs also of the men of E'phraim, Azari'ah the son
of Joha'nan, Berechi'ah the son of Meshil'lemoth, Jehizki'ah the son of
Shallum, and Ama'sa 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 you propose to bring upon us guilt against the Lord 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 and took the
captives, and with the spoil they clothed all that 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
asses, they brought them to their kinsfolk at Jericho, the city of palm
trees. Then they returned to Sama'ria.
16: At that time King Ahaz sent to the king of Assyria for help.
17: For the E'domites had again invaded and defeated Judah, and
carried away captives.
18: And the Philistines had made raids on the cities in the
Shephe'lah and the Negeb of Judah, and had taken Beth-she'mesh,
Ai'jalon, Gede'roth, Soco with its villages, Timnah with its villages,
and Gimzo with its villages; and they settled there.
19: For the Lord brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of
Israel, for he had dealt wantonly in Judah and had been faithless to the
Lord.
20: So Til'gath-pilne'ser king of Assyria came against him, and
afflicted him instead of strengthening him.
21: For Ahaz took from the house of the Lord and the house of the
king and of the princes, and gave tribute to the king of Assyria; but it
did not help him.
22: In the time of his distress he became yet more faithless to
the Lord -- this same King Ahaz.
23: For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus which 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 the Lord; 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, provoking to anger the Lord, the God of his fathers.
26: Now the rest of his acts and all his ways, from first to
last, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and
Israel.
27: And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the
city, in Jerusalem, for they did not bring him into the tombs of the
kings of Israel. And Hezeki'ah his son reigned in his stead.
2 Chronicles,
chapter 29
1: Hezeki'ah began to reign when he was twenty-five years old,
and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was
Abi'jah the daughter of Zechari'ah.
2: And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according
to all that David his father had done.
3: In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened
the doors of the house of the Lord, and repaired them.
4: He brought in the priests and the Levites, and assembled them
in the square on the east,
5: and said to them, "Hear me, Levites! Now sanctify
yourselves, and sanctify the house of the Lord, the God of your fathers,
and carry out the filth from the holy place.
6: For our fathers have been unfaithful and have done what was
evil in the sight of the Lord our God; they have forsaken him, and have
turned away their faces from the habitation of the Lord, and turned
their backs.
7: They also shut the doors of the vestibule 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 the Lord came on Judah and Jerusalem,
and he has made them an object of horror, of astonishment, and of
hissing, as you see with your own eyes.
9: For lo, our fathers have fallen by the sword and our sons and
our daughters and our wives are in captivity for this.
10: Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the Lord, the
God of Israel, that his fierce anger may turn away from us.
11: My sons, do not now be negligent, for the Lord has chosen you
to stand in his presence, to minister to him, and to be his ministers
and burn incense to him."
12: Then the Levites arose, Mahath the son of Ama'sai, and Jo'el
the son of Azari'ah, of the sons of the Ko'hathites; and of the sons of
Merar'i, Kish the son of Abdi, and Azari'ah the son of Jehal'lelel; and
of the Gershonites, Jo'ah the son of Zimmah, and Eden the son of Jo'ah;
13: and of the sons of Eli-za'phan, Shimri and Jeu'el; and of the
sons of Asaph, Zechari'ah and Mattani'ah;
14: and of the sons of Heman, Jehu'el and Shim'e-i; and of the
sons of Jedu'thun, Shemai'ah and Uz'ziel.
15: They gathered their brethren, and sanctified themselves, and
went in as the king had commanded, by the words of the Lord, to cleanse
the house of the Lord.
16: The priests went into the inner part of the house of the Lord
to cleanse it, and they brought out all the uncleanness that they found
in the temple of the Lord into the court of the house of the Lord; and
the Levites took it and carried it out to the brook Kidron.
17: They began to sanctify on the first day of the first month,
and on the eighth day of the month they came to the vestibule of the
Lord; then for eight days they sanctified the house of the Lord, and on
the sixteenth day of the first month they finished.
