AB - II Chronicles

Chapter 1

1:1  And Solomon the son of David was established over his kingdom, and the Lord his God was with him, and increased him exceedingly.

1:2  And Solomon spoke to all Israel, to the captains of thousands, and to the captains of hundreds, and to the judges, and to all the rulers over Israel, even the heads of the families;

1:3  and Solomon and all the congregation went to the high place that was in Gibeon, where God's tabernacle of witness was, which Moses the servant of the Lord made in the wilderness.

1:4  But David had brought up the ark of God out of the city of Kirjath Jearim; for David had prepared a place for it, for he had pitched a tabernacle for it in Jerusalem.

1:5  And the bronze altar which Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur had made, was there before the tabernacle of the Lord. And Solomon and the congregation inquired of the Lord there.

1:6  And Solomon brought sacrifices there to the bronze altar that was before the Lord in the tabernacle, and offered upon it a thousand whole burnt offerings.

1:7  In that night God appeared to Solomon, and said to him, Ask what I shall give you.

1:8  And Solomon said to God, You have dealt very mercifully with my father David, and have made me king in his place.

1:9  And now, O Lord God, let Your name be established upon David my father; for You have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth.

1:10  Now give me wisdom and understanding, I pray, that I may go out and come in before this people: for who shall judge this, Your great people?

1:11  And God said to Solomon, Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked for great wealth, nor glory, nor the life of your enemies, and you have not asked for long life; but have asked for yourself wisdom and understanding, that you might judge My people, over whom I have made you king;

1:12  I give you this wisdom and understanding; and I will give you wealth, and riches, and glory, so that there shall not have been any like you among the kings before you, neither shall there be such after you.

1:13  And Solomon came from the high place that was in Gibeon to Jerusalem, from before the tabernacle of witness, and reigned over Israel.

1:14  And Solomon collected chariots and horsemen; and he had fourteen hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen; and he set them in the cities of chariots, and the people were with the king in Jerusalem.

1:15  And the king made silver and gold in Jerusalem to be as stones, and cedars in Judea as sycamores in the plain for multitude.

1:16  And Solomon imported horses from Egypt, and the charge of the king's merchants for going was as follows, and they traded,

1:17  and went and brought out of Egypt a chariot for six hundred pieces of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty pieces of silver. And so they brought for all the kings of the Hittites, and for the kings of Syria, by their means.

Chapter 2

2:1  And Solomon said that he would build a house to the name of the Lord, and a house for his kingdom.

2:2  And Solomon gathered seventy thousand men that bore burdens, and eighty thousand hewers of stone in the mountain, and there were three thousand six hundred superintendents over them.

2:3  And Solomon sent to Hiram king of Tyre, saying, Whereas you dealt favorably with David my father, and sent him cedars to build for himself a house to dwell in,

2:4  behold, I also his son am building a house to the name of the Lord my God, to consecrate it to Him, to burn incense before Him, and to offer showbread continually, and to offer up whole burnt offerings continually morning and evening, and on the Sabbaths, and at the new moons, and at the feasts of the Lord our God: this is a perpetual statute for Israel.

2:5  And the house which I am building is to be great: for the Lord our God is great beyond all gods.

2:6  And who will be able to build Him a house? For the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain His glory. And who am I, that I should build Him a house, except only to burn incense before Him?

2:7  And now send me a man wise and skilled to work in gold, and in silver, and in bronze, and in iron, and in purple, and in scarlet, and in blue, and one that knows how to grave together with the craftsmen who are with me in Judah and in Jerusalem, which materials my father David prepared.

2:8  And send me from Lebanon cedar wood, and wood of juniper, and pine; for I know that your servants are skilled in cutting timber in Lebanon: and behold, your servants shall go with my servants,

2:9  to prepare timber for me in abundance; for the house which I am building must be great and glorious.

2:10  And behold, I have given freely to your servants that work and cut the wood, grain for food, even twenty thousand measures of wheat, and twenty thousand measures of barley, and twenty thousand measures of wine, and twenty thousand measures of oil.

2:11  And Hiram king of Tyre answered in writing, and sent to Solomon, saying, Because the Lord loved His people, He made you king over them.

2:12  And Hiram said, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who made heaven and earth, who has given to King David a wise son, and one endowed with knowledge and understanding, who shall build a house for the Lord, and a house for his kingdom.

2:13  And now I have sent you a wise and understanding man who belonged to Hiram my father,

2:14  (his mother was of the daughters of Dan, and his father was a Tyrian), skilled to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in iron, and in stones and wood; and to weave with purple, and blue, and fine linen, and scarlet; and to engrave, and to understand every device, whatsoever you shalt give him to do with your craftsmen, and the craftsmen of my lord David your father.

2:15  And now, the wheat and the barley and the oil and the wine, which my lord mentioned, let him send to his servants.

2:16  And we will cut timber out of Lebanon according to all your needs, and we will bring it on rafts to the Sea of Joppa, and you shall bring it to Jerusalem.

2:17  And Solomon gathered all the foreigners that were in the land of Israel, after the numbering with which David his father numbered them; and there were found a hundred and fifty-three thousand six hundred.

2:18  And he made of them seventy thousand burden-bearers, and eighty thousand hewers of stone, and three thousand six hundred taskmasters over the people.

Chapter 3

3:1  And Solomon began to build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord appeared to his father David, in the place which David had prepared in the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

3:2  And he began to build in the second month, in the fourth year of his reign.

3:3  And thus Solomon began to build the house of God: the length in cubits-even the first measurement from end to end, was sixty cubits, and the breadth twenty cubits.

3:4  And the porch in front of the house, its length in front of the breadth of the house was twenty cubits, and its height a hundred and twenty cubits: and he gilded it within with pure gold.

3:5  And he lined the great house with cedar wood, and gilded it with pure gold, and carved upon it palm trees and chains.

3:6  And he garnished the house with precious stones for beauty; and he gilded it with gold of the gold from Parvaim.

3:7  And he gilded the house, and its inner walls, and the doorposts, and the roofs, and the doors with gold; and he carved cherubim on the walls.

3:8  And he built the Holy of Holies, its length was according to the front of the other house, the breadth of the house was twenty cubits, and the length twenty cubits; and he gilded it with pure gold for cherubim, to the amount of six hundred talents.

3:9  And the weight of the nails, even the weight of each was fifty shekels of gold; and he gilded the upper chamber with gold.

3:10  And he made two cherubim in the Most Holy Place, woodwork, and he gilded them with gold.

3:11  And the wings of the cherubim were twenty cubits in length; and one wing of five cubits touched the wall of the house. And the other wing of five cubits touched the wing of the other cherub.

3:13  And the wings of these cherubim expanded were of the length of twenty cubits; and they stood upon their feet, and their faces were toward the house.

3:14  And he made the veil of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and wove cherubim in it.

3:15  Also he made in front of the house two pillars, in height thirty-five cubits, and their chapters of five cubits.

3:16  And he made chains, as in the oracle, and put them on the heads of the pillars; and he made a hundred pomegranates, and put them on the chains.

3:17  And he set up the pillars in front of the temple, one on the right hand and the other on the left. And he called the name of the one on the right hand 'Stability,' and the name of the one on the left 'Strength.'

Chapter 4

4:1  And he made a bronze altar, the length of it twenty cubits, and the breadth twenty cubits, and the height ten cubits.

4:2  And he made the molten sea, in diameter ten cubits, entirely round, and the height of it five cubits, and the circumference thirty cubits.

4:3  And beneath it the likeness of calves, they compassed it round about: ten cubits compass the laver round about, they cast the calves two rows in their casting,

4:4  wherein they made them twelve calves-three looking northwards, three westwards, three southwards, and three eastwards; and the sea was upon them above, and their hind parts were inward.

4:5  And its thickness was a handbreadth, and its brim as the brim of a cup, graven with flowers of lilies, holding three thousand measures; and he finished it.

4:6  And he made ten lavers, and set five on the right hand, and five on the left, to wash in them the instruments of the whole burnt offerings, and to rinse the vessels in them; and the sea was for the priests to wash in.

4:7  And he made the ten golden lampstands according to their pattern, and he put them in the temple, five on the right hand, and five on the left.

4:8  And he made ten tables, and put them in the temple, five on the right hand, and five on the left. And he made a hundred golden bowls.

4:9  Also he made the priests' court, and the great court, and doors to the court, and their panels were overlaid with bronze.

4:10  And he set the sea at the corner of the house on the right, as it were, facing the east.

4:11  And Huram made the fleshhooks and the firepans, and the grate of the altar, and all its instruments. And Hiram finished doing all the work which he wrought for King Solomon in the house of God:

4:12  two pillars, and upon them an embossed work for the chapiters on the heads of the two pillars, and two nets to cover the heads of the chapiters which are on the heads of the pillars;

4:13  and four hundred golden bells for the two nets, and two rows of pomegranates in each net, to cover the two embossed rims of the chapiters which are upon the pillars.

4:14  And he made the ten bases, and he made the lavers upon the bases;

4:15  and the one sea, and the twelve calves under it;

4:16  and the foot-baths, and the buckets, and the caldrons, and the fleshhooks, and all their furniture (which Hiram made, and brought to King Solomon in the house of the Lord) of pure bronze.

4:17  In the country round about the Jordan the king cast them, in the clay ground in the house of Succoth, and between that and Zeredah.

4:18  So Solomon made all these vessels in great abundance, for the quantity of bronze failed not.

4:19  And Solomon made all the vessels of the house of the Lord, and the golden altar, and the tables, and upon them were to be the loaves of showbread;

4:20  also the lampstands, and the lamps to give light according to the pattern, and in front of the oracle, of pure gold.

4:21  And their snuffers, and their lamps were made, and he made the bowls, and the censers, and the fire-pans, of pure gold.

4:22  And there was the inner door of the house opening into the Holy of Holies, and he made the inner doors of the temple of gold. So all the work which Solomon wrought for the house of the Lord was finished.

Chapter 5

5:1  And Solomon brought in the holy things of his father David, the silver, the gold, and the other vessels, and put them in the treasury of the house of the Lord.

5:2  Then Solomon assembled all the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, even the leaders of the families of the children of Israel, to Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the city of David (this is Zion).

5:3  And all Israel was assembled unto the king in the feast, this is the seventh month.

5:4  And all the elders of Israel came; and all the Levites took up the ark,

5:5  and the tabernacle of witness, and all the holy vessels that were in the tabernacle; and the priests and the Levites brought it up.

5:6  And King Solomon, and all the elders of Israel, and the religious of them, and they of them that were gathered before the ark, were sacrificing calves and sheep, which could not be numbered or reckoned for multitude.

5:7  And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the Lord into its place, into the oracle of the house, even into the Holy of Holies, under the wings of the cherubim.

5:8  And the cherubim stretched out their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim covered the ark, and its poles above.

5:9  And the poles projected, and the heads of the poles were seen from the holy place in front of the oracle, they were not seen outside. And they are there to this day.

5:10  There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets which Moses placed there in Horeb, which God gave in covenant with the children of Israel, when they went out of the land of Egypt.

5:11  And it came to pass, when the priests came out of the holy place (for all the priests that were found were sanctified, they were not then arranged according to their daily course),

5:12  that all the singing Levites assigned to the sons of Asaph, to Heman, to Jeduthun, and to his sons, and to his brethren, of them that were clothed in linen garments, with cymbals and lutes and harps, were standing before the altar, and with them a hundred and twenty priests, blowing trumpets.

5:13  And there was one voice in the trumpeting and in the psalm singing, and in the loud utterance with one voice to give thanks and praise the Lord. And when they raised their voice together with trumpets and cymbals, and instruments of music, and said, Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endures forever. Then the house was filled with the cloud of the glory of the Lord.

5:14  And the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.

Chapter 6

6:1  Then Solomon said, The Lord said that He would dwell in thick darkness.

6:2  But I have built a house to Your name, holy to You, and prepared for You to dwell in forever.

6:3  And the king turned his face, and blessed all the congregation of Israel. And all the congregation of Israel stood by.

6:4  And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; He has even fulfilled with His hands as He spoke with His mouth to my father David, saying,

6:5  From the day when I brought up My people out of the land of Egypt, I chose no city of all the tribes of Israel, to build a house that My name should be there; neither did I choose a man to be a leader over My people Israel.

6:6  But I have chosen Jerusalem that My name should be there; and I have chosen David to be over My people Israel.

6:7  And it came into the heart of David my father, to build a house for the name of the Lord God of Israel.

6:8  But the Lord said to my father David, Whereas it came into your heart to build a house for My name, you did well that it came into your heart.

6:9  Nevertheless you shall not build the house; for your son who shall come forth out of your loins, he shall build the house for My name.

6:10  And the Lord has confirmed this word, which He spoke; and I have been raised up in the place of my father David, and I sit upon the throne of Israel as the Lord said, and I have built the house for the name of the Lord God of Israel;

6:11  and I have set there the ark in which is the covenant of the Lord, which He made with Israel.

6:12  And he stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread out his hands.

6:13  For Solomon had made a bronze scaffold, and set it in the midst of the court of the sanctuary; the length of it was five cubits, and the breadth of it five cubits, and the height of it three cubits. And he stood upon it, and fell upon his knees before the whole congregation of Israel, and spread abroad his hands toward heaven,

6:14  and said, Lord God of Israel, there is no God like You in heaven, or on the earth; keeping covenant and mercy with Your servants that walk before You with their whole heart.

6:15  Even as You have kept them with Your servant David my father, as You have spoken to him in words- you have both spoken with Your mouth, and have fulfilled it with Your hands, as it is this day.

6:16  And now, Lord God of Israel, keep with Your servant David my father the things which You have spoken to him, saying, There shall not fail you a man before Me sitting on the throne of Israel, if only your sons will take heed to their way to walk in My law, as you have walked before Me.

6:17  And now, Lord God of Israel, let Your word be confirmed, I pray, which You have spoken to Your servant David.

6:18  For will God indeed dwell with men upon the earth? If the heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You, what then is this house which I have built?

