AB - II Kings

Chapter 1

1:1  And Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab.

1:2  Now Ahaziah fell through the lattice that was in his upper chamber in Samaria, and was sick. And he sent messengers, and said to them, Go and inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover of this my sickness. And they went to inquire of him.

1:3  And an angel of the Lord called Elijah the Tishbite, saying, Arise, and go to meet the messengers of Ahaziah king of Samaria, and you shall say to them, Is it because there is no God in Israel, that you go to inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron? But it shall not be so.

1:4  For thus says the Lord: The bed on which you have gone up, you shall not come down from it, for you shall surely die. And Elijah went, and said thus to them.

1:5  And the messenger returned to him, and he said to them, Why have you returned?

1:6  And they said to him, A man came up to meet us, and said to us, Go, return to the king that sent you, and say to him, Thus says the Lord: Is it because there is no God in Israel, that you go to inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron? It shall not be so: the bed on which you have gone up, you shall not come down from it, for you shall surely die.

1:7  So they returned and reported to the king as Elijah said. And he said to them, What was the manner of the man who went up to meet you, and spoke to you these words?

1:8  And they said to him, He was a hairy man, and girded with a leather belt about his loins. And he said, This is Elijah the Tishbite.

1:9  And he sent to him a captain of fifty with his fifty men. And he went up to him; and behold, Elijah sat on the top of a mountain. And the captain of fifty spoke to him, and said, O man of God, the king has called you, come down.

1:10  And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, And if I am a man of God, fire shall come down out of heaven, and devour you and your fifty men. And fire came down out of heaven, and devoured him and the fifty.

1:11  And the king sent a second time to him another captain of fifty, and his fifty. And the captain of fifty spoke to him, and said, O man of God, thus says the king, Come down quickly.

1:12  And Elijah answered and spoke to him, and said, If I am a man of God, fire shall come down out of heaven, and devour you and your fifty. And fire came down out of heaven, and devoured him and his fifty.

1:13  And the king sent yet again a captain and his fifty. And the third captain of fifty came, and knelt on his knees before Elijah, and entreated him, and spoke to him and said, O man of God, let my life, and the life of these fifty your servants, be precious in your eyes.

1:14  Behold, fire came down from heaven, and devoured the two first captains of fifty; and now, I pray, let my life be precious in your eyes.

1:15  And the Angel of the Lord spoke to Elijah, and said, Go down with him, be not afraid of them. And Elijah rose up, and went down with him to the king.

1:16  And Elijah spoke to him, and said, Thus says the Lord: Why have you sent messengers to inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron? It shall not be so; the bed on which you have gone up, you shall not come down from it, for you shall surely die.

1:17  So he died according to the word of the Lord which Elijah had spoken.

1:18  And the rest of the acts of Ahaziah which he did, behold, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? And Jehoram son of Ahab reiged over Israel in Samaria twelve years, beginning in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, only not as his brethren, nor as his mother; and he removed the pillars of Baal which his father made, and broke them in pieces; only he was joined to the sins of the house of Jeroboam, who led Israel to sin; he departed not from them. And the Lord was very angry with the house of Ahab.

Chapter 2

2:1  And it came to pass, when the Lord was about to take Elijah with a whirlwind into heaven, that Elijah and Elisha went out of Gilgal.

2:2  And Elijah said to Elisha, Stay here, please; for God has sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said, As the Lord lives and your soul lives, I will not leave you; so they came to Bethel.

2:3  And the sons of the prophets who were in Bethel came to Elisha, and said to him, Do you know that the Lord this day is going to take away your master from over you? And he said, Yes, I know it; be silent.

2:4  And Elijah said to Elisha, Stay here, please; for the Lord has sent me to Jericho. And he said, As the Lord lives and as your soul lives, I will not leave you. And they came to Jericho.

2:5  And the sons of the prophets who were in Jericho drew near to Elisha, and said to him, Do you know that the Lord this day is going to take away your master from over you? And he said, Yes, I know it; hold your peace.

2:6  And Elijah said to him, Stay here please, for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan. And Elisha said, As the Lord lives and as your soul lives, I will not leave you. And they both went on.

2:7  And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went also, and they stood opposite afar off; and both stood on the bank of the Jordan.

2:8  And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and struck the water, and the water was divided on this side and on that side, and they both went over on dry ground.

2:9  And it came to pass while they were crossing over, that Elijah said to Elisha, Ask what I shall do for you before I am taken up from you. And Elisha said, Let there be a double portion of your spirit upon me.

2:10  And Elijah said, You have asked a hard thing: if you shall see me when I am taken up from you, then shall it be so to you; and if not, it shall not be so.

2:11  And it came to pass as they were going, they went on talking; and behold, a chariot of fire appeared, with horses of fire, and it separated the two of them; and Elijah was taken up in a whirlwind into heaven.

2:12  And Elisha saw, and cried, Father, father, the chariot of Israel, and its horseman! And he saw him no more. And he took hold of his garments, and tore them into two pieces.

2:13  And he took up the mantle of Elijah, which fell from off him upon Elisha; and Elisha returned, and stood upon the brink of the Jordan;

2:14  and he took the mantle of Elijah, which fell from off him, and struck the water, and said, Where is the Lord God of Elijah? And he struck the waters, and they were divided this way and that; and Elisha went over.

2:15  And the sons of the prophets who were in Jericho on the opposite side saw him, and said, The spirit of Elijah has rested upon Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed down before him to the ground.

2:16  And they said to him, Behold now, there are with your servants fifty men of strength: let them go now, and seek your master: perhaps the Spirit of the Lord has taken him up, and cast him into the Jordan, or on one of the mountains, or on one of the hills. And Elisha said, You shall not send them.

2:17  And they pressed him until he was ashamed; and he said, Send them. And they sent fifty men, and sought him for three days, and found him not.

2:18  And they returned to him, for he dwelt in Jericho. And Elisha said, Did I not say to you, Go not?

2:19  And the men of the city said to Elisha, Behold, the situation of the city is good, as our lord sees; but the waters are bad, and the ground barren.

2:20  And Elisha said, Bring me a new pitcher, and put salt in it. And they took one, and brought it to him.

2:21  And Elisha went out to the spring of the waters, and cast in the salt there, and said, Thus says the Lord: I have healed these waters; there shall be no more death there or barrenness.

2:22  And the waters were healed to this day, according to the word of Elisha which he spoke.

2:23  And he went up there to Bethel. And as he was going up by the road, there came up also little children from the city, and mocked him, and said to him, Go up, baldhead, go up.

2:24  And he turned after them, and saw them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord. And behold, there came out two bears out of the woods, and they mauled forty-two children among them.

2:25  And he went from there to Mount Carmel, and returned from there to Samaria.

Chapter 3

3:1  Now Jehoram the son of Ahab began to reign in Israel in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned twelve years.

3:2  And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, only not as his father, nor as his mother; and he removed the pillars of Baal which his father had made.

3:3  Only he adhered to the sin of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin; he departed not from it.

3:4  And Mesha king of Moab was a sheepbreeder, and he rendered to the king of Israel in the beginning of the year, a hundred thousand lambs, and a hundred thousand rams, with the wool.

3:5  And it came to pass, after the death of Ahab, that the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.

3:6  And King Jehoram went forth in that day out of Samaria, and numbered Israel.

3:7  And he went and sent to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, saying, The king of Moab has rebelled against me: will you go with me against Moab to war? And he said, I will go up: you are as I am, and I am as you; as my people, so are your people, as my horses, so are your horses.

3:8  And he said, What way shall I go up? And he said, The way of the Wilderness of Edom.

3:9  And the king of Israel went, and the king of Judah, and the king of Edom; and they marched on that roundabout route for seven days; and there was no water for the army, and for the cattle that went with them.

3:10  And the king of Israel said, Alas! That the Lord should have called the three kings on their way, to give them into the hand of Moab.

3:11  And Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the Lord, that we may inquire of the Lord by him? And one of the servants of the king of Israel answered and said, There is here Elisha son of Shaphat, who poured water on the hands of Elijah.

3:12  And Jehoshaphat said, He has the word of the Lord. And the king of Israel, and Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and the king of Edom went down to him.

3:13  And Elisha said to the king of Israel, What have I to do with you? Go to the prophets of your father, and the prophets of your mother. And the king of Israel said to him, Has the Lord called the three kings to deliver them into the hands of Moab?

3:14  And Elisha said, As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, unless I regarded the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not have looked on you, nor seen you.

3:15  And now fetch me a harpist. And it came to pass, as the harpist played, that the hand of the Lord came upon him.

3:16  And he said, Thus says the Lord: Make this valley full of trenches.

3:17  For thus says the Lord: You shall not see wind, neither shall you see rain, yet this valley shall be filled with water, and you and your flocks and your cattle shall drink.

3:18  And this is a light thing in the eyes of the Lord: I will also deliver Moab into your hand.

3:19  And you shall smite every strong city, and you shall cut down every good tree, and you shall stop all wells of water, and spoil every good piece of land with stones.

3:20  And it came to pass in the morning, when the sacrifice was offered, that behold, waters came from the way of Edom, and the land was filled with water.

3:21  And all Moab heard that the three kings had come up to fight against them. And they cried out on every side, even all that were girded with a belt, and they said, Lo! And stood upon the border.

3:22  And they rose early in the morning, and the sun rose upon the waters, and the Moabites saw the water on the opposite side red as blood.

3:23  And they said, This is the blood of the sword; and the kings have fought, and each man has killed his neighbor; now then to the spoils, O Moab!

3:24  And they entered into the camp of Israel; and Israel arose and attacked the Moabites, and they fled from before them; and they went on and attacked Moab as they went.

3:25  And they razed the cities, and cast every man his stone on every good piece of land and filled it; and they stopped every well, and cut down every good tree, until they left only the stones of the wall cast down; and the slingers surrounded the land, and attacked it.

3:26  And the king of Moab saw that the battle prevailed against him; and he took with him seven hundred men that drew the sword, to cut through to the king of Edom, and they could not.

3:27  And he took his eldest son whom he had designed to reign in his place, and offered him up for a whole burnt offering on the walls. And there was a great indignation against Israel; and they departed from him, and returned to their land.

Chapter 4

4:1  And one of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried to Elisha, saying, Your servant my husband is dead; and you know that your servant feared the Lord; and the creditor has come to take my two sons to be his servants.

4:2  And Elisha said, What shall I do for you? Tell me what you have in the house. And she said, Your servant has nothing in the house, except oil that I anoint myself with.

4:3  And he said to her, Go, borrow for yourself vessels from of all your neighbors, even empty vessels; borrow not a few.

4:4  And you shall go in and shut the door upon you and upon your sons, and you shall pour forth into these vessels, and remove that which is filled.

4:5  And she departed from him, and shut the door upon herself and upon her sons. They brought the vessels near to her, and she poured in until the vessels were filled.

4:6  And she said to her sons, Bring me another vessel. And they said to her, There is no more vessels. And the oil ceased.

4:7  And she came and told the man of God. And Elisha said, Go, sell the oil, and you shall pay your debts, and you and your sons shall live from the remaining oil.

4:8  Now it happened one day that Elisha passed over to Shunem, and there was a great lady there, and she constrained him to eat bread. And it came to pass as often as he went into the city, that he turned aside to eat there.

4:9  And the woman said to her husband, See now, I know that this is a holy man of God who comes over continually to us.

4:10  Let us now make for him an upper chamber, a small place; and let us put a bed there for him, and a table, and a stool, and a lamp; and it shall come to pass that when he comes in to us, he shall turn in there.

4:11  And it happened one day that he went in there, and turned aside into the upper chamber, and lay there.

4:12  And he said to Gehazi his servant, Call me this Shunammite. So he called her, and she stood before him.

4:13  And he said to him, Say now to her, Behold, you have taken all this trouble for us; what should I do for you? Have you any request to make to the king, or to the captain of the army? And she said, I dwell in the midst of my people.

