Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles Blended Harmony - the Story of Judah

Rehoboam Fortifies Judah

1 Chronicles 11:5-17

Rehobo′am dwelt in Jerusalem, and he built cities for defense in Judah. He built Bethlehem, Etam, Teko′a, Beth-zur, Soco, Adullam, Gath, Mare′shah, Ziph, Adora′im, Lachish, Aze′kah, Zorah, Ai′jalon, and Hebron, fortified cities which are in Judah and in Benjamin. He made the fortresses strong, and put commanders in them, and stores of food, oil, and wine. And he put shields and spears in all the cities, and made them very strong. So he held Judah and Benjamin.

 

And the priests and the Levites that were in all Israel resorted to him from all places where they lived. For the Levites left their common lands and their holdings and came to Judah and Jerusalem, because Jerobo′am and his sons cast them out from serving as priests of the Lord, and he appointed his own priests for the high places, and for the satyrs, and for the calves which he had made. And those who had set their hearts to seek the Lord God of Israel came after them from all the tribes of Israel to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the Lord, the God of their fathers. They strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and for three years they made Rehobo′am the son of Solomon secure, for they walked for three years in the way of David and Solomon.

 

Rehoboam’s Marriages

1 Chronicles 11:18-23

Rehobo′am took as wife Ma′halath the daughter of Jer′imoth the son of David, and of Ab′ihail the daughter of Eli′ab the son of Jesse; and she bore him sons, Je′ush, Shemari′ah, and Zaham. After her he took Ma′acah the daughter of Ab′salom, who bore him Abi′jah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelo′mith. Rehobo′am loved Ma′acah the daughter of Ab′salom above all his wives and concubines (he took eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and had twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters); and Rehobo′am appointed Abi′jah the son of Ma′acah as chief prince among his brothers, for he intended to make him king. And he dealt wisely, and distributed some of his sons through all the districts of Judah and Benjamin, in all the fortified cities; and he gave them abundant provisions, and procured wives for them.

 

Rehoboam King of Judah & Shishak Attacks Jerusalem

1 Kings 14:21-31 & 2 Chronicles 12:1-16

Now Rehobo'am the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehobo'am was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the LORD had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. His mother's name was Na'amah the Ammonitess. And he did evil, for he did not set his heart to seek the LORD. (1Ki
4:21 & 2Ch 12:13b-14)

When the rule of Rehobo'am was established and was strong, he forsook the law of the LORD, and all Israel with him. (1Ch 12:1)

And Judah did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins which they committed, more than all that their fathers had done. For they also built for themselves high places, and pillars, and Ashe'rim on every high hill and under every green tree; and there were also male cult prostitutes in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD drove out before the people of Israel. (1Ki 14:22-24)

In the fifth year of King Rehobo'am, because they had been unfaithful to the LORD, Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem with twelve hundred chariots and sixty thousand horsemen. And the people were without number who came with him from Egypt-- Libyans, Suk'ki-im, and Ethiopians. And he took the fortified cities of Judah and came as far as Jerusalem.

Then Shemai'ah the prophet came to Rehobo'am and to the princes of Judah, who had gathered at Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said to them, "Thus says the LORD, 'You abandoned me, so I have abandoned you to the hand of Shishak.'" Then the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, "The LORD is righteous."

When the LORD saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the LORD came to Shemai'ah: "They have humbled themselves; I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance, and my wrath shall not be poured out upon Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak. Nevertheless they shall be servants to him, that they may know my service and the service of the kingdoms of the countries." (1Ki 14:25a & 2Ch 12:2-8)

So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem; he took away the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king's house; he took away everything. He also took away all the shields of gold which Solomon had made; and King Rehobo'am made in their stead shields of bronze, and committed them to the hands of the officers of the guard, who kept the door of the king's house. And as often as the king went into the house of the LORD, the guard came and bore them and brought them back to the guardroom. (1Ki 14:25b-28 & 2Ch 12:9-11)

And when he humbled himself the wrath of the LORD turned from him, so as not to make a complete destruction; moreover, conditions were good in Judah. So King Rehobo'am established himself in Jerusalem and reigned. (2Ch 12:12-13a)

Now the rest of the acts of Rehobo'am, and all that he did, from first to last, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah [chronicles of Shemai'ah the prophet and of Iddo the seer]? And there was war [There were continual wars] between Rehobo'am and Jerobo'am continually. And Rehobo'am slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David. His mother's name was Na'amah the Ammonitess. And Abi'jam [Abi'jah] his son reigned in his stead. (1Ki 14:29-31 & 2Ch 12:15-16)

Abijah King of Judah

1 Kings 15:1-8 & 2 Chronicles 13:1-14:1

Now in the eighteenth year of King Jerobo'am the son of Nebat, Abi'jam began to reign over Judah. He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Ma'acah [Micai'ah] the daughter of Abish'alom [U'riel of Gib'e-ah]. (1Ki 15:1-2 & 2Ch 13:1-2a)

And he walked in all the sins which his father did before him; and his heart was not wholly true to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father. Nevertheless for David's sake the LORD his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, setting up his son after him, and establishing Jerusalem; because David did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, and did not turn aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uri'ah the Hittite. (1Ki 15:3-5)

Now there was war between Rehobo'am and Jerobo'am [Abi'jah and Jerobo'am] all the days of his life. (1Ki 15:6 & 2Ch 13:2b)

Abi'jah went out to battle having an army of valiant men of war, four hundred thousand picked men; and Jerobo'am drew up his line of battle against him with eight hundred thousand picked mighty warriors.

Then Abi'jah stood up on Mount Zemara'im which is in the hill country of E'phraim, and said, "Hear me, O Jerobo'am and all Israel! Ought you not to know that the LORD God of Israel gave the kingship over Israel for ever to David and his sons by a covenant of salt? Yet Jerobo'am the son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon the son of David, rose up and rebelled against his lord; and certain worthless scoundrels gathered about him and defied Rehobo'am the son of Solomon, when Rehobo'am was young and irresolute and could not withstand them.

And now you think to withstand the kingdom of the LORD in the hand of the sons of David, because you are a great multitude and have with you the golden calves which Jerobo'am made you for gods. Have you not driven out the priests of the LORD, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and made priests for yourselves like the peoples of other lands? Whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bull or seven rams becomes a priest of what are no gods.

But as for us, the LORD is our God, and we have not forsaken him. We have priests ministering to the LORD who are sons of Aaron, and Levites for their service. They offer to the LORD every morning and every evening burnt offerings and incense of sweet spices, set out the showbread on the table of pure gold, and care for the golden lampstand that its lamps may burn every evening; for we keep the charge of the LORD our God, but you have forsaken him.

Behold, God is with us at our head, and his priests with their battle trumpets to sound the call to battle against you. O sons of Israel, do not fight against the LORD, the God of your fathers; for you cannot succeed."

Jerobo'am had sent an ambush around to come on them from behind; thus his troops were in front of Judah, and the ambush was behind them. And when Judah looked, behold, the battle was before and behind them; and they cried to the LORD, and the priests blew the trumpets. Then the men of Judah raised the battle shout. And when the men of Judah shouted, God defeated Jerobo'am and all Israel before Abi'jah and Judah. The men of Israel fled before Judah, and God gave them into their hand. Abi'jah and his people slew them with a great slaughter; so there fell slain of Israel five hundred thousand picked men. Thus the men of Israel were subdued at that time, and the men of Judah prevailed, because they relied upon the LORD, the God of their fathers.

And Abi'jah pursued Jerobo'am, and took cities from him, Bethel with its villages and Jesha'nah with its villages and Ephron with its villages. Jerobo'am did not recover his power in the days of Abi'jah; and the LORD smote him, and he died.

But Abi'jah grew mighty. And he took fourteen wives, and had twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters. (2Ch 13:3-21)

The rest of the acts of Abi'jam [Abi'jah], his ways and his sayings, and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah [story of the prophet Iddo]? And there was war between Abi'jam and Jerobo'am.

And Abi’jam [So Abi’jah] slept with his fathers; and they buried him in the city of David. And Asa his son reigned in his stead. In his days the land had rest for ten years. (1Ki 15:7-8 & 2Ch 13:22-14:1)

Asa King of Judah

1 Kings 15:9-24 & 2 Chronicles 14:2-15

In the twentieth year of Jerobo'am king of Israel Asa began to reign over Judah, and he reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Ma'acah the daughter of Abish'alom. (1Kings 15:9-10)

And Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God. He took away the foreign altars and the high places, and broke down the pillars and hewed down the Ashe'rim, and commanded Judah to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, and to keep the law and the commandment. He also took out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the incense altars. And the kingdom had rest under him. He built fortified cities in Judah, for the land had rest. He had no war in those years, for the LORD gave him peace. (1Ch
4:2-6)

And he said to Judah, "Let us build these cities, and surround them with walls and towers, gates and bars; the land is still ours, because we have sought the LORD our God; we have sought him, and he has given us peace on every side." So they built and prospered. And Asa had an army of three hundred thousand from Judah, armed with bucklers and spears, and two hundred and eighty thousand men from Benjamin, that carried shields and drew bows; all these were mighty men of valor.

Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million men and three hundred chariots, and came as far as Mare'shah. And Asa went out to meet him, and they drew up their lines of battle in the valley of Zeph'athah at Mare'shah.

And Asa cried to the LORD his God, "O LORD, there is none like thee to help, between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on thee, and in thy name we have come against this multitude. O LORD, thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee." So the LORD defeated the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah, and the Ethiopians fled. Asa and the people that were with him pursued them as far as Gerar, and the Ethiopians fell until none remained alive; for they were broken before the LORD and his army. The men of Judah carried away very much booty. And they smote all the cities round about Gerar, for the fear of the LORD was upon them. They plundered all the cities, for there was much plunder in them. And they smote the tents of those who had cattle, and carried away sheep in abundance and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.

The Spirit of God came upon Azari'ah the son of Oded, and he went out to meet Asa, and said to him, "Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: The LORD is with you, while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. For a long time Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law; but when in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found by them. In those times there was no peace to him who went out or to him who came in, for great disturbances afflicted all the inhabitants of the lands. They were broken in pieces, nation against nation and city against city, for God troubled them with every sort of distress. But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded."

When Asa heard these words, the prophecy of Azari'ah the son of Oded, he took courage, and put away the abominable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities which he had taken in the hill country of E'phraim, and he repaired the altar of the LORD that was in front of the vestibule of the house of the LORD.

And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and those from E'phraim, Manas'seh, and Simeon who were sojourning with them, for great numbers had deserted to him from Israel when they saw that the LORD his God was with him.

They were gathered at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa. They sacrificed to the LORD on that day, from the spoil which they had brought, seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep. And they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul; and that whoever would not seek the LORD, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether young or old, man or woman. They took oath to the LORD with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with trumpets, and with horns. And all Judah rejoiced over the oath; for they had sworn with all their heart, and had sought him with their whole desire, and he was found by them, and the LORD gave them rest round about. (2Ch 14:7-15:15)

He also removed Ma'acah his mother [Ma'acah, his mother, King Asa removed] from being queen mother because she had an abominable image made for Ashe'rah; and Asa cut down her image, crushed it, and burned it at the brook Kidron. But the high places were not taken away. Nevertheless the heart of Asa was wholly true to the LORD [blameless] all his days. And he brought into the house of the LORD the votive gifts of his father and his own votive gifts, silver, and gold, and vessels. And there was no more war until the thirtyfifth year of the reign of Asa. (1Ki 15:13-15 & 2Ch 15:16-19)

And there was war between Asa and Ba'asha king of Israel all their days. In the thirtysixth year of the reign of Asa, Ba'asha king of Israel went up against Judah, and built Ramah, that he might permit no one to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah.

Then Asa took all the silver and the gold that were left in [from] the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king's house, and gave them into the hands of his servants; and King Asa sent them to Ben-ha'dad the son of Tabrim'mon, the son of He'zi-on, king of Syria, who dwelt in Damascus, saying, "Let there be a league between me and you, as between my father and your father: behold, I am sending to you a present of silver and gold; go, break your league with Ba'asha king of Israel, that he may withdraw from me."

And Ben-ha'dad hearkened to King Asa, and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel, and they conquered Ijon [I'jon], Dan, A'bel-beth-ma'acah [A'bel-ma'im], and all Chin'neroth, with all the land [and all the store-cities] of Naph'tali. And when Ba'asha heard of it, he stopped building Ramah and let his work cease, and he dwelt in Tirzah. Then King Asa made a proclamation to [took] all Judah, none was exempt, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber, with which Ba'asha had been building; and with them King Asa [he] built Geba of Benjamin and Mizpah. (1Ki 15:16-22 & 2Ch 16:1-6)

At that time Hana'ni the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said to him, "Because you relied on the king of Syria, and did not rely on the LORD your God, the army of the king of Syria has escaped you. Were not the Ethiopians and the Libyans a huge army with exceedingly many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you relied on the LORD, he gave them into your hand. For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show his might in behalf of those whose heart is blameless toward him. You have done foolishly in this; for from now on you will have wars."

Then Asa was angry with the seer, and put him in the stocks, in prison, for he was in a rage with him because of this. And Asa inflicted cruelties upon some of the people at the same Time.