6:19  Yet You shall have respect to the prayer of Your servant, and to my petition, O Lord God, so as to hearken to the petition and the prayer which Your servant prays before You this day;

6:20  so that Your eyes should be open over this house by day and by night, towards this place, whereon You said that Your name should be called, so as to hear the prayer which Your servant prays towards this house.

6:21  And You shall hear the supplication of Your servant, and of Your people Israel, whatsoever prayers they shall make towards this place, and You shall hearken in Your dwelling place out of heaven; yea, You shall hear, and be merciful.

6:22  If a man sin against his neighbor, and he bring an oath upon him so as to make him swear, and he should come and swear before the altar in this house;

6:23  then shall You hearken out of heaven, and do, and judge Your servants, to recompense the transgressor, and to return his ways upon his head, and to justify the righteous, to recompense him according to his righteousness.

6:24  And if Your people Israel should be put to the worse before the enemy, if they should sin against You, and then turn and confess to Your name, and pray and make supplication before You in this house;

6:25  then shall You hearken out of heaven and shall be merciful to the sins of Your people Israel, and You shall restore them to the land which You gave to them and to their fathers.

6:26  When heaven is restrained, and there is no rain, because they shall have sinned against You, and when they shall pray towards this place, and praise Your name, and shall turn from their sins, because You shall afflict them;

6:27  then shall You hearken from heaven, and You shall be merciful to the sins of Your servants, and of Your people Israel; for You shall show them the good way in which they shall walk; and You shall send rain upon Your land, which You gave to Your people for an inheritance.

6:28  If there should be famine upon the land, if there should be death, a pestilent wind and blight; if there should be locusts and caterpillars, and if the enemy should harass them before their cities; in whatever plague and whatever distress they may be;

6:29  then whatever prayer and whatever supplication shall be made by any man and all Your people Israel, if a man should know his own plague and his own sickness, and should spread forth his hands toward this house;

6:30  then shall You hear from heaven, out of Your prepared dwelling place, and shall be merciful, and shall recompense to the man according to his ways, as You shall know his heart; for You alone know the heart of the children of men;

6:31  that they may reverence all Your ways all the days which they live upon the face of the land, which You gave to our fathers.

6:32  And every stranger who is not himself of Your people Israel, and who shall come from a distant land because of Your great name, and Your mighty hand, and Your outstretched arm; when they shall come and worship toward this place-

6:33  then shall You hearken out of heaven, out of Your prepared dwelling place, and shall do according to all that the stranger shall call upon You for; that all the nations of the earth may know Your name, and that they may fear You, as Your people Israel do, and that they may know that Your name is called upon this house which I have built.

6:34  And if Your people shall go forth to war against their enemies by the way by which You shall send them, and shall pray to You toward this city which You have chosen, and toward the house which I have built to Your name;

6:35  then shall You hear out of heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause.

6:36  Whereas if they shall sin against You, (for there is no man who will not sin) and You shall smite them, and deliver them up before their enemies, and they that take them captive shall carry them away into a land of enemies, to a land far off or near;

6:37  and if they shall repent in their land where they were carried captive, and shall also turn and make supplication to You in their captivity, saying, We have sinned, we have transgressed, we have wrought unrighteously;

6:38  and if they shall turn to You with all their heart and all their soul in the land of them that carried them away captive, and shall pray toward their land which You gave to their fathers, and the city which You have chosen, and the house which I built to Your name-

6:39  then shall You hear out of heaven, out of Your prepared dwelling place, their prayer and their supplication, and You shall execute justice, and shall be merciful to Your people that sinned against You.

6:40  And now, O Lord, I pray, let Your eyes be opened, and Your ears be attentive to the petition made in this place.

6:41  And now, O Lord God, arise into Your resting place, You, and the ark of Your strength; let Your priests, O Lord God, clothe themselves with salvation, and Your sons rejoice in prosperity.

6:42  O Lord God, turn not away the face of Your anointed: remember the mercies of Your servant David.

Chapter 7

7:1  And when Solomon had finished praying, then the fire came down from heaven, and devoured the whole burnt offerings and the sacrifices; and the glory of the Lord filled the house.

7:2  And the priests could not enter into the house of the Lord at that time, for the glory of the Lord filled the house.

7:3  And all the children of Israel saw the fire descending, and the glory of the Lord was upon the house; and they fell upon their face to the ground on the pavement, and worshipped, and praised the Lord; for it is good to do so, because His mercy endures forever.

7:4  And the king and all the people were offering sacrifices before the Lord.

7:5  And King Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand calves, and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the people dedicated the house of God.

7:6  And the priests were standing at their watches, and the Levites with instruments of music of the Lord, belonging to King David, to give thanks before the Lord, for His mercy endures forever, with the hymns of David, by their ministry: and the priests were blowing the trumpets before them, and all Israel was standing.

7:7  And Solomon consecrated the middle of the court that was in the house of the Lord; for he offered there the whole burnt offerings and the fat of the peace offerings, for the bronze altar which Solomon had made was not sufficient to receive the whole burnt offerings, and the meat offerings, and the fat.

7:8  And Solomon kept the feast at that time for seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great assembly, from the entering in of Hamath, and as far as the river of Egypt.

7:9  And on the eighth day he kept a solemn assembly; for he kept a feast of seven days as the dedication of the altar.

7:10  And on the twenty-third day of the seventh month he dismissed the people to their tents, rejoicing, and with a glad heart, because of the good deeds which the Lord had done to David, and to Solomon, and to Israel His people.

7:11  So Solomon finished the house of the Lord, and the king's house. And in whatever Solomon wished in his heart to do in the house of the Lord and in his own house, he prospered.

7:12  And the Lord appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him, I have heard your prayer, and I have chosen this place to Myself for a house of sacrifice.

7:13  If I should restrain the heaven and there should be no rain, and if I should command the locust to devour the trees, and if I should send pestilence upon My people;

7:14  then if My people, on whom My name is called, should repent, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their evil ways, I also will hear from heaven, and I will be merciful to their sins, and I will heal their land.

7:15  And now My eyes shall be open, and My ears attentive to the prayer of this place.

7:16  And now I have chosen and sanctified this house, that My name should be there forever; and My eyes and My heart shall be there always.

7:17  And if you will walk before Me as David your father did, and will do according to all that I have commanded you, and will keep My ordinances and My judgments;

7:18  then will I establish the throne of your kingdom, as I covenanted with David your father, saying, There shall not fail you a man ruling in Israel.

7:19  But if you should turn away, and forsake My ordinances and My commandments, which I have set before you, and go and serve other gods, and worship them;

7:20  then will I remove them from the land which I gave them; and this house which I have consecrated to My name I will remove out of My sight, and I will make it a proverb and a byword among all nations.

7:21  And as for this lofty house, everyone that passes by it shall be amazed, and shall say, Why has the Lord done thus to this land, and to this house?

7:22  And men shall say, Because they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and they attached themselves to other gods, and worshipped them, and served them; and therefore He has brought upon them all this evil.

Chapter 8

8:1  And it came to pass after twenty years, in which Solomon built the house of the Lord, and his own house,

8:2  that Solomon rebuilt the cities which Hiram had given to Solomon, and caused the children of Israel to dwell in them.

8:3  And Solomon came to Hamath Zobah, and fortified it.

8:4  And he built Tadmor in the wilderness, and all the strong cities which he built in Hamath.

8:5  And he built Beth Horon the Upper, and Beth Horon the Lower, strong cities-they had walls, gates, and bars;

8:6  and Baalath, and all the strong cities which Solomon had, and all his chariot cities, and cities of horsemen, and all things that Solomon desired according to his desire of building, in Jerusalem, and in Lebanon, and in all his kingdom.

8:7  As for all the people that were left of the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, who were not of Israel,

8:8  but were of the children of them whom the children of Israel destroyed not, that were left after them in the land, even them did Solomon make tributaries to this day.

8:9  But Solomon did not make any of the children of Israel servants in his kingdom; for behold, they were warriors and rulers, and mighty men, and captains of chariots and horsemen.

8:10  And these are the chiefs of the officers of King Solomon, two hundred and fifty overseeing the work among the people.

8:11  And Solomon brought up the daughter of Pharaoh from the City of David to the house which he had built for her; for he said, My wife shall not dwell in the City of David, the king of Israel, for the place is holy into which the ark of the Lord has entered.

8:12  Then Solomon offered up to the Lord whole burnt offerings on the altar which he had built to the Lord before the temple,

8:13  according to the daily rate, to offer up sacrifices according to the commandments of Moses, on the Sabbaths, and at the new moons, and at the feasts, three times in the year, at the feast of unleavened bread, and at the feast of weeks, and at the feast of tabernacles.

8:14  And he established, according to the order of his father David, the courses of the priests, and that according to their public ministrations. And the Levites were appointed over their charges, to praise and minister before the priests according to the daily order. And the porters were appointed according to their courses to the different gates; for thus were the commandments of David the man of God.

8:15  They transgressed not the commandments of the king concerning the priests and the Levites with regard to everything else, and with regard to the treasures.

8:16  Now all the work had been prepared from the day when the foundation was laid, until Solomon finished the house of the Lord.

8:17  Then Solomon went to Ezion Geber, and to Elath near the sea in the land of Edom.

8:18  And Hiram sent ships by the hand of his servants, and servants skilled in naval affairs; and they went with the servants of Solomon to Ophir, and brought from there four hundred and fifty talents of gold, and they came to King Solomon.

Chapter 9

9:1  Now the queen of Sheba heard of the name of Solomon, and she came to Jerusalem with a very large entourage, to test Solomon with hard questions, and she had camels bearing spices in abundance, and gold, and precious stones. And she came to Solomon, and told him all that was in her mind.

9:2  And Solomon answered all her questions; and there passed not a word from Solomon which he told her not.

9:3  And the queen of Sheba saw the wisdom of Solomon, and the house which he had built,

9:4  and the food on his tables, and the sitting of his servants, and the standing of his ministers, and their garments; and his cupbearers, and their apparel; and the whole burnt offerings which he offered up in the house of the Lord; and she marveled.

9:5  And she said to the king, It was a true report which I heard in my land concerning your words, and concerning your wisdom.

9:6  Yet I believed not the reports until I came, and my eyes saw; and behold, the half of the abundance of your wisdom was not told me! You have exceeded the report which I heard.

9:7  Blessed are your men, blessed are these your servants, who stand before you continually, and hear your wisdom.

9:8  Blessed be the Lord your God, who took pleasure in you, to set you upon His throne for a king, to the Lord your God; forasmuch as the Lord your God loved Israel to establish them forever, therefore He has set you over them for a king, to execute judgment and justice.

9:9  And she gave the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold, and spices in very great abundance, and precious stones; and there were not any where else such spices as those which the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon.

9:10  And the servants of Solomon and the servants of Hiram brought gold to Solomon out of Ophir, and pine timber, and precious stones.

9:11  And the king made of the pine timber steps to the house of the Lord, and to the king's house, and harps and lutes for the singers; and such were not seen before in the land of Judah.

9:12  And King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all that she requested, even much more than she brought to King Solomon. And she returned to her own land.

9:13  And the weight of the gold that was brought to Solomon in one year was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold,

9:14  besides what the men who were regularly appointed and the merchants brought, and all the kings of Arabia and princes of the land: all brought gold and silver to King Solomon.

9:15  And King Solomon made two hundred shields of hammered gold; there were six hundred shekels of pure gold to one shield.

9:16  And three hundred buckles of hammered gold; the weight of three hundred gold shekels went to one buckler. And the king placed them in the house of the Forest of Lebanon.

9:17  And the king made a great throne of ivory, and he gilded it with pure gold.

9:18  And there were six steps to the throne, riveted with gold, and elbows on either side of the seat of the throne, and two lions standing by the elbows;

9:19  and twelve lions standing there on the six steps on each side. There was not the like in any other kingdom.

9:20  And all King Solomon's vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the Forest of Lebanon were covered with gold: silver was not regarded as anything in the days of Solomon.

9:21  For a ship went for the king to Tarshish with the servants of Hiram. Once every three years vessels came from Tarshish to the king, laden with gold, silver, ivory, and apes.

9:22  And Solomon exceeded all other kings both in riches and wisdom.

9:23  And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart.

9:24  And everyone brought their gifts-silver vessels and golden vessels, clothing, myrrh, spices, horses and mules, a set rate every year.

9:25  And Solomon had four thousand mares for chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen; and he put them in the chariot cities, and with the king in Jerusalem.

9:26  And he ruled over all the kings from the river, even to the land of the Philistines, and to the borders of Egypt.

9:27  And the king made gold and silver in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars as the sycamore trees in the plain for abundance.

9:28  And Solomon imported horses from Egypt, and from every other country.

9:29  And the rest of the acts of Solomon, the first and the last, behold, these are written in the words of Nathan the prophet, and in the words of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Joel the seer concerning Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

9:30  And Solomon reigned over all Israel forty years.

9:31  And Solomon fell asleep, and they buried him in the City of David his father. And Rehoboam his son reigned in his place.

Chapter 10

10:1  And Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel went to Shechem to make him king.

10:2  And it came to pass when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard it, (now he was in Egypt, for he had fled there from the face of King Solomon, and Jeroboam dwelt in Egypt) that Jeroboam returned out of Egypt.

10:3  And they sent and called him. And Jeroboam and all the congregation came to Rehoboam, saying,

10:4  Your father made our yoke grievous. Now then, abate somewhat of your father's grievous rule, and of his heavy yoke which he put upon us, and we will serve you.

10:5  And he said to them, Go away for three days, and then come to me. So the people departed.

10:6  And King Rehoboam assembled the elders that stood before his father Solomon in his lifetime, saying, How do you counsel me to return an answer to this people?

10:7  And they spoke to him, saying, If you would this day befriend this people, and be kind to them, and speak to them good words, then will they be your servants forever.

10:8  But he forsook the advice of the old men, who took counsel with him, and he took counsel with the young men who had been brought up with him, who stood before him.

10:9  And he said to them, What do you advise that I should answer this people, who spoke to me, saying, Ease somewhat of the yoke which your father laid upon us?