4:14  And he said to Gehazi, What must we do for her? And Gehazi his servant said, Indeed she has no son, and her husband is old.

4:15  And he called her, and she stood by the door.

4:16  And Elisha said to her, At this time next year, as the season is, you shall be alive, and embrace a son. And she said, No, my lord, do not lie to your servant.

4:17  And the woman conceived, and bore a son at the very time, as the season was, being alive, as Elisha said to her.

4:18  And the child grew. And it came to pass when he went out to his father to the reapers,

4:19  that he said to his father, My head, my head. And his father said to a servant, carry him to his mother.

4:20  And he carried him to his mother, and he lay upon her knees till noon, and died.

4:21  And she carried him up and laid him on the bed of the man of God; and she shut the door upon him, and went out.

4:22  And she called her husband, and said, Send now for me one of the young men, and one of the donkeys, and I will ride quickly to the man of God, and return.

4:23  And he said, Why are you going to him today? It is neither new moon, nor the Sabbath. And she said, It is well.

4:24  And she saddled the donkey, and said to her servant, Be quick, proceed: spare not on my account to ride, unless I shall tell you. Go, and you shall proceed, and come to the man of God, to Mount Carmel.

4:25  And she rode and came to the man of God to the mountain. And it came to pass when Elisha saw her coming, that he said to Gehazi his servant, Behold, that Shunammite comes.

4:26  Now run to meet her, and you shall say, Is it well with you? Is it well with your husband? Is it well with the child? And she said, It is well.

4:27  And she came to Elisha to the mountain, and laid hold of his feet; and Gehazi drew near to thrust her away. And Elisha said, Let her alone, for her soul is much grieved in her, and the Lord has hidden it from me, and has not told it to me.

4:28  And she said, Did I ask a son of my lord? For did I not say, Do not deal deceitfully with me?

4:29  And Elisha said to Gehazi, Gird up your loins, and take my staff in your hand, and go: if you meet any man, you shall not greet him, and if a man greet you, you shall not answer him; and you shall lay my staff on the child's face.

4:30  And the mother of the child said, As the Lord lives and as your soul lives, I will not leave you. And Elisha arose, and went after her.

4:31  And Gehazi went on before her, and laid his staff on the child's face; but there was neither voice nor any hearing. So he returned to meet him, and told him, saying, The child has not awakened.

4:32  And Elisha went into the house, and behold, the dead child was laid upon his bed.

4:33  And Elisha went into the house, and shut the door upon themselves, the two, and prayed to the Lord.

4:34  And he went up, and lay upon the child, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands, and bowed himself upon him, and the flesh of the child grew warm.

4:35  And he returned, and walked up and down in the house. And he went up, and bowed himself on the child seven times, and the child opened his eyes.

4:36  And Elisha cried out to Gehazi, and said, Call this Shunammite. So he called her, and she came in to him. And Elisha said, Take your son.

4:37  And the woman went in, and fell at his feet, and bowed down to the ground; and she took her son, and went out.

4:38  And Elisha returned to Gilgal. And a famine was in the land; and the sons of the prophets sat before him. And Elisha said to his servant, Set on the great pot, and boil stew for the sons of the prophets.

4:39  And he went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a vine in the field, and gathered of it wild gourds, and filled his garment; and he cast them into the caldron of stew, for they knew not what they were. 40 And he poured it out for the men to eat. And it came to pass, when they were eating of the stew, that behold, they cried out, and said, There is death in the pot, O man of God! And they could not eat.

4:41  And he said, Take meal, and cast it into the pot. And Elisha said to his servant Gehazi, Pour out for the people, and let them eat. And there was no longer there any hurtful thing in the pot.

4:42  And there came a man over from Baal Shalisha, and brought to the man of God twenty barley loaves and cakes of figs, of the firstfruits. And he said, Give to the people, and let them eat.

4:43  And his servant said, Why should I set this before a hundred men? And he said, Give to the people, and let them eat; for thus says the Lord: They shall eat and have some left over.

4:44  So they ate, and had some left over, according to the word of the Lord.

Chapter 5

5:1  Now Naaman, the captain of the army of Syria, was a great man before his master, and highly respected, because by him the Lord had given deliverance to Syria, and the man was mighty in strength, but he was a leper.

5:2  And the Syrians went forth in small bands, and took captive out of the land of Israel a young girl; and she waited on Naaman's wife.

5:3  And she said to her mistress, O that my lord were before the prophet of God in Samaria; then he would heal him from his leprosy.

5:4  And she went in and told her lord, and said, Thus and thus spoke the girl from the land of Israel.

5:5  And the king of Syria said to Naaman, Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel. And he went, and took in his hand ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of clothing.

5:6  And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, Now then, as soon as this letter shall reach you, behold, I have sent to you my servant Naaman, and you shall heal him from his leprosy.

5:7  And it came to pass, when the king of Israel read the letter, that he tore his clothes, and said, Am I God, able to kill and to make alive, that this man sends to me to heal a man of his leprosy? Consider, however, and see that this man seeks an occasion against me.

5:8  And it came to pass, when Elisha heard that the king of Israel had tore his clothes, that he sent to the king of Israel, saying, Why have you torn your clothes? Let Naaman come to me, and let him know that there is a prophet in Israel.

5:9  So Naaman came with horse and chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha.

5:10  And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, Go and wash seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh shall return to you, and you shall be cleansed.

5:11  But Naaman became furious, and went away and said, Behold, I said to myself, He will by all means come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of his God, and lay his hand upon the place, and heal the leprosy.

5:12  Are not the Abanah and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? May I not go and wash in them, and be cleansed? And he turned and went away in a rage.

5:13  And his servants came near and said to him, Suppose the prophet had spoken a great thing to you, would you not perform it? Yet he has but said to you, Wash, and be cleansed.

5:14  So Naaman went down, and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of Elisha; and his flesh returned to him as the flesh of a little child, and he was cleansed.

5:15  And he and all his company returned to Elisha, and he came and stood before him, and said, Behold, I know that there is no God in all the earth, save only in Israel; and now receive a blessing from your servant.

5:16  And Elisha said, As the Lord lives, before whom I stand, I will not take anything. And he pressed him to take something; but he would not.

5:17  And Naaman said, Well then, if not, let there be given to your servant the load of a yoke of mules; and you shall give me of the red earth; for your servant will no longer offer whole burnt offerings or sacrifice to other gods, but only to the Lord by reason of this thing.

5:18  And let the Lord be propitious to your servant when my master goes into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he shall lean on my hand, and I shall bow down in the house of Rimmon, when he bows down in the house of Rimmon; even let the Lord be merciful to your servant in this matter.

5:19  And Elisha said to Naaman, Go in peace. And he departed from him a little way.

5:20  And Gehazi the servant of Elisha said, Behold, my Lord has spared this Syrian Naaman, so as not to take of his hand what he has brought; as the Lord lives, I will surely run after him, and take something from him.

5:21  So Gehazi followed after Naaman. And Naaman saw him running after him, and turned back from his chariot to meet him.

5:22  And Gehazi said, All is well: my master has sent me, saying, Behold, now two young men of the sons of the prophets have come to me from Mount Ephraim; please give them a talent of silver, and two changes of clothes.

5:23  And Naaman said, Take two talents of silver. And he took two talents of silver in two bags, and two changes of clothing, and put them upon two of his servants, and they bore them before him.

5:24  And he came to a secret place, and took them from their hands, and laid them up in the house, and dismissed the men.

5:25  And he went in himself and stood before his master. And Elisha said to him,

5:26  From where have you come, Gehazi? And Gehazi said, Your servant has not been anywhere. And Elisha said to him, Did not my heart go with you, when the man returned from his chariot to meet you? And now you have received silver, and now you have received clothing, olive groves and vineyards, sheep and oxen, menservants, and maidservants.

5:27  The leprosy also of Naaman shall cleave to you, and to your seed forever. And he went out from his presence leprous, like snow.

Chapter 6

6:1  And the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, Behold now, the place where we dwell before you is too narrow for us.

6:2  Let us go to the Jordan, and take from there every man a beam, and make for ourselves a habitation there.

6:3  And he said, Go. And one of them said gently, Come with your servants. And he said, I will go.

6:4  And he went with them, and they came to the Jordan, and began to cut down wood.

6:5  And behold, one was cutting down a beam, and the axe head fell into the water. And he cried out, Alas, master; and it was hidden.

6:6  And the man of God said, Where did it fall? And he showed him the place. And he broke off a stick, and threw it in there, and the iron came to the surface.

6:7  And he said, Take it up to yourself. And he stretched out his hand, and took it.

6:8  And the king of Syria was at war with Israel. And he consulted with his servants, saying, I will encamp in such a place.

6:9  And Elisha sent to the king of Israel, saying, Take heed that you pass not by that place, for the Syrians are hidden there.

6:10  And the king of Israel sent to the place which Elisha mentioned to him, and he was watchful there, not just once or twice.

6:11  And the mind of the king of Syria was very much disturbed concerning this thing. And he called his servants, and said to them, Will you not tell me who betrays me to the king of Israel?

6:12  And one of his servants said, None, my Lord, O king, but Elisha the prophet that is in Israel reports to the king of Israel all the words that you speak in your bedroom.

6:13  And he said, Go, see where this man is, and I will send and take him. And they sent word to him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan.

6:14  And he sent horses there, and chariots, and a great army. And they came by night, and compassed about the city.

6:15  And the servant of Elisha rose up early and went out; and behold, an army compassed the city, and horses and chariots. And the servant said to him, O master, what shall we do?

6:16  And Elisha said, Fear not, for they who are with us are more than they that are with them.

6:17  And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, open the eyes of the servant, I pray, and let him see. And the Lord opened his eyes, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses, and there were chariots of fire round about Elisha.

6:18  And they came down to him; and he prayed to the Lord, and said, Strike this people, I pray, with blindness. And He struck them with blindness, according to the word of Elisha.

6:19  And Elisha said to them, This is not the city, and this is not the way: follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you seek. And he led them away to Samaria.

6:20  And it came to pass when they entered into Samaria, that Elisha said, O Lord, open their eyes, and let them see. And the Lord opened their eyes, and they saw; and behold, they were in the midst of Samaria.

6:21  And the king of Israel said to Elisha, when he saw them, Shall I not kill them, my father?

6:22  And he said, You shall not kill them, unless you would kill those whom you have taken captive with your sword and with your bow--set bread and water before them, and let them eat and drink, and depart to their master.

6:23  And he set before them a great feast, and they ate and drank. And he dismissed them and they departed to their master. And the bands of Syria came no longer into the land of Israel.

6:24  And it came to pass after this, that the son of Hadad king of Syria gathered all his army, and went up, and besieged Samaria.

6:25  And there was a great famine in Samaria. And behold, they besieged it, until a donkey's head was valued at fifty pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a cab of dove's dung at five pieces of silver.

6:26  And the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, and a woman cried to him, saying, Help, my lord, O king.

6:27  And he said to her, Unless the Lord help you, how shall I help you? From the threshing floor, or from the winepress?

6:28  And the king said to her, What is the matter with you? And the woman said to him, This woman said to me, Give your son, and we will eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.

6:29  So we boiled my son, and ate him. And I said to her on the next day, Give your son, and let us eat him; but she has hidden her son.

6:30  And it came to pass, when the king of Israel heard the words of the woman, that he tore his clothes; and he passed by on the wall, and the people saw sackcloth upon his flesh.

6:31  And he said, God do so to me and more also, if the head of Elisha shall stand upon him this day.

6:32  And Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him; and the king sent a man before him. But before the messenger came to him, Elisha said to the elders, Do you see that this son of a murderer has sent to take away my head? See, as soon as the messenger has come, shut the door, and forcibly detain him at the door: is not the sound of his master's feet behind him?

6:33  While he was yet speaking with them, behold, a messenger came to him. And he said, Behold, this evil is of the Lord; why should I wait for the Lord any longer?