The acts of Asa, from first to last, are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was diseased in his feet, and his disease became severe; yet even in his disease he did not seek the LORD, but sought help from physicians. (2Ch 16:7-12)

Now the rest of all the acts of Asa, all his might, and all that he did, and the cities which he built, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? But in his old age he was diseased in his feet. (1Ki 15:23)

And Asa slept with his fathers, dying in the fortyfirst year of his reign. They buried him in the tomb which he had hewn out for himself in the city of David. They laid him on a bier which had been filled with various kinds of spices prepared by the perfumer's art; and they made a very great fire in his honor. (2Ch 16:13-14)

Jehoshaphat King of Judah (Part 1)

1 Kings 22:41-50 & 2 Chronicles 17:1-19 (also 2Ch 19:4-11, 20:1-30 & 20:31-21:3)

Thus Jehosh'aphat the son of Asa began to reign [reigned] over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel. Jehosh'aphat [he]I was thirty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Azu'bah the daughter of Shilhi.

He walked in all the way of Asa his father; And he did not turn aside from it, doing [he did] what was right in the sight of the LORD; yet the high places, however, were not taken away, and the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places: the people had not yet set their hearts upon the God of their fathers. Jehosh'aphat also made peace with the king of Israel. ( 1Ki
2:41-44 & 2Ch 20:31-33)

Jehosh'aphat his son reigned in his stead, and strengthened himself against Israel. He placed forces in all the fortified cities of Judah, and set garrisons in the land of Judah, and in the cities of E'phraim which Asa his father had taken.

The LORD was with Jehosh'aphat, because he walked in the earlier ways of his father; he did not seek the Ba'als, but sought the God of his father and walked in his commandments, and not according to the ways of Israel. Therefore the LORD established the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah brought tribute to Jehosh'aphat; and he had great riches and honor. His heart was courageous in the ways of the LORD; and furthermore he took the high places and the Ashe'rim out of Judah.

In the third year of his reign he sent his princes, Ben-hail, Obadi'ah, Zechari'ah, Nethan'el, and Micai'ah, to teach in the cities of Judah; and with them the Levites, Shemai'ah, Nethani'ah, Zebadi'ah, As'ahel, Shemi'ramoth, Jehon'athan, Adoni'jah, Tobi'jah, and Tobadoni'jah; and with these Levites, the priests Eli'shama and Jeho'ram. And they taught in Judah, having the book of the law of the LORD with them; they went about through all the cities of Judah and taught among the people.

And the fear of the LORD fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were round about Judah, and they made no war against Jehosh'aphat. Some of the Philistines brought Jehosh'aphat presents, and silver for tribute; and the Arabs also brought him seven thousand seven hundred rams and seven thousand seven hundred he-goats.

And Jehosh'aphat grew steadily greater. He built in Judah fortresses and store-cities, and he had great stores in the cities of Judah. He had soldiers, mighty men of valor, in Jerusalem. This was the muster of them by fathers' houses:

Of Judah, the commanders of thousands: Adnah the commander, with three hundred thousand mighty men of valor, and next to him Jehoha'nan the commander, with two hundred and eighty thousand, and next to him Amasi'ah the son of Zichri, a volunteer for the service of the LORD, with two hundred thousand mighty men of valor.

Of Benjamin: Eli'ada, a mighty man of valor, with two hundred thousand men armed with bow and shield, and next to him Jeho'zabad with a hundred and eighty thousand armed for war.

These were in the service of the king, besides those whom the king had placed in the fortified cities throughout all Judah. (2Ch 17:1-19)

Jehoshaphat Appoints Judges

1 Chronicles 19:4-11

Jehosh'aphat dwelt at Jerusalem; and he went out again among the people, from Beersheba to the hill country of E'phraim, and brought them back to the LORD, the God of their fathers. He appointed judges in the land in all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city, and said to the judges, "Consider what you do, for you judge not for man but for the LORD; he is with you in giving judgment. Now then, let the fear of the LORD be upon you; take heed what you do, for there is no perversion of justice with the LORD our God, or partiality, or taking bribes."

Moreover in Jerusalem Jehosh'aphat appointed certain Levites and priests and heads of families of Israel, to give judgment for the LORD and to decide disputed cases. They had their seat at Jerusalem. And he charged them: "Thus you shall do in the fear of the LORD, in faithfulness, and with your whole heart: whenever a case comes to you from your brethren who live in their cities, concerning bloodshed, law or commandment, statutes or ordinances, then you shall instruct them, that they may not incur guilt before the LORD and wrath may not come upon you and your brethren. Thus you shall do, and you will not incur guilt.

And behold, Amari'ah the chief priest is over you in all matters of the LORD; and Zebadi'ah the son of Ish'mael, the governor of the house of Judah, in all the king's matters; and the Levites will serve you as officers. Deal courageously, and may the LORD be with the upright!" (2Ch 19:4-11)

Jehoshaphat Defeats Moab and Ammon

1 Chronicles 20:1-30

After this the Moabites and Ammonites, and with them some of the Me-u'nites, came against Jehosh'aphat for battle. Some men came and told Jehosh'aphat, "A great multitude is coming against you from Edom, from beyond the sea; and, behold, they are in Haz'azon-ta'mar" (that is, En-ge'di). Then Jehosh'aphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah assembled to seek help from the LORD; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD. And Jehosh'aphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court, and said,

"O LORD, God of our fathers, art thou not God in heaven? Dost thou not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations? In thy hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee. Didst thou not, O our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and give it for ever to the descendants of Abraham thy friend? And they have dwelt in it, and have built thee in it a sanctuary for thy name, saying, 'If evil comes upon us, the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house, and before thee, for thy name is in this house, and cry to thee in our affliction, and thou wilt hear and save.' And now behold, the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Se'ir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade when they came from the land of Egypt, and whom they avoided and did not destroy-- behold, they reward us by coming to drive us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit. O our God, wilt thou not execute judgment upon them? For we are powerless against this great multitude that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon thee."

Meanwhile all the men of Judah stood before the LORD, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.

And the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jaha'ziel the son of Zechari'ah, son of Benai'ah, son of Je-i'el, son of Mattani'ah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly. And he said, "Hearken, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, and King Jehosh'aphat: Thus says the LORD to you, 'Fear not, and be not dismayed at this great multitude; for the battle is not yours but God's. Tomorrow go down against them; behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz; you will find them at the end of the valley, east of the wilderness of Jeru'el. You will not need to fight in this battle; take your position, stand still, and see the victory of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.' Fear not, and be not dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, and the LORD will be with you."

Then Jehosh'aphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the LORD, worshiping the LORD. And the Levites, of the Ko'hathites and the Kor'ahites, stood up to praise the LORD, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.

And they rose early in the morning and went out into the wilderness of Teko'a; and as they went out, Jehosh'aphat stood and said, "Hear me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in the LORD your God, and you will be established; believe his prophets, and you will succeed." And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing to the LORD and praise him in holy array, as they went before the army, and say, "Give thanks to the LORD, for his steadfast love endures for ever."

And when they began to sing and praise, the LORD set an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Se'ir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed. For the men of Ammon and Moab rose against the inhabitants of Mount Se'ir, destroying them utterly, and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Se'ir, they all helped to destroy one another.

When Judah came to the watchtower of the wilderness, they looked toward the multitude; and behold, they were dead bodies lying on the ground; none had escaped. When Jehosh'aphat and his people came to take the spoil from them, they found cattle in great numbers, goods, clothing, and precious things, which they took for themselves until they could carry no more.

They were three days in taking the spoil, it was so much. On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Bera'cah, for there they blessed the LORD; therefore the name of that place has been called the Valley of Bera'cah to this day.

Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehosh'aphat at their head, returning to Jerusalem with joy, for the LORD had made them rejoice over their enemies. They came to Jerusalem, with harps and lyres and trumpets, to the house of the LORD. And the fear of God came on all the kingdoms of the countries when they heard that the LORD had fought against the enemies of Israel. So the realm of Jehosh'aphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest round about. (2Ch 20:1-30)

Now the rest of the acts of Jehosh'aphat, and his might that he showed, and how he warred, from first to last, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? [are written in the chronicles of Jehu the son of Hana'ni, which are recorded in the Book of the Kings of Israel.] (1Ki 22:45 & 2Ch 20:34)

And the remnant of the male cult prostitutes who remained in the days of his father Asa, he exterminated from the land. There was no king in Edom; a deputy was king. (1Ki 22:46)

After this Jehosh'aphat king of Judah joined with Ahazi'ah king of Israel, who did wickedly. He joined him in building ships to go to Tarshish for gold, and they built the ships in E'zion-ge'ber. Then Elie'zer the son of Do-dav'ahu of Mare'shah prophesied against Jehosh'aphat, saying, "Because you have joined with Ahazi'ah, the LORD will destroy what you have made." And the ships were wrecked and were not able to go to Tarshish. (2Ch
0:35-37)

And Jehosh'aphat slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father; and Jeho'ram his son reigned in his stead. He had brothers, the sons of Jehosh'aphat: Azari'ah, Jehi'el, Zechari'ah, Azari'ah, Michael, and Shephati'ah; all these were the sons of Jehosh'aphat king of Judah. Their father gave them great gifts, of silver, gold, and valuable possessions, together with fortified cities in Judah; but he gave the kingdom to Jeho'ram, because he was the first-born. (1KI 22:50 & 2Ch 21:1-3)

Jehoram King of Judah

2 Kings 8:16-24 & 2 Chronicles 21:4-20

In the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab, king of Israel, Jehox'ram the son of Jehosh'aphat, king of Judah, began to reign. (2Ki 8:16)

When Jeho'ram had ascended the throne of his father and was established, he slew all his brothers with the sword, and also some of the princes of Israel. (2Ch 21:4)

He [Jeho'ram] was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife. And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. Yet the LORD would not destroy Judah [the house of David], for the sake of [because of the covenant which he had made with] David his servant, and since he promised to give a lamp to him and to his sons for ever.

In his days Edom revolted from the rule of Judah, and set up a king of their own. Then Joram [Jeho'ram] passed over to Za'ir with his commanders and all his chariots, and he rose by night, and he and his chariot commanders smote the E'domites who had surrounded him and his chariot commanders; but his army fled home. So Edom revolted from the rule of Judah to this day.

Then Libnah revolted at the same time [At that time Libnah also revolted from his rule, because he had forsaken the LORD, the God of his fathers]. (2Ki 8:17-22 & 2Ch 21:5-10)

And a letter came to him from Eli'jah the prophet, saying, "Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father, 'Because you have not walked in the ways of Jehosh'aphat your father, or in the ways of Asa king of Judah, but have walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and have led Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem into unfaithfulness, as the house of Ahab led Israel into unfaithfulness, and also you have killed your brothers, of your father's house, who were better than yourself; behold, the LORD will bring a great plague on your people, your children, your wives, and all your possessions, and you yourself will have a severe sickness with a disease of your bowels, until your bowels come out because of the disease, day by day.'"

And the LORD stirred up against Jeho'ram the anger of the Philistines and of the Arabs who are near the Ethiopians; and they came up against Judah, and invaded it, and carried away all the possessions they found that belonged to the king's house, and also his sons and his wives, so that no son was left to him except Jeho'ahaz, his youngest son.

And after all this the LORD smote him in his bowels with an incurable disease. In course of time, at the end of two years, his bowels came out because of the disease, and he died in great agony. His people made no fire in his honor, like the fires made for his fathers. (2Ch 21:12-19)

Now the rest of the acts of Joram, and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? So Joram slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David; and Ahazi'ah his son reigned in his stead. (2Ki 8:23-24)

He was thirty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem; and he departed with no one's regret. They buried him in the city of David, but not in the tombs of the kings. (2Ch 21:20)

Ahaziah King of Judah

2 Kings 8:25-29 & 2 Chronicles 22:1-6

And the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahazi'ah his youngest son king in his stead; for the band of men that came with the Arabs to the camp had slain all the older sons. So In the twelfth year of Joram the son of Ahab, king of Israel, Ahazi'ah the son of Jeho'ram, king of Judah, began to reign [reigned].

Ahazi'ah was twenty [forty]-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Athali'ah; she was a [the] granddaughter of Omri king of Israel. He also walked in the way of the house of Ahab, for his mother was his counselor in doing wickedly and [He] did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, as the house of Ahab had done, for he was son-in-law to the house of Ahab [for after the death of his father they were his counselors, to his undoing].

He even followed their counsel, and went with Joram [Jeho'ram] the son of Ahab to make war against Haz'ael king of Syria at Ramoth-gilead, where [And] the Syrians wounded Joram .

And King Joram [he] returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Syrians had given him [he had received] at Ramah, when he fought against Haz'ael king of Syria. And Ahazi'ah the son of Jeho'ram king of Judah went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick. (2Ki 8:25-29 & 2Ch 22:1-6)

Athaliah and Joash

2 Kings 11:1-21 & 2 Chronicles 22:10-23:21

Now when Athali'ah the mother of Ahazi'ah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal family of the house of Judah. But Jehosh'eba, [Jeho-shab'e-ath] the daughter of the King Joram, sister of Ahazi'ah, took Jo'ash the son of Ahazi'ah, and stole him away from among the king's sons who were about to be slain, and she put him and his nurse in a bedchamber. Thus [she] Jeho-shab'e-ath, the daughter of King Jeho'ram and wife of Jehoi'ada the priest, because she was a sister of Ahazi'ah, hid him from Athali'ah, so that he was not slain [she did not slay him]; and he remained with her [them] six years, hid in the house of the LORD [God], while Athali'ah reigned over the land. (2Ki 11:1-3 & 2Ch 22:10-12)

But in the seventh year Jehoi'ada took courage, and entered into a compact with the commanders of hundreds, Azari'ah the son of Jero'ham, Ish'mael the son of Jehoha'nan, Azari'ah the son of Obed, Maasei'ah the son of Adai'ah, and Elisha'phat the son of Zichri. And they went about through Judah and gathered the Levites from all the cities of Judah, and the heads of fathers' houses of Israel, and they came to Jerusalem. And all the assembly made a covenant with the king in the house of God. And Jehoi'ada said to them, "Behold, the king's son! Let him reign, as the LORD spoke concerning the sons of David.

