Amplified Bible (AMP)

Judgment upon Ahab’s House

1 Ahab had seventy sons [and grandsons] in Samaria. So Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria, to the rulers of Jezreel, to the elders, and to the guardians ofthe children ofAhab, saying,

2 “Now as soon as this letter comes to you, since your master’s sons (male descendants) are with you, as well as chariots and horses and a fortified city and weapons,

3 select the best and most capable of your master’s sons, and set him on his father’s throne, and fight for your master’s [royal] house.”

4 But they were extremely afraid and said, “Look, the two kings did not stand before Jehu; so how can we stand?”

5 And the one who was in charge of the household, and the one who was overseer of the city, the elders, and the guardians [of the children] sentwordto Jehu, saying, “We are your servants and we will do whatever you tell us,butwe will not make any man king; do what is good in your eyes.”

6 Then Jehu wrote a second letter to them, saying, “If you are with me and will obey me, take the heads of your master’ssons, and come to me at Jezreel tomorrow about this time.” Now the [dead] king’s sons, seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, who were rearing them.

7 When the letter came to them, they took the king’s sons and slaughtered them, seventy persons, and put their heads in baskets, and sent them to Jehu at Jezreel.

8 When a messenger came and told him, “They have brought the heads of the king’s sons,” he said, “Put them in two heaps at the entrance of the city gate until morning.”

9 The next morning he went out and stood and said to all the people, “You are justandinnocent; behold, I conspired against [Joram] my master and killed him, but who killed all these?

10 Know then [without any doubt] that there shall fall to the earth nothing of the word of the Lord, which the Lordspoke concerning the house of Ahab, for the Lordhas done what He saidthrough His servant Elijah.”

11 So Jehu killed all who remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men and his familiar friends and his priests, until he left him without a survivor.

12 And he set out and went to Samaria. On the way as he was at theplace of the sand heaps [meeting place] for the shepherds,

13 Jehu met the relatives of Ahaziah king of Judah and said, “Who are you?” They answered, “We are the relatives of Ahaziah; and we came down to greet the royal princes and the sons of the queen mother [Jezebel].”

14 Then Jehu said, “Take them alive.” So they took them alive and [later] slaughtered them at the well by the place of the sand heaps, forty-two men; he left none of them [alive].

15 When Jehu went on from there, he met Jehonadab the son of Rechabcomingto meet him. He greeted him and said to him, “Is your heart right, as my heart is with yours?” Jehonadab answered, “It is.”Jehu said“If it is, give me your hand.” He gave him his hand, and Jehu pulled him up into the chariot.

16 And he said, “Come with me and see my zeal for the Lord.” So he had Jehonadab in his chariot.

17 When Jehu came to Samaria, he killed everyone who remained of Ahab’s family in Samaria, until he had destroyed all of them, in accordance with the word of the Lordwhich He spoke to Elijah.

Jehu Destroys Baal Worshipers

18 Jehu assembled all the people and said [in pretense] to them, “Ahab served Baal a little; Jehu will serve him much [more].

19 Now, summon unto me all the prophets of Baal, all his worshipers and all his priests. Let no one be missing, for I have a great sacrifice for Baal; whoever is missing shall not live.” But Jehu did it with trickery, in order to destroy the worshipers of Baal.

20 Jehu said, “Consecrate a festive assembly (celebration) for Baal.” And they proclaimed it.

21 Then Jehu sent throughout Israel, and all the worshipers of Baal came; there was no one left who did not come. They went to the house (temple) of Baal, and the house of Baal was filled from one end to the other.

22 He said to the man in charge of the wardrobe, “Bring out garments for all the worshipers of Baal.” And he brought the garments out to them.

23 Then Jehu with Jehonadab the son of Rechab went into the house of Baal; and he said to the worshipers of Baal, “Search carefully and see that there are no servants of the Lordhere with you, but only the worshipers of Baal.”

24 Then they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings.

Now Jehu had stationed eighty men outside for himself and said, “If any of the men whom I have brought into your hands escape, the one who lets him go shall forfeit his own life for that man’s life.”

25 Then it came about, as soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, that Jehu said to the guards and to the royal officers, “Go in and kill them; let no one come out.” And they killed them with the edge of the sword; and the guard and the royal officers threwtheir bodiesout, and went to the inner room of the house of Baal.