Chapter 7

7:1  Then Elisha said, Hear the word of the Lord; Thus says the Lord: As at this time tomorrow a measure of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gates of Samaria.

7:2  And the officer on whose hand the king rested answered Elisha and said, Behold, if the Lord would make floodgates in heaven, might this thing be? And Elisha said, Behold, you shall see with your eyes, but shall not eat thereof.

7:3  And there were four leprous men by the gate of the city; and one said to his neighbor, Why do we sit here until we die?

7:4  If we should say, Let us go into the city, then there is famine in the city, and we shall die there; and if we sit here, then we shall die. Now then come, and let us fall upon the camp of the Syrians: if they should take us alive, then we shall live; and if they should put us to death, then we shall only die.

7:5  And they rose up while it was yet night, to go into the camp of the Syrians; and they came into a part of the Syrian camp, and behold, there was no man there.

7:6  For the Lord had made the Syrian army to hear a sound of chariots, and a sound of horses, even the sound of a great army. And each man said to his fellow, Now has the king of Israel hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of Egypt, to come against us.

7:7  And they arose and fled while it was yet dark, and left their tents, and their horses, and their donkeys in the camp, as they were, and fled for their lives.

7:8  And these lepers entered a little way into the camp, and went into one tent, and ate and drank, and took silver and gold and clothing from there; then they came back and returned there, and entered into another tent, and took from there also, and went and hid the spoil.

7:9  And one man said to his neighbor, We are not doing right; this day is a day of glad tidings, and we hold our peace, and are waiting till the morning light, and shall find mischief; now them come, and let us go into the city, and report to the house of the king.

7:10  So they went and cried toward the gate of the city, and reported to them, saying, We went into the camp of the Syrians, and behold, there is not there a man, nor voice of man, only horses tied up and donkeys, and their tents as they were.

7:11  And the porters cried aloud, and reported to the house of the king inside.

7:12  And the king rose up by night, and said to his servants, I will now tell you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we are hungry, and they have gone forth from the camp and hidden themselves in the field, saying, They will come out of the city, and we shall catch them alive, and go into the city.

7:13  And one of his servants answered and said, Let them now take five of the horses that were left, which were left here; behold, they are the number left to all the multitude of Israel; and we will send there and see.

7:14  So they took two horsemen. And the king of Israel sent after the king of Syria, saying, Go, and see.

7:15  And they went after them, even to the Jordan. And behold, all along the road was full of garments and vessels, which the Syrians had cast away in their panic. And the messengers returned, and brought word to the king.

7:16  And the people went out, and plundered the camp of the Syrians. And a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel, according to the word of the Lord, and two measures of barley for a shekel.

7:17  And the king appointed the officer on whose hand the king leaned to have charge over the gate; and the people trampled on him in the gate, and he died, as the man of God had said, who spoke when the messenger came down to him.

7:18  So it came to pass as Elisha had spoken to the king, saying, Two measures of barley shall be sold for a shekel, and a measure of fine flour for a shekel; and it shall be as at this time tomorrow in the gate of Samaria.

7:19  And the officer answered Elisha, and said, Behold, if the Lord makes floodgates in heaven, shall this thing be? And Elisha said, Behold, you shall see it with your eyes, but you shall not eat thereof.

7:20  And it was so; for the people trampled on him in the gate, and he died.

Chapter 8

8:1  And Elisha spoke to the woman whose son he had restored to life, saying, Arise and go, you and your household, and sojourn wherever you may sojourn; for the Lord has called for a famine upon the land; indeed it will come upon the land for seven years.

8:2  And the woman arose, and did according to the word of Elisha, both she and her house; and they sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years.

8:3  And it came to pass after the expiration of the seven years, that the woman returned out of the land of the Philistines to the city, and came to cry to the king for her house and for her land.

8:4  And the king spoke to Gehazi the servant of Elisha the man of God, saying, Please tell me of all the great things that Elisha has done.

8:5  And it came to pass, as he was telling the king how he had restored to life the dead son, behold, the woman whose son Elisha restored to life came crying to the king for her house and for her land. And Gehazi said, My lord, O king, this is the woman, and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life.

8:6  And the king asked the woman, and she told him. And the king appointed her a eunuch, saying, Restore all that was hers, and all the fruits of the field from the day that she left the land until now.

8:7  And Elisha came to Damascus; and the king of Syria the son of Hadad was ill, and they brought him word, saying, The man of God has come here.

8:8  And the king said to Hazael, Take in your hand a present, and go to meet the man of God, and inquire of the Lord by him, saying, Shall I recover of this my disease?

8:9  And Hazael went to meet him, and he took a present in his hand, and all the good things of Damascus, forty camel-loads, and came and stood before him, and said to Elisha, Your son the son of Hadad, the king of Syria, has sent me to you to inquire, saying, Shall I recover of this my disease?

8:10  And Elisha said, Go, say, You shall certainly live; yet the Lord has showed me that he shall surely die.

8:11  And he stood before him, and fixed his countenance till he was ashamed. And the man of God wept.

8:12  And Hazael said, Why does my lord weep? And he said, Because I know all the evil that you will do to the children of Israel: you will utterly destroy their strongholds with fire, and you will slay their choice men with the sword, and you will dash their infants against the ground, and their women with child you will rip up.

8:13  And Hazael said, Who is your servant? A dead dog, that he should do this thing? And Elisha said, The Lord has shown me that you shall rule over Syria.

8:14  And he departed from Elisha, and went in to his master; and he said to him, What did Elisha say to you? And he said, He said to me, You shall surely live.

8:15  And it came to pass on the next day that he took a thick cloth, and dipped it in water, and put it on his face, and he died. And Hazael reigned in his place.

8:16  In the fifth year of Joram son of Ahab king of Israel, and while Jehoshaphat was king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah began to reign.

8:17  He was thirty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.

8:18  And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as did the house of Ahab; for the daughter of Ahab was his wife. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord.

8:19  But the Lord would not destroy Judah for David His servant's sake, as He said he would give a light to him and to his sons continually.

8:20  In his days Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah, and they made a king over themselves.

8:21  And Jehoram went up to Zair, and all the chariots that were with him. And it came to pass after he had arisen, that he attacked Edom who compassed him about, and the captains of the chariots; and the people fled to their tents.

8:22  Yet Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah till this day. Then Libnah revolted at that time.

8:23  And the rest of the acts of Joram, and all that he did, behold, are not these written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

8:24  So Joram slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of his father David; and Ahaziah his son reigned in his place.

8:25  In the twelfth year of Joram son of Ahab king of Israel, Ahaziah son of Jehoram began to reign.

8:26  Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem; and the name of his mother was Athaliah, daughter of Omri king of Israel.

8:27  And he walked in the way of the house of Ahab, and did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, as did the house of Ahab.

8:28  And he went with Joram the son of Ahab to war against Hazael king of the Syrians in Ramoth Gilead; and the Syrians wounded Joram.

8:29  Then King Joram returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds with which they wounded him in Ramoth, when he fought with Hazael king of Syria. And Ahaziah son of Jehoram went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.

Chapter 9

9:1  And Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets, and said to him, Gird up your loins, and take this flask of oil in your hand, and go to Ramoth Gilead.

9:2  And you shall enter there, and there you shall see Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat son of Nimshi. And you shall go in and make him rise up from among his brethren, and shall bring him into a secret chamber.

9:3  And you shall take the flask of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, Thus says the Lord: I have anointed you king over Israel. And you shall open the door and flee, and do not delay.

9:4  And the young man the prophet went to Ramoth Gilead.

9:5  And he went in, and behold, the captains of the army were sitting; and he said, I have a message for you, O captain. And Jehu said, To which one of us? And he said, To you, O captain.

9:6  And he arose, and went into the house, and he poured the oil upon his head, and said to him, Thus says the Lord God of Israel: I have anointed you to be king over the people of the Lord, even over Israel.

9:7  And you shall utterly destroy the house of Ahab your master from before Me, and shall avenge the blood of My servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord, at the hand of Jezebel,

9:8  and at the hand of the whole house of Ahab; and you shall utterly cut off from the house of Ahab every male, and him that is shut up and left in Israel.

9:9  And I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and as the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah.

9:10  And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the portion of Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her. And he opened the door, and fled.

9:11  And Jehu went forth to the servants of his master, and they said to him, Is all well? Why has this madman come to you? And he said to them, You know the man, and his babble.

9:12  And they said, Lie! Tell us now. And Jehu said to them, Thus and thus he spoke to me. And he said, Thus says the Lord: I have anointed you to be king over Israel.

9:13  And when they heard it, they made haste, and every man took his garment, and put it under him on the top of the stairs, and blew the trumpet, and said, Jehu is king.

9:14  So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi conspired against Joram, and Joram was defending Ramoth Gilead, he and all Israel, because of Hazael king of Syria.

9:15  And King Joram had returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Syrians had given him, in his war with Hazael king of Syria. And Jehu said, If your heart is with me, let there not go forth out of the city one fugitive to go and report to Jezreel.

9:16  And Jehu rode and advanced, and came down to Jezreel, for Joram king of Israel was getting healed in Jezreel of the arrow-wounds in which the Syrians had wounded him in Ramoth in the war with Hazael king of Syria; for he was strong, and a mighty man. And Ahaziah king of Judah had come down to see Joram.

9:17  And there went up a watchman upon the tower of Jezreel, and saw the dust made by Jehu as he approached. And he said, I see dust. And Joram said, Take a horseman, and send to meet them, and let him say, Peace.

9:18  And there went a horseman to meet them, and said, Thus says the king, Peace. And Jehu said, What have you to do with peace? Turn behind me. And the watchman reported, saying, The messenger came up to them, but has not returned.

9:19  And he sent another horseman, and he came to him, and said, Thus says the king, Peace. And Jehu said, What have you to do with peace? Turn behind me.

9:20  And the watchman reported, saying, He came up to them, but has not returned; and the driver drives like Jehu the son of Nimshi, for it is with furious haste.

9:21  And Joram said, Make ready. And one made ready the chariot. And Joram the king of Israel went forth, and Ahaziah king of Judah, each in his chariot, and they went to meet Jehu, and found him on the property of Naboth the Jezreelite.

9:22  And it came to pass when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, Is it peace, Jehu? And Jehu said, How can it be peace, as long as there are the harlotries of your mother Jezebel, and her abundant witchcrafts?

9:23  And Joram turned his hands and fled, and said to Ahaziah, Treachery, Ahaziah!

9:24  And Jehu bent his bow with his full strength, and struck Joram between his arms, and his arrow went out at his heart, and he sank down upon his knees.

9:25  And Jehu said to Bidkar his chief officer, Cast him into the portion of ground of Naboth the Jezreelite, for you and I remember, as we were riding on chariots after Ahab his father, that the Lord took up this burden against him, saying,

9:26  Surely, I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth, and the blood of his sons, says the Lord; and I will recompense him on this property, says the Lord. Now then, I pray, take him up and cast him into the plot of ground, according to the word of the Lord.

9:27  But when Ahaziah king of Judah saw it, he fled by the way of Beth Haggan. And Jehu pursued after him, and said, Slay him also. So one shot him in the chariot at the Ascent of Gur, which is by Ibleam. And he fled to Megiddo, and died there.

9:28  And his servants put him on a chariot, and brought him to Jerusalem, and they buried him in his tomb in the City of David.

9:29  And in the eleventh year of Joram king of Israel, Ahaziah began to reign over Judah.

9:30  Now when Jehu came to Jezreel, Jezebel has heard of it, and colored her eyes, and adorned her head, and looked out through the window.

9:31  And Jehu entered into the city, and she said, Is it peace, Zimri, the murderer of his master?

9:32  And he lifted up his face toward the window, and saw her, and said, Who are you? Come down with me. And two eunuchs looked down towards him.

9:33  And he said, Throw her down. And they threw her down, and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses; and they trampled on her.