This is the thing that you shall do: of you priests and Levites who come off duty on the sabbath, one third shall be gatekeepers, and one third shall be at the king's house and one third at the Gate of the Foundation; and all the people shall be in the courts of the house of the LORD. Let no one enter the house of the LORD except the priests and ministering Levites; they may enter, for they are holy, but all the people shall keep the charge of the LORD. The Levites shall surround the king, each with his weapons in his hand; and whoever enters the house shall be slain. Be with the king when he comes in, and when he goes out." (2Ch 23:1-7

The captains [Levites] did according to all that Jehoi'ada the priest commanded, and [They] each brought his men who were to go off duty on the sabbath, with those who were to come on duty on the sabbath, and came to Jehoi'ada the priest; for Jehoi'ada the priest did not dismiss the divisions. And Jehoi'ada the priest delivered to the captains the spears and the large and small shields that had been King David's, which were in the house of the LORD [God]; and the guards stood [he set all the people as a guard for the king], every man with his weapons in his hand, from the south side of the house to the north side of the house, around the altar and the house.

Then he brought out the king's son, and put the crown upon him, and gave him the testimony; and they proclaimed him king, and Jehoi'ada and his sons anointed him; and they clapped their hands, and said, "Long live the king!"

When Athali'ah heard the noise of the guard and of the people running and praising the king, she went into the house of the LORD to the people; and when she looked, there was the king standing by the pillar at the entrance, according to the custom, and the captains and the trumpeters beside the king, and all the people of the land rejoicing and blowing trumpets, and the singers with their musical instruments leading in the celebration. And Athali'ah rent her clothes, and cried, "Treason! Treason!"

Then Jehoi'ada the priest commanded [brought out] the captains who were set over the army, saying to them, "Bring her out between the ranks; and slay with the sword any one who follows her [is to be slain with the sword]." For the priest said, "Let her not be slain [Do not slay her] in the house of the LORD." So they laid hands on her; and she went through the horses' entrance to [into the entrance of the horse gate of] the king's house, and there she was slain [they slew her there].

And Jehoi'ada made a covenant between the LORD and the king and people [himself and all the people and the king], that they should be the LORD's people; and also between the king and the people. Then all the people of the land went to the house of Ba'al, and tore it down; his altars and his images they broke in pieces, and they slew Mattan the priest of Ba'al before the Altars.

And the priest [Jehoi'ada] posted watchmen [for] the house of the LORD under the direction of the Levitical priests and the Levites whom David had organized to be in charge of the house of the LORD, to offer burnt offerings to the LORD, as it is written in the law of Moses, with rejoicing and with singing, according to the order of David. He stationed the gatekeepers at the gates of the house of the LORD so that no one should enter who was in any way unclean.

And he took the captains, the Carites, the guards, the nobles, the governors of the people, and all the people of the land; and they brought the king down from the house of the LORD, marching through the gate of the guards [the upper gate] to the king's house. And he took his seat on the throne of the kings [And they set the king upon the royal throne]. So all the people of the land rejoiced; and the city was quiet after Athali'ah had been slain with the sword at the king's house.

Jeho'ash was seven years old when he began to reign. (2Ki 11:9-21) (2Ch 23:8-21)

Joash Repairs the Temple

2 Kings 12:1-16 & 2 Chronicles 24:1-16

In the seventh year of Jehu Jeho'ash [Jo'ash was seven years old when he] began to reign, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Zib'iah of Beer-sheba. And Jeho'ash [Jo'ash] did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all his days, because Jehoi'ada the priest instructed him [the days of Jehoi'ada the priest]. Nevertheless the high places were not taken away; the people continued to sacrifice and burn incense on the high places. Jehoi'ada got for him two wives, and he had sons and daughters. (1Ki 12:1-4 & 2Ch 24:1-3)

Jeho'ash said to the priests, "All the money of the holy things which is brought into the house of the LORD, the money for which each man is assessed--the money from the assessment of persons--and the money which a man's heart prompts him to bring into the house of the LORD, let the priests take, each from his acquaintance; and let them repair the house wherever any need of repairs is discovered."

But by the twenty-third year of King Jeho'ash the priests had made no repairs on the house.

Therefore King Jeho'ash summoned Jehoi'ada the priest and the other priests and said to them, "Why are you not repairing the house? Now therefore take no more money from your acquaintances, but hand it over for the repair of the house." So the priests agreed that they should take no more money from the people, and that they should not repair the house. (1Ki 12:4-8)

For the sons of Athali'ah, that wicked woman, had broken into the house of God; and had also used all the dedicated things of the house of the LORD for the Ba'als. (2Ch 24:7)

Then Jehoi'ada the priest took a chest, and bored a hole in the lid of it, and set it beside the altar on the right side as one entered the house of the LORD; and the priests who guarded the threshold put in it all the money that was brought into the house of the LORD.

And whenever they saw that there was much money in the chest, the king's secretary and the high priest came up and they counted and tied up in bags the money that was found in the house of the LORD. Then they would give the money that was weighed out into the hands of the workmen who had the oversight of the house of the LORD; and they paid it out to the carpenters and the builders who worked upon the house of the LORD, and to the masons and the stonecutters, as well as to buy timber and quarried stone for making repairs on the house of the LORD, and for any outlay upon the repairs of the house.

But there were not made for the house of the LORD basins of silver, snuffers, bowls, trumpets, or any vessels of gold, or of silver, from the money that was brought into the house of the LORD, for that was given to the workmen who were repairing the house of the LORD with it. And they did not ask an accounting from the men into whose hand they delivered the money to pay out to the workmen, for they dealt honestly. The money from the guilt offerings and the money from the sin offerings was not brought into the house of the LORD; it belonged to the priests. (1Ki 12:9-16)

So those who were engaged in the work labored, and the repairing went forward in their hands, and they restored the house of God to its proper condition and strengthened it. And when they had finished, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoi'ada, and with it were made utensils for the house of the LORD, both for the service and for the burnt offerings, and dishes for incense, and vessels of gold and silver. And they offered burnt offerings in the house of the LORD continually all the days of Jehoi'ada.

But Jehoi'ada grew old and full of days, and died; he was a hundred and thirty years old at his death. And they buried him in the city of David among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, and toward God and his house. (2Ch 24:13-16)

The Wickedness of Joash

2 Chronicles 24:17-27 (also 2 Kings 12:17-21)

Now after the death of Jehoi'ada the princes of Judah came and did obeisance to the king; then the king hearkened to them. And they forsook the house of the LORD, the God of their fathers, and served the Ashe'rim and the idols. And wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their guilt. Yet he sent prophets among them to bring them back to the LORD; these testified against them, but they would not give heed.

Then the Spirit of God took possession of Zechari'ah the son of Jehoi'ada the priest; and he stood above the people, and said to them, "Thus says God, 'Why do you transgress the commandments of the LORD, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the LORD, he has forsaken you.'"

But they conspired against him, and by command of the king they stoned him with stones in the court of the house of the LORD. Thus Jo'ash the king did not remember the kindness which Jehoi'ada, Zechari'ah's father, had shown him, but killed his son. And when he was dying, he said, "May the LORD see and avenge!" (1Ch 24:17-22)

At the end of the year the army of the Syrians came up against Jo'ash. They came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people, and sent all their spoil to the king of Damascus. Though the army of the Syrians had come with few men, the LORD delivered into their hand a very great army, because they had forsaken the LORD, the God of their fathers. Thus they executed judgment on Jo'ash. (2Ch 24:23-4)

At that time Haz'ael king of Syria went up and fought against Gath, and took it. But when Haz'ael set his face to go up against Jerusalem, Jeho'ash king of Judah took all the votive gifts that Jehosh'aphat and Jeho'ram and Ahazi'ah, his fathers, the kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own votive gifts, and all the gold that was found in the treasuries of the house of the LORD and of the king's house, and sent these to Haz'ael king of Syria. Then Haz'ael went away from Jerusalem.

Now the rest of the acts of Jo'ash, and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

When they had departed from him, leaving him severely wounded, his servants conspired against him because of the blood of the son of Jehoi'ada the priest, and slew him on his bed. So he died; and they buried him in the city of David, but they did not bury him in the tombs of the kings.

His servants arose and made a conspiracy, and slew Jo'ash in the house of Millo, on the way that goes down to Silla. It was Jo'zacar the son of Shim'e-ath and Jeho'zabad the son of Shomer, his servants, who struck him down, so that he died. And they buried him with his fathers

Amaziah King of Judah

2 Kings 14:1-22 & 2 Chronicles 25:1-28

In the second year of Jo'ash the son of Jo'ahaz, king of Israel, Amazi'ah the son of Jo'ash, king of Judah, began to reign. He [Amazi'ah] was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jeho-ad'din [Jeho-ad'dan] of Jerusalem. And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, yet not with a blameless heart like David his father; he did in all things as Jo'ash his father had done. But the high places were not removed; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.

And as soon as the royal power was firmly in his hand he killed his servants who had slain the king his father. But he did not put to death the children of the murderers [their children to death]; according to what is written in the book of the law of Moses, where the LORD commanded, "The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, or the children be put to death for the fathers; but every man shall die for his own sin." (2Ki 14:1-6 & 2Ch 25:1-4)

Then Amazi'ah assembled the men of Judah, and set them by fathers' houses under commanders of thousands and of hundreds for all Judah and Benjamin. He mustered those twenty years old and upward, and found that they were three hundred thousand picked men, fit for war, able to handle spear and shield. He hired also a hundred thousand mighty men of valor from Israel for a hundred talents of silver.

But a man of God came to him and said, "O king, do not let the army of Israel go with you, for the LORD is not with Israel, with all these E'phraimites. But if you suppose that in this way you will be strong for war, God will cast you down before the enemy; for God has power to help or to cast down."

And Amazi'ah said to the man of God, "But what shall we do about the hundred talents which I have given to the army of Israel?"

The man of God answered, "The LORD is able to give you much more than this." Then Amazi'ah discharged the army that had come to him from E'phraim, to go home again. And they became very angry with Judah, and returned home in fierce anger. (2Ch 25:5-
0) in the city of David, and Amazi'ah his son reigned in his stead. (2Ki 12:17-21)

But Amazi'ah took courage, and led out his people, and went to the Valley of Salt and smote ten thousand men of Se'ir. The men of Judah captured another ten thousand alive, and took them to the top of a rock and threw them down from the top of the rock; and they were all dashed to pieces. (2Ch 25:11-12)

But the men of the army whom Amazi'ah sent back, not letting them go with him to battle, fell upon the cities of Judah, from Sama'ria to Beth-hor'on, and killed three thousand people in them, and took much spoil.

After Amazi'ah came from the slaughter of the E'domites, he brought the gods of the men of Se'ir, and set them up as his gods, and worshiped them, making offerings to them. Therefore the LORD was angry with Amazi'ah and sent to him a prophet, who said to him, "Why have you resorted to the gods of a people, which did not deliver their own people from your hand?" But as he was speaking the king said to him, "Have we made you a royal counselor? Stop! Why should you be put to death?"

So the prophet stopped, but said, "I know that God has determined to destroy you, because you have done this and have not listened to my counsel." (2Ch: 25:13-16)

Then Amazi'ah king of Judah took counsel and sent messengers to Jeho'ash [Jo'ash] the son of Jeho'ahaz, son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, "Come, let us look one another in the face."

And Jeho'ash [Jo'ash the] king of Israel sent word to Amazi'ah king of Judah, "A thistle on Lebanon sent to a cedar on Lebanon, saying, 'Give your daughter to my son for a wife'; and a wild beast of Lebanon passed by and trampled down the thistle. You have indeed [say, 'See, I have] smitten Edom, and your heart has lifted you up in boastfulness. Be content with your glory, and [But now] stay at home; for why should you provoke trouble so that you fall, you and Judah with you?"

But Amazi'ah would not listen; for it was of God, in order that he might give them into the hand of their enemies, because they had sought the gods of Edom. So Jeho'ash [Jo’ash] king of Israel went up, and he and Amazi'ah king of Judah faced one another in battle at Bethshe'mesh, which belongs to Judah. And Judah was defeated by Israel, and every man fled to his home. And Jeho'ash [Jo'ash] king of Israel captured Amazi'ah king of Judah, the son of Jeho'ash [Jo'ash], son of Ahazi'ah, at Beth-she'mesh, and came [brought him] to Jerusalem, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem for four hundred cubits, from the E'phraim Gate to the Corner Gate.