26 They brought out thesacredpillars (obelisks) of the house of Baal and burned them.

27 They also tore down thesacredpillar of Baal and tore down the house of Baal, and made it into a latrine [forever unclean]to this day.

28 Thus Jehu eradicated Baal from Israel.

29 However, Jehu did not turn from the [idolatrous] sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin, that is, [led them to worship] the golden calves which were at Bethel and Dan.

30 The Lordsaid to Jehu, “Because you have done well in executing what is right in My eyes, and have done to the house of Ahab in accordance with everything that was in My heart,your sons (descendants) shall sit on Israel’s throne to the fourth generation.”

31 But Jehu did not take care to walk in the law of the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart; he did not turn from the sins of Jeroboam, who made Israel sin.

32 Soin those days the Lordbegan to cut offportionsof Israel; Hazael [of Aram] defeated them throughout the territory of Israel:

33 from the Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites and the Reubenites and the Manassites, from Aroer, which is by the Arnon River, even Gilead and Bashan.

Jehoahaz Succeeds Jehu

34 Now the rest of the acts of Jehu and everything that he did and all his might, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

35 Jehu slept with his fathers [in death], and they buried him in Samaria. Jehoahaz his son became king in his place.

36 The time that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty-eight years.

Athaliah Queen of Judah

1 When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah [king of Judah] saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal offspring.

2 But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram [of Judah and half] sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah and abducted him from among the king’s sons who were to be killed, and hid him and his nurse in thebedroom. So they hid him from Athaliah, and he was not put to death.

3 Joash was hidden with his nurse in the house (temple) of the Lordfor six years, while Athaliah reigned over the land.

4 Now in the seventh year Jehoiada [the priest, Jehosheba’s husband] sent for the captains of hundreds of theCarites and of the guard and brought them to him to the house of the Lord. Then he made a covenant with them and put them under oath in the house of the Lord, and showed them the king’s [hidden] son.

5 He commanded them, saying, “This is the thing that you shall do: a third of you who come in [reporting for duty] on the Sabbath shall keep watch over the king’s house

6 (a third shall also be at the [city] gate Sur, and a third at the gate behind the guards); so you shall keep watch over the palace [from three posts] for defense.

7 Two units of you, all those who go out [off duty] on the Sabbath, shall also keep watch over the house (temple) of the Lordfor [the protection of] the king.

8 You shall surround the [young] king, each man with weapons in his hand; and whoever comes through the ranks shall be put to death. You are to be with the king when he goes out and when he comes in.”

9 The captains of hundreds acted in accordance with everything that Jehoiada the priest commanded; and each of them took his men who were to come in (on duty) on the Sabbath, with those who were to go out (off duty) on the Sabbath, and they came to Jehoiada the priest.

10 The priest gave to the captains of hundreds the spears and shields that had been King David’s, which were in the house of the Lord.

11 And the guards stood, each man with weapons in his hand, from the right side to the left side of the temple area, by the altar [in the courtyard] and by the temple [proper], all around the king.

12 Then Jehoiada brought out the king’s son and put the crown on him and gave him the Testimony [a copy of the Mosaic Law]; and they made him king and anointed him, and they clapped their hands and said, “Longlive the king!”

13 When Athaliah heard the sound of the guards and of the people, she went into the house of the Lordto the people.

14 When she looked, behold, there stood the [young] king [on the platform] by the pillar, as was customary [on such occasions], and the captains and the trumpeters were beside the king; and all the people of the land rejoicing and blowing the trumpets. Then Athaliah tore her clothes and cried, “Treason! Treason!”

15 Then Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains of hundreds appointed over the army and said to them, “Take her out between the ranks, and whoever follows her put to death with the sword.” For the priest had said, “Let her not be put to death in the house (temple) of the Lord.”

16 So they seized her, and she went through the horses’ entrance to the king’s house (palace), and she was put to death there.

17 Then Jehoiada made a covenant between the Lord, the king, and the people, that they would be the Lord’speople–also between the king and the people [to be his subjects].

18 Then all the people of the land went to the house of Baal and tore it down. They utterly smashed his altar and his images to pieces, and they put Mattan the priest of Baal to death in front of the altars. And [Jehoiada] the priest appointed officers over the house of the Lord.