10:10  And the young men that had been brought up with him spoke to him, saying, Thus shall you speak to the people that spoke to you, saying, Your father made our yoke heavy, therefore lighten some of it for us; thus shall you say: My little finger shall be thicker than my father's loins.

10:11  And whereas my father chastised you with a heavy yoke, I will also add to your yoke. My father chastised you with whips, and I will chastise you with scorpions.

10:12  And Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king had spoken, saying, Return to me on the third day.

10:13  And the king answered harshly. And King Rehoboam forsook the counsel of the old men,

10:14  and 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.

10:15  And the king hearkened not to the people, for there was a change of their minds from God, saying, The Lord has confirmed His word, which he spoke by the hand of Ahijah the Shilonite concerning Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and concerning all Israel;

10:16  for the king did not hearken to them. And the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David, or what inheritance have we in the son of Jesse? To your tents, O Israel! See now to your own house, O David! So all Israel went to their tents.

10:17  But the men of Israel, even those who dwelt in the cities of Judah, remained and made Rehoboam king over them.

10:18  And King Rehoboam sent Hadoram to them, who was over the tribute. And the children of Israel stoned him with stones, and he died. And King Rehoboam hastened to mount his chariot, and to flee to Jerusalem.

10:19  So Israel rebelled against the house of David until this day.

Chapter 11

11:1  And Rehoboam came to Jerusalem. And he assembled Judah and Benjamin, a hundred and eighty thousand young men fit for war, and he waged war with Israel to recover the kingdom to Rehoboam.

11:2  Then the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying,

11:3  Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, and to all Judah and Benjamin, saying,

11:4  Thus says the Lord: You shall not go up, and you shall not war against your brethren: return, everyone to his house; for this thing is from Me. And they hearkened to the word of the Lord, and returned from going against Jeroboam.

11:5  And Rehoboam dwelt in Jerusalem, and he built walled cities in Judea.

11:6  And he built Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa,

11:7  Beth Zur, Sochoh, Adullam,

11:8  Gath, Mareshah, Ziph,

11:9  Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah,

11:10  Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron, which belong to Judah and Benjamin, walled cities.

11:11  And he fortified them with walls, and placed in them captains, and stores of provisions, oil and wine,

11:12  shields and spears in every city, and he fortified them very strongly, and he had Judah and Benjamin on his side .

11:13  And the priests and the Levites who were in all Israel were gathered to him out of all the coasts.

11:14  For the Levites left the tents of their possession, and went to Judah to Jerusalem, because Jeroboam and his sons had rejected them so that they should not minister to the Lord.

11:15  And he made for himself priests of the high places, and for the idols, and for the vanities, and for the calves which Jeroboam made.

11:16  And he cast out from the tribes of Israel those who set their heart to seek the Lord God of Israel. And they came to Jerusalem, to sacrifice to the Lord God of their fathers.

11:17  And they strengthened the kingdom of Judah; and Judah strengthened Rehoboam the son of Solomon for three years, for he walked three years in the ways of David and Solomon.

11:18  And Rehoboam took to himself for a wife, Mahalath daughter of Jerimoth the son of David, and Abihail daughter of Eliah the son of Jesse.

11:19  And she bore him sons: Jeush, Shamariah, and Zaham.

11:20  And afterwards he took to himself Maachah, granddaughter of Absalom; and she bore him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith.

11:21  And Rehoboam loved Maachah the daughter of Absalom more than all his wives and all his concubines; for he had eighteen wives and sixty concubines. And he begot twenty-eight sons, and sixty daughters.

11:22  And he made Abijah the son of Maachah chief, even a leader among his brethren, for he intended to make him king.

11:23  And he was exalted beyond all his other sons in all the coasts of Judah and Benjamin, and in the strong cities; and he gave them provisions in great abundance; and he desired many wives.

Chapter 12

12:1  And it came to pass when the kingdom of Rehoboam was established, and when he had grown strong, that he forsook the commandments of the Lord, and all Israel with him.

12:2  And it came to pass in the fifth year of the reign of Rehoboam, that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, because they had sinned against the Lord,

12:3  with twelve hundred chariots, and sixty thousand horses. And there was no number of the multitude that came with him from Egypt: Libyans, the Sukkiim, and the Ethiopians.

12:4  And they obtained possession of the strong cities, which were in Judah, and came to Jerusalem.

12:5  And Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam, and to the princes of Judah that were gathered to Jerusalem for fear of Shishak, and said to them, Thus says the Lord: You have left Me, and I will leave you in the hand of Shishak.

12:6  And the elders of Israel and the king were ashamed, and said, The Lord is righteous.

12:7  And when the Lord saw that they repented, then the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah, saying, They have repented; I will not destroy them, but I will set them in safety for a little while, and My wrath shall not be poured out on Jerusalem.

12:8  Nevertheless they shall be servants, and know My service, and the service of the kings of the earth.

12:9  So Shishak king of Egypt went up against Jerusalem, and took the treasures that were in the house of the Lord, and the treasures that were in the king's house: he took all, and he took the golden shields which Solomon had made.

12:10  And King Rehoboam made bronze shields in their place. And Shishak set over him captains of footmen, as keepers of the gate of the king.

12:11  And it came to pass, when the king went into the house of the Lord, the guards and the footmen went in, and those that returned to meet the footmen.

12:12  And when he repented, the anger of the Lord turned from him, and did not destroy him utterly; for there were good things in Judah.

12:13  So King Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem, and reigned. And Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, in the city which the Lord chose out of all the tribes of the children of Israel, to call His name there; and his mother's name was Naamah the Ammonitess.

12:14  And he did evil, for he did not set his heart on seeking the Lord.

12:15  And the acts of Rehoboam, the first and the last, behold, are they not written in the book of Shemaiah the prophet, and Iddo the seer, with his achievements?

12:16  And Rehoboam made war with Jeroboam all his days. And Rehoboam died with his fathers, and was buried in the City of David; and Abijah his son reigned in his place.

Chapter 13

13:1  In the eighteenth year of the reign of Jeroboam, Abijah began to reign over Judah.

13:2  He reigned three years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Maachah, daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. And there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.

13:3  And Abijah set the battle in array with an army, with mighty men of war, even four hundred thousand mighty men. And Jeroboam set the battle in array against him with eight hundred thousand, they were mighty warriors of the army.

13:4  And Abijah rose up from Mount Zemaraim, which is in Mount Ephraim, and said, Hear me, Jeroboam and all Israel:

13:5  Is it not for you to know that the Lord God of Israel has given a king over Israel forever to David, and to his sons, by a covenant of salt?

13:6  But Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon the son of David, has risen up, and has revolted from his master.

13:7  And there are gathered to him pestilent men, transgressors, and he has risen up against Rehoboam the son of Solomon, while Rehoboam was young and fearful in heart, and he withstood him not.

13:8  And now you profess to resist the kingdom of the Lord in the hand of the sons of David, and you are a great multitude, and with you are golden calves, which Jeroboam made you, as gods.

13:9  Did you not cast out the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and make for yourselves priests of the people of any other land? Whoever came to consecrate himself with a calf of the herd and seven rams, he then became a priest to that which is no god.

13:10  But we have not forsaken the Lord our God, and His priests, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, ministers unto the Lord; and in their daily courses

13:11  they sacrifice to the Lord whole burnt offerings, morning and evening, and compound incense, and set the showbread on the pure table; and there is the golden lampstand, and the lamps for burning, to light in the evening; for we keep the charge of the Lord God of our fathers; but you have forsaken Him.

13:12  And behold, the Lord and His priests are with us at our head, and the signal trumpets to sound an alarm over us. Children of Israel, fight not against the Lord God of our fathers; for you shall not prosper.

13:13  Now Jeroboam had caused an ambush to come round upon him from behind; and he himself was before Judah, and the ambush behind.

13:14  And Judah looked back, and behold, the battle was against them, ahead and behind. And they cried to the Lord, and the priests sounded with the trumpets.

13:15  And the men of Judah shouted. And it came to pass, when the men of Judah shouted, that the Lord struck Jeroboam and Israel before Abijah and Judah.

13:16  And the children of Israel fled from before Judah; and the Lord delivered them into their hands.

13:17  And Abijah and his people struck them with a great slaughter; and there fell slain of Israel five hundred thousand mighty men.

13:18  So the children of Israel were brought low in that day, and the children of Judah prevailed, because they trusted on the Lord God of their fathers.

13:19  And Abijah pursued after Jeroboam, and he took from him the cities, Bethel and her towns, and Jeshanah and her towns, and Ephron and her towns.

13:20  And Jeroboam did not recover strength again all the days of Abijah. And the Lord struck him, and he died.

13:21  But Abijah strengthened himself, and took to himself fourteen wives, and he begot twenty-two sons, and sixteen daughters.

13:22  And the rest of the acts of Abijah, and his deeds, and his sayings, are written in the book of the prophet Iddo.

Chapter 14

14:1  And Abijah rested with his fathers, and they buried him in the City of David; and Asa his son reigned in his place. In the days of Asa the land of Judah had rest for ten years.

14:2  And he did that which was good and right in the sight of the Lord his God.

14:3  And he removed the altars of the strange gods, and the high places, and broke the pillars in pieces, and cut down the groves;

14:4  and he told Judah to seek earnestly the Lord God of their fathers, and to perform the law and the commandments.

14:5  And he removed from all the cities of Judah the altars and the idols, and established in quietness

14:6  fortified cities in the land of Judah; for the land was quiet, and he had no war in these years; for the Lord gave him rest.

14:7  And he said to Judah, Let us fortify these cities, and make walls, and towers, and gates, and bars; we shall prevail over the land, for as we have sought out the Lord our God, He has sought out us, and has given us rest round about, and prospered us.

14:8  And Asa had a force of armed men bearing shields and spears in the land of Judah, even three hundred thousand, and in the land of Benjamin two hundred and eighty thousand targeteers and archers; all these were mighty warriors.

14:9  And Zerah the Ethiopian went out against them, with a force of a million, and three hundred chariots; and came to Mareshah.

14:10  And Asa went out to meet him, and set the battle in array in the valley north of Mareshah.

14:11  And Asa cried to the Lord his God, and said, O Lord, it is not impossible with You to save by many or by few: strengthen us, O Lord our God; for we trust in You, and in Your name we have come up against this great multitude. O Lord our God, let not man prevail against You.

14:12  And the Lord struck the Ethiopians before Judah, and the Ethiopians fled.

14:13  And Asa and his people pursued them to Gerar; and the Ethiopians fell, so that they could not recover themselves; for they were crushed before the Lord, and before His army; and they took many spoils.

14:14  And they destroyed their towns roundabout Gerar; for the terror of the Lord was upon them; and they plundered all their cities, for they had much spoil.

14:15  Also they destroyed the tents of cattle, and the Alimazons, and took many sheep and camels, and returned to Jerusalem.

Chapter 15

15:1  And the Spirit of the Lord came upon Azariah the son of Oded.

15:2  And he went out to meet Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin, and said, Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you, while you are with Him; and if you seek Him out, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.

15:3  And Israel has been a long time without the true God, and without a priest to expound the truth, and without the law.

15:4  But He shall turn them to the Lord God of Israel, and He will be found of them.

15:5  And in that time there is no peace to one going out, or to one coming in, for the terror of the Lord is upon all that inhabit the land.

15:6  And nation shall fight against nation, and city against city; for God has confounded them with every kind of affliction.

15:7  But be strong, and let not your hands be weakened, for there is a reward for your work.

15:8  And when Asa heard these words, and the prophesy of Oded the prophet, then he strengthened himself, and cast out the abominations from all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and from the cities which Jeroboam possessed, in Mount Ephraim, and he renewed the altar of the Lord, which was before the temple of the Lord.

15:9  And he assembled Judah and Benjamin, and the strangers that dwelt with him, of Ephraim, and of Manasseh, and of Simeon; for many of Israel were joined to him, when they saw that the Lord his God was with him.

15:10  And they assembled at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.

15:11  And they sacrificed to the Lord in that day of the spoils which they brought, seven hundred calves and seven thousand sheep.

15:12  And they entered into a covenant, that they should seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul.

15:13  And that whoever should not seek the Lord God of Israel should die, whether young or old, whether man or woman.

15:14  And they swore to the Lord with a loud voice, and with trumpets, and with cornets.

15:15  And all Judah rejoiced concerning the oath; for they swore with all their heart, and they sought Him with all their desires, and He was found of them. And the Lord gave them rest round about.

15:16  And he removed Maachah his mother from being priestess to Asherah; and he cut down the idol, and burned it in the Brook of Kidron.

15:17  But they removed not the high places; they still existed in Israel. Nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect all his days.

15:18  And he brought in the holy things of David his father, and the holy things of the house of God, silver, and gold, and vessels.

15:19  And there was no war waged with him until the thirty-fifth year of the reign of Asa.

Chapter 16

16:1  And in the thirty-eighth year of the reign of Asa, the king of Israel went up against Judah, and built Ramah, so as not to allow any to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah.

16:2  And Asa took silver and gold out of the treasures of the house of the Lord, and of the king's house, and sent them to the son of Hadad king of Syria, who dwelt in Damascus, saying,

16:3  Make a covenant between me and you, and between my father and your father: behold, I have sent you gold and silver. Come, turn away Baasha king of Israel from me, and let him depart from me.

16:4  And the son of Hadad hearkened to King Asa, and sent the captains of his army against the cities of Israel. And they attacked Ijon, Dan, and Abel Maim, and all the country round about Naphtali.

16:5  And it came to pass when Baasha heard it, that he left off building Ramah, and put a stop to his work.

16:6  Then King Asa took all Judah, and took the stones of Ramah, and its timber, with which Baasah had built; and he built with them Geba and Mizpah.

16:7  And at that time Hanani the prophet came to Asa king of Judah, and said to him, Because you have trusted on the king of Syria, and did not trust on the Lord your God, therefore the army of Syria has escaped out of your hand.

16:8  Were not the Ethiopians and Libyans a great force, in courage, in horsemen, and in great numbers? And did He not deliver them into your hands, because you trusted in the Lord?