18: Then they went in to Hezeki'ah the king and said, "We
have cleansed all the house of the Lord, the altar of burnt offering and
all its utensils, and the table for the showbread and all its utensils.
19: All the utensils which King Ahaz discarded in his reign when
he was faithless, we have made ready and sanctified; and behold, they
are before the altar of the Lord."
20: Then Hezeki'ah the king rose early and gathered the officials
of the city, and went up to the house of the Lord.
21: And they brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and
seven he-goats for a sin offering for the kingdom and for the sanctuary
and for Judah. And he commanded the priests the sons of Aaron to offer
them on the altar of the Lord.
22: So they killed the bulls, and the priests received the blood
and threw it against the altar; and they killed the rams and their blood
was thrown against the altar; and they killed the lambs and their blood
was thrown against the altar.
23:
Then the he-goats for the sin offering were brought to the king and the
assembly, and they laid their hands upon them,
24:
and the priests killed 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 the Lord 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 the Lord through his prophets.
26: The Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the
priests with the trumpets.
27: Then Hezeki'ah commanded that the burnt offering be offered
on the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the song to the Lord
began also, and the trumpets, accompanied by the instruments of David
king of Israel.
28: The whole assembly worshiped, and the singers sang, and the
trumpeters sounded; all this continued until the burnt offering was
finished.
29: When the offering was finished, the king and all who were
present with him bowed themselves and worshiped.
30: And Hezeki'ah the king and the princes commanded the Levites
to sing praises to the Lord with the words of David and of Asaph the
seer. And they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed down and
worshiped.
31: Then Hezeki'ah said, "You have now consecrated
yourselves to the Lord; come near, bring sacrifices and thank offerings
to the house of the Lord." 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 these were
for a burnt offering to the Lord.
33: And the consecrated offerings were six hundred bulls and
three thousand sheep.
34: But the priests were too few and could not flay all the burnt
offerings, so until other priests had sanctified themselves their
brethren the Levites helped them, until the work was finished -- for the
Levites were more upright in heart than the priests in sanctifying
themselves.
35: Besides the great number of burnt offerings there was the fat
of the peace offerings, and there were the libations for the burnt
offerings. Thus the service of the house of the Lord was restored.
36: And Hezeki'ah and all the people rejoiced because of what God
had done for the people; for the thing came about suddenly.
2 Chronicles,
chapter 30
1: Hezeki'ah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also
to E'phraim and Manas'seh, that they should come to the house of the
Lord at Jerusalem, to keep the passover to the Lord the God of Israel.
2: For the king and his princes and all the assembly in Jerusalem
had taken counsel to keep the passover in the second month --
3: for they could not keep it in its time because the priests had
not sanctified themselves in sufficient number, nor had the people
assembled in Jerusalem --
4: and the plan seemed right to the king and all the assembly.
5: So they decreed to make a proclamation throughout all Israel,
from Beer-sheba to Dan, that the people should come and keep the
passover to the Lord the God of Israel, at Jerusalem; for they had not
kept it in great numbers as prescribed.
6: So couriers went throughout all Israel and Judah with letters
from the king and his princes, as the king had commanded, saying,
"O people of Israel, return to the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac,
and Israel, that he may turn again to the remnant of you who have
escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria.
7: Do not be like your fathers and your brethren, who were
faithless to the Lord God of their fathers, 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 the Lord, and come to his sanctuary, which he has
sanctified for ever, and serve the Lord your God, that his fierce anger
may turn away from you.
9: For if you return to the Lord, your brethren and your children
will find compassion with their captors, and return to this land. For
the Lord your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his
face from you, if you return to him."
10: So the couriers went from city to city through the country of
E'phraim and Manas'seh, and as far as Zeb'ulun; but they laughed them to
scorn, and mocked them.