19 Then he took the captains of hundreds, the Carites (royal bodyguards), the guard, and all the people of the land; and they brought the [young] king down from the house of the Lord, and came by way of the guards’ gate to the king’s house. And [little] Joash sat on the throne of the kings.

20 So all the people of the land rejoiced and the city [of Jerusalem] was quiet. For they had put Athaliah to death with the sword at the king’s house.

21 Jehoash (Joash) was seven years old when he became king.

Joash (Jehoash) Reigns over Judah

1 In the seventh year of Jehu [king of Israel],Jehoash became king [over Judah], and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah of Beersheba.

2 Jehoash did right in the sight of the Lordall his days in which Jehoiada the priest instructed him.

3 Only the high places were not removed; the people were still sacrificing and burning incense [to the Lord] on the high places [rather than at the temple].

The Temple to Be Repaired

4 Jehoash said to the priests, “All the money for the dedicated things which is brought into the house of the Lord, in current money,boththe money of each man’s assessment [for all those bound by vows],andall the money which any man’s heart prompts him to bring into the house (temple) of the Lord,

5 let the priests receive such contributions for themselves, each from his acquaintance; and they shall repair any breach in the houseof the Lord, wherever a breach is found.”

6 But it came about in the twenty-third year of [the reign of] King Jehoash, that the priestsstillhad not repaired the damages of theLord’shouse.

7 Then King Jehoash called for Jehoiada the priest and the [other] priests and said to them, “Why are you not repairing the damage of the house (temple)? Now then, do not take any more money from your acquaintances, but turn it all over for [the repair of] the damages of the house.” [You are no longer responsible for this work. I will take it into my own hands.]

8 So the priests agreed that they would receive no [more] money from the people, nor [be responsible to] repair the damages of the house.

9 Then Jehoiada the priest took a chest and bored a hole in its lid and set it beside the altar, on the right side as one enters the house of the Lord; and the priests who guarded the door put in the chest all the money that was brought [by the people] into the house of the Lord.

10 And whenever they saw that there was a large amount of money in the chest, the king’s scribe and the high priest came up and tied it in bags and counted the money that was found in the house of the Lord.

11 Then they gave the money, which was weighed out into the hands of those who were doing the work, who had the oversight of the house of the Lord; and they paid it out to the carpenters and builders who worked on the house (temple) of the Lord,

12 and to the masons and stonecutters, and to buy timber and hewn (cut) stone to repair any breach in the house of the Lord, and for all that was laid out for repairing the house.

13 However, there were not made for the house of the Lordbasins of silver, snuffers, bowls, trumpets, any gold containers or [other] silver containers, from the money that was brought into the house of the Lord;

14 but they gave that to those who did the work, and with it they repaired the house of the Lord.

15 Moreover, they did not require an accounting from the men into whose hands they placed the money to be paid to those who did the work, for they acted in good faith.

16 Money from the guilt offerings and money from the sin offerings was not brought into the house of the Lord[for repairs]; it was for the priests.

17 Then Hazael king of Aram (Syria) went up, fought against Gath [in Philistia], and captured it. And Hazaelresolved to go up to Jerusalem.

18 So Jehoash the king of Judah took all the sacred things that Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own sacred things and all the gold that was found in the treasuries of the house (temple) of the Lordand of the king’s house, and sent them to Hazael king of Aram; and Hazael departed from Jerusalem.

Joash (Jehoash) Succeeded by Amaziah in Judah

19 Now the rest of the acts of Joash and everything that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

20 His servants arose and formed aconspiracy [against him] and struck down Joash [in revenge] at the house of Millo, [on the way] that goes down to Silla.

21 For Jozacar (Jozachar) the son of Shimeath and Jehozabad the son of Shomer, his servants, struck him and he died; and they buried Joash with his fathers in the City of David. Amaziah his son became king in his place.

Kings of Israel: Jehoahaz and Joash (Jehoash)

1 In the twenty-third year of Joash the son of Ahaziah, king of Judah, Jehoahaz the son of Jehu became king over Israel in Samaria,and he reignedseventeen years.

2 He did evil in the sight of the Lord, and followed the [idolatrous] sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin; he did not turn from them.

3 So the anger of the Lordwas kindledandburned against Israel, and He handed them over time and again to Hazael the king of Aram (Syria), and of Ben-hadad the son of Hazael.