16:9  For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout all the earth, to strengthen every heart that is perfect toward Him. In this you have done foolishly; henceforth there shall be war with you.

16:10  And Asa was angry with the prophet, and put him in prison, for he was angry at this. And Asa oppressed some of the people at that time.

16:11  And behold, the acts of Asa, the first and the last, are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.

16:12  And Asa was diseased in his feet in the thirty-ninth year of his reign, until he was very ill, but in his disease he sought not to the Lord, but to the physicians.

16:13  And Asa slept with his fathers, and died in the fortieth year of his reign.

16:14  And they buried him in the tomb which he had dug for himself in the City of David, and they laid him on a bed, and filled it with spices and all kinds of perfumes of the apothecaries; and they made for him a very great funeral.

Chapter 17

17:1  And Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place, and he strengthened himself against Israel.

17:2  And he put garrisons in all the strong cities of Judah, and appointed captains in all the cities of Judah, and in the cities of Ephraim, which Asa his father had taken.

17:3  And the Lord was with Jehoshaphat, for he walked in the first ways of his father, and did not seek to idols;

17:4  but he sought the Lord God of his father, and walked in the commandments of his father, and not according to the works of Israel.

17:5  And the Lord prospered the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah gave gifts to Jehoshaphat; and he had great wealth and glory.

17:6  And his heart was exalted in the way of the Lord; and he removed the high places and the groves from the land of Judah.

17:7  And in the third year of his reign, he sent his chief men and his mighty men, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethaneel and Michaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah.

17:8  And with them were the Levites, Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah and Tobadonijah, Levites, and with them Elishama and Jehoram, the priests.

17:9  And they taught in Judah, and there was with them the Book of the Law of the Lord, and they passed through the cities of Judah, and taught the people.

17:10  And the terror of the Lord was upon all the kingdoms of the land round about Judah, and they made no war against Jehoshaphat.

17:11  And some of the Philistines brought to Jehoshaphat gifts, and silver, and presents; and the Arabians brought him seven thousand seven hundred rams.

17:12  And Jehoshaphat increased in greatness exceedingly, and built fortresses in Judea, and strong cities.

17:13  And he had many works in Judea. And the mighty men of war, the men of strength, were in Jerusalem.

17:14  And this is their number according to the houses of their fathers; even the captains of thousands in Judah were: Adnah the chief, and with him mighty men of strength, three hundred thousand.

17:15  And after him, Jehohanan the captain, and with him two hundred eighty thousand.

17:16  And after him Amasiah the son of Zichri, who was zealous for the Lord; and with him two hundred thousand mighty men of strength.

17:17  And out of Benjamin there was a mighty man of strength, even Eliada, and with him two hundred thousand archers and targeteers.

17:18  And after him Jehozabad, and with him a hundred and eighty thousand mighty men of war.

17:19  These were the king's servants besides those whom the king put in the strong cities in all Judea.

Chapter 18

18:1  And Jehoshaphat had yet great wealth and glory, and he connected himself by marriage with the house of Ahab.

18:2  And he went down after some years to Ahab in Samaria. And Ahab slaughtered for him sheep and calves, in abundance, and for the people with him, and he much desired him to go up with him to Ramoth of the country of Gilead.

18:3  And Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, Will you go with me to Ramoth of the country of Gilead? And he said to him, As I am, so also are you, as your people, so also are my people with you for the war.

18:4  And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, Please seek the Lord today.

18:5  And the king of Israel gathered the prophets, four hundred men, and said to them, Shall I go to Ramoth Gilead to battle, or shall I refrain? And they said, Go up, and God shall deliver it into the hands of the king.

18:6  And Jehoshaphat said, Is there not still a prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire of Him?

18:7  And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man by whom to inquire of the Lord, but I hate him, for he does not prophesy concerning me for good, for all his days are for evil: this is Micaiah the son of Imla. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say such things!

18:8  And the king called a eunuch, and said, Fetch quickly Micaiah the son of Imla.

18:9  And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting each on his throne, and clothed in their robes, sitting in the open space at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets were prophesying before them.

18:10  And Zedekiah son of Chenaanah made for himself iron horns, and said, Thus says the Lord: With these you shall thrust Syria until they are destroyed.

18:11  And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramoth Gilead, and you shall prosper; and the Lord shall deliver it into the hands of the king.

18:12  And the messenger that went to call Micaiah spoke to him, saying, Behold, the prophets have spoken favorably concerning the king with one mouth; therefore, please let your words be as the words of one of them, and speak good things.

18:13  And Micaiah said, As the Lord lives, whatever God shall say to me, that will I speak.

18:14  And he came to the king, and the king said to him, Micaiah, shall I go up to Ramoth Gilead to battle, or shall I refrain? And he said, Go up, and you shall prosper, and they shall be given into your hands.

18:15  And the king said to him, How often shall I solemnly charge you that you speak to me nothing but truth in the name of the Lord?

18:16  And he said, I saw Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep without a shepherd. And the Lord said, These have no commander; let each return to his home in peace.

18:17  And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, See, did I not say to you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?

18:18  But he said, Not so. Hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven stood by on His right hand and on His left.

18:19  And the Lord said, Who will deceive Ahab king of Israel, that he may go up, and fall in Ramoth Gilead? And one spoke this way, and another spoke that way.

18:20  And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the Lord, and said, I will deceive him. And the Lord said, How?

18:21  And he said, I will go forth, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And the Lord said, You shall deceive him, and shall prevail: go forth, and do so.

18:22  And now, behold, the Lord has put a false spirit in the mouth of these your prophets, and the Lord has spoken evil against you.

18:23  Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah drew near, and struck Micaiah on the cheek, and said to him, By what way did the Spirit of the Lord pass from me to speak to you?

18:24  And Micaiah said, Behold, you shall see in that day, when you shall go from chamber to chamber to hide yourself.

18:25  And the king of Israel said, Take Micaiah, and carry him back to Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the captain, the king's son;

18:26  and you shall say, Thus said the king: Put this fellow into the prison house, and let him eat the bread of affliction, and drink the water of affliction, until I return in peace.

18:27  And Micaiah said, If you do at all return in peace, the Lord has not spoken by me. And he said, Hear, all you people.

18:28  So the king of Israel, and Jehoshaphat king of Judah, went up to Ramoth Gilead.

18:29  And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, Disguise me, and I will enter into the battle; and you put on my robes. So the king of Israel disguised himself, and entered into the battle.

18:30  Now the king of Syria had commanded the captains of the chariots that were with him, saying, Fight neither against small nor great, but only against the king of Israel.

18:31  And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, It is the king of Israel. And they compassed him round about to fight against him. And Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord delivered him; and God turned them away from him.

18:32  And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, that they turned away from him.

18:33  And a man drew a bow with a good aim, and struck the king of Israel between the lungs and the breastplate. And he said to the charioteer, Turn your hand, drive me out of the battle, for I am wounded.

18:34  And the battle turned in that day; and the king of Israel remained on the chariot against Syria until evening, and died at sunset.

Chapter 19

19:1  And Jehoshaphat king of Judah returned to his house at Jerusalem.

19:2  And Jehu the prophet, the son of Hanani went out to meet him, and said to him, King Jehoshaphat, do you help a sinner, or act friendly towards one hated of the Lord? Therefore has wrath come upon you from the Lord.

19:3  Nevertheless some good things have been found in you, forasmuch as you did remove the groves from the land of Judah, and you directed your heart to seek after the Lord.

19:4  And Jehoshaphat dwelt in Jerusalem. And he again went out among the people from Beersheba to Mount Ephraim, and turned them back to the Lord God of their fathers.

19:5  And he appointed judges in all the strong cities of Judah, city by city.

19:6  And he said to the judges, Take good heed what you do: for you judge not for man, but for the Lord, and with you are matters of judgment.

19:7  And now let the fear of the Lord be upon you, and be wary, and do your duty; for there is no unrighteousness with the Lord our God, neither is it for Him to respect persons, or to take bribes.

19:8  Moreover Jehoshaphat appointed in Jerusalem some of the priests and Levites, and heads of houses of Israel, for the judgment of the Lord, and to judge the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

19:9  And he charged them, saying, Thus shall you do in the fear of the Lord, in truth and with a perfect heart.

19:10  Whatsoever man of your brethren that dwell in their cities shall bring the cause that comes before you, between blood and blood, and between precept and commandment, and ordinances and judgments, you shall even decide for them; so they shall not sin against the Lord, and there shall not be wrath upon you, and upon your brethren. Thus you shall do, and you shall not sin.

19:11  And behold, Amariah the priest is head over you in every matter of the Lord; and Zebadiah the son of Ishmael is head over the house of Judah in every matter of the king; and the scribes and Levites are before you: be strong and active, and the Lord shall be with the good.

Chapter 20

20:1  And it came about after this, that the children of Moab and the children of Ammon, and with them some of the Mineans, came up against Jehoshaphat to battle.

20:2  And they came and told Jehoshaphat, saying, A great multitude is coming against you from Syria, from beyond the sea; and behold, they are in Hazazon Tamar, which is En Gedi.

20:3  And Jehoshaphat was alarmed, and set his face to seek the Lord earnestly, and he proclaimed a fast in all Judah.

20:4  And Judah gathered themselves together to seek after the Lord; even from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.

20:5  And Jehoshaphat stood up in the assembly of Judah in Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, in front of the new court.

20:6  And he said, O Lord God of my fathers, are not You God in heaven above, and are not You Lord of all the kingdoms of the nations? And is there not in Your hand the might of dominion, and there is no one who can resist You?

20:7  Are not You the Lord that destroyed the inhabitants of this land before the face of Your people Israel, and gave it to Your beloved seed of Abraham forever?

20:8  And they dwelt in it, and built in it a sanctuary to Your name, saying,

20:9  If there should come upon us evils, sword, judgment, pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house, and before You, (for Your name is upon this house) and we will cry to You because of the affliction, and You shall hear, and deliver.

20:10  And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, with regard to whom You did not permit Israel to pass through their border, when they had come out of the land of Egypt, (for they turned away from them, and did not destroy them)-

20:11  yet now, behold, they make attempts against us, to come forth to cast us out from our inheritance which You have given to us.

20:12  O Lord our God, will You not judge them? For we have no strength to resist this great multitude that has come against us; and we know not what we shall do to them, but our eyes are toward You.

20:13  And all Judah was standing before the Lord, and their children, and their wives.

20:14  Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, of the sons of Benaiah, of the sons of Jeiel, of the sons of Matthaniah the Levite, of the sons of Asaph, in the assembly.

20:15  And he said, Hear, all Judah, and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat; Thus says the Lord to you, even you: Fear not, neither be alarmed, before all this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's.

20:16  Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you shall find them at the extremity of the river of the Wilderness of Jeruel.

20:17  It is not for you to fight. Understand these things, and see the deliverance of the Lord with you, Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, neither be afraid to go forth tomorrow to meet them; and the Lord shall be with you.

20:18  And Jehoshaphat bowed with his face to the ground with all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and they fell before the Lord, to worship the Lord.

20:19  And the Levites of the children of Kohath, and those of the sons of Korah, rose up to praise the Lord God of Israel with a loud voice on high.

20:20  And they rose early in the morning and went out to the Wilderness of Tekoa. And as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and cried, and said, Hear me, O Judah, and you inhabitants of Jerusalem; put your trust in the Lord God, and your trust shall be honored; trust in His prophet, and you shall prosper.

20:21  And he took counsel with the people, and set appointed men to sing psalms and praises, to give thanks, and sing the holy songs of praise in going forth before the army. And they said, Give thanks to the Lord, for His mercy endures forever.

20:22  And when they began the praise and thanksgiving, the Lord caused the children of Ammon to fight against Moab, and the inhabitants of Mount Seir that came out against Judah; and they were defeated.

20:23  Then the children of Ammon and Moab rose up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, to destroy and consume them. And when they had made an end of destroying the inhabitants of Seir, they rose up against one another so that they were utterly destroyed.

20:24  And Judah came to the watchtower of the wilderness, and looked, and saw the multitude, and behold, they were all fallen dead upon the earth; not one escaped.

20:25  And Jehoshaphat and his people went out to plunder them, and they found much cattle, and furniture, and spoils, and precious things. And they plundered them, and they were three days gathering the spoil, for it was abundant.

20:26  And it came to pass on the fourth day they were gathered to the Valley of Blessing; for there they blessed the Lord. Therefore they called the name of the place the Valley of Blessing, until this day.

20:27  And all the men of Judah returned to Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat led them with great joy; for the Lord gave them joy over their enemies.

20:28  And they entered into Jerusalem with lutes and harps and trumpets, going into the house of the lord.

20:29  And the terror of the Lord was upon all the kingdoms of the land, when they heard that the Lord fought against the enemies of Israel.

20:30  And the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at peace; and his God gave him rest round about.

20:31  And Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah, being thirty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Azubah, daughter of Shilhi.

20:32  And he walked in the ways of his father Asa, and turned not aside from doing that which was right in the sight of the Lord.

20:33  Nevertheless the high places still remained; and as yet the people did not direct their heart to the Lord God of their fathers.

20:34  And the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, the first and the last, behold, they are written in the history of Jehu the son of Hanani, who wrote the book of the kings of Israel.

20:35  And afterwards Jehoshaphat king of Judah entered into an alliance with Ahaziah king of Israel, (now this was an unrighteous man)

20:36  by acting with and going to him, to build ships to go to Tarshish. And he built ships in Ezion Geber.

20:37  But Eliezer the son of Dodavah of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because you have allied yourself with Ahaziah, the Lord has broken your work, and your vessels have been wrecked. And they could not go to Tarshish.

Chapter 21

21:1  And Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers, and was buried in the City of David; and Jehoram his son reigned in his place.

21:2  And he had brothers, the six sons of Jehoshaphat: Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azaryahu, Michael, and Shephatiah; all these were the sons of Jehoshaphat king of Judah.

21:3  And their father gave them many gifts, silver and gold and arms, together with fortified cities in Judah; but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram, for he was the firstborn.

21:4  And Jehoram entered upon his kingdom, and strengthened himself, and killed all his brothers with the sword, and also others of the princes of Israel.