11: Only a few men of Asher, of Manas'seh, and of Zeb'ulun
humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem.
12: The hand of God was also upon Judah to give them one heart to
do what the king and the princes commanded by the word of the Lord.
13: And many people came together in Jerusalem to keep the feast
of unleavened bread in the second month, a very great assembly.
14: They set to work 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 killed the passover lamb on the fourteenth day of
the second month. And the priests and the Levites were put to shame, so
that they sanctified themselves, and brought burnt offerings into the
house of the Lord.
16: They took their accustomed posts 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 kill the passover lamb for
every one who was not clean, to make it holy to the Lord.
18:
For a multitude of the people, many of them from E'phraim, Manas'seh,
Is'sachar, and Zeb'ulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the
passover otherwise than as prescribed. For Hezeki'ah had prayed for
them, saying, "The good Lord pardon every one
19: who sets his heart to seek God, the Lord the God of his
fathers, even though not according to the sanctuary's rules of
cleanness."
20: And the Lord heard Hezeki'ah, and healed the people.
21: And the people of Israel that were present at Jerusalem kept
the feast of unleavened bread seven days with great gladness; and the
Levites and the priests praised the Lord day by day, singing with all
their might to the Lord.
22: And Hezeki'ah spoke encouragingly to all the Levites who
showed good skill in the service of the Lord. So the people ate the food
of the festival for seven days, sacrificing peace offerings and giving
thanks to the Lord the God of their fathers.
23: Then the whole assembly agreed together to keep the feast for
another seven days; so they kept it for another seven days with
gladness.
24: For Hezeki'ah king of Judah gave the assembly a thousand
bulls and seven thousand sheep for offerings, and the princes gave the
assembly a thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep. And the priests
sanctified themselves in great numbers.
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
habitation in heaven.
2 Chronicles,
chapter 31
1: 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
hewed down the Ashe'rim and broke down the high places and the altars
throughout all Judah and Benjamin, and in E'phraim and Manas'seh, until
they had destroyed them all. Then all the people of Israel returned to
their cities, every man to his possession.
2: And Hezeki'ah appointed the divisions of the priests and of
the Levites, division by division, each according to his service, the
priests and the Levites, for burnt offerings and peace offerings, to
minister in the gates of the camp of the Lord and to give thanks and
praise.
3: The contribution of the king from his own possessions was for
the burnt offerings: the burnt offerings of morning and evening, and the
burnt offerings for the sabbaths, the new moons, and the appointed
feasts, as it is written in the law of the Lord.
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 the Lord.
5: As soon as the command was spread abroad, the people of Israel
gave in abundance the first fruits of grain, wine, oil, honey, and of
all the produce of the field; and they brought in abundantly the tithe
of everything.
6: And the people of Israel and Judah who lived in the cities of
Judah also brought in the tithe of cattle and sheep, and the dedicated
things which had been consecrated to the Lord 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 Hezeki'ah and the princes came and saw the heaps, they
blessed the Lord and his people Israel.
9: And Hezeki'ah questioned the priests and the Levites about the
heaps.
10: Azari'ah the chief priest, who was of the house of Zadok,
answered him, "Since they began to bring the contributions into the
house of the Lord we have eaten and had enough and have plenty left; for
the Lord has blessed his people, so that we have this great store
left."
11: Then Hezeki'ah commanded them to prepare chambers in the
house of the Lord; and they prepared them.
12: And they faithfully brought in the contributions, the tithes
and the dedicated things. The chief officer in charge of them was
Conani'ah the Levite, with Shim'e-i his brother as second;
13: while Jehi'el, Azazi'ah, Nahath, As'ahel, Jer'imoth,
Jo'zabad, Eli'el, Ismachi'ah, Mahath, and Benai'ah were overseers
assisting Conani'ah and Shim'e-i his brother, by the appointment of
Hezeki'ah the king and Azari'ah the chief officer of the house of God.