And he seized all the gold and silver, and all the vessels that were found in the house of the LORD [God] and O'bed-e'dom with them.] in [he seized also] the treasuries of the king's house, also [and] hostages, and he returned to Sama'ria. (2Ki 14:8-14 & 2Ch 25:17-24)

Now the rest of the acts of Jeho'ash which he did, and his might, and how he fought with Amazi'ah king of Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? And Jeho'ash slept with his fathers, and was buried in Sama'ria with the kings of Israel; and Jerobo'am his son reigned in his stead. (2Ki 14:15-16)

Amazi'ah the son of Jo'ash, king of Judah, lived fifteen years after the death of Jeho'ash [Jo'ash] son of Jeho'ahaz, king of Israel. Now the rest of the deeds of Amazi'ah, from first to last, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah [Kings of Judah and Israel]?

And from the time when he turned away from the LORD they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish. But they sent after him to Lachish, and slew him there. And they brought him upon horses; and he was buried in Jerusalem with his fathers in the city of David. (2Ki 14:17-20 & 2Ch 25:25-28)

And all the people of Judah took Azari'ah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king instead of his father Amazi'ah. He built Elath and restored it to Judah, after the king slept with his fathers. (2Ki 14:21-22)

Jereboam II King of Israel

2 Kings 14:23-29

In the fifteenth year of Amazi′ah the son of Jo′ash, king of Judah, Jerobo′am the son of Jo′ash, king of Israel, began to reign in Samar′ia, and he reigned forty-one years. And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not depart from all the sins of Jerobo′am the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin. He restored the border of Israel from the entrance of Hamath as far as the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the Lord, the God of Israel, which he spoke by his servant Jonah the son of Amit′tai, the prophet, who was from Gath-he′pher. For the Lord saw that the affliction of Israel was very bitter, for there was none left, bond or free, and there was none to help Israel. But the Lord had not said that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven, so he saved them by the hand of Jerobo′am the son of Jo′ash.

 

Now the rest of the acts of Jerobo′am, and all that he did, and his might, how he fought, and how he recovered for Israel Damascus and Hamath, which had belonged to Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? And Jerobo′am slept with his fathers, the kings of Israel, and Zechari′ah his son reigned in his stead.

Azariah (Uzziah) King of Judah

2 Kings 15:1-7 & 2 Chronicles 26:1-23

And all the people of Judah took Uzzi'ah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king instead of his father Amazi'ah. He built Eloth and restored it to Judah, after the king slept with his fathers. (2Ch 26:1-2)

He [Uzzi'ah] was sixteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jecoli'ah of Jerusalem. And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that his father Amazi'ah had done. (2Ki 15:2-3 & 2Ch
6:3-4 )

He set himself to seek God in the days of Zechari'ah, who instructed him in the fear of God; and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him prosper. (2Ch 26:5) Nevertheless the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. (1Ki 15:4)

He went out and made war against the Philistines, and broke down the wall of Gath and the wall of Jabneh and the wall of Ashdod; and he built cities in the territory of Ashdod and elsewhere among the Philistines. God helped him against the Philistines, and against the Arabs that dwelt in Gurba'al, and against the Me-u'nites. The Ammonites paid tribute to Uzzi'ah, and his fame spread even to the border of Egypt, for he became very strong.

Moreover Uzzi'ah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate and at the Valley Gate and at the Angle, and fortified them. And he built towers in the wilderness, and hewed out many cisterns, for he had large herds, both in the Shephe'lah and in the plain, and he had farmers and vinedressers in the hills and in the fertile lands, for he loved the soil.

Moreover Uzzi'ah had an army of soldiers, fit for war, in divisions according to the numbers in the muster made by Je-i'el the secretary and Ma-asei'ah the officer, under the direction of Hanani'ah, one of the king's commanders. The whole number of the heads of fathers' houses of mighty men of valor was two thousand six hundred. Under their command was an army of three hundred and seven thousand five hundred, who could make war with mighty power, to help the king against the enemy. And Uzzi'ah prepared for all the army shields, spears, helmets, coats of mail, bows, and stones for slinging. In Jerusalem he made engines, invented by skilful men, to be on the towers and the corners, to shoot arrows and great stones. And his fame spread far, for he was marvelously helped, till he was strong.

But when he was strong he grew proud, to his destruction. For he was false to the LORD his God, and entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense. But Azari'ah the priest went in after him, with eighty priests of the LORD who were men of valor; and they withstood King Uzzi'ah, and said to him, "It is not for you, Uzzi'ah, to burn incense to the LORD, but for the priests the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense. Go out of the sanctuary; for you have done wrong, and it will bring you no honor from the LORD God."

Then Uzzi'ah was angry. Now he had a censer in his hand to burn incense, and when he became angry with the priests leprosy broke out on his forehead, in the presence of the priests in the house of the LORD, by the altar of incense. And Azari'ah the chief priest, and all the priests, looked at him, and behold, he was leprous in his forehead! And they thrust him out quickly, and he himself hastened to go out, because the LORD had smitten him. (2Ch 26:6-20)

And the LORD smote the king, so that he [And King Uzzi'ah] was a leper to the day of his death, and being a leper he dwelt in a separate house [for he was excluded from the house of the LORD]. And Jotham the king's son was over the household, governing the people of the land. (2Ki 15:5 & 2Ch 26:20-21)

Now the rest of the acts of Uzzi'ah, from first to last, Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz Wrote.

And Uzzi'ah slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the burial field which belonged to the kings, for they said, "He is a leper." And Jotham his son reigned in his stead. (2Ch 6:22-23)

Jotham King of Judah

2 Kings 15:32-38 & 2 Chronicles 27:1-9

In the second year of Pekah the son of Remali'ah, king of Israel, Jotham the son of Uzzi'ah, king of Judah, began to reign. (2Ki 15:32)

He [Jotham] was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jeru'shah the daughter of Zadok. And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that his father Uzzi'ah had done--only he did not invade the temple of the LORD. Nevertheless the high places were not removed; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places [But the people still followed corrupt practices]. He built the upper gate of the house of the LORD, and did much building on the wall of Ophel. Moreover he built cities in the hill country of Judah, and forts and towers on the wooded hills. (2Ki 15:33-35 & 1Ch 27:1-4)

He fought with the king of the Ammonites and prevailed against them. And the Ammonites gave him that year a hundred talents of silver, and ten thousand cors of wheat and ten thousand of barley. The Ammonites paid him the same amount in the second and the third years.

So Jotham became mighty, because he ordered his ways before the LORD his God. (2Ch
7:5-6)

Now the rest of the acts of Jotham, and all that he did [his wars, and his ways], are they not [behold, they are] written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel and of Judah? (2Ki 15:36 & 2Ch 27:7)

In those days the LORD began to send Rezin the king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remali'ah against Judah. (1Ki 15:37)

He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. (2Ch 27:8) (cf 27:1)

And Jotham slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers [they buried him] in the city of David his father; and Ahaz his son reigned in his stead. (2Ki 15:38 & 2Ch 27:9)

Ahaz King of Judah

2 Kings 16:1-20 & 2 Chronicles 28:1-27

In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remali'ah, Ahaz the son of Jotham, king of Judah, began to reign. 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, as [like] his father David had done, but he walked in the way[s] of the kings of Israel. He even made molten images for the Ba'als; and he burned incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burned his son[s] as an offering, according to the abominable practices of the nations whom the LORD drove out before the people of Israel. And he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree. (2Ki 16:1-4 & 2Ch 28:1-4)

Then Rezin king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remali'ah, king of Israel, came up to wage war on Jerusalem, and they besieged Ahaz but could not conquer him. (2Ki 16:5)

the LORD his God gave him into the hand of the king of Syria, who defeated him and took captive a great number of his people and brought them to Damascus. (2Ch 28:5a)

He was also given into the hand of the king of Israel, who defeated him with great slaughter. For Pekah the son of Remali'ah slew a hundred and twenty thousand in Judah in one day, all of them men of valor, because they had forsaken the LORD, the God of their fathers.

And Zichri, a mighty man of E'phraim, slew Ma-asei'ah the king's son and Azri'kam the commander of the palace and Elka'nah the next in authority to the king. The men of Israel took captive two hundred thousand of their kinsfolk, women, sons, and daughters; they also took much spoil from them and brought the spoil to Sama'ria.

But a prophet of the LORD was there, whose name was Oded; and he went out to meet the army that came to Sama'ria, and said to them, "Behold, because the LORD, the God of your fathers, was angry with Judah, he gave them into your hand, but you have slain them in a rage which has reached up to heaven. And now you intend to subjugate the people of Judah and Jerusalem, male and female, as your slaves. Have you not sins of your own against the LORD your God? Now hear me, and send back the captives from your kinsfolk whom you have taken, for the fierce wrath of the LORD is upon you."

Certain chiefs also of the men of E'phraim, Azari'ah the son of Joha'nan, Berechi'ah the son of Meshil'lemoth, Jehizki'ah the son of Shallum, and Ama'sa the son of Hadlai, stood up against those who were coming from the war, and said to them, "You shall not bring the captives in here, for you propose to bring upon us guilt against the LORD in addition to our present sins and guilt. For our guilt is already great, and there is fierce wrath against Israel."

So the armed men left the captives and the spoil before the princes and all the assembly. And the men who have been mentioned by name rose and took the captives, and with the spoil they clothed all that were naked among them; they clothed them, gave them sandals, provided them with food and drink, and anointed them; and carrying all the feeble among them on asses, they brought them to their kinsfolk at Jericho, the city of palm trees. Then they returned to Sama'ria. (2Ch 28:5b-15)

At that time the king of Edom recovered Elath for Edom, and drove the men of Judah from Elath; and the E'domites came to Elath, where they dwell to this day. (2Ki 16:6)

At that time King Ahaz sent to the king of Assyria for help. For the E'domites had again invaded and defeated Judah, and carried away captives. (2Ch 28:16-17)

And the Philistines had made raids on the cities in the Shephe'lah and the Negeb of Judah, and had taken Beth-she'mesh, Ai'jalon, Gede'roth, Soco with its villages, Timnah with its villages, and Gimzo with its villages; and they settled there. For the LORD brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel, for he had dealt wantonly in Judah and had been faithless to the LORD. (2Ch 28:18-19)

So Ahaz sent messengers to Tig'lath-pile'ser king of Assyria, saying, "I am your servant and your son. Come up, and rescue me from the hand of the king of Syria and from the hand of the king of Israel, who are attacking me." Ahaz also took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the LORD and in the treasures of the king's house, and sent a present to the king of Assyria. And the king of Assyria hearkened to him; the king of Assyria marched up against Damascus, and took it, carrying its people captive to Kir, and he killed Rezin. (2Ki 16:7-9)

When King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tig'lath-pile'ser king of Assyria, he saw the altar that was at Damascus. And King Ahaz sent to Uri'ah the priest a model of the altar, and its pattern, exact in all its details. And Uri'ah the priest built the altar; in accordance with all that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus, so Uri'ah the priest made it, before King Ahaz arrived from Damascus. And when the king came from Damascus, the king viewed the altar. Then the king drew near to the altar, and went up on it, and burned his burnt offering and his cereal offering, and poured his drink offering, and threw the blood of his peace offerings upon the altar. And the bronze altar which was before the LORD he removed from the front of the house, from the place between his altar and the house of the LORD, and put it on the north side of his Altar.

So Til'gath-pilne'ser king of Assyria came against him, and afflicted him instead of strengthening him. For Ahaz took from the house of the LORD and the house of the king and of the princes, and gave tribute to the king of Assyria; but it did not help him.

In the time of his distress he became yet more faithless to the LORD--this same King Ahaz. For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus which had defeated him, and said, "Because the gods of the kings of Syria helped them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me." But they were the ruin of him, and of all Israel. (1Ch 28:20-23)

And King Ahaz commanded Uri'ah the priest, saying, "Upon the great altar burn the morning burnt offering, and the evening cereal offering, and the king's burnt offering, and his cereal offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land, and their cereal offering, and their drink offering; and throw upon it all the blood of the burnt offering, and all the blood of the sacrifice; but the bronze altar shall be for me to inquire by." Uri'ah the priest did all this, as King Ahaz commanded. (2Ki 16:10-16)

And Ahaz gathered together the vessels of the house of God and cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God, and he shut up the doors of the house of the LORD; and he made himself altars in every corner of Jerusalem. In every city of Judah he made high places to burn incense to other gods, provoking to anger the LORD, the God of his fathers. (2Ch 28:20-25)

And King Ahaz cut off the frames of the stands, and removed the laver from them, and he took down the sea from off the bronze oxen that were under it, and put it upon a pediment of stone. And the covered way for the sabbath which had been built inside the palace, and the outer entrance for the king he removed from the house of the LORD, because of the king of Assyria. (2Ki 16:15-18)

Now the rest of the acts of Ahaz [his acts] and all his ways, from first to last which he did, are they not [behold, they are] written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah and Israel? And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers [and they buried him] in the city of David, in Jerusalem, for they did not bring him into the tombs of the kings of Israel; and Hezeki'ah his son reigned in his stead. (2Ki 16:19-20 & 2Ch 28:26-27)

Hezekiah King of Judah (Part 1)

2 Kings 18:1-8 & 2 Chronicles 29:1-2

In the third year of Hoshe'a son of Elah, king of Israel, Hezeki'ah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign. He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abi the daughter of Zechari'ah. And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that David his father had done. (2Ki 18:1-3)

He removed the high places, and broke the pillars, and cut down the Ashe'rah. And he broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had burned incense to it; it was called Nehush'tan.