21:5  Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he succeeded to his kingdom, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.

21:6  And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as did the house of Ahab; for a daughter of Ahab was his wife; and he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord.

21:7  Nevertheless the Lord would not utterly destroy the house of David, because of the covenant which He made with David, and as He said to him that He would give a light to him and his sons forever.

21:8  In those days Edom revolted from Judah, and they made a king over themselves.

21:9  And Jehoram went with the princes, and all the cavalry with him. And it came to pass that he arose by night, and attacked Edom that compassed him about, and the captains of the chariots, and the people fled to their tents.

21:10  And Edom revolted from Judah until this day. Then Libnah at that time revolted from under his hand, because he forsook the Lord God of his fathers.

21:11  For he built high places in the cities of Judah, and caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to commit harlotry, and led Judah astray.

21:12  And there came to him a message in writing from Elijah the prophet, saying, Thus says the Lord God of your father David: Because you have not walked in the way of your father Jehoshaphat, nor in the ways of Asa king of Judah,

21:13  but have walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and have caused Judah and its inhabitants in Jerusalem to play the harlot, as the house of Ahab caused Israel to play the harlot, and you have slain your brethren, the sons of your father, who were better than yourself.

21:14  Behold, the Lord shall strike you with a great plague among your people, and your sons, and your wives, and all your possessions;

21:15  and you shall be afflicted with a grievous disease, with a disease of the bowels, until your bowels shall fall out day by day with the sickness.

21:16  So the Lord stirred up the Philistines against Jehoram, and the Arabians, and those who bordered on the Ethiopians;

21:17  and they went up against Judah, and prevailed against them, and took away all the possessions which they found in the house of the king, and his sons, and his daughters; and there was no son left to him except Jehoahaz, the youngest of his sons.

21:18  And after all these things the Lord struck him in the bowels with an incurable disease.

21:19  And it continued from day to day. And after two years had passed by, his bowels fell out with the disease, and he died by a grievous distemper. And his people performed no funeral, like the funeral of his fathers.

21:20  He was thirty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. And he departed without honor, and was buried in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.

Chapter 22

22:1  And the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Jehoahaz his youngest son king in his place, for the band of robbers that came against them, even the Arabians and the Alimazonians, had slain all the elder ones. So Jehoahaz son of Jehoram king of Judah reigned.

22:2  Jehoahaz began to reign when he was twenty years old, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Athaliah, the granddaughter of Omri.

22:3  And he walked in the way of the house of Ahab; for his mother was his counselor to do evil.

22:4  And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord as the house of Ahab had done; for they were his counselors after the death of his father, to his destruction.

22:5  And he walked in their counsels, and he went with Jehoram son of Ahab king of Israel to war against Hazael king of Syria to Ramoth Gilead. And the archers struck Joram.

22:6  And Joram returned to Jezreel to be healed of the wounds wherewith the Syrians smote him in Ramoth, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. And Ahaziah son of Jehoram, king of Judah, went down to see Jehoram the son of Ahab at Jezreel because he was sick.

22:7  And destruction from God came upon Ahaziah in his coming to Jehoram; for when he had come, Jehoram went out with him against Jehu the son of Nimshi, the anointed of the Lord against the house of Ahab.

22:8  And it came to pass, when Jehu was taking vengeance on the house of Ahab, that he found the princes of Judah and the brethren of Ahaziah, ministering to Ahaziah, and he slew them.

22:9  And he gave orders to seek for Ahaziah. And they took him while he was healing his wounds in Samaria, and they brought him to Jehu, and he killed him. And they buried him, for they said, He is the son of Jehoshaphat, who sought the Lord with all his heart. So there was none in the house of Ahaziah to secure their power in the kingdom.

22:10  And Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, and she arose and destroyed all the royal heirs in the house of Judah.

22:11  But Jehoshabeath, the daughter of the king, took Joash the son of Ahaziah and rescued him secretly out of the midst of the sons of the king that were put to death, and she placed him and his nurse in a bedchamber. So Jehoshabeath daughter of King Jehoram, sister of Ahaziah, wife of Jehoida the priest, hid him, and she even hid him from Athaliah, and she did not slay him.

22:12  And he was hidden with them in the house of God for six years; and Athaliah reigned over the land.

Chapter 23

23:1  And in the eighth year Jehoiada strengthened himself, and took the captains of hundreds, Azariah the son of Jehoram, Ishmael the son of Jehohanan, Azariah the son of Obed, Maaseiah the son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat the son of Zechariah, with him unto the house of the Lord.

23:2  And they went round about Judah, and gathered the Levites out of all the cities of Judah, and heads of the families of Israel, and they came to Jerusalem.

23:3  And all the congregation of Judah made a covenant with the king in the house of God. And he showed them the king's son, and said to them, Lo, let the king's son reign, as the Lord said concerning the house of David.

23:4  Now this is the thing which you shall do. Let a third part of you, even of the priests and of the Levites, enter in on the Sabbath, even into the gates of the entrances;

23:5  and let a third part be in the house of the king; and another third at the middle gate. And all the people in the courts of the Lord's house.

23:6  And let no one enter into the house of the Lord except the priests and the Levites, and the servants of the Levites; they shall enter in, because they are holy; and let all the people keep the watch of the Lord.

23:7  And the Levites shall compass the king round about, every man's weapon in his hand; and whoever else goes into the house shall die; but they shall be with the king when he goes out, and when he comes in.

23:8  And the Levites and all Judah did according to all that the priest Jehoiada commanded them, and they took each his men from the beginning of the Sabbath to the end of the Sabbath, for Jehoiada the priest did not dismiss the courses.

23:9  And Jehoiada gave to the men the swords, and the shields, and the arms, which had belonged to King David, in the house of God.

23:10  And he set the whole people, every man with his arms, from the right side of the house to the left side of the altar and the house, over against the king round about.

23:11  And he brought out the king's son, and put on him the crown and the Testimony, and Jehoiada the priest and his sons proclaimed him king, and anointed him, saying, Long live the king!

23:12  And Athaliah heard the sound of the people running, and acknowledging and praising the king; and she went in to the king into the house of the Lord.

23:13  And she looked, and behold, the king stood in his place, and the princes and trumpets were at the entrance, and the princes were round the king. And all the people of the land rejoiced, and sounded the trumpets, and there were the singers singing with instruments, and singing hymns of praise. So Athaliah tore her clothes, and cried, you surely are plotting against me!

23:14  And Jehoiada the priest went forth and charged the captains of hundreds, even the captains of the army, and said to them, Thrust her forth outside the house, and whoever follows her, and let her be slain with the sword. For the priest said, Let her not be slain in the house of the Lord.

23:15  So they brought her outside; and she went through the horsemen's gate of the house of the king, and they killed her there.

23:16  And Jehoiada made a covenant between himself and the people and the king, that the people should be the Lord's.

23:17  And all the people of the land went into the house of Baal and they tore it down, and its altars, and they ground his images to powder, and they killed Mattan the priest of Baal before his altars.

23:18  And Jehoiada the priest committed the works of the house of the Lord into the hand of the priests and Levites, and he re-established the courses of the priests and Levites which David appointed over the house of the Lord, and he appointed them to offer whole burnt offerings to the Lord, as it is written in the law of Moses, with gladness, and with songs by the hand of David.

23:19  And the porters stood at the gates of the house of the Lord, that no one unclean in any respect should enter in.

23:20  And he took the heads of families, and the mighty men, and the chiefs of the people, and all the people of the land, and they conducted the king into the house of the Lord. And he went through the inner gate into the king's house, and they seated the king on the throne of the kingdom.

23:21  And all the people of the land rejoiced; and the city was quiet; and they killed Athaliah.

Chapter 24

24:1  Joash was seven years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Zibiah of Beersheba.

24:2  And Joash did that which was right in the sight of the Lord all the days of Jehoiada the priest.

24:3  And Jehoiada took to himself two wives, and they bore sons and daughters.

24:4  And it came to pass afterward that it came into the heart of Joash to repair the house of the Lord.

24:5  And he gathered the priests and the Levites, and said to them, Go out into the cities of Judah, and collect money from all Israel to repair the house of the Lord from year to year, and make haste to speak of it. But the Levites hastened not.

24:6  And King Joash called Jehoiada the chief, and said to him, Why have you not looked after the Levites, so that they should bring from Judah and Jerusalem that which was prescribed by Moses the man of God, when he assembled Israel at the tabernacle of witness?

24:7  For Athaliah was a transgressor, and her sons tore down the house of God; for they offered the holy things of the house of the Lord to the Baals.

24:8  And the king said, Let a box be made, and let it be put at the gate of the house of the Lord outside.

24:9  And let men proclaim in Judah and in Jerusalem, that the people should bring to the Lord, as Moses the servant of God spoke concerning Israel in the wilderness.

24:10  And all the princes and all the people gave, and brought in, and cast into the box until it was filled.

24:11  And it came to pass, when they brought in the box to the officers of the king by the hand of the Levites, and when they saw that the money was more than sufficient, then came the king's scribe, and the officer of the high priest, and emptied the box, and restored it to its place. Thus they did day by day, and collected much money.

24:12  And the king and Jehoiada the priest gave it to the workmen employed in the service of the house of the Lord, and they hired masons and carpenters to repair the house of the Lord, also smiths and iron workers to repair the house of the Lord.

24:13  So the workmen labored, and the works prospered in their hands, and they established the house of the Lord on its foundation, and strengthened it.

24:14  And when they had finished it, they brought to the king and to Jehoiada the remainder of the money, and they made vessels for the house of the Lord, vessels of service for whole burnt offerings, and gold and silver censers: and they offered up whole burnt offerings in the house of the Lord continually all the days of Jehoiada.

24:15  And Jehoiada grew old, being full of days, and he died, being a hundred and thirty years old at his death.

24:16  And they buried him with the kings in the City of David, because he had dealt well with Israel, and with God and his house.

24:17  And it came to pass after the death of Jehoiada, that the princes of Judah went in, and bowed down to the king. Then the king hearkened to them.

24:18  And they forsook the house of the Lord God of their fathers, and served wooden images and idols. And there was wrath upon Judah and Jerusalem in that day.

24:19  Yet He sent prophets to them, to turn them to the Lord; but they hearkened not; and He testified to them, but they obeyed not.

24:20  And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, and he stood up above the people and said, Thus says the Lord: Why do you transgress the commandments of the Lord? So shall you not prosper; for you have forsaken the Lord, and He will forsake you.

24:21  And they conspired against him, and stoned him by command of King Joash in the court of the Lord's house.

24:22  So Joash remembered not the kindness which his father Jehoiada had exercised towards him, but killed his son. And as he died, he said, The Lord look upon it, and judge.

24:23  And it came to pass after the end of the year, that the army of Syria went up against him, and came against Judah and Jerusalem. And they killed all the chiefs among the people, and all their spoils they sent to the king of Damascus.

24:24  For the army of Syria came with few men, yet God gave into their hands a very large army, because they had forsaken the God of their fathers; and He brought judgments on Joash.

24:25  And after they had departed from him, when they had left him with grievous diseases, then his servants conspired against him because of the blood of the son of Jehoiada the priest, and struck him on his bed, and he died, and they buried him in the City of David, but they buried him not in the tomb of the kings.

24:26  And they that conspired against him were Zabad the son of Shimeath the Ammonitess, and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith the Moabitess.

24:27  And all his sons, and the five came to him. And the other matters, behold, they are written in the book of the kings. And Amaziah his son reigned in his place.

Chapter 25

25:1  Amaziah began to reign when he was twenty-five years old, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem.

25:2  And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a perfect heart.

25:3  And it came to pass, when the kingdom was established in his hand, that he killed his servants who had slain his father the king.

25:4  But he did not kill their sons, according to the covenant of the law of the Lord, as it is written, and as the Lord commanded, saying, The fathers shall not die for the children, and the sons shall not die for the fathers, but they shall die each for his own sin.

25:5  And Amaziah assembled the house of Judah, and appointed them according to the houses of their families for captains of thousands and captains of hundreds in all Judah and Jerusalem. And he numbered them from twenty years old and upwards, and found of them three hundred thousand able to go out to war, holding spear and shield.

25:6  Also he hired out of Israel a hundred thousand mighty men for a hundred talents of silver.

25:7  And there came a man of God to him, saying, O king, let not the army of Israel go with you; for the Lord is not with Israel, even all the sons of Ephraim.

25:8  For if you shall undertake to strengthen yourself with these, then the lord shall put you to flight before the enemies; for it is of the Lord both to strengthen and to put to flight.

25:9  And Amaziah said to the man of God, But what shall I do for the hundred talents which I have given to the army of Israel? And the man of God said, The Lord can give you much more than these.

25:10  And Amaziah separated from the army that came to him from Ephraim, that they might go away to their place; and they were very angry with Judah, and they returned to their place with great wrath.

25:11  And Amaziah strengthened himself, and took his people, and went to the Valley of Salt, and killed ten thousand of the children of Seir there.

25:12  And the children of Judah took ten thousand prisoners, and they carried them to the top of the rock, and cast them headlong from the top of the rock, and they were all dashed to pieces.

25:13  And the men of the army whom Amaziah sent back so that they should not go with him to battle, went and attacked the cities of Judah, from Samaria to Beth Horon; and they killed three thousand among them, and took much spoil.

25:14  And it came to pass after Amaziah had returned from attacking Edom, that he brought home the gods of the children of Seir, and set them up for himself as gods, and bowed down before them, and he sacrificed to them.

25:15  And the anger of the Lord came upon Amaziah, and He sent him a prophet who said to him, Why have you sought the gods of the people, which have not rescued their own people out of your hand?

25:16  And it came to pass when the prophet was speaking to him, that he said to him, Have I made you the king's counselor? Take heed lest you be scourged! And the prophet became silent, and said, I know that God is disposed against you to destroy you, because you have done this thing, and have not hearkened to my counsel.

25:17  And Amaziah king of Judah took counsel, and sent to Joash the son of Jehoahaz, son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, Come, and let us look one another in the face.