9:34  And Jehu went in and ate and drank, and said, Look after this cursed woman and bury her, for she is a king's daughter.

9:35  And they went to bury her; but they found no more of her but the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands.

9:36  And they returned and told him. And he said, It is the word of the Lord, which He spoke by the hand of Elijah the Tishbite, saying, In the portion of Jezreel shall the dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel.

9:37  And the carcass of Jezebel shall be as dung on the face of the field in the portion of Jezreel, so that they shall not say, This is Jezebel.

Chapter 10

10:1  And Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote a letter, and sent it into Samaria to the rulers of Samaria, and to the elders, and to the guardians of the children of Ahab, saying,

10:2  Now then, as soon as this letter shall have reached you, whereas there are with you the sons of your master, and with you chariots and horses, and strong cities, and arms,

10:3  choose the best and fittest among your master's sons, and set him on the throne of his father, and fight for the house of your master.

10:4  And they feared greatly, and said, Behold, two kings stood not before him, and how shall we stand?

10:5  So those that were over the house, and those that were over the city, and the elders and the guardians sent to Jehu, saying, We also are your servants, and whatsoever you shall say to us we will do; we will not make any man king; we will do that which is right in your eyes.

10:6  And Jehu wrote them a second letter, saying, If you are for me, and hearken to my voice, take the heads of the men your master's sons, and bring them to me at this time tomorrow in Jezreel. Now the sons of the king were seventy men; these great men of the city brought them up.

10:7  And it came to pass, when the letter came to them, that they took the king's sons and killed them, all seventy men, and put their heads in baskets, and sent them to him at Jezreel.

10:8  And a messenger came and told him, saying, They have brought the heads of the king's sons. And he said, Lay them in two heaps by the door of the gate until morning.

10:9  And morning came, and he went forth and stood, and said to all the people, You are righteous: behold, I conspired against my master, and killed him, but who killed all these?

10:10  See now that there shall not fall to the ground anything of the word of the Lord, which the Lord spoke against the house of Ahab, for the Lord has performed all that He spoke of by the hand of His servant Elijah.

10:11  So Jehu killed all that were left of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men, and his acquaintances, and his priests, so as not to leave him any remnant.

10:12  And he arose and went to Samaria, and he was in Beth Eked on the way.

10:13  And Jehu found the brethren of Ahaziah king of Judah, and said, Who are you? And they said, We are the brethren of Ahaziah, and we have come down to greet the sons of the king, and the sons of the queen.

10:14  And he said, Take them alive. And they killed them at Beth Eked, forty-two men: he left not a man of them.

10:15  And he went from there and found Jehonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet him. And he greeted him, and Jehu said to him, Is your heart right with my heart, as my heart is with your heart? And Jehonadab said, It is. And Jehu said, If it is then, give me your hand. And he gave him his hand, and he took him up with him into the chariot.

10:16  And he said to him, Come with me, and see my zeal for the Lord. And he caused him to sit in his chariot.

10:17  And he entered into Samaria, and he killed all that were left of Ahab in Samaria, until he had utterly destroyed him, according to the word of the Lord, which He spoke to Elijah.

10:18  And Jehu gathered all the people and said to them, Ahab served Baal a little; Jehu shall serve him much.

10:19  Now then, call all the prophets of Baal, call all his servants and his priests to me; let not a man be wanting: for I have a great sacrifice to offer to Baal; everyone who shall be missing shall die. But Jehu acted deceptively, that he might destroy the servants of Baal.

10:20  And Jehu said, Sanctify a solemn festival to Baal. So they made a proclamation.

10:21  And Jehu sent throughout all Israel, saying, Now then let all Baal's servants, and all his priests, and all his prophets come, let none be lacking: for I am going to offer a great sacrifice. Whosoever shall be missing shall not live. So all the servants of Baal came, and all his priests, and all his prophets: there was not one left who came not. And they entered into the house of Baal; and the house of Baal was filled from one end to the other.

10:22  And he said to the man who was over the house of the wardrobe, Bring forth a robe for all the servants of Baal. And the keeper of the robes brought forth to them.

10:23  And Jehu and Jehonadab the son of Rechab entered into the house of Baal, and said to the servants of Baal, Search, and see whether there is among you any of the servants of the Lord, or only the servants of Baal, by themselves.

10:24  And he went in to offer sacrifices and whole burnt offerings. And Jehu set for himself eighty men outside, and said, Every man who shall escape of the men whom I bring into your hand, the life of him that spares him shall go for his life.

10:25  And it came to pass, when he had finished offering the whole burnt offering, that Jehu said to the footmen and to the officers, Go in and kill them; let not a man of them escape. So they struck them down with the edge of the sword, and the footmen and the officers cast the bodies forth, and went to the city of the house of Baal.

10:26  And they brought out the pillar of Baal, and burned it.

10:27  And they tore down the pillars of Baal, and made his house a refuse dump to this day.

10:28  So Jehu abolished Baal out of Israel.

10:29  Nevertheless Jehu departed not from following the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who led Israel to sin: these were the golden heifers in Bethel and in Dan.

10:30  And the Lord said to Jehu, Because of all your deeds in which you have acted well in doing that which was right in My eyes, according to all things which you have done to the house of Ahab, as they were in My heart, your sons to the fourth generation shall sit upon the throne of Israel.

10:31  But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart: he departed not from following the sins of Jeroboam, who made Israel to sin.

10:32  In those days the Lord began to cut Israel short; and Hazael conquered them in every coast of Israel;

10:33  from the Jordan eastward all the land of Gilead belonging to the Gadites, of Gad and that of Reuben, and of Manasseh, from Aroer, which is on the brink of the Brook of Arnon, and Gilead and Bashan.

10:34  And the rest of the acts of Jehu, and all that he did, and all his might, and the wars which he engaged, are not these things written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

10:35  And Jehu slept with his fathers; and they buried him in Samaria. And Jehoahaz his son reigned in his place.

10:36  And the days which Jehu reigned over Israel were twenty-eight years in Samaria.

Chapter 11

11:1  And Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, and she destroyed all the royal heirs.

11:2  And Jehosheba daughter of King Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of her brother, and stole him from among the king's sons that were put to death, and hid him and his nurse in the bedchamber from the face of Athaliah, and he was not slain.

11:3  And he remained with her, hid in the house of the Lord, for six years. And Athaliah reigned over the land.

11:4  And in the seventh year Jehoiada sent and took the captains of hundreds-of the bodyguards and the escorts-and brought them to him into the house of the Lord, and made a covenant of the Lord with them, and adjured them, and Jehoiada showed them the king's son.

11:5  And charged them, saying, This is the thing which you shall do.

11:6  Let a third part of you go in on the Sabbath day, and keep the watch of the king's house in the porch; and another third at the gate of Sur, and a third at the gate behind the footmen; and keep guard of the house.

11:7  And there shall be two parties among you, even everyone that goes out on the Sabbath, and they shall keep the guard of the Lord's house before the king.

11:8  And surround the king on all sides, every man with his weapon in his hand, and he that goes into the ranges shall die. And they shall be with the king in his going out and in his coming in.

11:9  And the captains of hundreds did all the things that the wise Jehoiada commanded; and they took each his men, both those that went in on the Sabbath day, and those that went out on the Sabbath day, and went in to Jehoiada the priest.

11:10  And the priest gave to the captains of hundreds the swords and spears of King David that were in the house of the Lord.

11:11  And the footmen stood each with his weapon in his hand from the right corner of the house to the left corner of the house, by the altar and the house round about the king.

11:12  And he brought forth the king's son, and put the crown on him and gave him the Testimony; and they made him king, and anointed him, and they clapped their hands and said, Long live the king!

11:13  And Athaliah heard the sound of the people running, and she went in to the people to the house of the Lord.

11:14  And she looked, and behold, the king stood near a pillar according to custom; and the singers and the trumpeters were before the king and all the people of the land, rejoicing and sounding with trumpets. And Athaliah tore her clothes and cried, Treason! Treason!

11:15  And Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains of hundreds who were over the army, and said to them, Take her outside under guard, and he that goes in after her shall certainly die by the sword. For the priest said, Let her not, however, be slain in the house of the Lord.

11:16  And they laid hands upon her, and went in by the way of the horses' entrance into the house of the Lord, and she was slain there.

11:17  And Jehoiada made a covenant between the Lord and the king and the people, that they should be the Lord's people; also between the king and the people.

11:18  And all the people of the land went into the house of Baal and tore it down, and completely broke in pieces his altars and his images, and they slew Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. And the priest appointed overseers over the house of the Lord.

11:19  And he took the captains of the hundreds, and the bodyguards and the escorts, and all the people of the land, and brought down the king out of the house of the Lord; and they went in by the way of the gate of the footmen of the king's house, and seated him there on the throne of the kings.

11:20  And all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was at rest: and they slew Athaliah with the sword in the house of the king.

11:21  Joash was seven years old when he began to reign.

Chapter 12

12:1  Joash began to reign in the seventh year of Jehu, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Zibiah of Beersheba.

12:2  And Joash did that which was right in the sight of the Lord all the days that Jehoiada the priest instructed him.

12:3  Only there were not any of the high places removed, and the people still sacrificed there, and burned incense on the high places.

12:4  And Joash said to the priests, As for all the money of the holy things that are brought into the house of the Lord, the money of valuation, as each man brings the money of valuation, all the money which any man may feel disposed to bring into the house of the Lord,

12:5  let the priests take it to themselves, every man from the proceeds of his sale: and they shall repair the breaches of the house in all places wheresoever a breach shall be found.

12:6  And it came to pass in the twenty-third year of King Joash the priests had not repaired the breaches of the house.

12:7  And King Joash called Jehoiada the priest, and the other priests, and said to them, Why have you not repaired the breaches of the house? Now then receive no more money from your sales, for you shall give it to repair the breaches of the house.

12:8  And the priests consented to receive no more money of the people, and not to repair the breaches of the house.

12:9  And Jehoiada the priest took a chest, and bored a hole in its lid, and set it by the altar in the house of a man belonging to the house of the Lord, and the priests that kept the door put all the money there that was found in the house of the Lord.

12:10  And it came to pass, when they saw that there was much money in the chest, that the king's scribe and the high priest went up, and they tied up and counted the money that was found in the house of the Lord.

12:11  And they gave the money that had been collected into the hands of them that wrought the works, the overseers of the house of the Lord; and they gave it out to the carpenters and to the builders that worked in the house of the Lord,

12:12  and to the masons, and to the hewers of stone, to purchase timber and hewn stone to repair the breaches of the house of the Lord, for all that was spent on the house of the Lord, to repair it.

12:13  However there were not to be made for the house of the Lord silver plates, studs, bowls, or trumpets, any vessel of gold or vessel of silver, of the money that was brought into the house of the Lord,

12:14  for they were to give it to the workmen, and they repaired the house of the Lord with it.

12:15  Also they took no account of the men into whose hands they gave the money to give to the workmen, for they acted faithfully.

12:16  Money for a sin offering, and money for a trespass offering, whatever happened to be brought into the house of the Lord, went to the priests.

12:17  Then went up Hazael king of Syria, and fought against Gath, and took it. And Hazael set his face to go against Jerusalem.

12:18  And Joash king of Judah took all the holy things which Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and Ahaziah, his fathers, and the kings of Judah had consecrated, and what he himself had dedicated, and all the gold that was found in the treasures of the Lord's house and the king's house, and he sent them to Hazael king of Syria; and he went up from Jerusalem.

12:19  And the rest of the acts of Joash, and all that he did, behold, are not these things written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

12:20  And his servants rose up and formed a conspiracy, and killed Joash in the house of Millo that is in Silla.

12:21  And Jozachar the son of Shimeath, and Jehozabad the son of Shomer, his servants, struck him, and he died; and they buried him with his fathers in the City of David. And Amaziah his son reigned in his place.