He trusted in the LORD the God of Israel; so that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him. For he held fast to the LORD; he did not depart from following him, but kept the commandments which the LORD commanded Moses. And the LORD was with him; wherever he went forth, he prospered. He rebelled against the king of Assyria, and would not serve him. He smote the Philistines as far as Gaza and its territory, from watchtower to fortified city. (2Ki 18:4-8)

Hezekiah Purifies the Temple

2 Chronicles 29:3-36

In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the Lord, and repaired them. He brought in the priests and the Levites, and assembled them in the square on the east, and said to them, “Hear me, Levites! Now sanctify yourselves, and sanctify the house of the Lord, the God of your fathers, and carry out the filth from the holy place. For our fathers have been unfaithful and have done what was evil in the sight of the Lord our God; they have forsaken him, and have turned away their faces from the habitation of the Lord, and turned their backs. They also shut the doors of the vestibule and put out the lamps, and have not burned incense or offered burnt offerings in the holy place to the God of Israel. Therefore the wrath of the Lord came on Judah and Jerusalem, and he has made them an object of horror, of astonishment, and of hissing, as you see with your own eyes. For lo, our fathers have fallen by the sword and our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity for this. Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the Lord, the God of Israel, that his fierce anger may turn away from us. My sons, do not now be negligent, for the Lord has chosen you to stand in his presence, to minister to him, and to be his ministers and burn incense to him.”

 

Then the Levites arose, Mahath the son of Ama′sai, and Jo′el the son of Azari′ah, of the sons of the Ko′hathites; and of the sons of Merar′i, Kish the son of Abdi, and Azari′ah the son of Jehal′lelel; and of the Gershonites, Jo′ah the son of Zimmah, and Eden the son of Jo′ah; and of the sons of Eli-za′phan, Shimri and Jeu′el; and of the sons of Asaph, Zechari′ah and Mattani′ah; and of the sons of Heman, Jehu′el and Shim′e-i; and of the sons of Jedu′thun, Shemai′ah and Uz′ziel. They gathered their brethren, and sanctified themselves, and went in as the king had commanded, by the words of the Lord, to cleanse the house of the Lord. The priests went into the inner part of the house of the Lord to cleanse it, and they brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of the Lord into the court of the house of the Lord; and the Levites took it and carried it out to the brook Kidron. They began to sanctify on the first day of the first month, and on the eighth day of the month they came to the vestibule of the Lord; then for eight days they sanctified the house of the Lord, and on the sixteenth day of the first month they finished. Then they went in to Hezeki′ah the king and said, “We have cleansed all the house of the Lord, the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the table for the showbread and all its utensils. All the utensils which King Ahaz discarded in his reign when he was faithless, we have made ready and sanctified; and behold, they are before the altar of the Lord.”

 

Then Hezeki′ah the king rose early and gathered the officials of the city, and went up to the house of the Lord. And they brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven he-goats for a sin offering for the kingdom and for the sanctuary and for Judah. And he commanded the priests the sons of Aaron to offer them on the altar of the Lord. So they killed the bulls, and the priests received the blood and threw it against the altar; and they killed the rams and their blood was thrown against the altar; and they killed the lambs and their blood was thrown against the altar. Then the he-goats for the sin offering were brought to the king and the assembly, and they laid their hands upon them, and the priests killed them and made a sin offering with their blood on the altar, to make atonement for all Israel. For the king commanded that the burnt offering and the sin offering should be made for all Israel.

 

And he stationed the Levites in the house of the Lord with cymbals, harps, and lyres, according to the commandment of David and of Gad the king’s seer and of Nathan the prophet; for the commandment was from the Lord through his prophets. The Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets. Then Hezeki′ah commanded that the burnt offering be offered on the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the song to the Lord began also, and the trumpets, accompanied by the instruments of David king of Israel. The whole assembly worshiped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded; all this continued until the burnt offering was finished. When the offering was finished, the king and all who were present with him bowed themselves and worshiped. And Hezeki′ah the king and the princes commanded the Levites to sing praises to the Lord with the words of David and of Asaph the seer. And they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed down and worshiped.

 

Then Hezeki′ah said, “You have now consecrated yourselves to the Lord; come near, bring sacrifices and thank offerings to the house of the Lord.” And the assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings; and all who were of a willing heart brought burnt offerings. The number of the burnt offerings which the assembly brought was seventy bulls, a hundred rams, and two hundred lambs; all these were for a burnt offering to the Lord. And the consecrated offerings were six hundred bulls and three thousand sheep. But the priests were too few and could not flay all the burnt offerings, so until other priests had sanctified themselves their brethren the Levites helped them, until the work was finished—for the Levites were more upright in heart than the priests in sanctifying themselves. Besides the great number of burnt offerings there was the fat of the peace offerings, and there were the libations for the burnt offerings. Thus the service of the house of the Lord was restored. And Hezeki′ah and all the people rejoiced because of what God had done for the people; for the thing came about suddenly.

Hezekian Celebrates the Passover

2 Chronicles 30:1-31:1

Hezeki′ah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to E′phraim and Manas′seh, that they should come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, to keep the passover to the Lord the God of Israel. For the king and his princes and all the assembly in Jerusalem had taken counsel to keep the passover in the second month— for they could not keep it in its time because the priests had not sanctified themselves in sufficient number, nor had the people assembled in Jerusalem— and the plan seemed right to the king and all the assembly. So they decreed to make a proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beer-sheba to Dan, that the people should come and keep the passover to the Lord the God of Israel, at Jerusalem; for they had not kept it in great numbers as prescribed. So couriers went throughout all Israel and Judah with letters from the king and his princes, as the king had commanded, saying, “O people of Israel, return to the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, that he may turn again to the remnant of you who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria. Do not be like your fathers and your brethren, who were faithless to the Lord God of their fathers, so that he made them a desolation, as you see. Do not now be stiff-necked as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the Lord, and come to his sanctuary, which he has sanctified for ever, and serve the Lord your God, that his fierce anger may turn away from you. For if you return to the Lord, your brethren and your children will find compassion with their captors, and return to this land. For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you, if you return to him.”

 

So the couriers went from city to city through the country of E′phraim and Manas′seh, and as far as Zeb′ulun; but they laughed them to scorn, and mocked them. Only a few men of Asher, of Manas′seh, and of Zeb′ulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. The hand of God was also upon Judah to give them one heart to do what the king and the princes commanded by the word of the Lord.

 

And many people came together in Jerusalem to keep the feast of unleavened bread in the second month, a very great assembly. They set to work and removed the altars that were in Jerusalem, and all the altars for burning incense they took away and threw into the Kidron valley. And they killed the passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the second month. And the priests and the Levites were put to shame, so that they sanctified themselves, and brought burnt offerings into the house of the Lord. They took their accustomed posts according to the law of Moses the man of God; the priests sprinkled the blood which they received from the hand of the Levites. For there were many in the assembly who had not sanctified themselves; therefore the Levites had to kill the passover lamb for every one who was not clean, to make it holy to the Lord. For a multitude of the people, many of them from E′phraim, Manas′seh, Is′sachar, and Zeb′ulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the passover otherwise than as prescribed. For Hezeki′ah had prayed for them, saying, “The good Lord pardon every one who sets his heart to seek God, the Lord the God of his fathers, even though not according to the sanctuary’s rules of cleanness.” And the Lord heard Hezeki′ah, and healed the people. And the people of Israel that were present at Jerusalem kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with great gladness; and the Levites and the priests praised the Lord day by day, singing with all their might to the Lord. And Hezeki′ah spoke encouragingly to all the Levites who showed good skill in the service of the Lord. So the people ate the food of the festival for seven days, sacrificing peace offerings and giving thanks to the Lord the God of their fathers.

 

Then the whole assembly agreed together to keep the feast for another seven days; so they kept it for another seven days with gladness. For Hezeki′ah king of Judah gave the assembly a thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep for offerings, and the princes gave the assembly a thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep. And the priests sanctified themselves in great numbers. The whole assembly of Judah, and the priests and the Levites, and the whole assembly that came out of Israel, and the sojourners who came out of the land of Israel, and the sojourners who dwelt in Judah, rejoiced. So there was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the time of Solomon the son of David king of Israel there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem. Then the priests and the Levites arose and blessed the people, and their voice was heard, and their prayer came to his holy habitation in heaven.

 

Now when all this was finished, all Israel who were present went out to the cities of Judah and broke in pieces the pillars and hewed down the Ashe′rim and broke down the high places and the altars throughout all Judah and Benjamin, and in E′phraim and Manas′seh, until they had destroyed them all. Then all the people of Israel returned to their cities, every man to his possession.

 

Contributions for Worship

2 Chronicles 31:2-21

And Hezeki′ah appointed the divisions of the priests and of the Levites, division by division, each according to his service, the priests and the Levites, for burnt offerings and peace offerings, to minister in the gates of the camp of the Lord and to give thanks and praise. The contribution of the king from his own possessions was for the burnt offerings: the burnt offerings of morning and evening, and the burnt offerings for the sabbaths, the new moons, and the appointed feasts, as it is written in the law of the Lord. And he commanded the people who lived in Jerusalem to give the portion due to the priests and the Levites, that they might give themselves to the law of the Lord. As soon as the command was spread abroad, the people of Israel gave in abundance the first fruits of grain, wine, oil, honey, and of all the produce of the field; and they brought in abundantly the tithe of everything. And the people of Israel and Judah who lived in the cities of Judah also brought in the tithe of cattle and sheep, and the dedicated things which had been consecrated to the Lord their God, and laid them in heaps. In the third month they began to pile up the heaps, and finished them in the seventh month. When Hezeki′ah and the princes came and saw the heaps, they blessed the Lord and his people Israel. And Hezeki′ah questioned the priests and the Levites about the heaps. Azari′ah the chief priest, who was of the house of Zadok, answered him, “Since they began to bring the contributions into the house of the Lord we have eaten and had enough and have plenty left; for the Lord has blessed his people, so that we have this great store left.”

 

Then Hezeki′ah commanded them to prepare chambers in the house of the Lord; and they prepared them. And they faithfully brought in the contributions, the tithes and the dedicated things. The chief officer in charge of them was Conani′ah the Levite, with Shim′e-i his brother as second; while Jehi′el, Azazi′ah, Nahath, As′ahel, Jer′imoth, Jo′zabad, Eli′el, Ismachi′ah, Mahath, and Benai′ah were overseers assisting Conani′ah and Shim′e-i his brother, by the appointment of Hezeki′ah the king and Azari′ah the chief officer of the house of God. And Ko′re the son of Imnah the Levite, keeper of the east gate, was over the freewill offerings to God, to apportion the contribution reserved for the Lord and the most holy offerings. Eden, Mini′amin, Jeshua, Shemai′ah, Amari′ah, and Shecani′ah were faithfully assisting him in the cities of the priests, to distribute the portions to their brethren, old and young alike, by divisions, except those enrolled by genealogy, males from three years old and upwards, all who entered the house of the Lord as the duty of each day required, for their service according to their offices, by their divisions. The enrollment of the priests was according to their fathers’ houses; that of the Levites from twenty years old and upwards was according to their offices, by their divisions. The priests were enrolled with all their little children, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, the whole multitude; for they were faithful in keeping themselves holy. And for the sons of Aaron, the priests, who were in the fields of common land belonging to their cities, there were men in the several cities who were designated by name to distribute portions to every male among the priests and to every one among the Levites who was enrolled.

 

Thus Hezeki′ah did throughout all Judah; and he did what was good and right and faithful before the Lord his God. And every work that he undertook in the service of the house of God and in accordance with the law and the commandments, seeking his God, he did with all his heart, and prospered.

Hezekiah King of Judah (Part 2)

2 Kings 18:9-16, 2 Chronicles 32:1-8 & Isaiah 36:1

In the fourth year of King Hezeki'ah, which was the seventh year of Hoshe'a son of Elah, king of Israel, Shalmane'ser king of Assyria came up against Sama'ria and besieged it and at the end of three years he took it. In the sixth year of Hezeki'ah, which was the ninth year of Hoshe'a king of Israel, Sama'ria was taken. The king of Assyria carried the Israelites away to Assyria, and put them in Halah, and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes, because they did not obey the voice of the LORD their God but transgressed his covenant, even all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded; they neither listened nor obeyed. (2Ki 18:9-12)

In the fourteenth year of King Hezeki'ah Sennach'erib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them. (2Ki 18:13 & Isa 36:1)

After these things and these acts of faithfulness Sennach'erib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah and encamped against the fortified cities, thinking to win them for himself. And when Hezeki'ah saw that Sennach'erib had come and intended to fight against Jerusalem, he planned with his officers and his mighty men to stop the water of the springs that were outside the city; and they helped him. A great many people were gathered, and they stopped all the springs and the brook that flowed through the land, saying, "Why should the kings of Assyria come and find much water?" He set to work resolutely and built up all the wall that was broken down, and raised towers upon it, and outside it he built another wall; and he strengthened the Millo in the city of David. He also made weapons and shields in abundance.

And he set combat commanders over the people, and gathered them together to him in the square at the gate of the city and spoke encouragingly to them, saying, "Be strong and of good courage. Do not be afraid or dismayed before the king of Assyria and all the horde that is with him; for there is one greater with us than with him. With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the LORD our God, to help us and to fight our battles." And the people took confidence from the words of Hezeki'ah king of Judah. (2Ch 32:1-8)

And Hezeki'ah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, "I have done wrong; withdraw from me; whatever you impose on me I will bear." And the king of Assyria required of Hezeki'ah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold. And Hezeki'ah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasuries of the king's house.