14: And Ko're the son of Imnah the Levite, keeper of the east
gate, was over the freewill offerings to God, to apportion the
contribution reserved for the Lord and the most holy offerings.
15: Eden, Mini'amin, Jeshua, Shemai'ah, Amari'ah, and Shecani'ah
were faithfully assisting him in the cities of the priests, to
distribute the portions to their brethren, old and young alike, by
divisions,
16: except those enrolled by genealogy, males from three years
old and upwards, all who entered the house of the Lord as the duty of
each day required, for their service according to their offices, by
their divisions.
17: The enrollment of the priests was according to their fathers'
houses; that of the Levites from twenty years old and upwards was
according to their offices, by their divisions.
18: The priests were enrolled with all their little children,
their wives, their sons, and their daughters, the whole multitude; for
they were faithful in keeping themselves holy.
19: And for the sons of Aaron, the priests, who were in the
fields of common land belonging to their cities, there were men in the
several cities who were designated by name to distribute portions to
every male among the priests and to every one among the Levites who was
enrolled.
20: Thus Hezeki'ah did throughout all Judah; and he did what was
good and right and faithful before the Lord his God.
21: And every work that he undertook in the service of the house
of God and in accordance with the law and the commandments, seeking his
God, he did with all his heart, and prospered.
2 Chronicles,
chapter 32
1: After these things and these acts of faithfulness Sennach'erib
king of Assyria came and invaded Judah and encamped against the
fortified cities, thinking to win them for himself.
2: And when Hezeki'ah saw that Sennach'erib had come and intended
to fight against Jerusalem,
3: he planned with his officers and his mighty men to stop the
water of the springs that were outside the city; and they helped him.
4: A great many people were gathered, and they stopped all the
springs and the brook that flowed through the land, saying, "Why
should the kings of Assyria come and find much water?"
5: He set to work resolutely and built up all the wall that was
broken down, and raised towers upon it, and outside it he built another
wall; and he strengthened the Millo in the city of David. He also made
weapons and shields in abundance.
6: And he set combat 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 of good courage. Do not be afraid or
dismayed before the king of Assyria and all the horde that is with him;
for there is one greater with us than with him.
8: With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God,
to help us and to fight our battles." And the people took
confidence from the words of Hezeki'ah king of Judah.
9: After this Sennach'erib king of Assyria, who was besieging
Lachish with all his forces, sent his servants to Jerusalem to Hezeki'ah
king of Judah and to all the people of Judah that were in Jerusalem,
saying,
10: "Thus says Sennach'erib king of Assyria, `On what are
you relying, that you stand siege in Jerusalem?
11: Is not Hezeki'ah misleading you, that he may give you over to
die by famine and by thirst, when he tells you, "The Lord our God
will deliver us from the hand of the king of Assyria"?
12: Has not this same Hezeki'ah taken away his high places and
his altars and commanded Judah and Jerusalem, "Before one altar you
shall worship, and upon it you shall burn your sacrifices"?
13: Do you not know what I and my fathers have done to all the
peoples of other lands? Were the gods of the nations of those lands at
all able to deliver their lands out of my hand?
14: Who among all the gods of those nations which my fathers
utterly destroyed was able to deliver his people from my hand, that your
God should be able to deliver you from my hand?
15: Now therefore do not let Hezeki'ah deceive you or mislead you
in this fashion, and do not believe him, for no god of any nation or
kingdom has been able to deliver his people from my hand or from the
hand of my fathers. How much less will your God deliver you out of my
hand!'"
16: And his servants said still more against the Lord God and
against his servant Hezeki'ah.
17: And he wrote letters to cast contempt on the Lord 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 Hezeki'ah
will not deliver his people from my hand."
18: And they shouted it with a loud voice in the language of
Judah to the people of Jerusalem who were upon 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.
20: Then Hezeki'ah the king and Isaiah the prophet, the son of
Amoz, prayed because of this and cried to heaven.