Chapter 13

13:1  In the twenty-third year of Joash son of Ahaziah, king of Judah, Jehoahaz the son of Jehu began to reign in Samaria, and he reigned seventeen years.

13:2  And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked after the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who led Israel to sin; he departed not from them.

13:3  And the Lord was very angry with Israel, and delivered them into the hand of Hazael king of Syria, and into the hand of the son of Hadad son of Hazael, all their days.

13:4  And Jehoahaz pleaded with the Lord, and the Lord hearkened to him, for He saw the affliction of Israel, because the king of Syria afflicted them.

13:5  And the Lord gave deliverance to Israel, and they escaped from under the hand of Syria. And the children of Israel dwelt in their tents as before.

13:6  Only they departed not from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, who led Israel to sin: they walked in them; moreover the grove also remained in Samaria.

13:7  Whereas there was not left any army to Jehoahaz, except fifty horsemen and ten chariots, and ten thousand infantry; for the king of Syria had destroyed them, and they made them as dust for trampling.

13:8  And the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz, and all that he did, and his mighty acts, are not these things written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

13:9  And Jehoahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria. And Joash his son reigned in his place.

13:10  In the thirty-seventh year of Joash king of Judah, Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned sixteen years.

13:11  And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord; he departed not from all the sin of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who led Israel to sin, but he walked in them.

13:12  And the rest of the acts of Joash, and all that he did, and his mighty acts which he performed together with Amaziah king of Judah, are not these written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

13:13  And Joash slept with his fathers, and Jeroboam sat upon his throne, and he was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.

13:14  Now Elisha was sick with the sickness of which he died from. And Joash king of Israel went down to him, and wept over his face, and said, My father, my father, the chariots of Israel, and their horseman!

13:15  And Elisha said to him, Take a bow and some arrows. And he took to himself a bow and some arrows.

13:16  And he said to the king, Put your hand on the bow. And Joash put his hand upon it. And Elisha put his hands upon the king's hands.

13:17  And he said, Open the window eastward. And he opened it. And Elisha said, Shoot. And he shot. And Elisha said, The arrow of the Lord's deliverance, and the arrow of deliverance from Syria; and you shall smite the Syrians in Aphek until you have consumed them.

13:18  And Elisha said to him, Take a bow and some arrows. And he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, Strike the ground. And the king struck three times, and he stopped.

13:19  And the man of God was grieved at him, and said, If you had struck five or six times, then you would have struck Syria till you had consumed them; but now you shall strike Syria only three times.

13:20  Then Elisha died, and they buried him. And the bands of the Moabites came into the land, at the beginning of the year.

13:21  And it came to pass as they were burying a man, that behold, they saw a band of men, and they cast the man into the grave of Elisha. And as soon as he touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood up on his feet.

13:22  And Hazael greatly afflicted Israel all the days of Jehoahaz.

13:23  And the Lord had mercy and compassion upon them, and had regarded them, because of His covenant with Abraam, Isaac, and Jacob; and the Lord would not destroy them, and did not cast them out from His presence.

13:24  And Hazael king of Syria died, and the son of Hadad his son reigned in his place.

13:25  And Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz returned, and took the cities out of the hand of the son of Hadad, the son of Hazael, which he had taken out of the hand of Jehoahaz his father in the war: three times did Joash defeat him, and he recovered the cities of Israel.

Chapter 14

14:1  In the second year of Joash the son of Jehoahaz king of Israel, Amaziah the son of Joash the king of Judah began to reign.

14:2  He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem.

14:3  And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, but not as David his father: he did according to all things that his father Joash did.

14:4  Only he removed not the high places; as yet the people sacrificed and burnt incense on the high places.

14:5  And it came to pass when the kingdom was established in his hand, that he killed his servants that had slain his father the king.

14:6  But he killed not the sons of those that had slain him; according as it is written in the book of the Law of Moses, as the Lord gave commandment, saying, The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, and the children shall not be put to death for the fathers; but everyone shall die for his own sins.

14:7  He killed ten thousand of the Edomites in the Valley of Salt, and took Sela in the war, and called its name Joktheel to this day.

14:8  Then Amaziah sent messengers to Joash son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu king of Israel, saying, Come, let us look one another in the face.

14:9  And Joash the king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, Give your daughter to my son for a wife; and the wild beasts of the field that were in Lebanon passed by and trod down the thistle.

14:10  You have attacked and wounded Edom, and your heart has lifted you up: stay at home and glorify yourself; for why are you quarrelsome to your hurt? So both you and Judah with you will fall.

14:11  Nevertheless Amaziah hearkened not. So Joash king of Israel went up, and he and Amaziah king of Judah looked one another in the face in Beth Shemesh of Judah.

14:12  And Judah was overthrown before Israel, and every man fled to his tent.

14:13  And Joash king of Israel took Amaziah the son of Johoash the son of Ahaziah, in Beth Shemesh; and he came to Jerusalem, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem, beginning at the gate of Ephraim as far as the Corner Gate, four hundred cubits.

14:14  And he took the gold and the silver, and all the vessels that were found in the house of the Lord, and in the treasures of the king's house, and the hostages, and returned to Samaria.

14:15  And the rest of the acts of Joash, even all that he did in his might, how he fought with Amaziah king of Judah, are not these things written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

14:16  And Joash slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel; and Jeroboam his son reigned in his place.

14:17  And Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah lived fifteen years after the death of Joash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel.

14:18  And the rest of the acts of Amaziah, and all that he did, are not these written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

14:19  And they formed a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish; and they sent after him to Lachish, and killed him there.

14:20  And they brought him upon horses; and he was buried in Jerusalem with his fathers in the City of David.

14:21  And all the people of Judah took Azariah, and he was sixteen years old, and made him king instead of his father Amaziah.

14:22  He built Elath and restored it to Judah, after the king slept with his fathers.

14:23  In the fifteenth year of Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah, Jeroboam son of Joash began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned forty-one years.

14:24  And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord. He departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who led Israel to sin.

14:25  He recovered the coast of Israel from the entrance of Hamath to the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the Lord God of Israel, which He spoke by His servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet of Gath Hepher.

14:26  For the Lord saw that the affliction of Israel was very bitter, and that they were few in number, straitened and in want, and destitute, and Israel had no helper.

14:27  And the Lord said that He would not blot out the seed of Israel from under heaven; so He delivered them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.

14:28  And the rest of the acts of Jeroboam and all that he did, and his mighty deeds, which he achieved in war, and how he recaptured for Israel, from Damascus and Hamath, all that belonged to Judah, are not these things written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

14:29  And Jeroboam slept with his fathers, even with the kings of Israel; and Zechariah his son reigned in his place.

Chapter 15

15:1  In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Azariah the son of Amaziah king of Judah began to reign.

15:2  He was sixteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Jecholiah of Jerusalem.

15:3  And he did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all things that Amaziah his father did.

15:4  Only he took not away any of the high places; for the people still sacrificed and burnt incense on the high places.

15:5  And the Lord plagued the king, and he was leprous till the day of his death; and he reigned in a separate house. And Jotham the king's son was over the household, judging the people of the land.

15:6  And the rest of the acts of Azariah, and all that he did, are not these written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

15:7  And Azariah slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the City of David. And Jotham his son reigned in his place.

15:8  In the thirty-eighth year of Azariah king of Judah, Zechariah the son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned six months.

15:9  And he did that which was evil in the eyes of the Lord, as his fathers had done. He departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.

15:10  And Shallum the son of Jabesh, and others conspired against him, and they struck him in Keblam and killed him, and he reigned in his place.

15:11  And the rest of the acts of Zechariah, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.

15:12  This was the word of the Lord which He spoke to Jehu, saying, Your sons of the fourth generation shall sit upon the throne of Israel. And it was so.

15:13  And Shallum the son of Jabesh reigned. And in the thirty-ninth year of Azariah king of Judah, Shallum began to reign in Samaria. He reigned a full month.

15:14  And Menahem the son of Gadi went up out of Tirzah and came to Samaria, and struck Shallum the son of Jabesh in Samaria, and killed him.

15:15  And the rest of the acts of Shallum, and his conspiracy wherein he was engaged, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.

15:16  Then Menahem attacked both Tipsah and all that were in it, and its borders extending beyond Tipsah, because they opened not to him. And he attacked it, and ripped up the women with child.

15:17  In the thirty-ninth year of Azariah king of Judah, Menahem the son of Gadi began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned ten years.

15:18  And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord. He departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who led Israel to sin.

15:19  In his days Pul king of the Assyrians went up against the land: and Menahem gave to Pul a thousand talents of silver to aid him with his power.

15:20  And Menahem raised the silver by a tax upon Israel, even on every mighty man in wealth, to give to the king of the Assyrians; fifty shekels were levied on each man; and the king of the Assyrians departed, and remained not there in the land.

15:21  And the rest of the acts of Menahem, and all that he did, behold, are not these written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

15:22  And Menahem slept with his fathers, and Pekahiah his son reigned in his place.

15:23  In the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekahiah the son of Menahem began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned two years.

15:24  And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord. He departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.

15:25  And Pekah the son of Remaliah, his officer, conspired against him, and struck him in Samaria, in the front of the king's house, with Argob and Arieh, and with him there were fifty men of the four hundred. And he killed him, and reigned in his place.

15:26  And the rest of the acts of Pekahiah, and all that he did, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.

15:27  In the fifty-second year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekah the son of Remaliah began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned twenty years.

15:28  And he did that which was evil in the eyes of the Lord. He departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who led Israel to sin.

15:29  In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-Pileser king of the Assyrians came, and took Ijon, Abel, Beth Maachah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, even all the land of Naphtali, and carried them away to the Assyrians.

15:30  And Hoshea son of Elah formed a conspiracy against Pekah the son of Remaliah, and struck him and killed him, and reigned in his place, in the twentieth year of Jotham the son of Azariah.

15:31  And the rest of the acts of Pekah, and all that he did, behold, these are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.

15:32  In the second year of Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel, Jotham the son of Azariah king of Judah began to reign.

15:33  He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Jerusha, daughter of Zadok.

15:34  And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all things that his father Azariah did.

15:35  Nevertheless he took not away the high places; for the people still sacrificed and burnt incense on the high places. He built the Upper Gate of the Lord's house.

15:36  And the rest of the acts of Jotham, and all that he did, are not these written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

15:37  In those days the Lord began to send Rezin king of Syria, and Pekah son of Remaliah against Judah.

15:38  And Jotham slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the City of David his father. And Ahaz his son reigned in his place.

Chapter 16

16:1  In the seventeenth year of Pekah son of Remaliah, Ahaz the son of Jotham king of Judah began to reign.

16:2  Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord his God faithfully, as David his father had done.

16:3  And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel; indeed, he made his son to pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the heathen whom the Lord cast out from before the children of Israel.

16:4  And he sacrificed and burnt incense on the high places, and upon the hills, and under every shady tree.

16:5  Then Rezin king of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel went up against Jerusalem to war, and besieged Ahaz, but could not prevail against him.

16:6  At that time Rezin king of Syria captured Elath for Syria, and drove out the Jews from Elath, and the Edomites came to Elath, and dwelt there to this day.

16:7  And Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-Pileser king of the Assyrians, saying, I am your servant and your son: come up, deliver me out of the hand of the king of Syria, and out of the hand of the king of Israel, who are rising up against me.

16:8  And Ahaz took the silver and the gold that was found in the treasures of the house of the Lord, and of the king's house, and sent gifts to the king.

16:9  And the king of the Assyrians hearkened to him. And the king of the Assyrians went up to Damascus and took it, and removed the inhabitants, and killed King Rezin.

16:10  And King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-Pileser king of the Assyrians at Damascus. And he saw an altar at Damascus. And King Ahaz sent the pattern of the altar, and its proportions, and all its workmanship to Urijah the priest .

16:11  And Urijah the priest built the altar, according to all the directions which King Ahaz sent from Damascus.