25:18  And Joash king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, Give your daughter to my son as wife; but behold, your wild beasts of the field that are in Lebanon shall come. And the wild beasts did come, and trod down the thistle.

25:19  You have said, Behold, I have defeated Edom, and your stout heart exalts you. Now stay at home; for why do you implicate yourself in mischief, that you should fall, and Judah with you?

25:20  Nevertheless Amaziah hearkened not, for it was of the Lord to deliver him into the enemy's hands, because he sought after the gods of the Edomites.

25:21  So Joash king of Israel went up; and they saw one another, he and Amaziah king of Judah, in Beth Shemesh, which is of Judah.

25:22  And Judah was put to flight before Israel, and they fled, every man to his tent.

25:23  Then Joash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, son of Joash, son of Jehoahaz, in Beth Shemesh, and brought him to Jerusalem; and he pulled down part of the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate, four hundred cubits.

25:24  And he took all the gold and the silver, and all the vessels that were found in the house of the Lord and with Obed-Edom, and the treasures of the king's house, and the hostages, and he returned to Samaria.

25:25  And Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah lived after the death of Joash the son of Jehoahaz king of Israel fifteen years.

25:26  And the rest of the acts of Amaziah, the first and the last, behold, are they not written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel?

25:27  And at the time when Amaziah departed from the Lord, then they formed a conspiracy against him, and he fled from Jerusalem to Lachish. And they sent after him to Lachish, and killed him there.

25:28  And they took him up on horses, and buried him with his fathers in the City of David.

Chapter 26

26:1  Then all the people of the land took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and they made him king in the place of his father Amaziah.

26:2  He built Elath, he restored it to Judah, after the king slept with his fathers.

26:3  Uzziah began to reign at the age of sixteen years, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Jecholiah of Jerusalem.

26:4  And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that Amaziah his father did.

26:5  And he sought the Lord in the days of Zechariah, who understood the fear of the Lord; and in his days he sought the Lord, and the Lord prospered him.

26:6  And he went out and fought against the Philistines, and pulled down the walls of Gath, and the walls of Jabneh, and the walls of Ashdod, and he built cities near Ashdod, and among the Philistines.

26:7  And the Lord strengthened him against the Philistines, and against the Arabians that dwelt on the rock, and against the Meunites.

26:8  And the Meunites gave gifts to Uzziah; and his fame spread as far as the entering in of Egypt, for he strengthened himself exceedingly.

26:9  And Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem, both at the Corner Gate, and at the Valley Gate, and at the corner buttress of the wall; and he fortified them.

26:10  And he built towers in the wilderness, and dug many wells, for he had many cattle in the low country and in the plain; and vinedressers in the mountain country and in Carmel, for he was a farmer.

26:11  And Uzziah had a host of warriors that went out orderly to war, and returned orderly in number; and their number was made by the hand of Jeiel the scribe, and Maaseiah the officer, by the hand of Hananiah the king's deputy.

26:12  The whole number of the chiefs of families of the mighty men of war was two thousand six hundred;

26:13  and with them was a warrior force of three hundred thousand and seven thousand five hundred; these waged war mightily to help the king against his enemies.

26:14  And Uzziah prepared for them, even for all the army, shields, spears, helmets, breastplates, bows, and slings for stones.

26:15  And he made in Jerusalem machines invented by a wise contriver, to be upon the towers and upon the corners, to cast darts and great stones. And the fame of their preparation was heard from a great distance; for he was marvelously helped, till he became strong.

26:16  And when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction; and he transgressed against the Lord his God, and went into the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense.

26:17  And Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him eighty priests of the Lord, mighty men.

26:18  And they withstood Uzziah the king, and said to him, It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord, but only for the priests, the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to sacrifice: Leave the sanctuary, for you have departed from the Lord; and this shall not be for glory to you from the Lord God.

26:19  And Uzziah was angry, and in his hand was the censer to burn incense in the temple. And when he was angry with the priests, then the leprosy rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the Lord, over the altar of incense.

26:20  And Azariah the chief priest, and the other priests, turned to look at him, and behold, he was leprous in his forehead; and they got him out of there quickly, for he also hastened to go out, because the Lord had rebuked him.

26:21  And Uzziah the king was a leper to the day of his death, and he dwelt as a leper in a separate house; for he was cut off from the house of the Lord; and Jotham his son was set over his kingdom, judging the people of the land.

26:22  And the rest of the acts of Uzziah, the first and the last, are written by Isaiah the prophet.

26:23  And Uzziah slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the field of the burial place of the kings, for they said, He is a leper; and Jotham his son reigned in his place.

Chapter 27

27:1  Jotham was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Jerushah, daughter of Zadok.

27:2  And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father Uzziah had done; but he went not into the temple of the Lord. And still the people corrupted themselves.

27:3  He built the high gate of the house of the Lord, and he built extensively on the wall of Ophel.

27:4  In the mountain of Judah, and in the woods, he built both dwelling places and towers.

27:5  He fought against the king of the children of Ammon, and prevailed against him. And the children of Ammon gave him a hundred talents of silver each year, and ten thousand measures of wheat, and ten thousand measures of barley. These the king of the children of Ammon brought to him annually.

27:6  So Jotham grew strong, because he prepared his ways before the Lord his God.

27:7  And the rest of the acts of Jotham, and his war, and his deeds, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.

27:9  And Jotham slept with his fathers, and was buried in the City of David; and Ahaz his son reigned in his place.

Chapter 28

28:1  Ahaz was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And he did not do what was right in the sight of the Lord, as David his father.

28:2  But he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, for he made graven images.

28:3  And he sacrificed to their idols in the valley of the Son of Hinnom, and passed his children through the fire, according to the abominations of the heathen, whom the Lord cast out from before the children of Israel.

28:4  And he burnt incense upon the high places, and upon the roofs, and under every shady tree.

28:5  And the Lord his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria. And the king attacked him, and took a great multitude of prisoners captive, and carried him to Damascus. Also God delivered him into the hands of the king of Israel, who defeated him with a great slaughter.

28:6  And Pekah the son of Remeliah king of Israel, killed in Judah in one day a hundred and twenty thousand mighty men, because they had forsaken the Lord God of their fathers.

28:7  And Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, killed Maaseiah the king's son, and Azrikam the chief of his house, and Elkanah the king's deputy.

28:8  And the children of Israel took captive of their brethren three hundred thousand women, sons, and daughters, and they plundered them of much property, and brought the spoils to Samaria.

28:9  And there was a prophet of the Lord there whose name was Oded. And he went out to meet the army that was coming to Samaria, and said to them, Behold, the wrath of the Lord God of your fathers is upon Judah, and He has delivered them into your hands, but you have killed them in wrath, and it has reached even to heaven.

28:10  And now you talk of keeping the children of Judah and Jerusalem for servants and handmaidens. Behold, am I not with you to testify for the Lord your God?

28:11  And now listen to me, and restore the prisoners of your brethren whom you have taken: for the fierce anger of the Lord is upon you.

28:12  And the chiefs of the sons of Ephraim rose up, Azariah the son of Johanan, Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai, against those that came from the war,

28:13  and said to them, You shall not bring the prisoners here to us, for whereas sin against the Lord is already upon us, and you mean to add to our sins, and to our trespass: for our sin is great, and the fierce anger of the Lord is upon Israel.

28:14  So the warriors left the prisoners and the spoils before the princes and all the congregation.

28:15  And the men who were called by name rose up, and took hold of the prisoners, and clothed all the naked from the spoils, and gave them garments and shoes, and gave them food to eat, and oil to anoint themselves with, and they let everyone that was weak to ride on donkeys, and placed them in Jericho, the city of palm trees, with their brethren; and they returned to Samaria.

28:16  At that time King Ahaz sent to the king of Assyria to help him, and on this occasion,

28:17  because the Edomites had attacked him and attacked Judah, and taken a number of prisoners.

28:18  Also the Philistines had made an attack on the cities of the plain country, and the cities of the south of Judah, and had taken Beth Shemesh, and (the things in the house of the Lord, and the things in the house of the king, and of the princes, and they gave these to the king) Aijalon, Gederoth, Sochoh and her villages, Timnah and her villages, and Gimzo and her villages. And they dwelt there.

28:19  For the Lord humbled Judah because of Ahaz king of Judah, because he grievously departed from the Lord.

28:20  And Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria came against him, and he afflicted him.

28:21  And Ahaz took the things that were in the house of the Lord, and the things in the house of the king, and of the princes, and gave them to the king of Assyria; but he was no help to him,

28:22  but only troubled him in his affliction. And he departed yet again from the Lord, and King Ahaz said,

28:23  I will seek after the gods of Damascus that attack me. And he said, Forasmuch as the gods of the king of Syria themselves strengthen them, therefore will I sacrifice to them, and they will help me. But they became a stumbling block to him, and to all Israel.

28:24  And Ahaz removed the vessels of the house of the Lord, and cut them in pieces, and shut the doors of the house of the Lord, and made for himself altars in every corner in Jerusalem.

28:25  And in every single city in Judah he made high places to burn incense to strange gods. And they provoked the Lord God of their fathers.

28:26  And the rest of his acts and his deeds, the first and the last, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.

28:27  And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and was buried in the City of David; for they did not bring him into the tombs of the kings of Israel; and Hezekiah his son reigned in his place.

Chapter 29

29:1  And Hezekiah began to reign at the age of twenty-five years, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Abijah, daughter of Zechariah.

29:2  And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father David had done.

29:3  And it came to pass, when he was established over his kingdom, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the Lord, and repaired them.

29:4  And he brought in the priests and the Levites, and put them on the east side,

29:5  and said to them, Hear, you Levites: Now sanctify yourselves, and sanctify the house of the Lord God of your fathers, and cast out the impurity from the holy places.

29:6  For our fathers have revolted, and done that which was evil before the Lord our God, and have forsaken Him, and have turned away their face from the tabernacle of the Lord, and have turned their back.

29:7  And they have shut up the doors of the temple, and put out the lamps, and have not burned incense, and have not offered whole burnt offerings in the holy place to the God of Israel.

29:8  And the Lord was very angry with Judah and Jerusalem, and made them an astonishment, and a desolation, and a hissing, as you see with your eyes.

29:9  And behold, your fathers have been smitten with the sword, and your sons and your daughters and your wives are in captivity in a land not their own, as it is even now.

29:10  Therefore it is now in my heart to make a covenant, a covenant with the Lord God of Israel, that He may turn away His fierce wrath from us.

29:11  And now be not wanting to your duty, for the Lord has chosen you to stand before Him to minister, and to be ministers and burners of incense to Him.

29:12  Then the Levites rose up, Mahath the son of Amasai, and Joel the son of Azariah, of the sons of Kohath: and of the sons of Merari, Kish the son of Abdi, and Azariah the son of Jehalelel; and of the sons of Gershon, Joah the son of Zimmah, and Joadam: these were the sons of Joah.

29:13  And of the sons of Elizaphan: Shimri, and Jehiel. And of the sons of Asaph: Zechariah and Mattaniah;

29:14  and of the sons of Heman: Jeiel and Shimei; and of the sons of Jeduthun: Shemaiah and Uzziel.

29:15  And they gathered their brethren, and they purified themselves according to the king's command by the order of the Lord, to purify the house of the Lord.

29:16  And the priests entered into the house of the Lord, to purify it, and they cast out all the uncleanness that was found in the house of the Lord, even into the court of the house of the Lord. And the Levites received it to cast into the Brook of Kidron outside.

29:17  And Hezekiah began on the first day, on the new moon of the first month, to purify, and on the eighth day of the month they entered into the temple of the Lord. And they purified the house of the Lord in eight days. And on the thirteenth day of the first month they finished the work.

29:18  And they went in to King Hezekiah, and said, We have purified all the things in the house of the Lord, the altar of whole burnt offering, and its vessels, and the table of showbread, and its vessels;

29:19  and all the vessels which King Ahaz polluted in his reign, in his apostasy, we have prepared and purified; behold, they are before the altar of the Lord.

29:20  And King Hezekiah rose early in the morning, and gathered the chief men of the city, and went up to the house of the Lord.

29:21  And he brought seven calves, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven kids of goats for a sin-offering, for the kingdom, and for the holy things, and for Israel. And he told the priests, the sons of Aaron, to go up to the altar of the Lord.

29:22  And they killed the calves, and the priests received the blood, and poured it on the altar. And they killed the rams, and poured the blood upon the altar. Also they killed the lambs, and poured the blood on the altar.

29:23  And they brought the goats for a sin offering before the king and the congregation, and laid their hands upon them.

29:24  And the priests killed them, and offered their blood as a propitiation on the altar; and they made atonement for all Israel; for the king said, The whole burnt offering, and the sin offering are for all Israel.

29:25  And he stationed the Levites in the house of the Lord with cymbals, and lutes, and harps, according to the commandment of King David, and of Gad the king's seer, and Nathan the prophet; for by the commandment of the Lord the order was in the hand of the prophets.

29:26  And the Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets.

29:27  And Hezekiah told them to offer up the whole burnt offering on the altar. And when they began to offer the whole burnt offering, they began to sing to the Lord, and the trumpets accompanied the instruments of David king of Israel.

29:28  And all the congregation worshipped, and the psalm-singers were singing, and the trumpets sounding, until the whole burnt sacrifice had been completely offered.

29:29  And when they had done offering it, the king and all that were present bowed down and worshipped.

29:30  And King Hezekiah and the princes told the Levites to sing hymns to the Lord in the words of David, and of Asaph the prophet. And they sang hymns with gladness, and fell down and worshipped.

29:31  Then Hezekiah answered and said, Now that you have consecrated yourselves to the Lord, bring near and offer sacrifices of praise in the house of the Lord. And the congregation brought sacrifices and thank offerings into the house of the Lord; and everyone who was ready in his heart brought whole burnt offerings.

29:32  And the number of the whole burnt offerings which the congregation brought, was seventy calves, a hundred rams, and two hundred lambs: all these were for a whole burnt offering to the Lord.

29:33  And the consecrated calves were six hundred, and the sheep three thousand.