At that time Hezeki'ah stripped the gold from the doors of the temple of the LORD, and from the doorposts which Hezeki'ah king of Judah had overlaid and gave it to the king of Assyria. (2Ki 18:14-16)

Sennacherib Threatens Jerusalem

2 Kings 18:17-37, 2 Chronicles 32:9-19 & Isaiah 36:2-22

And the king of Assyria sent the Tartan, the Rab'saris, and the Rab'shakeh with a great army from Lachish to King Hezeki'ah at Jerusalem. And they went up and came to Jerusalem. (2Ki 18:17a)

When they arrived, they came and [And he] stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which is on the highway to the Fuller's Field. And when they called for the king, there came out to them [him] Eli'akim the son of Hilki'ah, who was over the household, and Shebnah the secretary, and Jo'ah the son of Asaph, the recorder.

And the Rab'shakeh said to them, "Say to Hezeki'ah, 'Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: On what do you rest this confidence of yours? Do you think that mere words are strategy and power for war? On whom do you now rely, that you have rebelled against me? Behold, you are relying now on Egypt, that broken reed of a staff, which will pierce the hand of any man who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who rely on him. But if you say to me, "We rely on the LORD our God," is it not he whose high places and altars Hezeki'ah has removed, saying to Judah and to Jerusalem, "You shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem"?

Come now, make a wager with my master the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to set riders upon them. How then can you repulse a single captain among the least of my master's servants, when you rely on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen? Moreover, is it without the LORD that I have come up against this place [land] to destroy it? The LORD said to me, Go up against this land, and destroy it.'"

Then Eli'akim the son of Hilki'ah, and Shebnah, and Jo'ah, said to the Rab'shakeh, "Pray, speak to your servants in the Aramaic language, for we understand it; do not speak to us in the language of Judah within the hearing of the people who are on the wall."

But the Rab'shakeh said to them, "Has my master sent me to speak these words to your master and to you, and not to the men sitting on the wall, who are doomed with you to eat their own dung and to drink their own urine?"

Then the Rab'shakeh stood and called out in a loud voice in the language of Judah: "Hear the word[s] of the great king, the king of Assyria! Thus says the king: 'Do not let Hezeki'ah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you out of my hand. Do not let Hezeki'ah make you to rely on the LORD by saying, The LORD will surely deliver us, and this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.'

Do not listen to Hezeki'ah; for thus says the king of Assyria: 'Make your peace with me and come out to me; then every one of you will eat of his own vine, and every one of his own fig tree, and every one of you will drink the water of his own cistern; until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey, that you may live, and not die.

And do not listen to Hezeki'ah when he misleads [Beware lest Hezeki'ah mislead] you by saying, The LORD will deliver us. Has any of the gods of the nations ever delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria? Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharva'im, Hena, and Ivvah? Have they delivered Sama'ria out of my hand? Who among all the gods of the countries have delivered their countries out of my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?'"

But the people [they] were silent and answered him not a word, for the king's command was, "Do not answer him."

Then Eli'akim the son of Hilki'ah, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and Jo'ah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezeki'ah with their clothes rent, and told him the words of the Rab'shakeh. (2Ki 18:17b-37 & Isa 36:2b-22)

Jerusalem’s Deliverance Foretold

2 Kings 19:1-12 & Isaiah 37:1-13

When King Hezeki'ah heard it, he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the LORD. And he sent Eli'akim, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and the senior priests, covered [clothed] with sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz. They said to him, "Thus says Hezeki'ah, This day is a day of distress, of rebuke, and of disgrace; children have come to the birth, and there is no strength to bring them forth. It may be that the LORD your God heard all the words of the Rab'shakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to mock the living God, and will rebuke the words which the LORD your God has heard; therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left."

When the servants of King Hezeki'ah came to Isaiah, Isaiah said to them, "Say to your master, 'Thus says the LORD: Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have reviled me. Behold, I will put a spirit in him, so that he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.'"

The Rab'shakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah; for he heard that the king had left Lachish.

And when [Now] the king heard concerning Tirha'kah king of Ethiopia, "Behold, he has set out to fight against you," And when he heard it, he sent messengers again to Hezeki'ah, saying, "Thus shall you speak to Hezeki'ah king of Judah: 'Do not let your God on whom you rely deceive you by promising that Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, destroying them utterly. And shall you be delivered? Have the gods of the nations delivered them, the nations which my fathers destroyed, Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Tel-assar? Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharva'im, the king of Hena, or the king of Ivvah?'" (2Ki 19:1-13 & Isa 37:1-13)

Hezekiah’s Prayer

2 Kings 19:14-37, 2 Chronicles 33:20-23 & Isaiah 37:14-38

Hezeki'ah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezeki'ah went up to the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD. And Hezeki'ah prayed before [to] the LORD, and said: "O LORD of hosts the God of Israel, who art enthroned above the cherubim, thou art the God, thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth. Incline thy ear, O LORD, and hear; open thy eyes, O LORD, and see; and hear all the words of Sennach'erib, which he has sent to mock the living God.

Of a truth, O LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands, and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone; therefore they were destroyed. So now, O LORD our God, save us, I beseech thee, from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou alone, O LORD, art God [The LORD] alone."

Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezeki'ah, saying, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Your prayer to me about Sennach'erib king of Assyria I have heard. [Because you have prayed to me concerning Sennach'erib king of Assyria,] This is the word that the LORD has spoken concerning him:

"She despises you, she scorns you--the virgin daughter of Zion; she wags her head behind you--the daughter of Jerusalem. "Whom have you mocked and reviled? Against whom have you raised your voice and haughtily lifted your eyes? Against the Holy One of Israel! By your messengers you have mocked the LORD, and you have said, 'With my many chariots I have gone up the heights of the mountains, to the far recesses of Lebanon; I felled its tallest cedars, its choicest cypresses; I entered its farthest retreat [came to its remotest height], its densest forest. I dug wells and drank foreign waters, and I dried up with the sole of my foot all the streams of Egypt.' "Have you not heard that I determined it long ago? I planned from days of old what now I bring to pass, that you should turn fortified cities into heaps of ruins, while their inhabitants, shorn of strength, are dismayed and confounded, and have become like plants of the field, and like tender grass, like grass on the housetops; blighted before it is grown? "But I know your sitting down and your going out and coming in, and your raging against me. Because you have raged against me and your arrogance has come into my ears, I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth, and I will turn you back on the way by which you came.

"And this shall be the sign for you: this year you shall eat what grows of itself, and in the second year what springs of the same; then in the third year sow, and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat their fruit. And the surviving remnant of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward; for out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the LORD [of hosts] will do [accomplish] this.

"Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city or shoot an arrow there, or come before it with a shield or cast up a siege mound against it. By the way that he came, by the same he shall return, and he shall not come into this city, says the LORD. For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David." (2 Ki 19:14-34 & Isa 37:14-35)

And that night the angel of the LORD went forth, and slew a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the camp of the Assyrians; and when men arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. Then Sennach'erib king of Assyria departed, and went home, and dwelt at Nin'eveh.

And as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, Adram'melech and Share'zer, his sons, slew him with the sword, and escaped into the land of Ar'arat. And Esarhad'don [E'sar-had'don] his son reigned in his stead. (2Ki 19:35-37 & Isa 37:36-38)

So the LORD saved Hezeki'ah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennach'erib king of Assyria and from the hand of all his enemies; and he gave them rest on every side. And many brought gifts to the LORD to Jerusalem and precious things to Hezeki'ah king of Judah, so that he was exalted in the sight of all nations from that time onward. (2Ch 32:22-23)

Hezekiah’s Illness

2 Kings 20:1-11, 2 Chronicles 32:24-20 & Isaiah 38:1-22

In those days Hezeki'ah became sick and was at the point of death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said to him, "Thus says the LORD, 'Set your house in order; for you shall die, you shall not recover.'"

Then Hezeki'ah turned his face to the wall, and prayed to the LORD, saying, "Remember now, O LORD, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in thy sight." And Hezeki'ah wept bitterly.

And before Isaiah had gone out of the middle court, [Then] the word of the LORD came to him [Isaiah]: "Turn back [Go], and say to Hezeki'ah the prince of my people, Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: 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. And I will add fifteen years to your life. I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city for my own sake and for my servant David's sake." (2Ki 20:4-6 & Isa 38:4-6)

And Isaiah said, "Bring a cake of figs. And let them take and lay it on [Now Isaiah had said, “Let them take a cake of figs, and apply it to] the boil, that he may recover." And Hezeki'ah said to Isaiah [Hezeki’ah also had said], "What shall be [is] the sign that the LORD will heal me, and that I shall go up to the house of the LORD on the third day?" (2Ki 20:7-8 & Isa 38:21-22)

And Isaiah said, "This is the sign to you from the LORD, that the LORD will do the [this] thing that he has promised: shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or go back ten steps?" 2 Kings 20:7-9 & Isa 38:7)

And Hezeki'ah answered, "It is an easy thing for the shadow to lengthen ten steps; rather let the shadow go back ten steps."

And Isaiah the prophet cried to the LORD; and he brought the shadow back ten steps, by which the sun had declined on the dial of Ahaz. (2Ki 20:10-11)

A writing of Hezeki'ah king of Judah, after he had been sick and had recovered from his sickness:

f Sheol for the rest of my years. I said, I shall not see the LORD in the land of the living; I shall look upon man no more among the inhabitants of the world. My dwelling is plucked up and removed from me like a shepherd's tent; like a weaver I have rolled up my life; he cuts me off from the loom; from day to night thou dost bring me to an end; I cry for help until morning; like a lion he breaks all my bones; from day to night thou dost bring me to an end. Like a swallow or a crane I clamor, I moan like a dove. My eyes are weary with looking upward. O Lord, I am oppressed; be thou my security! But what can I say? For he has spoken to me, and he himself has done it. All my sleep has fled because of the bitterness of my soul. O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these is the life of my spirit. Oh, restore me to health and make me live! Lo, it was for my welfare that I had great bitterness; but thou hast held back my life from the pit of destruction, for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back. For Sheol cannot thank thee, death cannot praise thee; those who go down to the pit cannot hope for thy faithfulness. The living, the living, he thanks thee, as I do this day; the father makes known to the children thy faithfulness. The LORD will save me, and we will sing to stringed instruments all the days of our life, at the house of the LORD. (Isa 38:9-20)

Envoys From Babylon

2 Kings 20:12-19, 2 Chronicles 32:35-26, 31 & Isaiah 39:1-8

But Hezeki'ah did not make return according to the benefit done to him, for his heart was proud. Therefore wrath came upon him and Judah and Jerusalem.

At that time Mero'dach-bal'adan the son of Bal'adan, king of Babylon, sent envoys with letters and a present to Hezeki'ah; for he heard that Hezeki'ah [he] had been sick and had recovered. And Hezeki'ah welcomed them, and he showed them all his treasure house, the silver, the gold, the spices, the precious oil, his whole armory, all that was found in his storehouses; there was nothing in his house or in all his realm that Hezeki'ah did not show them.

Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezeki'ah, and said to him, "What did these men say? And whence did they come to you?"

And Hezeki'ah said, "They have come to me from a far country, from Babylon."

He said, "What have they seen in your house?" And Hezeki'ah answered, "They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing in my storehouses that I did not show them."

Then Isaiah said to Hezeki'ah, "Hear the word of the LORD of hosts: Behold, the days are coming, when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left, says the LORD. And some of your own sons, who are born to you, shall be taken away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon."

But Hezeki'ah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the LORD did not come upon them in the days of Hezeki'ah. (2Ch 32:25-26)

And so in the matter of the envoys of the princes of Babylon, who had been sent to him to inquire about the sign that had been done in the land, God left him to himself, in order to try him and to know all that was in his heart. (2Ch 32:31)

Then said Hezeki'ah to Isaiah, "The word of the LORD which you have spoken is good." For he thought, "Why not, if there will be peace and security in my days?" (2Ki 20:12-19 & Isa
9:1-8)

Hezekiah King of Judah (Part 3)

2 Kings 20:20-21 & 2 Chronicles 32:27-30, 32-33

And Hezeki'ah had very great riches and honor; and he made for himself treasuries for silver, for gold, for precious stones, for spices, for shields, and for all kinds of costly vessels; storehouses also for the yield of grain, wine, and oil; and stalls for all kinds of cattle, and sheepfolds. He likewise provided cities for himself, and flocks and herds in abundance; for God had given him very great possessions.

This same Hezeki'ah closed the upper outlet of the waters of Gihon and directed them down to the west side of the city of David. And Hezeki'ah prospered in all his works. (2Ch 32:27-30)

The rest of the deeds of Hezeki'ah, and all his might, and how he made the pool and the conduit and brought water into the city, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

And Hezeki'ah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the ascent of the tombs of the sons of David; and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem did him honor at his death.