21: And the Lord 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 the Lord saved Hezeki'ah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem
from the hand of Sennach'erib king of Assyria and from the hand of all
his enemies; and he gave them rest on every side.
23: And many brought gifts to the Lord to Jerusalem and precious
things to Hezeki'ah king of Judah, so that he was exalted in the sight
of all nations from that time onward.
24: In those days Hezeki'ah became sick and was at the point of
death, and he prayed to the Lord; and he answered him and gave him a
sign.
25: But Hezeki'ah did not make return according to the benefit
done to him, for his heart was proud. Therefore wrath came upon him and
Judah and Jerusalem.
26: But Hezeki'ah humbled himself for the pride of his heart,
both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the Lord
did not come upon them in the days of Hezeki'ah.
27: And Hezeki'ah had very great 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 costly vessels;
28: storehouses also for the yield of grain, wine, and oil; and
stalls for all kinds of cattle, and sheepfolds.
29: He likewise provided cities for himself, and flocks and herds
in abundance; for God had given him very great possessions.
30: This same Hezeki'ah closed the upper outlet of the waters of
Gihon and directed them down to the west side of the city of David. And
Hezeki'ah prospered in all his works.
31: And so in the matter of the envoys of the princes of Babylon,
who had been sent to him to inquire about the sign that had been done in
the land, God left him to himself, in order to try him and to know all
that was in his heart.
32: Now the rest of the acts of Hezeki'ah, and his good deeds,
behold, they are written in the vision of Isaiah the prophet the son of
Amoz, in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.
33: And Hezeki'ah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in
the ascent of the tombs of the sons of David; and all Judah and the
inhabitants of Jerusalem did him honor at his death. And Manas'seh his
son reigned in his stead.
2 Chronicles,
chapter 33
1: Manas'seh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he
reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem.
2: He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to
the abominable practices of the nations whom the Lord drove out before
the people of Israel.
3: For he rebuilt the high places which his father Hezeki'ah had
broken down, and erected altars to the Ba'als, and made Ashe'rahs, and
worshiped all the host of heaven, and served them.
4: And he built altars in the house of the Lord, of which the
Lord had said, "In Jerusalem shall my name be for ever."
5: And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two
courts of the house of the Lord.
6: And he burned his sons as an offering in the valley of the son
of Hinnom, and practiced soothsaying and augury and sorcery, and dealt
with mediums and with wizards. He did much evil in the sight of the
Lord, provoking him to anger.
7: And the image of the idol which 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 for ever;
8: and I will no more remove the foot of Israel from the land
which I appointed for your fathers, if only they will be careful to do
all that I have commanded them, all the law, the statutes, and the
ordinances given through Moses."
9: Manas'seh seduced Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so
that they did more evil than the nations whom the Lord destroyed before
the people of Israel.
10: The Lord spoke to Manas'seh and to his people, but they gave
no heed.
11: Therefore the Lord brought upon them the commanders of the
army of the king of Assyria, who took Manas'seh with hooks and bound him
with fetters of bronze and brought him to Babylon.
12: And when he was in distress he entreated the favor of the
Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers.
13: He prayed to him, and God received his entreaty and heard his
supplication and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then
Manas'seh knew that the Lord was God.
14: Afterwards he built an outer wall for the city of David west
of Gihon, in the valley, and for the entrance into the Fish Gate, and
carried it round Ophel, and raised it to a very great height; he also
put commanders of the army in all the fortified cities in Judah.
15: And he took away the foreign gods and the idol from the house
of the Lord, and all the altars that he had built on the mountain of the
house of the Lord and in Jerusalem, and he threw them outside of the
city.
16: He also restored the altar of the Lord and offered upon it
sacrifices of peace offerings and of thanksgiving; and he commanded
Judah to serve the Lord the God of Israel.
17: Nevertheless the people still sacrificed at the high places,
but only to the Lord their God.