4 But Jehoahaz sought the favor of the Lord, and the Lordlistened to him; for He saw the oppression of Israel, how the king of Aram oppressed them.

5 Then the Lordgave Israel asavior [to rescue them and give them peace], so that they escaped from under the hand of the Arameans; and the sons (descendants) of Israel lived in their tents as before.

6 Yet they did not turn from the [idolatrous] sins of the [royal] house of Jeroboam, who made Israel sin; but walked in them. And the Asherah [set up by Ahab] also remained standing in Samaria [Israel’s capital].

7 For he left to Jehoahaz [king of Israel] an army of no more than fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and 10,000 footmen, for the king of Aram (Ben-hadad) had destroyed them and made them like dust to be trampled.

8 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz, everything that he did and his might, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

9 Jehoahaz slept with his fathers [in death], and they buried him in Samaria; Joash his son became king in his place.

10 In the thirty-seventh year of Joash king of Judah,Jehoash (Joash) the son of Jehoahaz became king over Israel in Samaria,and reignedsixteen years.

11 He did evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not turn away from all the [idolatrous] sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin; but he walked in them.

12 Now the rest of the acts of Joash, everything that he did, and his might with which he fought against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

13 Joash slept with his fathers [in death], and Jeroboam [II] sat on his throne. Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.

Death of Elisha

14 Now Elisha had become sick with the illness by which he would die. And Joash the king of Israel came down to him and wept over him and said, “O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!”

15 And Elisha said to him, “Take a bow and arrows.” So he took a bow and arrows.

16 Then he said to the king of Israel, “Put your hand on the bow.” And he put his hand on it, and Elisha put his hands on the king’s hands.

17 And he said, “Open the window to the east,” and he opened it. Then Elisha said, “Shoot!” And he shot. And Elisha said, “The Lord’sarrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Aram (Syria); for you will strike the Arameans in Aphek until you have destroyed them.”

18 Then he said, “Take the arrows,” and he took them. And Elisha said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground,” and he struckitthree times and stopped.

19 So the man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck down Aram until you had destroyed it. But now you shall strike Aramonlythree times.”

20 Elisha died, and they buried him. Now marauding bands of Moabites would invade the land in the spring of the year.

21 And it happened that as a man was being buried [on an open bier], they saw a marauding band [coming]; and they threw the man into Elisha’s grave. But when the [body of the] man [was being let down and] touched the bones of Elisha he revived and stood up on his feet.

22 Hazael the king of Aram oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz.

23 But the Lordwas gracious to them and had compassion on them and turned toward them for the sake ofHis covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and He was unwilling to destroy them, and did not cast them from His presence until now.

24 Hazael king of Aram (Syria) died; Ben-hadad his son became king in his place.

25 Then Jehoash (Joash) the son of Jehoahaz recovered from Ben-hadad the son of Hazael the cities which he had taken from Jehoahaz his father by war. Three times Joash defeated Ben-hadad and recovered the cities of Israel.

Amaziah Reigns over Judah

1 In the second year of Joash the son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel, Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah became king.

2 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddin of Jerusalem.

3 He did right in the sight of the Lord, though not like David his father (ancestor). He acted in accordance with everything that his father Joash had done.

4 However, the high places were not removed; the people were still sacrificing and burning incense on the high places.

5 As soon as the kingdom was firmly in Amaziah’s hand, he executed his servants who had killed his father the king.

6 But he did not put the sons of the murderers to death, in compliance with what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, in which the Lordcommanded, saying, “The fathers shall not be put to death for the sons, nor shall the sons be put to death for the fathers; but each shall be put to death [only] for his own sin.”

7 Amaziah killed 10,000 [men] of Edom in the Valley of Salt, and tookSela (rock) by war, and renamed it Joktheel, to this day.

8 Then Amaziah sent messengers toJehoash (Joash) the son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, “Come, let us face each other [in combat].”

9 Jehoash the king of Israel sentwordto Amaziah king of Judah, saying, “The [little] thorn-bush in Lebanon sentwordto the [tall] cedar in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son as wife.’ But a wild beast that was in Lebanon passed by and trampled the thorn-bush.

10 You have indeed defeated Edom, and your heart has lifted you up [in pride]. Enjoy your glory but stay at home; for why should you plunge into misery so that you, even you, would fall [at my hand], and Judah with you?”