And Manas'seh his son reigned in his stead. (2Ch 32:32-33)

Manasseh King of Judah

2 Kings 21:1-18 & 2 Chronicles 33:1-20 (see also Jeremiah 15:4)

Manas'seh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Heph'zibah. And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to the abominable practices of the nations whom the LORD drove out before the people of Israel. For he rebuilt the high places which his father Hezeki'ah his father had destroyed [broken down]; and he erected altars for Ba'al [to the Ba’als], and made an Ashe'rah[s], as Ahab king of Israel had done, and worshiped all the host of heaven, and served them. And he built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, "In Jerusalem will I put my name [shall my name be for ever]." And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD. And he burned his son[s] as an offering in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and practiced soothsaying and augury, and sorcery, and dealt with mediums and with wizards. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking him to anger.

And the graven image of Ashe'rah that he had made he set in the house of God, of which the LORD [God] said to David and to Solomon his son, "In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my name for ever; and I will not cause the feet of Israel to wander any more out of the land which I gave to their fathers [no more remove the foot of Israel from the land which I appointed for your fathers], if only they will be careful to do according to all that I have commanded them, and according to all the law, the statutes, and the ordinances that my servant Moses commanded them [given through Moses]." But they did not listen, and Manas'seh seduced them to do [Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that they did] more evil than the nations had done whom the LORD destroyed before the people of Israel. (2Ki 21:1-9 & 2Ch 33:1-9)

And the LORD said by his servants the prophets, "Because Manas'seh king of Judah has committed these abominations, and has done things more wicked than all that the Amorites did, who were before him, and has made Judah also to sin with his idols; therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, Behold, I am bringing upon Jerusalem and Judah such evil that the ears of every one who hears of it will tingle. And I will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Sama'ria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab; and I will wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. And I will cast off the remnant of my heritage, and give them into the hand of their enemies, and they shall become a prey and a spoil to all their enemies, because they have done what is evil in my sight and have provoked me to anger, since the day their fathers came out of Egypt, even to this day."

Moreover Manas'seh shed very much innocent blood, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another, besides the sin which he made Judah to sin so that they did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. (1 Ki 21:10-18)

The LORD spoke to Manas'seh and to his people, but they gave no heed. Therefore the LORD brought upon them the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria, who took Manas'seh with hooks and bound him with fetters of bronze and brought him to Babylon. And when he was in distress he entreated the favor of the LORD his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. He prayed to him, and God received his entreaty and heard his supplication and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manas'seh knew that the LORD was God.

Afterwards he built an outer wall for the city of David west of Gihon, in the valley, and for the entrance into the Fish Gate, and carried it round Ophel, and raised it to a very great height; he also put commanders of the army in all the fortified cities in Judah. And he took away the foreign gods and the idol from the house of the LORD, and all the altars that he had built on the mountain of the house of the LORD and in Jerusalem, and he threw them outside of the city. He also restored the altar of the LORD and offered upon it sacrifices of peace offerings and of thanksgiving; and he commanded Judah to serve the LORD the God of Israel. Nevertheless the people still sacrificed at the high places, but only to the LORD their God. (2Ch 33:10-17)

Now the rest of the acts of Manas'seh, and his prayer to his God, and the words of the seers who spoke to him in the name of the LORD the God of Israel, behold, they are in the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

And his prayer, and how God received his entreaty, and all his sin and his faithlessness, and the sites on which he built high places and set up the Ashe'rim and the images, before he humbled himself, behold, they are written in the Chronicles of the Seers.

And Manas'seh slept with his fathers, and was buried in the garden of his house, in the garden of Uzza; and Amon his son reigned in his stead. (2Ki
1:1-18)

Amon King of Judah

2 Kings 21:19-26 & 2 Chronicles 33:21-25

Amon was twenty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Meshul'lemeth the daughter of Haruz of Jotbah. And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, as Manas'seh his father had done. (2Ki 21:19-20 & 2Ch
3:21-22a)

He walked in all the way in which his father walked, and served the idols that his father served, and worshiped them; he forsook the LORD, the God of his fathers, and did not walk in the way of the LORD. (2Ki 21:21-22)

Amon sacrificed to all the images that Manas'seh his father had made, and served them. And he did not humble himself before the LORD, as Manas'seh his father had humbled himself, but this Amon incurred guilt more and more. (2Ch 33:22b-23)

And the [his] servants of Amon conspired against him, and killed the king [him] in his house. But the people of the land slew all those who had conspired against King Amon, and the people of the land made Josi'ah his son king in his stead. Now the rest of the acts of Amon which he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? And he was buried in his tomb in the garden of Uzza; and Josi'ah his son reigned in his stead. (2Ki 21:23-26 & 2Ch 33:24-25)

Josiah King of Judah

2 Kings 22:1-2 & 2 Chronicles 34:1-2

Josi'ah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jedi'dah the daughter of Adai'ah of Bozkath. And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, and walked in all the way of David his father, and he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. (2Ki 22:1-2 & 2Ch 34:1-2)

 

Josiah’s Early Reforms

2 Chronicles 34:3-7

For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet a boy, he began to seek the God of David his father; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the Ashe'rim, and the graven and the molten images. And they broke down the altars of the Ba'als in his presence; and he hewed down the incense altars which stood above them; and he broke in pieces the Ashe'rim and the graven and the molten images, and he made dust of them and strewed it over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. He also burned the bones of the priests on their altars, and purged Judah and Jerusalem. And in the cities of Manas'seh, E'phraim, and Simeon, and as far as Naph'tali, in their ruins round about, he broke down the altars, and beat the Ashe'rim and the images into powder, and hewed down all the incense altars throughout all the land of Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem.

Josiah Repairs the Temple

2 Kings 22:3-7 & 2 Chronicles 34:8-13

Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land and the house, he sent Shaphan the son of Azali'ah, and Ma-asei'ah the governor of the city, and Jo'ah the son of Jo'ahaz, the recorder, to repair the house of the LORD his God. They came to Hilki'ah the high priest and delivered the money that had been brought into the house of God, which the Levites, the keepers of the threshold, had collected from Manas'seh and E'phraim and from all the remnant of Israel and from all Judah and Benjamin and from the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

They delivered it to the workmen who had the oversight of the house of the LORD; and the workmen who were working in the house of the LORD gave it for repairing and restoring the house. They gave it to the carpenters and the builders to buy quarried stone, and timber for binders and beams for the buildings which the kings of Judah had let go to ruin. And the men did the work faithfully. Over them were set Jahath and Obadi'ah the Levites, of the sons of Merar'i, and Zechari'ah and Meshul'lam, of the sons of the Ko'hathites, to have oversight. The Levites, all who were skilful with instruments of music, were over the burden bearers and directed all who did work in every kind of service; and some of the Levites were scribes, and officials, and gatekeepers. (2Ch 34:8-13)

The Book of the Law Found

2 Kings 22:8-22 & 2 Chronicles 34:14-28

While they were bringing out the money that had been brought into the house of the LORD, Hilki'ah the priest found the book of the law of the LORD given through Moses.

And [Then] Hilki'ah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary, "I have found the book of the law in the house of the LORD." And Hilki'ah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it.

And Shaphan the secretary came [brought the book] to the king, and further reported to the king, ""All that was committed to your servants they are doing. Your servants [They] have emptied out the money that was found in the house of the LORD, and have delivered it into the hand of the overseers and the workmen who have the oversight of the house of the LORD."

Then Shaphan the secretary told the king, "Hilki'ah the priest has given me a book." And Shaphan read it before the king.

And when the king heard the words of the book of the law, he rent his clothes. And the king commanded Hilki'ah the priest, and Ahi'kam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor [Abdon] the son of Micai'ah [Micah], and Shaphan the secretary, and Asai'ah the king's servant, saying, "Go, inquire of the LORD for me, and for the people, and for all Judah [those who are left in Israel and in Judah], concerning the words of this [the] book that has been found; for great is the wrath of the LORD that is kindled against [poured out on] us, because our fathers have not obeyed [kept] the words of this book [the LORD], to do according to all that is written in this book concerning us."

So Hilki'ah the priest, and Ahi'kam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asai'ah [and those whom the king had sent] went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah [Tokhat], son of Harhas [Hasrah], keeper of the wardrobe (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter); and they talked with her [spoke to her to that effect].

And she said to them, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: 'Tell the man who sent you to me, Thus says the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place and upon its inhabitants, all the words of [curses that are written in] the book which [was read before] the king of Judah has read. Because they have forsaken me and have burned incense to other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the work of their hands, therefore my wrath will be kindled against [poured out upon] this place, and it will not be quenched.

But as to the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the LORD, thus shall you say to him, Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Regarding the words which you have heard, because your heart was penitent, and you humbled yourself before the LORD [God], when you heard how I spoke [his words] against this place, and against its inhabitants, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and you have humbled yourself before me, and you have rent your clothes and wept before me, I also have heard you, says the LORD. Therefore, behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace, and your eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place and its inhabitants.'" And they brought back word to the king. (2Ki 22:8-20 & 2Ch 34:14-28)

Josiah Renews the Covenant

2 Kings 23:1-3 & 2 Chronicles 34:29-32

Then the king sent [and gathered together], and all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem were gathered to him. And the king went up to the house of the LORD, and with him all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests and the prophets [Levites], all the people, both small and great [great and small]; and he read in their hearing all the words of the book of the covenant which had been found in the house of the LORD. And the king stood in his place by the pillar and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes, with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this [the] covenant that were written in this book; (2Ki 23:1-3a & 2Ch
4:29-31)

Then he made all who were present in Jerusalem and in Benjamin stand to it. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers. (2Ch 34:32)

Josiah’s Later Reforms

2 Kings 23:4-20 & 2 Chronicles 34:33

And the king commanded Hilki'ah, the high priest, and the priests of the second order, and the keepers of the threshold, to bring out of the temple of the LORD all the vessels made for Ba'al, for Ashe'rah, and for all the host of heaven; he burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron, and carried their ashes to Bethel. And he deposed the idolatrous priests whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high places at the cities of Judah and round about Jerusalem; those also who burned incense to Ba'al, to the sun, and the moon, and the constellations, and all the host of the heavens. And he brought out the Ashe'rah from the house of the LORD, outside Jerusalem, to the brook Kidron, and burned it at the brook Kidron, and beat it to dust and cast the dust of it upon the graves of the common people. And he broke down the houses of the male cult prostitutes which were in the house of the LORD, where the women wove hangings for the Ashe'rah.

And he brought all the priests out of the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had burned incense, from Geba to Beer-sheba; and he broke down the high places of the gates that were at the entrance of the gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which were on one's left at the gate of the city. However, the priests of the high places did not come up to the altar of the LORD in Jerusalem, but they ate unleavened bread among their brethren.

And he defiled To'pheth, which is in the valley of the sons of Hinnom, that no one might burn his son or his daughter as an offering to Molech. And he removed the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun, at the entrance to the house of the LORD, by the chamber of Nathan-melech the chamberlain, which was in the precincts; and he burned the chariots of the sun with fire.

And the altars on the roof of the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars which Manas'seh had made in the two courts of the house of the LORD, he pulled down and broke in pieces, and cast the dust of them into the brook Kidron. And the king defiled the high places that were east of Jerusalem, to the south of the mount of corruption, which Solomon the king of Israel had built for Ash'toreth the abomination of the Sido'nians, and for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. And he broke in pieces the pillars, and cut down the Ashe'rim, and filled their places with the bones of men.

Moreover the altar at Bethel, the high place erected by Jerobo'am the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, that altar with the high place he pulled down and he broke in pieces its stones, crushing them to dust; also he burned the Ashe'rah. And as Josi'ah turned, he saw the tombs there on the mount; and he sent and took the bones out of the tombs, and burned them upon the altar, and defiled it, according to the word of the LORD which the man of God proclaimed, who had predicted these things.

Then he said, "What is yonder monument that I see?"

And the men of the city told him, "It is the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and predicted these things which you have done against the altar at Bethel."

And he said, "Let him be; let no man move his bones." So they let his bones alone, with the bones of the prophet who came out of Sama'ria.

And all the shrines also of the high places that were in the cities of Sama'ria, which kings of Israel had made, provoking the LORD to anger, Josi'ah removed; he did to them according to all that he had done at Bethel. And he slew all the priests of the high places who were there, upon the altars, and burned the bones of men upon them. Then he returned to Jerusalem. (2Ki 23:8-20)

Josiah Celebrates the Passover

2 Kings 23:21-27 & 2 Chronicles 35:1-19

Josi'ah kept a passover to the LORD in Jerusalem; and they killed the passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the first month. He appointed the priests to their offices and encouraged them in the service of the house of the LORD. And he said to the Levites who taught all Israel and who were holy to the LORD, "Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David, king of Israel, built; you need no longer carry it upon your shoulders. Now serve the LORD your God and his people Israel. Prepare yourselves according to your fathers' houses by your divisions, following the directions of David king of Israel and the directions of Solomon his son. (2Ch 35:1-4)

And stand in the holy place according to the groupings of the fathers' houses of your brethren the lay people, and let there be for each a part of a father's house of the Levites. And kill the passover lamb, and sanctify yourselves, and prepare for your brethren, to do according to the word of the LORD by Moses."

Then Josi'ah contributed to the lay people, as passover offerings for all that were present, lambs and kids from the flock to the number of thirty thousand, and three thousand bulls; these were from the king's possessions.

And his princes contributed willingly to the people, to the priests, and to the Levites. Hilki'ah, Zechari'ah, and Jehi'el, the chief officers of the house of God, gave to the priests for the passover offerings two thousand six hundred lambs and kids and three hundred bulls. Conani'ah also, and Shemai'ah and Nethan'el his brothers, and Hashabi'ah and Je-i'el and Jo'zabad, the chiefs of the Levites, gave to the Levites for the passover offerings five thousand lambs and kids and five hundred bulls.