29:34  But the priests were few, and could not slay the whole burnt offering, so their brethren the Levites helped them, until the work was finished, and until the priests had purified themselves; for the Levites more zealously purified themselves than the priests.

29:35  And the whole burnt offering was abundant, with the fat of the complete peace offering, and the drink offerings of the whole burnt sacrifice. So the service was established in the house of the Lord.

29:36  And Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced, because God had prepared the people: for the thing was done suddenly.

Chapter 30

30:1  And Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come into the house of the Lord to Jerusalem, to keep the Passover to the Lord God of Israel.

30:2  For the king, and the princes, and all the congregation in Jerusalem, designed to keep the Passover in the second month.

30:3  For they could not keep it at that time, because a sufficient number of priests had not purified themselves, and the people were not gathered to Jerusalem.

30:4  And the proposal pleased the king and the congregation.

30:5  And they established a decree that a proclamation should go through all Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, that they should come and keep the Passover to the Lord God of Israel at Jerusalem; for the multitude had not done it lately according to the Scripture.

30:6  And the posts went with the letters from the king and the princes to all Israel and Judah, according to the command of the king, saying, Children of Israel, return to the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and bring back them that have escaped, even those that were left of the hand of the king of Assyria.

30:7  And be not as your fathers and your brethren, who revolted from the Lord God of their fathers, and He gave them up to desolation, as you see.

30:8  And now harden not your hearts, as your fathers did; give glory to the Lord God, and enter into His sanctuary, which He has sanctified forever, and serve the Lord your God, and He shall turn away His fierce anger from you.

30:9  For when you turn to the Lord, your brethren and your children shall be pitied before all that have carried them captives, and He will restore you to this land; for the Lord our God is merciful and gracious, and will not turn away His face from you, if we return to Him.

30:10  So the posts went through from city to city in Mount Ephraim and Manasseh, and as far as Zebulun; and they laughed them to scorn, and mocked them.

30:11  But the men of Asher, and some of Manasseh and of Zebulun, were ashamed, and came to Jerusalem and Judah.

30:12  And the hand of the Lord was present to give them one heart to come, to do according to the commands of the king and of the princes, by the word of the Lord.

30:13  And a great multitude were gathered to Jerusalem to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the second month, a very great congregation.

30:14  And they arose, and took away the altars that were in Jerusalem, and all on which they burnt incense to false gods they tore down and cast into the Brook Kidron.

30:15  Then they killed the Passover lambs on the fourteenth day of the second month. And the priests and the Levites repented, and purified themselves, and brought whole burnt offerings into the house of the Lord.

30:16  And they stood at their post, according to their ordinance, according to the commandment of Moses the man of God; and the priests received the blood from the hand of the Levites.

30:17  For a great part of the congregation was not sanctified; and the Levites were ready to kill the Passover for everyone who could not sanctify himself to the Lord.

30:18  For the greatest part of the people of Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not purified themselves, but ate the Passover contrary to the Scripture. On this account also Hezekiah prayed concerning them, saying,

30:19  The good Lord be merciful with regard to every heart that sincerely seeks the Lord God of their fathers, and is not purified according to the purification of the sanctuary.

30:20  And the Lord hearkened to Hezekiah, and healed the people.

30:21  And the children of Israel who were present in Jerusalem kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with great joy; and they continued to sing hymns to the Lord daily, and the priests and the Levites played on instruments to the Lord.

30:22  And Hezekiah encouraged all the Levites, and those that had good understanding of the Lord, and they completely kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days, offering peace offerings, and confessing to the Lord God of their fathers.

30:23  And the congregation purposed together to keep another seven days. And they kept another seven days with gladness.

30:24  For Hezekiah set apart for Judah, even for the congregation, a thousand calves and seven thousand sheep; and the princes set apart for the people a thousand calves and ten thousand sheep, and the holy things of the priests abundantly.

30:25  And all the congregation rejoiced, the priests and the Levites, and all the congregation of Judah, and those that were present of Jerusalem, and the strangers that came from the land of Israel, and those that dwelt in Judah.

30:26  And there was great joy in Jerusalem. From the days of Solomon the son of David king of Israel there was not such a feast in Jerusalem.

30:27  Then the priests the Levites rose up and blessed the people, and their voice was heard, and their prayer came up to His holy dwelling place, even into heaven.

Chapter 31

31:1  And when all these things were finished, all Israel that were found in the cities of Judah went out, and broke in pieces the pillars, and cut down the groves, and tore down the high places and the altars out of all Judea and Benjamin, also of Ephraim and Manasseh, until they had utterly destroyed them all. And all Israel returned, everyone to his inheritance, and to their cities.

31:2  And Hezekiah appointed the courses of the priests and the Levites, and the courses of each one according to his ministry, to the priests and to the Levites, for the whole burnt offering, and for the peace offering, and to praise, and to give thanks, and to minister in the gates, and in the courts of the house of the Lord.

31:3  And the king's proportion out of his substance was appointed for the whole burnt offerings, the morning and the evening offering, and the whole burnt offerings for the Sabbaths, and for the new moons, and for the feasts that were ordered in the Law of the Lord.

31:4  And they told the people who dwelt in Jerusalem, to give the portion of the priests and the Levites, that they might be strong in the ministry of the house of the Lord.

31:5  And as he gave the command, Israel brought abundantly their firstfruits of grain, wine, oil, honey, and every fruit of the field. And the children of Israel and Judah brought tithes of everything abundantly.

31:6  And those who dwelt in the cities of Judah themselves also brought tithes of calves and sheep, and tithes of goats, and consecrated them to the Lord their God, and they brought them and laid them in heaps.

31:7  In the third month the heaps began to be piled, and in the seventh month they were finished.

31:8  And Hezekiah and the princes came and saw the heaps, and blessed the Lord, and His people Israel.

31:9  Then Hezekiah inquired of the priests and the Levites concerning the heaps.

31:10  And Azariah the priest, the chief over the house of Zadok, spoke to him, and said, From the time that the firstfruits began to be brought into the house of the Lord, we have eaten and drunk, and left even abundantly; for the Lord has blessed His people, and we have this great amount left.

31:11  And Hezekiah told them yet farther to prepare chambers for the house of the Lord; and they prepared them,

31:12  and they brought there the firstfruits and the tithes faithfully. And Cononiah the Levite was superintendent over them, and Shimei his brother was next.

31:13  And Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismachiah, Mahath, and Benaiah and his sons, were appointed by Cononiah and Shimei his brother, as Hezekiah the king, and Azariah who was over the house of the Lord commanded.

31:14  And Kore, the son of Imnah the Levite, the porter eastward, was over the gifts, to distribute the firstfruits of the Lord, and the most holy things,

31:15  by the hand of Eden, Benjamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah, by the hand of the priests faithfully, to give to their brethren according to the courses, to the great as well as the small;

31:16  besides the increase of males from three years old and upward, to everyone entering into the house of the Lord, a portion according to a daily rate, for service in the daily courses of their order.

31:17  This is the distribution of the priests according to the houses of their families; and the Levites in their daily courses from twenty years old and upward were in their order,

31:18  to assign stations for all the increase of their sons and their daughters, for the whole number, for they faithfully sanctified the holy place.

31:19  As for the sons of Aaron that executed the priests' office-even those from their cities, the men in each several city who were named expressly-were appointed to give a portion to every male among the priests, and to everyone reckoned among the Levites.

31:20  And Hezekiah did so through all Judah, and did that which was good and right before the Lord his God.

31:21  And in every work which he began in service in the house of the Lord, and in the law, and in the ordinances, he sought his God with all his soul, and wrought, and prospered.

Chapter 32

32:1  And after these things and this faithful dealing, Sennacherib king of the Assyrians came to Judah, and he encamped against the fortified cities, and intended to take them for himself.

32:2  And Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come, and that his face was set to fight against Jerusalem.

32:3  And he took counsel with his elders and his mighty men to stop the wells of water which were outside the city; and they helped him.

32:4  And he collected many people, and stopped the wells of water, and the river that flowed through the city, saying, Lest the king of Assyria come, and find much water, and strengthen himself.

32:5  And Hezekiah strengthened himself, and built all the wall that had been pulled down, and the towers, and another wall outside, and fortified the strong place of the City of David, and prepared arms in abundance.

32:6  And he appointed captains of war over the people, and they were gathered to meet him to the open place of the gate of the valley, and he encouraged them, saying,

32:7  Be strong and courageous, and fear not, neither be dismayed before the king of Assyria, and before all the nation that is with him: for there are more with us than with him.

32:8  With him are arms of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to save us, and to fight our battle. And the people were encouraged at the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

32:9  And afterward Sennacherib king of the Assyrians sent his servants to Jerusalem; and he went himself against Lachish, and all his army with him, and sent to Hezekiah king of Judah, and to all Judah that was in Jerusalem, saying,

32:10  Thus says Sennacherib king of the Assyrians: On what do you trust, that you will remain in the siege in Jerusalem?

32:11  Does not Hezekiah deceive you, to deliver you to death and famine and thirst, saying, The Lord our God will deliver us out of the hand of the king of Assyria?

32:12  Is not this Hezekiah who has taken down his altars and his high places and has spoken to Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, You shall worship before this altar and burn incense upon it?

32:13  Know you not what I and my fathers have done to all the nations of the countries? Could the gods of the nations of all the earth rescue their people out of my hand?

32:14  Who is there among all the gods of those nations whom my fathers utterly destroyed, worthy of trust? Could they deliver their people out of my hand, that your God should deliver you out of my hand?

32:15  Now then, let not Hezekiah deceive you, and let him not make you thus confident, and believe him not, for no god of any kingdom or nation is at all able to deliver his people out of my hand, or the hand of my fathers; therefore your God shall not deliver you out of my hand.

32:16  And his servants continued to speak against the Lord God, and against His servant Hezekiah.

32:17  And he wrote a letter to reproach the Lord God of Israel, and spoke concerning Him, saying, As the gods of the nations of the earth have not delivered their people out of my hand, so the God of Hezekiah shall by no means deliver His people out of my hand.

32:18  And he cried with a loud voice in the Jews' language to the people of Jerusalem on the wall, calling them to assist them, and pull down the walls, that they might take the city.

32:19  And he spoke against the God of Jerusalem, even as against the gods of the nations of the earth, the works of the hands of men.

32:20  And King Hezekiah and Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz prayed concerning these things, and they cried to heaven.

32:21  And the Lord sent an angel, and He destroyed every mighty man and warrior, and leader and captain in the camp of the king of Assyria; and he returned with shame of face to his own land and came into the house of his god. And some of his own offspring killed him with the sword.

32:22  So the Lord delivered Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem out of the hand of Sennacherib king of Assyria, and out of the hand of all his enemies, and gave them rest round about.

32:23  And many brought gifts to the Lord to Jerusalem, and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah; and he was exalted in the eyes of all the nations after these things.

32:24  In those days Hezekiah was sick even to death, and he prayed to the Lord. And He hearkened to him, and gave him a sign.

32:25  But Hezekiah did not recompense the Lord according to the favor shown him, but his heart was lifted up. And wrath came upon him, and upon Judah and Jerusalem.

32:26  And Hezekiah humbled himself after the exaltation of his heart, he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and the wrath of the Lord did not come upon them in the days of Hezekiah.

32:27  And Hezekiah had wealth and very great glory. And he made for himself treasuries of gold, silver, and precious stones, also for spices and stores for arms, and for precious vessels;

32:28  and cities for the produce of grain, wine, and oil; and stalls and mangers for every kind of cattle, and folds for flocks;

32:29  and cities which he built for himself, and store of sheep and oxen in abundance, for the Lord gave him a very great store.

32:30  The same Hezekiah stopped up the course of the water of Upper Gihon, and brought the water down straight south of the City of David. And Hezekiah prospered in all his works.

32:31  Notwithstanding, in regard to the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, who were sent to him, to inquire of him concerning the wonders which came upon the land, the Lord left him, to test him, to know what was in his heart.

32:32  And the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and his kindness, behold, they are written in the prophecy of Isaiah the son of Amoz the prophet, and in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.

32:33  And Hezekiah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in a high place among the tombs of the sons of David. And all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem gave him glory and honor at his death. And Manasseh his son reigned in his place.

Chapter 33

33:1  Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem.

33:2  And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all the abominations of the heathen, whom the Lord destroyed from before the face of the children of Israel.

33:3  And he returned and built the high places, which his father Hezekiah had pulled down, and set up images to the Baals, and made groves, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them.

33:4  And he built altars in the house of the Lord, concerning which the Lord said, In Jerusalem shall be My name forever.

33:5  And he built altars to all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord.

33:6  He also passed his children through the fire in the valley of the Son of Hinnom; and he practiced witchcraft, divination, and sorceries, and appointed those who had divining spirits, and enchanters, and wrought abundant wickedness before the Lord, to provoke Him.

33:7  And he set the graven image, the molten statue, the idol which he made, in the house of God, of which God had said to David and to Solomon his son, In this house, and Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put My name forever;

33:8  and I will not again remove the foot of Israel from the land which I gave to their fathers, if only they will take heed to do all things which I have commanded them, according to all the law and the ordinances and the judgments given by the hand of Moses.

33:9  So Manasseh led Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem astray, to do evil beyond all the nations which the Lord cast out from before the children of Israel.

33:10  And the Lord spoke to Manasseh and to his people, but they hearkened not.

33:11  And the Lord brought upon them the captains of the armies of the king of Assyria, and they took Manasseh in bonds, and bound him in fetters, and brought him to Babylon.

33:12  And when he was afflicted, he sought the face of the Lord his God, and was greatly humbled before the face of the God of his fathers;

33:13  and he prayed to Him. And He hearkened to him, and listened to his cry, and brought him back to Jerusalem to his kingdom. And Manasseh knew that the Lord, He is God.

33:14  And afterward he built a wall outside the City of David, from the southwest southward in the valleys and at the entrance through the Fish Gate, as men go out by the gate round about, even as far as Ophel. And he raised it much, and set captains of the army in all the fortified cities in Judah.

33:15  And he removed the strange gods, and the graven image out of the house of the Lord, and all the altars which he had built in the mount of the house of the Lord, and in Jerusalem, and outside the city.