16:12  And the king saw the altar, and went up to it,

16:13  and offered his whole burnt offering, and his meat offering, and his drink offering, and poured out the blood of his peace offerings on the bronze altar that was before the Lord.

16:14  And he brought forward the one before the house of the Lord from between the altar and the house of the Lord, and he set it openly by the side of the altar northward.

16:15  And King Ahaz charged Urijah the priest, saying, Offer upon the great altar the whole burnt offering in the morning, and the meat offering in the evening, and the whole burnt offering of the king and his meat offering, and the whole burnt offering of all the people and their meat offering, and their drink offering; and you shall pour all the blood of the whole burnt offering, and all the blood of any other sacrifice upon it; and the bronze altar shall be for me in the morning.

16:16  And Urijah the priest did according to all that King Ahaz commanded him.

16:17  And King Ahaz cut off the borders of the bases, and removed the laver from off them, and took down the sea from the bronze oxen that were under it, and set it upon a base of stone.

16:18  And he made a base for the throne in the house of the Lord, and he turned the king's entrance outside in the house of the Lord because of the king of the Assyrians.

16:19  And the rest of the acts of Ahaz, even all that he did, are not these written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

16:20  And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and was buried in the City of David. And Hezekiah his son reigned in his place.

Chapter 17

17:1  In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea the son of Elah began to reign in Samaria, and he reigned nine years.

17:2  And he did evil in the eyes of the Lord, only not as the kings of Israel that were before him.

17:3  Shalmaneser king of the Assyrians came up against him; and Hoshea became his servant, and paid him tribute.

17:4  And the king of the Assyrians found iniquity in Hoshea, in that he sent messengers to So, king of Egypt, and brought not a tribute to the king of the Assyrians in that year. And the king of the Assyrians besieged him, and bound him in the prison house.

17:5  And the king of the Assyrians went up against all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it for three years.

17:6  In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of the Assyrians took Samaria, and carried Israel away to the Assyrians, and settled them in Halah and in Habor, near the River of Gozan, and in the mountains of the Medes.

17:7  For it came to pass that the children of Israel had transgressed against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and they feared other gods,

17:8  and walked in the statutes of the nations which the Lord cast out before the face of the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, as many as did such things,

17:9  and in those of the children of Israel, as many as secretly practiced customs, not as they should have done, against the Lord their God;

17:10  and they built for themselves high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fortified city, and they made for themselves pillars and groves on every high hill, and under every shady tree.

17:11  And they burned incense there on all the high places, as the nations did whom the Lord removed from before them, and dealt with familiar spirits, and they carved images to provoke the Lord to anger.

17:12  And they served the idols, of which the Lord said to them, You shall not do this thing against the Lord.

17:13  And the Lord testified against Israel and against Judah, even by the hand of all His prophets, and of every seer, saying, Turn from your evil ways, and keep My commandments and My ordinances, and all the law which I commanded your fathers, and all that I sent to them by the hand of My servants the prophets.

17:14  But they hearkened not, and made their neck harder than the neck of their fathers.

17:15  And they kept not any of His testimonies which He charged them; and they walked after vanities, and became vain, and after the nations round about them, concerning which the Lord had charged them not to do accordingly.

17:16  They forsook the commandments of the Lord their God, and made themselves graven images, even two heifers, and they made groves, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal.

17:17  And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and practiced divinations and soothsaying, and sold themselves to work wickedness in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him.

17:18  And the Lord was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of His sight; and there was none left but the tribe of Judah alone.

17:19  Even Judah as well kept not the commandments of the Lord their God, but they walked according to the customs of Israel which they practiced, and rejected the Lord.

17:20  And the Lord was angry with the whole seed of Israel, and troubled them, and gave them into the hand of them that spoiled them, until He cast them out of His presence.

17:21  Forasmuch as Israel revolted from the house of David, and they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king; and Jeroboam drew Israel away from following the Lord, and led them to sin a great sin.

17:22  And the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he committed; they departed not from it,

17:23  until the Lord removed Israel from His presence, as the Lord spoke by all His servants the prophets; and Israel was removed from off their land to the Assyrians to this day.

17:24  And the king of Assyria brought from Babylon the men of Cuthah, and men from Ava, and from Hamath and Sepharvaim, and they were settled in the cities of Samaria in the place of the children of Israel. And they inherited Samaria, and were settled in its cities.

17:25  And it was so at the beginning of their establishment there, that they feared not the Lord, and the Lord sent lions among them, which killed some of them.

17:26  And they spoke to the king of the Assyrians, saying, The nations whom you have removed and substituted in the cities of Samaria for the Israelites, know not the manner of the God of the land; and He has sent the lions against them, and behold, the lions are killing them, because they know not the manner of the God of the land.

17:27  And the king of the Assyrians commanded, saying, Bring some Israelites there, and let them go and dwell there, and they shall teach them the manner of the God of the land.

17:28  And they brought one of the priests whom they had removed from Samaria, and he settled in Bethel, and taught them how they should fear the Lord.

17:29  But the nations each made their own gods, and put them in the house of the high places which the Samaritans had made, each nation in the cities in which they dwelt.

17:30  And the men of Babylon made Soccoth Benoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergel, and the men of Hamath made Ashima,

17:31  and the Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the inhabitants of Sepharvaim did evil when they burned their sons in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.

17:32  And they feared the Lord, yet they established their abominations in the houses of the high places which they made in Samaria, each nation in the city in which they dwelt. And they feared the Lord, and they made for themselves priests of the high places, and sacrificed for themselves in the house of the high places.

17:33  And they feared the Lord, yet served their own gods, according to the rituals of the nations from among whom they were carried away.

17:34  Until this day they did according to their manner: they feared the Lord, and they did according to their customs, and according to their manner, and according to the law, and according to the commandment which the Lord commanded the sons of Jacob, whose name He made Israel.

17:35  And the Lord made a covenant with them, and commanded them, saying, You shall not fear other gods, neither shall you worship them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them;

17:36  but only to the Lord, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great strength, and with an outstretched arm: Him shall you fear, and Him shall you worship; to Him shall you sacrifice.

17:37  You shall observe continually the ordinances and the judgments and the law and the commandments which He wrote for you to do; and you shall not fear other gods.

17:38  Neither shall you forget the covenant which He made with you; and you shall fear no other gods.

17:39  But you shall fear the Lord your God, and He shall deliver you from all your enemies.

17:40  Neither shall you comply with their practice, which they follow.

17:41  So these nations feared the Lord, and served their graven images: even their sons and their son's sons do to this day, even as their fathers did.

Chapter 18

18:1  And it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign.

18:2  He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Abi, daughter of Zechariah.

18:3  And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father David did.

18:4  He removed the high places, and broke in pieces the pillars, and utterly destroyed the groves, and the bronze serpent which Moses made, because until those days the children of Israel burned incense to it; and he called it Nehushtan.

18:5  He trusted in the Lord God of Israel. And after him there was none like him among the kings of Judah, nor among those that were before him.

18:6  And he held fast to the Lord, he departed not from following Him; and he kept His commandments, as many as He commanded Moses.

18:7  And the Lord was with him; and he was wise in all that he undertook. And he revolted from the king of the Assyrians, and served him not.

18:8  He struck the Philistines, even to Gaza, and to the border of it, from the tower of the watchmen even to the strong city.

18:9  And it came to pass in the fourth year of King Hezekiah (this is the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel), that Shalmaneser king of the Assyrians came up against Samaria, and besieged it.

18:10  And he took it at the end of three years, in the sixth year of Hezekiah, (this is the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, when Samaria was taken).

18:11  And the king of the Assyrians carried away the Samaritans to Assyria, and put them in Halah and in Habor, by the River Gozan, and in the mountains of the Medes;

18:12  because they hearkened not to the voice of the Lord their God, and transgressed His covenant, in all things that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded, and hearkened not to them, nor did them.

18:13  And in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of the Assyrians came up against the strong cities of Judah, and took them.

18:14  And Hezekiah king of Judah sent messengers to the king of the Assyrians to Lachish, saying, I have offended; depart from me: whatsoever you shall lay upon me, I will bear. And the king of Assyria laid upon Hezekiah king of Judah a tribute of three hundred talents of silver, and thirty talents of gold.

18:15  And Hezekiah gave all the silver that was found in the house of the Lord, and in the treasures of the king's house.

18:16  At that time Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the temple, and from the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid with gold, and gave it to the king of the Assyrians.

18:17  And the king of the Assyrians sent Tartan and Rabsaris and Rabshakeh from Lachish to King Hezekiah with a strong force against Jerusalem. And they went up and came to Jerusalem, and stood by the aqueduct of the upper pool, which is by the way of the fuller's field.

18:18  And they cried out to Hezekiah. And Eliakim the son of Hilkiah the steward, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder, came out to them,

18:19  and Rabshakeh said to them, Say now to Hezekiah, Thus says the king, the great king of the Assyrians: What confidence is this in which you trust?

18:20  You have said, (but they are mere words) I have counsel and strength for war. Now then, in whom do you trust, that you have revolted from me?

18:21  See now, are you trusting for yourself on this broken staff of reed, even upon Egypt? Whosoever shall lean upon it, it shall even go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all that trust on him.

18:22  And whereas you have said to me, We trust on the Lord God: is not this He, whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, and has said to Judah and Jerusalem, You shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem?

18:23  Now therefore, I urge you, make an agreement with my lord the king of the Assyrians, and I will give you two thousand horses, if you shall be able on your part to set riders upon them.

18:24  How then will you turn away the face of one petty governor, from among the least of my master's servants, seeing that you trust on Egypt for chariots and horsemen for yourself.

18:25  And now have we come up without the Lord against this place to destroy it? The Lord said to me, Go up against this land, and destroy it.

18:26  And Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, Shebna, and Joah said to Rabshakeh, Speak now to your servants in the Syrian language, for we understand it; and speak not with us in the Jewish language; and why do you speak in the ears of the people that are on the wall?

18:27  And Rabshakeh said to them, Has my master sent me to your master, and to you, to speak these words? Has he not sent me to the men who sit on the wall, that they may eat their own dung, and drink their own water together with you?

18:28  And Rabshakeh stood and cried with a loud voice in the Jewish language, and spoke, and said, Hear the words of the great king of the Assyrians:

18:29  thus says the king: Let not Hezekiah encourage you with words: for he shall not be able to deliver you out of his hand.

18:30  And let not Hezekiah cause you to trust on the Lord, saying, The Lord will certainly deliver us; this city shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of the Assyrians; hearken not to Hezekiah.

18:31  For thus says the king of the Assyrians: Gain my favor, and come forth to me, and every man shall drink of the wine of his own vine, and every man shall eat of his own fig tree, and shall drink water out of his own cistern;

18:32  until I come and remove you to a land like your own land, a land of grain and wine, and bread and vineyards, a land of olive oil and honey, and you shall live and not die; and do not hearken to Hezekiah, for he deceives you, saying, The Lord shall deliver you.

18:33  Have the gods of the nations in any way delivered each their own land out of the hand of the king of the Assyrians?

18:34  Where is the god of Hamath, and of Arpad? Where is the god of Sepharvaim and Hena and Ivah? Indeed, have they delivered Samaria out of my hand?

18:35  Who is there among all the gods of the countries, who have delivered their countries out of my hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?

18:36  But the men were silent, and answered him not a word; for there was a commandment of the king, saying, You shall not answer him.

18:37  And Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, the steward, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder came in to Hezekiah, having torn their clothes; and they reported to him the words of Rabshakeh.

Chapter 19

19:1  And it came to pass when King Hezekiah heard it, that he tore his clothes, and put on sackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord.

19:2  And he sent Eliakim the steward, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, clothed with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz.

19:3  And they said to him, Thus says Hezekiah: This day is a day of tribulation and rebuke and provocation; for the children have come to the birth, but the mother has no strength.