18: Now the rest of the acts of Manas'seh, and his prayer to his
God, and the words of the seers who spoke to him in the name of the Lord
the God of Israel, behold, they are in the Chronicles of the Kings of
Israel.
19: And his prayer, and how God received his entreaty, and all
his sin and his faithlessness, and the sites on which he built high
places and set up the Ashe'rim and the images, before he humbled
himself, behold, they are written in the Chronicles of the Seers.
20: So Manas'seh slept with his fathers, and they buried him in
his house; and Amon his son reigned in his stead.
21: Amon was twenty-two years old when he began to reign, and he
reigned two years in Jerusalem.
22: He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, as Manas'seh
his father had done. Amon sacrificed to all the images that Manas'seh
his father had made, and served them.
23: And he did not humble himself before the Lord, as Manas'seh
his father had humbled himself, but this Amon incurred guilt more and
more.
24: And his servants conspired against him and killed him in his
house.
25: But the people of the land slew all those who had conspired
against King Amon; and the people of the land made Josi'ah his son king
in his stead.
2 Chronicles,
chapter 34
1: Josi'ah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he
reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem.
2: He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, and walked in
the ways of David his father; and he did not turn aside to the right or
to the left.
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 Ashe'rim, and
the graven and the molten images.
4: And they broke down the altars of the Ba'als in his presence;
and he hewed down the incense altars which stood above them; and he
broke in pieces the Ashe'rim and the graven and the molten images, and
he made dust of them and strewed it over the graves of those who had
sacrificed to them.
5: He also burned the bones of the priests on their altars, and
purged Judah and Jerusalem.
6: And in the cities of Manas'seh, E'phraim, and Simeon, and as
far as Naph'tali, in their ruins round about,
7: he broke down the altars, and beat the Ashe'rim and the images
into powder, and hewed down all the incense altars throughout all the
land of Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem.
8: Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged
the land and the house, he sent Shaphan the son of Azali'ah, and
Ma-asei'ah the governor of the city, and Jo'ah the son of Jo'ahaz, the
recorder, to repair the house of the Lord his God.
9: They came to Hilki'ah the high priest and delivered the money
that had been brought into the house of God, which the Levites, the
keepers of the threshold, had collected from Manas'seh and E'phraim and
from all the remnant of Israel and from all Judah and Benjamin and from
the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
10: They delivered it to the workmen who had the oversight of the
house of the Lord; and the workmen who were working in the house of the
Lord gave it for repairing and restoring the house.
11: They gave it to the carpenters and the builders to buy
quarried stone, and timber for binders and beams for the buildings which
the kings of Judah had let go to ruin.
12: And the men did the work faithfully. Over them were set
Jahath and Obadi'ah the Levites, of the sons of Merar'i, and Zechari'ah
and Meshul'lam, of the sons of the Ko'hathites, to have oversight. The
Levites, all who were skilful with instruments of music,
13: were over the burden bearers and directed all who did work in
every kind of service; and some of the Levites were scribes, and
officials, and gatekeepers.
14: While they were bringing out the money that had been brought
into the house of the Lord, Hilki'ah the priest found the book of the
law of the Lord given through Moses.
15: Then Hilki'ah said to Shaphan the secretary, "I have
found the book of the law in the house of the Lord"; and Hilki'ah
gave the book to Shaphan.
16: Shaphan brought the book to the king, and further reported to
the king, "All that was committed to your servants they are doing.
17: They have emptied out the money that was found in the house
of the Lord and have delivered it into the hand of the overseers and the
workmen."
18: Then Shaphan the secretary told the king, "Hilki'ah the
priest has given me a book." And Shaphan read it before the king.
19: When the king heard the words of the law he rent his clothes.
20: And the king commanded Hilki'ah, Ahi'kam the son of Shaphan,
Abdon the son of Micah, Shaphan the secretary, and Asai'ah the king's
servant, saying,
21: "Go, inquire of the Lord 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 the Lord that is poured out on us,
because our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord, to do according
to all that is written in this book."