33:16  And he repaired the altar of the Lord, and offered upon it a sacrifice of peace offering and thank offering, and he told Judah to serve the Lord God of Israel.

33:17  Nevertheless the people still sacrificed on the high places, only to the Lord their God.

33:18  And the rest of the acts of Manasseh, and his prayer to God, and the words of the seers that spoke to him in the name of the God of Israel,

33:19  behold, they are in the account of his prayer. And God hearkened to him. And all his sins, and his backslidings, and the spots on which he built the high places, and set there groves and graven images, before he repented, behold, they are written in the books of the seers.

33:20  And Manasseh slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the garden of his house; and Amon his son reigned in his place.

33:21  Amon was twenty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem.

33:22  And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, as his father Manasseh had done. And Amon sacrificed to all the idols which his father Manasseh had made, and served them.

33:23  And he was not humbled before the Lord as his father Manasseh was humbled; for his son Amon abounded in transgression.

33:24  And his servants conspired against him, and killed him in his house.

33:25  And the people of the land killed the men who had conspired against King Amon; and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his place.

Chapter 34

34:1  Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem.

34:2  And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the ways of his father David, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.

34:3  And in the eighth year of his reign, and he being yet a youth, he began to seek the Lord God of his father David. And in the twelfth year of his reign he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the groves, and the ornaments for the altars, and the molten images.

34:4  And he pulled down the altars of the Baals that were in his presence, and the high places that were above them; and he cut down the groves, and the graven images, and broke in pieces the molten images, and reduced them to powder, and cast it upon the surface of the tombs of those who had sacrificed to them.

34:5  And he burnt the bones of the priests upon the altars, and purged Judah and Jerusalem.

34:6  And he did so in the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, Simeon, and Naphtali, and the places round about them.

34:7  And he pulled down the altars and the groves, and he cut the idols in small pieces, and cut off all the high places from all the land of Israel, and returned to Jerusalem.

34:8  And in the eighteenth year of his reign, after having cleansed the land and the house, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of the Lord his God.

34:9  And they came to Hilkiah the high priest, and gave the money that was brought into the house of God, which the Levites who kept the gate collected of the hand of Manasseh and Ephraim, and of the princes, and of everyone that was left in Israel, and of the children of Judah and Benjamin, and of the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

34:10  And they gave it into the hand of the workmen, who were appointed in the house of the Lord, and they gave it to the workmen who wrought in the house of the Lord, to repair and strengthen the house.

34:11  They gave it also to the carpenters and builders, to buy squared stones, and timber for beams to cover the houses which the kings of Judah had destroyed.

34:12  And the men were faithfully engaged in the works. And over them were superintendents, Jahath and Obadiah, Levites of the sons of Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam, of the sons of Kohath, appointed to oversee; and every Levite, and everyone that understood how to play on musical instruments.

34:13  And overseers were over the burden bearers, and over all the workmen in the respective works; and of the Levites were appointed scribes, judges, and porters.

34:14  And when they brought forth the money that had been brought into the house of the Lord, Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the Lord given by the hand of Moses.

34:15  Then Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan the scribe, I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the Lord. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan.

34:16  And Shaphan brought in the book to the king, and moreover he gave an account to the king, saying, This is all the money given into the hand of your servants that work.

34:17  And they have collected the money that was found in the house of the Lord, and given it into the hand of the overseers, and into the hand of them that do the work.

34:18  And Shaphan the scribe brought word to the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest has given me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king.

34:19  And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the Law, that he tore his clothes.

34:20  And the king commanded Hilkiah, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Abdon the son of Micah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the servant of the king, saying,

34:21  Go, inquire of the Lord for me, and for everyone that is left in Israel and Judah, concerning the words of the book that was found; for great is the wrath of the Lord which has been kindled amongst us, because our fathers have not hearkened to the words of the Lord, to do according to all the things written in this book.

34:22  And Hilkiah went, and the others whom the king told, to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum, son of Tokhath, son of Hasrah, who kept the commandments. And she dwelt in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter: and they spoke to her accordingly.

34:23  And she said to them, Thus has the Lord God of Israel said: Tell the man who sent you to Me,

34:24  Thus says the Lord: Behold, I bring evil upon this place, even all the words that are written in the book that was read before the king of Judah;

34:25  because they have forsaken Me, and burnt incense to strange gods, that they might provoke Me by all the works of their hands; and My wrath is kindled against this place, and it shall not be quenched.

34:26  And concerning the king of Judah, who sent you to seek the Lord, thus shall you say to him; Thus says the Lord God of Israel: As for the words which you have heard,

34:27  forasmuch as your heart was ashamed, and you were humbled before Me when you heard My words against this place, and against the inhabitants of it, and you were humbled before Me, and you tore your clothes, and wept before Me; I also have heard, says the Lord.

34:28  Behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace, and your eyes shall not look upon all the evils which I am bringing upon this place, and upon the inhabitants of it. And they brought back word to the king.

34:29  And the king sent and gathered the elders of Judah and Jerusalem.

34:30  And the king went up to the house of the Lord, he and all Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests, and the Levites, and all the people great and small; and he read in their ears all the words of the Book of the Covenant that were found in the house of the Lord.

34:31  And the king stood at a pillar, and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk before the Lord, to keep His commandments and testimonies, and His ordinances, with all his heart and with all his soul, so as to perform the words of the covenant that were written in this book.

34:32  And he caused all that were found in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand; and the inhabitants of Jerusalem made a covenant in the house of the Lord God of their fathers.

34:33  And Josiah removed all the abominations out of the whole land which belonged to the children of Israel, and caused all that were found in Jerusalem and in Israel, to serve the Lord their God all his days. He departed not from following the Lord God of his fathers.

Chapter 35

35:1  And Josiah kept a Passover to the Lord his God; and sacrificed the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month.

35:2  And he appointed the priests at their charges, and encouraged them for the services of the house of the Lord.

35:3  And he told the Levites that were able to act in all Israel, that they should consecrate themselves to the Lord. And they put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David king of Israel built. And the king said, You must not carry anything on your shoulders; now then minister to the Lord your God, and to His people Israel.

35:4  And prepare yourselves according to the houses of your families, and according to your daily courses, according to the writing of David king of Israel, and the order by the hand of his son Solomon.

35:5  And stand in the house according to the divisions of the houses of your families for your brethren the sons of the people; so also let there be for the Levites a division of the house of their family.

35:6  And kill the Passover lamb, and prepare it for your brethren, to do according to the word of the Lord, by the hand of Moses.

35:7  And Josiah gave as an offering to the children of the people, sheep, lambs, and kids of the young of the goats, all for the Passover, even for all that were found, in number amounting to thirty thousand, and three thousand calves, these were of the substance of the king.

35:8  And his princes gave an offering to the people, and to the priests, and to the Levites: and Hilkiah and Zechariah and Jehiel the chief men gave to the priests of the house of God, they even gave for the Passover sheep, lambs, and kids, two thousand six hundred, and three hundred calves.

35:9  And Conaniah, Benaiah, Shemaiah, Nethaneel his brother, Hashabiah, Jeiel, and Jozabad, heads of the Levites, gave an offering to the Levites for the Passover, of five thousand sheep and five hundred calves.

35:10  And the service was duly ordered, and the priests stood in their place, and the Levites in their divisions, according to the command of the king.

35:11  And they killed the Passover offerings, and the priests sprinkled the blood from their hand, and the Levites skinned the animals.

35:12  And they prepared the whole burnt offering to give to them, according to the division by the houses of families, even to the sons of the people, to offer to the Lord, as it is written in the Book of Moses.

35:13  And thus they did till the morning. And they roasted the Passover with fire according to the ordinance; and boiled the holy pieces in copper vessels and caldrons, and the feast went on well, and they quickly served all the children of the people.

35:14  And after they had prepared for themselves and for the priests, for the priests were engaged in offering the whole burnt offerings and the fat until night, then the Levites prepared for themselves, and for their brethren the sons of Aaron.

35:15  And the sons of Asaph the psalm-singers were at their post according to the commands of David, and Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, the prophets of the king. Also, the chiefs and the porters of the several gates-it was not for them to stir from the service of the holy things, for their brethren the Levites prepared for them.

35:16  So all the service of the Lord was duly ordered and prepared in that day, for keeping the Passover, and offering the whole burnt sacrifices on the altar of the Lord, according to the command of King Josiah.

35:17  And the children of Israel that were present kept the Passover at that time, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days.

35:18  And there was no Passover like it in Israel from the days of Samuel the prophet, or any king of Israel; they kept not such a Passover as Josiah, and the priests, and the Levites, and all Judah and Israel that were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, kept to the Lord.

35:19  In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah this Passover was kept, after all these things that Josiah did in the house. And King Josiah burnt those who had in them a divining spirit, and the wizards, and the images, and the idols, and the sodomites which were in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, that he might confirm the words of the law that were written in the book which Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the Lord. There was no king like him before him, who turned to the Lord with all his heart, and all his soul, and all his strength, according to all the Law of Moses, and after him there rose up none like him. Nevertheless the Lord turned not from the anger of His fierce wrath, wherewith the Lord was greatly angry against Judah, for all the provocations in which Manasseh had provoked Him. And the Lord said, I will even remove Judah also from My presence, as I have removed Israel, and I have rejected the city which I chose, even Jerusalem, and the house of which I said, My name shall be there.

35:20  And Pharaoh Necho king of Egypt went up against the king of the Assyrians to the River Euphrates, and King Josiah went to meet him.

35:21  And he sent messengers to him, saying, What have I to do with you, O king of Judah? I have not come today to war against you; and God has told me to make haste; beware of the God that is with me, lest He destroy you.

35:22  However, Josiah turned not his face from him, but strengthened himself to fight against him, and hearkened not to the words of Necho by the mouth of God, and he came to fight in the plain of Megiddo.

35:23  And the archers shot at King Josiah. And the king said to his servants, Take me away, for I am severely wounded.

35:24  And his servants lifted him out of the chariot, and put him in the second chariot which he had, and brought him to Jerusalem. And he died, and was buried with his fathers; and all Judah and Jerusalem lamented over Josiah.

35:25  And Jeremiah mourned over Josiah, and all the chief men and chief women uttered a lamentation over Josiah until this day. And they made it an ordinance for Israel, and behold, it is written in the lamentations.

35:26  And the rest of the acts of Josiah, and his hope, are written in the law of the Lord.

35:27  And his acts, the first and the last, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.

Chapter 36

36:1  And the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and anointed him, and made him king over Jerusalem in the place of his father.

36:2  Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Amital, daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his fathers had done. And Pharaoh Necho bound him in Diblath in the land of Emath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem.

36:3  And the king brought him over to Egypt, and imposed a tribute on the land, a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold.

36:4  And Pharaoh Necho made Eliakim the son of Josiah king over Judah in the place of his father Josiah, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. And Pharaoh Necho took his brother Jehoahaz and brought him into Egypt, and he died there; but he had given the silver and gold to Pharaoh. At that time the land began to be taxed to give the money at the command of Pharaoh; and everyone as he could borrowed the silver and the gold of the people of the land, to give to Pharaoh Necho.

36:5  Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Zechora, daughter of Neriah of Ramah. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his fathers did. In his days came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon into the land, and he served him three years, and then revolted from him. And the Lord sent against them the Chaldeans, and plundering parties of Syrians, and plundering parties of the Moabites, and of the children of Ammon, and of Samaria. But after this they departed, according to the word of the Lord by the hand of His servants the prophets. Nevertheless the wrath of the Lord was upon Judah, so that they should be removed from His presence, because of the sins of Manasseh in all that he did, and for the innocent blood which Jehoiakim shed, for he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; yet the Lord would not utterly destroy them.

36:6  And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against him, and bound him with bronze fetters, and carried him away to Babylon.

36:7  And he carried away a part of the vessels of the house of the Lord to Babylon, and put them in his temple in Babylon.

36:8  And the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and all that he did, behold, are not these things written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? And Jehoiakim slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers; and Jeconiah his son reigned in his place.

36:9  Jeconiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem, and did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord.

36:10  And at the turn of the year, King Nebuchadnezzar sent, and brought him to Babylon, with the precious vessels of the house of the Lord, and made Zedekiah his father's brother king over Judah and Jerusalem.

36:11  Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem.

36:12  And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord his God; he was not ashamed before the prophet Jeremiah, nor because of the word of the Lord;

36:13  in that he rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, which he adjured him by God not to do; but he stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart, so as not to return to the Lord God of Israel.

36:14  And all the great men of Judah, and the priests, and the people of the land transgressed abundantly in the abominations of the heathen, and polluted the house of the Lord which was in Jerusalem.

36:15  And the Lord God of their fathers sent by the hand of His prophets; rising early and sending His messengers, for He had compassion on His people, and His sanctuary.

36:16  Nevertheless they sneered at His messengers, and despised His words, and mocked His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord rose up against His people, till there was no remedy.

36:17  And He brought the king of the Chaldeans against them, and killed their young men with the sword in the house of His sanctuary, and did not spare Zedekiah, and had no mercy upon their virgins, and they led away their old men; He delivered all things into their hands.

36:18  And all the vessels of the house of God, the great and the small, and the treasures of the house of the Lord, and all the treasures of the king and the great men; he brought all to Babylon.

36:19  And he burned the house of the Lord, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem, and burned its palaces with fire, and utterly destroyed every beautiful vessel.

36:20  And he carried away the remnant to Babylon; and they were servants to him and to his sons until the establishment of the kingdom of the Medes,

36:21  that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, until the land should enjoy its Sabbaths in resting, and Sabbath keeping all the days of its desolation, till the accomplishment of seventy years.

36:22  In the first year of Cyrus king of the Persians, after the fulfillment of the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of the Persians, and told him to make proclamation in writing throughout all his kingdom, saying,

36:23  Thus says Cyrus king of the Persians to all the kingdoms of the earth: The Lord God of heaven has given me power, and He has commanded me to build a house to Him in Jerusalem, in Judea. Who is there among you of all His people? His God shall be with him, and let him go up.