19:4  Perhaps the Lord your God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master has sent to reproach the living God, and to revile Him with the words which the Lord your God has heard; and you shall offer your prayer for the remnant that is found.

19:5  So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah.

19:6  And Isaiah said to them, Thus shall you say to your master, Thus says the Lord: Be not afraid of the words which you have heard, wherewith the servants of the king of the Assyrians have blasphemed Me.

19:7  Behold, I shall send a blast upon him, and he shall hear a report, and shall return to his own land; and I will overthrow him with the sword in his own land.

19:8  So Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah; for he heard that he had departed from Lachish.

19:9  And he heard concerning Tirhakah king of the Ethiopians, saying, Behold, he has come forth to fight with you. And he returned, and sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying,

19:10  Let not your God on whom you trust encourage you, saying, Jerusalem shall not be delivered into the hands of the king of the Assyrians.

19:11  Behold, you have heard all that the kings of the Assyrians have done in all the lands, to waste them utterly-and shall you be delivered?

19:12  Have any of the gods of the other nations delivered them, whom my fathers destroyed: Gozan and Haran and Rezeph and the sons of Eden who were in Telassar?

19:13  Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arpad? And where is the king of the city of Sepharvaim, and of Hena, and Ivah?

19:14  And Hezekiah took the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it. And he went up to the house of the Lord, and Hezekiah spread it before the Lord,

19:15  and said, O Lord God of Israel, that dwells over the cherubim, You are the only God in all the kingdoms of the earth; You have made heaven and earth.

19:16  Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear: open Your eyes and see, O Lord; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God.

19:17  For truly, Lord, the kings of Assyria have wasted the nations,

19:18  and have cast their gods into the fire: because they are no gods, but the works of men's hands, wood and stone; and they have destroyed them.

19:19  And now, O Lord our God, deliver us out of his hand, and all the kingdoms of the earth shall know that You alone are the Lord God.

19:20  And Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, Thus says the Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel: I have heard your prayer to Me concerning Sennacherib king of the Assyrians.

19:21  This is the word which the Lord has spoken against him; The virgin daughter of Zion has made light of you, and mocked you; the daughter of Jerusalem has shaken her head at you.

19:22  Whom have you reproached, and whom have you reviled? And against whom have you lifted up your voice, and raised your eyes on high? Is it not against the Holy One of Israel?

19:23  By your messengers you have reproached the Lord, and have said, I will go up with the multitude of my chariots, to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon, and I have cut down the height of his cedar, and his choice cypresses; and I have come into the midst of the forest and of Carmel.

19:24  I have refreshed myself, and have drunk strange waters, and I have dried up with the sole of my foot all the rivers of the fortified places.

19:25  I have brought about the matter, I have brought it to a conclusion; and it has come to the destruction of the bands of warlike prisoners, even of strong cities.

19:26  And they that dwelt in them were weak in hand, they quaked and were confounded, they became as grass of the field, or as the green herb, the grass growing on houses, and that which is trodden down by him that stands upon it.

19:27  But I know your sitting down and your going forth, and your rage against Me.

19:28  Because you were angry against Me, and your fierceness has come up into My ears, therefore will I put My hooks in your nostrils, and My bridle in your lips, and I will turn you back by the way in which you came.

19:29  And this shall be a sign to you: eat this year the things that grow of themselves, and in the second year the things which spring up. And in the third year let there be sowing and reaping, and planting of vineyards, and eat their fruits.

19:30  And he shall increase him that has escaped of the house of Judah, and the remnant shall strike the root beneath, and it shall produce fruit above.

19:31  For from Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and he that escapes from Mount Zion: the zeal of the Lord of hosts shall do this.

19:32  Is it not so? Thus says the Lord concerning the king of the Assyrians: He shall not enter into this city, and he shall not shoot an arrow there, neither shall a shield come against it, neither shall he heap a mound against it.

19:33  By the way in which he comes, by it shall he return, and he shall not enter into this city, says the Lord.

19:34  And I will defend this city as with a shield, for My own sake, and for the sake of My servant David.

19:35  And it came to pass at night that the Angel of the Lord went forth, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and eighty-five thousand. And they rose early in the morning, and behold, these were all dead corpses.

19:36  And Sennacherib king of the Assyrians departed, and went and returned, and dwelt in Nineveh.

19:37  And it came to pass, while he was worshipping in the house of Nisrosh his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons killed him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place.

Chapter 20

20:1  In those days Hezekiah was sick, even unto death. And the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came in to him, and said to him, Thus says the Lord, Give charge to your household; for you shall die, and not live.

20:2  And Hezekiah turned to the wall, and prayed to the Lord, saying,

20:3  O Lord, remember, I pray, how I have walked before You in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in Your eyes. And Hezekiah wept with a great weeping.

20:4  And Isaiah was in the middle court, and the word of the Lord came to him, saying,

20:5  Turn back, and you shall say to Hezekiah the ruler of My people, Thus says the Lord God of your father David: I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will heal you; on the third day you shall go up to the house of the Lord.

20:6  And I will add to your days fifteen years; and I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of the Assyrians, and I will defend this city for My own sake, and for the sake of My servant David.

20:7  And Isaiah said, Let them take a cake of figs, and lay it upon the ulcer, and he shall be well.

20:8  And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, What is the sign that the Lord will heal me, and I shall go up to the house of the Lord on the third day?

20:9  And Isaiah said, This is the sign from the Lord, that the Lord will perform the word which He has spoken, the shadow of the dial shall advance ten degrees; or if it should go back ten degrees this would also be the sign.

20:10  And Hezekiah said, It is a light thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees; but let the shadow return ten degrees backward on the dial.

20:11  And Isaiah the prophet cried to the Lord, and the shadow returned back ten degrees on the dial.

20:12  At that time Merodoch Baladan, son of Baladan king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, because he had heard that Hezekiah was sick.

20:13  And Hezekiah rejoiced at them, and showed all the house of his spices, the silver and the gold, the spices and the fine oil, and the armory, and all that was found in his treasures; there was nothing which Hezekiah did not show them in his house, and in all his dominion.

20:14  And Isaiah the prophet went in to King Hezekiah, and said to him, What did these men say to you? And where did they come from? And Hezekiah said, they came to me from a distant land, from Babylon.

20:15  And he said, What did they see in your house? And he said, They saw all things that are in my house: there was nothing in my house which I did not show them; moreover, all that was in my treasuries as well.

20:16  And Isaiah said to Hezekiah, Hear the word of the Lord:

20:17  Behold, the days are coming that all things that are in your house shall be taken, and all that your fathers have treasured up to this day shall be carried to Babylon; and there shall not fail a word which the Lord has spoken.

20:18  And as for your sons which shall come forth of you, which you shall beget, the enemy shall take them, and they shall be eunuchs in the house of the king of Babylon.

20:19  And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, Good is the word of the Lord which He has spoken: only let there be peace in my days.

20:20  And the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and all his might, and all that he made, the fountain and the aqueduct, and how he brought water into the city, are not these things written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

20:21  And Hezekiah slept with his fathers: and Manasseh his son reigned in his place.

Chapter 21

21:1  Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Hephzibah.

21:2  And he did that which was evil in the eyes of the Lord, according to the abominations of the nations which the Lord cast out from before the children of Israel.

21:3  And he built again the high places, which Hezekiah his father had demolished, and set up an altar to Baal, and made groves as Ahab king of Israel had made; and worshipped the whole host of heaven, and served them.

21:4  And he built an altar in the house of the Lord, whereas God had said, In Jerusalem I will place My name.

21:5  And he built an altar to the whole host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord.

21:6  And he caused his sons to pass through the fire, and practiced witchcraft and soothsaying, and made groves, and multiplied wizards, so as to do that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger.

21:7  And he set up the graven image of the grove in the house of which the Lord said to David, and to Solomon his son, In this house and in Jerusalem which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, will I even place My name forever.

21:8  And I will not again remove the foot of Israel from the land which I gave to their fathers, even of those who shall keep all that I commanded, according to all the commandments which My servant Moses commanded them.

21:9  But they hearkened not; and Manasseh led them astray to do evil in the sight of the Lord, beyond the nations whom the Lord utterly destroyed from before the children of Israel.

21:10  And the Lord spoke by His servants the prophets, saying,

21:11  Forasmuch as Manasseh the king of Judah has wrought all these evil abominations, beyond all that the Amorites did who lived before him, and has led Judah also into sin by their idols,

21:12  it shall not be so. Thus says the Lord God of Israel: Behold, I bring calamities upon Jerusalem and Judah, so that both the ears of everyone that hears shall tingle.

21:13  And I will stretch out over Jerusalem the measure of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab; and I will wipe Jerusalem as a jar is wiped, and turned upside down in the wiping.

21:14  And I will reject the remnant of My inheritance, and will deliver them into the hands of their enemies; and they shall be for a plunder and for a spoil to all their enemies;

21:15  forasmuch as they have done wickedly in My sight, and have provoked Me from the day that I brought out their fathers out of Egypt, even to this day.

21:16  Moreover Manasseh shed very much innocent blood, until he filled Jerusalem with it from one end to the other, beside his sins with which he caused Judah to sin, in doing evil in the eyes of the Lord.

21:17  And the rest of the acts of Manasseh, and all that he did, and his sin which he sinned, are not these things written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

21:18  And Manasseh slept with his fathers, and was buried in the garden of his house, even in the garden of Uzza; and Amon his son reigned in his place.

21:19  Amon was twenty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Meshullemeth, daughter of Haruz of Jotbah.

21:20  And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, as Manasseh his father had done.

21:21  And he walked in all the way in which his father walked, and served the idols which his father served, and worshipped them.

21:22  And he forsook the Lord God of his fathers, and walked not in the way of the Lord.

21:23  And the servants of Amon conspired against him, and killed the king in his house.

21:24  And the people of the land killed all that had conspired against King Amon; and the people of the land made Josiah king in his place.

21:25  And the rest of the acts of Amon, even all that he did, behold, are not these written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

21:26  And they buried him in his tomb in the garden of Uzza; and Josiah his son reigned in his place.

Chapter 22

22:1  Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Jedidah, daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath.

22:2  And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in all the ways of David his father; he turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.

22:3  And it came to pass in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, in the eighth month, that the king sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah the son of Meshullam the scribe, to the house of the Lord, saying,

22:4  Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, and take account of the money that is brought into the house of the Lord, which they that keep the door have collected of the people.

22:5  And let them give it into the hand of the workmen that are appointed in the house of the Lord. And he gave it to the workmen in the house of the Lord, to repair the breaches of the house,

22:6  even to the carpenters, builders, and masons, and also to purchase timber and hewn stones, to repair the breaches of the house.

22:7  Only they did not call them to account for the money that was given to them, because they dealt faithfully.

22:8  And Hilkiah the high priest 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, and he read it.

22:9  And he went from the house of the Lord to the king, and reported the matter to the king, and said, Your servants have collected the money that was found in the house of the Lord, and have given it into the hand of the workmen that are appointed in the house of the Lord.

22:10  And Shaphan the scribe spoke to the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest has given me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king.

22:11  And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, that he tore his clothes.

22:12  And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achobor the son of Michaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king's servant, saying,

22:13  Go, inquire of the Lord for me, and for all the people, and for all Judah, and concerning the words of this book that has been found; for the wrath of the Lord that has been kindled against us is great, because our fathers hearkened not to the words of this book, to do according to all the things written concerning us.

22:14  So Hilkiah the priest went, and Ahikam, Achobor, Shaphan, and Asaiah, to Huldah the prophetess, the mother of Shallum, son of Tikvah, son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe; and she dwelt in Jerusalem in Masena; and they spoke to her.

22:15  And she said to them, Thus says the Lord God of Israel: Say to the man that sent you to Me,

22:16  Thus says the Lord: Behold, I bring evil upon this place, and upon them that dwell in it, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah has read:

22:17  because they have forsaken Me, and burnt incense to other gods, that they might provoke Me with the works of their hands; therefore My wrath shall burn forth against this place, and shall not be quenched.