22: So Hilki'ah 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 dwelt in Jerusalem in the Second
Quarter) and spoke to her to that effect.
23: And she said to them, "Thus says the Lord, the God of
Israel: `Tell the man who sent you to me,
24: Thus says the Lord, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place
and upon its inhabitants, all the curses that are written in the book
which 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 upon this place and
will not be quenched.
26: But to the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the
Lord, thus shall you say to him, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel:
Regarding the words which you have heard,
27: because your heart was penitent 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 rent your
clothes and wept before me, I also have heard you, says the Lord.
28: Behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be
gathered to your grave in peace, and your eyes shall not see all the
evil which I will bring upon this place and its inhabitants.'" And
they brought back word to the king.
29: Then the king sent and gathered together all the elders of
Judah and Jerusalem.
30: And the king went up to the house of the Lord, 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 which had been found
in the house of the Lord.
31: And the king stood in his place and made a covenant before
the Lord, to walk after the Lord 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 stand to it. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to
the covenant of God, the God of their fathers.
33: And Josi'ah took away all the abominations from all the
territory that belonged to the people of Israel, and made all who were
in Israel serve the Lord their God. All his days they did not turn away
from following the Lord the God of their fathers.
2 Chronicles,
chapter 35
1: Josi'ah kept a passover to the Lord in Jerusalem; and they
killed the passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the first month.
2: He appointed the priests to their offices and encouraged them
in the service of the house of the Lord.
3: And he said to the Levites who taught all Israel and who were
holy to the Lord, "Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the
son of David, king of Israel, built; you need no longer carry it upon
your shoulders. Now serve the Lord your God and his people Israel.
4: Prepare yourselves according to your fathers' houses by your
divisions, following the directions of David king of Israel and the
directions of Solomon his son.
5: And stand in the holy place according to the groupings of the
fathers' houses of your brethren the lay people, and let there be for
each a part of a father's house of the Levites.
6: And kill the passover lamb, and sanctify yourselves, and
prepare for your brethren, to do according to the word of the Lord by
Moses."
7: Then Josi'ah contributed to the lay people, as passover
offerings for all that were present, lambs and kids from the flock to
the number of thirty thousand, and three thousand bulls; these were from
the king's possessions.
8: And his princes contributed willingly to the people, to the
priests, and to the Levites. Hilki'ah, Zechari'ah, and Jehi'el, the
chief officers of the house of God, gave to the priests for the passover
offerings two thousand six hundred lambs and kids and three hundred
bulls.
9: Conani'ah also, and Shemai'ah and Nethan'el his brothers, and
Hashabi'ah and Je-i'el and Jo'zabad, the chiefs of the Levites, gave to
the Levites for the passover offerings five thousand lambs and kids and
five hundred bulls.
10: When the service had been prepared for, the priests stood in
their place, and the Levites in their divisions according to the king's
command.
11: And they killed the passover lamb, and the priests sprinkled
the blood which they received from them while the Levites flayed the
victims.
12: And they set aside the burnt offerings that they might
distribute them according to the groupings of the fathers' houses of the
lay people, to offer to the Lord, 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
ordinance; and they boiled the holy offerings in pots, in caldrons, and
in pans, and carried them quickly to all the lay people.
14: And afterward they prepared for themselves and for the
priests, because the priests the sons of Aaron were busied in offering
the burnt offerings and the fat parts until night; so the Levites
prepared for themselves and for the priests the sons of Aaron.
15: The singers, the sons of Asaph, were in their place according
to the command of David, and Asaph, and Heman, and Jedu'thun the king's
seer; and the gatekeepers were at each gate; they did not need to depart
from their service, for their brethren the Levites prepared for them.
16: So all the service of the Lord was prepared that day, to keep
the passover and to offer burnt offerings on the altar of the Lord,
according to the command of King Josi'ah.