When the service had been prepared for, the priests stood in their place, and the Levites in their divisions according to the king's command. And they killed the passover lamb, and the priests sprinkled the blood which they received from them while the Levites flayed the victims. And they set aside the burnt offerings that they might distribute them according to the groupings of the fathers' houses of the lay people, to offer to the LORD, as it is written in the book of Moses.

And so they did with the bulls. And they roasted the passover lamb with fire according to the ordinance; and they boiled the holy offerings in pots, in caldrons, and in pans, and carried them quickly to all the lay people. And afterward they prepared for themselves and for the priests, because the priests the sons of Aaron were busied in offering the burnt offerings and the fat parts until night; so the Levites prepared for themselves and for the priests the sons of Aaron.

The singers, the sons of Asaph, were in their place according to the command of David, and Asaph, and Heman, and Jedu'thun the king's seer; and the gatekeepers were at each gate; they did not need to depart from their service, for their brethren the Levites prepared for them. (2Ch 35:5-15)

So all the service of the LORD was prepared that day, to keep the passover and to offer burnt offerings on the altar of the LORD, according to the command of King Josi'ah. And the people of Israel who were present kept the passover at that time, and the feast of unleavened bread seven days. No passover like it had been kept in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet; none of the kings of Israel had kept such a passover as was kept by Josi'ah, and the priests and the Levites, and all Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josi'ah this passover was kept. (2Ch 35:16-19)

Moreover Josi'ah put away the mediums and the wizards and the teraphim and the idols and all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, that he might establish the words of the law which were written in the book that Hilki'ah the priest found in the house of the LORD. Before him there was no king like him, who turned to the LORD with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; nor did any like him arise after him.

Still the LORD did not turn from the fierceness of his great wrath, by which his anger was kindled against Judah, because of all the provocations with which Manas'seh had provoked him. And the LORD said, "I will remove Judah also out of my sight, as I have removed Israel, and I will cast off this city which I have chosen, Jerusalem, and the house of which I said, My name shall be there." (2Ki 23:24-27)

The Death of Josiah

2 Kings 23:28-30 & 2 Chronicles 35:20-36:1

Now the rest of the acts of Josi'ah, and his good deeds according to what is written in the law of the LORD, and his acts, first and last, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. (2Ch 35:26-27)

After all this, when Josi'ah had prepared the temple, Neco king of Egypt went up to fight at Car'chemish on the Euphra'tes and Josi'ah went out against him. But he sent envoys to him, saying, "What have we to do with each other, king of Judah? I am not coming against you this day, but against the house with which I am at war; and God has commanded me to make haste. Cease opposing God, who is with me, lest he destroy you."

Nevertheless Josi'ah would not turn away from him, but disguised himself in order to fight with him. He did not listen to the words of Neco from the mouth of God, but joined battle in the plain of Megid'do.

And the archers shot King Josi'ah; and the king said to his servants, "Take me away, for I am badly wounded." So his servants took him out of the chariot and carried him in his second chariot and brought him to Jerusalem. And he died, and was buried in the tombs of his fathers. All Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josi'ah. Jeremiah also uttered a lament for Josi'ah; and all the singing men and singing women have spoken of Josi'ah in their laments to this day. They made these an ordinance in Israel; behold, they are written in the Laments. (2Ch 35:20-25)

And the people of the land took Jeho'ahaz the son of Josi'ah, and anointed him, and made him king in his father's stead in Jerusalem. (2Ki 23:30b & 2Ch 36:1)

Jehoahaz King of Judah

2 Kings 23:31-35 & 2 Chronicles 36:2-4

Jeho'ahaz was twenty-three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hamu'tal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his fathers had done. And Pharaoh Neco put him in bonds at Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might not reign [Then the king of Egypt deposed him] in Jerusalem, and laid upon the land a tribute of a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. And Pharaoh Neco the king of Egypt made Eli'akim the son of Josi'ah [his brother] king in the place of Josi'ah his father [over Judah and Jerusalem], and changed his name to Jehoi'akim. But he [Neco] took Jeho'ahaz his brother away; and he came [carried him] to Egypt, and died there. (2Ki 23:31-34 & 2Ch 36:2-4)

And Jehoi'akim gave the silver and the gold to Pharaoh, but he taxed the land to give the money according to the command of Pharaoh. He exacted the silver and the gold of the people of the land, from every one according to his assessment, to give it to Pharaoh Neco. (2Ki 23:35)

Jehoiakim King of Judah

2 Kings 23:36-24:7 & 2 Chronicles 36:5-8 (also Jeremiah 35-36)

Jehoi'akim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Zebi'dah the daughter of Pedai'ah of Rumah. And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his fathers had done.

In his days Nebuchadnez'zar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoi'akim became his servant three years; then he turned and rebelled against him. And the LORD sent against him bands of the Chalde'ans, and bands of the Syrians, and bands of the Moabites, and bands of the Ammonites, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the LORD which he spoke by his servants the prophets. Surely this came upon Judah at the command of the LORD, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manas'seh, according to all that he had done, and also for the innocent blood that he had shed; for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the LORD would not pardon. (2Ki 23:36-24:4)

Now the rest of the deeds of Jehoi'akim, and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? So Jehoi'akim slept with his fathers, and Jehoi'achin his son reigned in his stead. (2Ki 24:5-6)

And the king of Egypt did not come again out of his land, for the king of Babylon had taken all that belonged to the king of Egypt from the Brook of Egypt to the river Euphra'tes. (2Ki
4:7)

Jehoiachin King of Judah

2 Kings 24:8-17 & 2 Chronicles 36:9-10

Jehoi'achin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Nehush'ta the daughter of Elna'than of Jerusalem. And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father had done.

At that time the servants of Nebuchadnez'zar king of Babylon came up to Jerusalem, and the city was besieged. And Nebuchadnez'zar king of Babylon came to the city, while his servants were besieging it; and Jehoi'achin the king of Judah gave himself up to the king of Babylon, himself, and his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his palace officials.

The king of Babylon took him prisoner in the eighth year of his reign, and carried off all the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king's house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold in the temple of the LORD, which Solomon king of Israel had made, as the LORD had foretold. He carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valor, ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and the smiths; none remained, except the poorest people of the land.

And he carried away Jehoi'achin to Babylon; the king's mother, the king's wives, his officials, and the chief men of the land, he took into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon. And the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon all the men of valor, seven thousand, and the craftsmen and the smiths, one thousand, all of them strong and fit for war.

And the king of Babylon made Mattani'ah, Jehoi'achin's uncle, king in his stead, and changed his name to Zedeki'ah. (2Ki 24:8-17)

Jehoiachin Released

2 Kings 25:27-30 & Jeremiah 52:31-34

And in the thirty-seventh year of the exile [captivity] of Jehoi'achin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh [fifth] day of the month, Evil-mero'dach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign ] became king, graciously freed [lifted up the head of] Jehoi'achin king of Judah from [and brought him out of] prison; and he spoke kindly to him, and gave him a seat above the seats of the kings who were with him in Babylon. So Jehoi'achin put off his prison garments. And every day of his life he dined regularly at the king's table; and for his allowance, a regular allowance was given him by the king, every day a portion [according to his daily need, until the day of his death], as long as he lived. (2Ki 25:27-30 & Jer 52:31-34)

Zedekiah King of Judah

2 Kings 24:18-20, 2 Chronicles 36:11-14 & Jeremiah 52:1-3 (also Jeremiah 32-4, 37-38)

Zedeki'ah was twenty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hamu'tal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD his God. He did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke from the mouth of the LORD. He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnez'zar, who had made him swear by God; he stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the LORD, the God of Israel. All the leading priests and the people likewise were exceedingly unfaithful, following all the abominations of the nations; and they polluted the house of the LORD which he had hallowed in Jerusalem. (2Ch
6:11-14)

The Fall of Jerusalem

2 Kings 25:1-26, 2 Chronicles 36:15-23 & Jeremiah 52:4-4 (also Jeremiah 39-44)

The LORD, the God of their fathers, sent persistently to them by his messengers, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place; but they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his words, and scoffing at his prophets, till the wrath of the LORD rose against his people, till there was no remedy. Therefore he brought up against them the king of the Chalde'ans, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man or virgin, old man or aged; he gave them all into his hand. (2Ch 36:15-17)

And in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnez'zar king of Babylon came with all his army against Jerusalem, and laid siege to it; and they built siegeworks against it round about. So the city was besieged till the eleventh year of King Zedeki'ah. On the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land. Then a breach was made in the city; and the king with all the men of war fled and went out from the city by night by the way of the gate between the two walls, by the king's garden, though [while] the Chalde'ans were around about the city.

And they went in the direction of the Arabah. But the army of the Chalde'ans pursued the king, and overtook him [Zedeki'ah ] in the plains of Jericho; and all his army was scattered from him. Then they captured the king, and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, who [and he] passed sentence upon him. They [The king of Babylon] slew the sons of Zedeki'ah before his eyes, and also slew all the princes of Judah at Riblah and [He] put out the eyes of Zedeki'ah, and bound him in fetters, and the king of Babylon took him to Babylon, and put him in prison till the day of his death.

In the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month--which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnez'zar, king of Babylon--Nebu'zarad'an, the captain of the bodyguard, a servant of [who served] the king of Babylon, came to [entered] Jerusalem. And he burned the house of the LORD, and the king's house and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great house he burned down. And all the army of the Chalde'ans, who were with the captain of the guard, broke down the walls around about Jerusalem. (1Ki 25:1-10 & Jer 52:4-14)

And the rest of the people who were left in the city and the deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon, together with the rest of the multitude, Nebu'zarad'an the captain of the guard carried into exile. (2Ki 25:11)

But Nebu'zarad'an the captain of the guard left some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and plowmen.

And the pillars of bronze that were in the house of the LORD, and the stands and the bronze sea that were in the house of the LORD, the Chalde'ans broke in pieces, and carried all the bronze to Babylon. And they took away the pots, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the basins, and the dishes for incense and all the vessels of bronze used in the temple service, the firepans also, and the bowls [also the small bowls, and the firepans], and the basins, and the pots, and the lampstands, and the dishes for incense, and the bowls for libation. What was of gold the captain of the guard took away as gold, and what was of silver, as silver.

As for the two pillars, the one sea, the twelve bronze bulls which were under the sea, and the stands, which Solomon the king had made for the house of the LORD, the bronze of all these vessels [things] was beyond weight. As for the pillars The height of the one pillar was eighteen cubits, its circumference was twelve cubits, and its thickness was four fingers, and it was hollow. and upon it was a capital of bronze; the height of the one capital was three [five] cubits; a network and pomegranates, all of bronze, were upon the capital round about. And the second pillar had the like, with the network [pomegranates]. There were ninety-six pomegranates on the sides; all the pomegranates were a hundred upon the network round about.

And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king and of his princes, all these he brought to Babylon. And they burned the house of God, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem, and burned all its palaces with fire, and destroyed all its precious vessels. (2Ch 36:18-19)

And the captain of the guard took Serai'ah the chief priest, and Zephani'ah the second priest, and the three keepers of the threshold; and from the city he took an officer who had been in command of the men of war, and five [seven] men of the king's council who were found in the city; and the secretary of the commander of the army who mustered the people of the land; and sixty men of the people of the land who were found in the midst of the city. And Nebu'zarad'an the captain of the guard took them, and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. And the king of Babylon smote them, and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was taken into exile [carried captive] out of its land. (2Ki 25:11-21 & Jeremiah 52:16-27)

He took into exile in Babylon those who had escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and to his sons until the establishment of the kingdom of Persia, to fulfil the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its sabbaths. All the days that it lay desolate it kept sabbath, to fulfil seventy years. (2Ch 36:20-21)

This is the number of the people whom Nebuchadrez'zar carried away captive: in the seventh year, three thousand and twenty-three Jews; in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrez'zar he carried away captive from Jerusalem eight hundred and thirty-two persons; in the twenty-third year of Nebuchadrez'zar, Nebu'zarad'an the captain of the guard carried away captive of the Jews seven hundred and forty-five persons; all the persons were four thousand and six hundred. (Jer 52:28-30)

And over the people who remained in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnez'zar king of Babylon had left, he appointed Gedali'ah the son of Ahi'kam, son of Shaphan, governor. Now when all the captains of the forces in the open country and their men heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedali'ah governor, they came with their men to Gedali'ah at Mizpah, namely, Ish'mael the son of Nethani'ah, and Joha'nan the son of Kare'ah, and Serai'ah the son of Tanhu'meth the Netoph'athite, and Ja-azani'ah the son of the Ma-ac'athite. And Gedali'ah swore to them and their men, saying, "Do not be afraid because of the Chalde'an officials; dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you."

But in the seventh month, Ish'mael the son of Nethani'ah, son of Eli'shama, of the royal family, came with ten men, and attacked and killed Gedali'ah and the Jews and the Chalde'ans who were with him at Mizpah. Then all the people, both small and great, and the captains of the forces arose, and went to Egypt; for they were afraid of the Chalde'ans. (2Ki 25:22-26)

Epilog

2 Chronicles 36:22-23

Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing:

"Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, 'The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all his people, may the LORD his God be with him. Let him go up.'" (2Ch 36:15-23)