22:18  And to the king of Judah that sent you to inquire of the Lord-thus shall you say to him, Thus says the Lord God of Israel: As for the words which you have heard;

22:19  because your heart was softened, and you were humbled before Me, when you heard all that I spoke against this place, and against the inhabitants of it, that it should be utterly destroyed and accursed, and you tore your clothes, and wept before Me; I also have heard, says the Lord.

22:20  It shall not be so. Therefore, behold, I will add you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your tomb in peace, and your eyes shall not see any among all the evils which I bring upon this place.

Chapter 23

23:1  So they reported the word to the king. and the king sent and gathered all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem to himself.

23:2  And the king went up to the house of the Lord, and every man of Judah, and all who dwelt in Jerusalem with him, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the people small and great; and he read in their ears all the words of the Book of the Covenant that was found in the house of the Lord.

23:3  And the king stood by a pillar, and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord, to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His ordinances with all his heart and with all his soul, to confirm the words of this covenant; even all the things written in this book. And all the people stood to the covenant.

23:4  And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, and the priests of the second order, and those that kept the door, to bring out of the temple of the Lord all the vessels that were made for Baal, and for the grove, and all the host of heaven, and he burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and took the ashes of them to Bethel.

23:5  And he burned the idolatrous priests, whom the kings of Judah had appointed (and they burned incense in the high places and in the cities of Judah, and the places around about Jerusalem); and those that burned incense to Baal, and to the sun, and to the moon, and to Mazuroth, and to the whole host of heaven.

23:6  And he carried out the grove from the house of the Lord to the Brook Kidron, and burned it at the Brook Kidron, and reduced it to powder, and cast its powder on the tombs of the sons of the people.

23:7  And he pulled down the house of the sodomites that were by the house of the Lord, where the women wove tents for the grove.

23:8  And he brought up all the priests from the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests burned incense, from Geba even to Beersheba; and he pulled down the house of the gates that was by the door of the gate of Joshua the ruler of the city, on a man's left hand at the gate of the city.

23:9  Only the priests of the high places went not up to the altar of the Lord in Jerusalem, for they only ate leavened bread in the midst of their brethren.

23:10  And he defiled Topheth which is in the valley of the Son of Hinnom, constructed for a man to cause his son or his daughter to pass through fire to Molech.

23:11  And he burned the horses which the king of Judah had given to the sun in the entrance of the house of the Lord, by the treasury of Nathan the king's eunuch, in the suburbs; and he burned the chariot of the sun with fire.

23:12  And the altars that were on the roof of the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars which Manasseh had made in the two courts of the house of the Lord, did the king pull down and forcibly remove from there, and cast their dust into the Brook of Kidron.

23:13  And the king defiled the house that was before Jerusalem, on the right hand of the Mount of Mosthath, which Solomon king of Israel built to Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians, and to Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, and to Molech the abomination of the children of Ammon.

23:14  And he broke in pieces the pillars, and utterly destroyed the groves, and filled their places with the bones of men.

23:15  Also the high altar in Bethel, which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, had made, even that high altar he tore down, and broke in pieces the stones of it, and reduced it to powder, and burnt the grove.

23:16  And Josiah turned aside, and saw the tombs that were there in the city, and sent, and took the bones out of the tombs, and burned them on the altar, and defiled it, according to the word of the Lord which the man of God spoke, when Jeroboam stood by the altar at the feast; and he turned and raised his eyes to the tomb of the man of God that spoke these words.

23:17  And he said, What is that mound which I see? And the men of the city said to him, It is the grave of the man of God that came out of Judah, and uttered these things which you have done upon the altar of Bethel.

23:18  And he said, Let him alone; let no one disturb his bones. So his bones were spared, together with the bones of the prophet that came out of Samaria.

23:19  Moreover Josiah removed all the houses of the high places that were in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel made to provoke the Lord, and did to them all that he did in Bethel.

23:20  And he sacrificed all the priests of the high places that were there on the altars, and burned the bones of men upon them, and returned to Jerusalem.

23:21  And the king commanded all the people, saying, Keep the Passover to the Lord your God, as it is written in the Book of the Covenant.

23:22  Such a Passover as this had not been kept from the days of the judges who judged Israel, even all the days of the kings of Israel, and of the kings of Judah.

23:23  But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, was the Passover kept to the Lord in Jerusalem.

23:24  Moreover Josiah removed the sorcerers and the wizards and the spiritists and the idols, and all the abominations that had been set up in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, that he might keep the words of the law that were written in the book, which Hilkiah the priest had found in the house of the Lord.

23:25  There was no king like him before him, who turned to the Lord with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his strength, according to all the Law of Moses; and after him there rose none like him.

23:26  Nevertheless the Lord turned not from the fierceness of His great anger, wherewith He was wroth in His anger against Judah, because of the provocations, with which Manasseh provoked Him.

23:27  And the Lord said, I will also remove Judah from My presence, as I removed Israel, and I will reject this city which I have chosen, even Jerusalem, and the house of which I said, My name shall be there.

23:28  And the rest of the acts of Josiah, and all that he did, are not these things written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

23:29  And in his days Pharaoh Necho king of Egypt went up against the king of the Assyrians, to the River Euphrates; and Josiah went out to meet him. And Necho killed him in Megiddo when he saw him.

23:30  And his servants carried him dead from Megiddo, and brought him to Jerusalem, and buried him in his tomb. And the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and anointed him, and made him king in the place of his father.

23:31  Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Hamutal, daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.

23:32  And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his fathers had done.

23:33  And Pharaoh Necho removed him to Riblah in the land of Hamath, so that he should not reign in Jerusalem; and he imposed a tribute on the land, a hundred talents of silver, and a hundred talents of gold.

23:34  And Pharaoh Necho made Eliakim son of Josiah king of Judah over them, in the place of his father Josiah, and he changed his name to Jehoiakim, and he took Jehoahaz and brought him to Egypt, and he died there.

23:35  And Jehoiakim gave the silver and the gold to Pharaoh; but he assessed the land to give the money at the command of Pharaoh: they gave the silver and the gold, each man according to his assessment, together with the people of the land to give to Pharaoh Necho.

23:36  Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Zebudah, daughter of Pedaiah of Rummah.

23:37  And he did that which was evil in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that his fathers had done.

Chapter 24

24:1  In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant for three years. And then he turned and revolted against him.

24:2  And the Lord sent raiding bands of Chaldeans against him, and bands of Syrians, and bands of Moabites, and bands of Ammonites, and sent them into the land of Judah to prevail against it, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke by His servants the prophets.

24:3  Moreover it was the purpose of the Lord concerning Judah, to remove them from His presence, because of the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he did.

24:4  Moreover he shed innocent blood, and filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the Lord would not pardon it.

24:5  And the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and all that he did, behold, are not these written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

24:6  And Jehoiakim slept with his fathers; and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place.

24:7  And the king of Egypt came no more out of his land, for the king of Babylon took away all that belonged to the king of Egypt, from the river of Egypt as far as the River Euphrates.

24:8  Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign, an he reigned three months in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Nehushta, daughter of Elnathan, of Jerusalem.

24:9  And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father had done.

24:10  At that time Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon went up to Jerusalem, and the city was besieged.

24:11  And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came against the city, and his servants besieged it.

24:12  And Jehoiachin king of Judah came forth to the king of Babylon, he and his servants, and his mother, and his princes, and his eunuchs; and the king of Babylon took him in the eighth year of his reign.

24:13  And he brought forth from there all the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king's house, and he cut up all the golden vessels which Solomon the king of Israel had made in the temple of the Lord, according to the word of the Lord.

24:14  And he carried away the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and all the captains, and the mighty men, taking captive ten thousand prisoners, and every craftsmen and smith; and only the poor of the land were left.

24:15  And he carried Jehoiachin away to Babylon, and the king's mother, and the king's wives, and his eunuchs; and he carried away the mighty men of the land into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon.

24:16  And all the men of might, even seven thousand, and one thousand craftsmen and smiths; all were mighty men fit for war; and the king of Babylon carried them captive to Babylon.

24:17  And the king of Babylon made Mattaniah his son king in his place, and called his name Zedekiah.

24:18  Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah.

24:19  And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that Jehoiachin had done.

24:20  For it was according to the Lord's anger against Jerusalem and on Judah, until He cast them out of His presence, that Zedekiah revolted against the king of Babylon.

Chapter 25

25:1  And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and all his army, came against Jerusalem; and he encamped against it, and built a mound against it.

25:2  And the city was besieged until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah, on the ninth day of the month.

25:3  And the famine prevailed in the city, and there was no bread for the people of the land.

25:4  And the city was broken up, and all the men of war went forth by night, by the way of the gate between the walls (this is the gate of the king's garden). And the Chaldeans were set against the city round about; and the king went by the way of the plain.

25:5  And the force of the Chaldeans pursued the king, and overtook him in the plains of Jericho; and all his army was dispersed from about him.

25:6  And they took the king, and brought him to the king of Babylon to Riblah; and he pronounced judgment upon him.

25:7  And he killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him in fetters, and brought him to Babylon.

25:8  And in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month (this is the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, who stood before the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem.

25:9  And he burned the house of the Lord, and the king's house, and all the houses of Jerusalem, even every house did the captain of the guard burn.

25:10  And the force of the Chaldeans pulled down the wall of Jerusalem round about.

25:11  And Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard removed the rest of the people that were left in the city, and the men who had deserted to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the multitude.

25:12  But the captain of the guard left some of the poor of the land to be vinedressers and farmers.

25:13  And the Chaldeans broke to pieces the bronze pillars that were in the house of the Lord, and the bases, and the bronze sea that was in the house of the Lord, and carried its brass to Babylon.

25:14  And the caldrons, and the shovels, and the bowls, and the censers, and all the bronze vessels with which they ministered with, he took.

25:15  And the captain of the guard took the fire pans, and the gold and silver bowls.

25:16  Two pillars, and one sea, and the bases which Solomon made for the house of the Lord; there was no weight of the brass of all the vessels.

25:17  The height of one pillar was eighteen cubits, and the chapiter upon it was of brass. And the height of the chapiter was three cubits: the border, and the pomegranates on the chapiter round about were all of brass; and so it was with the second pillar with its border.

25:18  And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the high priest, and Zephaniah the second in order, and the three doorkeepers.

25:19  And they took out of the city one eunuch who was commander of the men of war, and five men that saw the face of the king, that were found in the city, and the secretary of the commander-in-chief, who took account of the people of the land, and sixty men of the people of the land that were found in the city.

25:20  And Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them, and brought them to the king of Babylon to Riblah.

25:21  And the king of Babylon struck them and killed them at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was carried away from his land.

25:22  And as for the people that were left in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon left, over them he set Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan.

25:23  And all the captains of the army, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had thus appointed Gedaliah; and they came to Gedaliah, to Mizpah, both Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan son of Careah, and Seraiah son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of a Maachathite, they and their men.

25:24  And Gedaliah swore to them and their men, and said to them, Fear not the incursion of the Chaldeans; dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.

25:25  And it came to pass in the seventh month that Ishmael, son of Nethaniah, son of Elishama, of the royal family came, and ten men with him, and he struck and killed Gedaliah, him and the Jews and the Chaldeans that were with him in Mizpah.

25:26  And all the people, great and small rose up, they and the captains of the forces, and went into Egypt; because they were afraid of the Chaldeans.

25:27  And it came to pass in the thirty-seventh year of the carrying away of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, that Evil-Merodach king of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah, and brought him out of his prison house.

25:28  And he spoke kindly to him, and set his throne above the thrones of the kings that were with him in Babylon;

25:29  and changed his prison garments; and he ate bread continually before him all the days of his life.

25:30  And his portion, a continual portion, was given to him out of the house of the king, a daily rate for every day, all the days of his life.