17: And the people of Israel who were present kept the passover
at that time, and the feast of unleavened bread seven days.
18: No passover like it had been kept in Israel since the days of
Samuel the prophet; none of the kings of Israel had kept such a passover
as was kept by Josi'ah, and the priests and the Levites, and all Judah
and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
19: In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josi'ah this passover
was kept.
20: After all this, when Josi'ah had prepared the temple, Neco
king of Egypt went up to fight at Car'chemish on the Euphra'tes and
Josi'ah went out against him.
21: But he sent envoys to him, saying, "What have we to do
with each other, 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. Cease opposing God, who is with me, lest he destroy
you."
22: Nevertheless Josi'ah would not turn away from him, but
disguised himself in order to fight with him. He did not listen to the
words of Neco from the mouth of God, but joined battle in the plain of
Megid'do.
23: And the archers shot King Josi'ah; 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 fathers. All Judah and Jerusalem mourned for
Josi'ah.
25: Jeremiah also uttered a lament for Josi'ah; and all the
singing men and singing women have spoken of Josi'ah in their laments to
this day. They made these an ordinance in Israel; behold, they are
written in the Laments.
26: Now the rest of the acts of Josi'ah, and his good deeds
according to what is written in the law of the Lord,
27: and his acts, first and last, behold, they are written in the
Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah.
2 Chronicles,
chapter 36
1: The people of the land took Jeho'ahaz the son of Josi'ah and
made him king in his father's stead in Jerusalem.
2: Jeho'ahaz 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 upon
the land a tribute of a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold.
4: And the king of Egypt made Eli'akim his brother king over
Judah and Jerusalem, and changed his name to Jehoi'akim; but Neco took
Jeho'ahaz his brother and carried him to Egypt.
5: Jehoi'akim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign,
and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. He did what was evil in the
sight of the Lord his God.
6: Against him came up Nebuchadnez'zar king of Babylon, and bound
him in fetters to take him to Babylon.
7: Nebuchadnez'zar also carried part of the vessels of the house
of the Lord to Babylon and put them in his palace in Babylon.
8: Now the rest of the acts of Jehoi'akim, and the abominations
which he did, and what was found against him, behold, they are written
in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah; and Jehoi'achin his son
reigned in his stead.
9: Jehoi'achin was eight years old when he began to reign, and he
reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem. He did what was evil in
the sight of the Lord.
10: In the spring of the year King Nebuchadnez'zar sent and
brought him to Babylon, with the precious vessels of the house of the
Lord, and made his brother Zedeki'ah king over Judah and Jerusalem.
11: Zedeki'ah was twenty-one years old when he began to reign,
and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem.
12: He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord his God. He did
not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke from the mouth
of the Lord.
13: He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnez'zar, who had made
him swear by God; he stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against
turning to the Lord, the God of Israel.
14: All the leading priests and the people likewise were
exceedingly unfaithful, following all the abominations of the nations;
and they polluted the house of the Lord which he had hallowed in
Jerusalem.
15: The Lord, the God of their fathers, sent persistently to them
by his messengers, because he had compassion on his people and on his
dwelling place;
16: but they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his
words, and scoffing at his prophets, till the wrath of the Lord rose
against his people, till there was no remedy.
17: Therefore he brought up against them the king of the
Chalde'ans, who slew 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 vessels of the house of God, great and small, and
the treasures of the house of the Lord, 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
precious vessels.
20: He took into exile in Babylon those who had escaped from the
sword, and they became servants to him and to his sons until the
establishment of the kingdom of Persia,
21: to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah,
until the land had enjoyed its sabbaths. All the days that it lay
desolate it kept sabbath, to fulfill seventy years.
22: Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word
of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the Lord
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, `The Lord, the God of
heaven, 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 the Lord his God be with him. Let him
go up.'"
|