11 But Amaziah would not listen. So Jehoash king of Israel went up; and he and Amaziah king of Judah faced each other [in combat] at Beth-shemesh, which belongs to Judah.

12 Judah was defeated by Israel, and every man fled to his tent.

13 Then Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah the king of Judah, the son of Jehoash (Joash), the son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh, and came to Jerusalem and broke through the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate, 400 cubits (600 feet).

14 He seized all the gold and silver and all the utensils found in the house (temple) of the Lordand in the treasuries of the king’s house, as well as hostages, and returned to Samaria.

Jeroboam II Succeeds Jehoash (Joash) in Israel

15 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoash which he did, and his might and how he fought with Amaziah the king of Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

16 Jehoash slept with his fathers [in death] and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. His son Jeroboam [II] became king in his place.

Azariah (Uzziah) Succeeds Amaziah in Judah

17 Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah lived for fifteen years after the death of Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz king of Israel.

18 The rest of the acts of Amaziah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

19 Now a conspiracy was formed against him in Jerusalem, and Amaziah fled [south] to Lachish; but they sent [men] after him to Lachish and killed him there.

20 Then they carried him on horses and he was buried at Jerusalem with his fathers in the City of David.

21 And all the people of Judah took Azariah, who was [only] sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah.

22 He builtElath and restored it to Judah after the king [his father Amaziah] slept with his fathers [in death].

23 In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah, Jeroboam [II] the son of Joash (Jehoash) king of Israel became king in Samaria,and reignedforty-one years.

24 He did evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not turn from all the [idolatrous] sins of Jeroboam [I] the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin.

25 Jeroboam restored Israel’s border from theentrance of Hamath to the Sea of the Arabah (Dead Sea), in accordance with the word of the Lord, the God of Israel, which He spoke through His servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet who was from Gath-hepher.

26 For the Lordsaw the affliction (suffering) of Israel as very bitter; there was no one left, bond or free, nor any helper for Israel.

27 But the Lordhad not said that He would blot out the name of Israel from under the heavens, so He saved them by the hand of Jeroboam [II] the son of Joash [king of Israel].

Zechariah Reigns over Israel

28 The rest of the acts of Jeroboam [II], all that he did, his might, how he fought, and how he recovered Damascus and Hamath for Israel,which had belongedto Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

29 Jeroboam [II] slept with his fathers [in death], even with the kings of Israel. Zechariah his son became king in his place.

Series of Kings: Azariah (Uzziah) over Judah

1 In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam [II] king of Israel, Azariah (Uzziah) the son of Amaziah king of Judah became king.

2 He was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecoliah of Jerusalem.

3 He did right in the sight of the Lord, in accordance with all that his father Amaziah had done.

4 Only [the altars on] the high places were not removed; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places [instead of worshiping God at the temple].

5 And the Lordstruck (afflicted) the king, and he was a leper until the day of his death, and lived in a separate house. Jotham the king’s son was in charge of the household, judging the people of the land.

6 Now the rest of Azariah’s acts, and everything that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

7 Azariah slept with his fathers [in death], and they buried him with his fathers in the City of David. His son Jotham became king in his place.

Zechariah over Israel

8 In the thirty-eighth year of Azariah king of Judah, Zechariah the son of Jeroboam [II] became king over Israel in Samaria for six months.

9 He did evil in the sight of the Lord, just as his fathers had done; he did not turn from the sins of Jeroboam [I] the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin.

10 But Shallum the son of Jabesh conspired against Zechariah and struck and killed him in the presence of the people and reigned in his place.

11 Now the rest of the acts of Zechariah, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

12 This is [the fulfillment of] the word of the Lordwhich He spoke to Jehu, saying, “Your sons (descendants) shall sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation.” And so it came to pass.

13 Shallum the son of Jabesh became king in the thirty-ninth year of Uzziah (Azariah) king of Judah, and he reigned one month in Samaria.

14 For Menahem the son of Gadi went up from Tirzah and came to Samaria, and struck and killed Shallum the son of Jabesh in Samaria and became king in his place.

15 The rest of Shallum’s acts, and his conspiracy which he made, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

16 Then Menahem struck [the town of] Tiphsah and all who were in it and its borders from Tirzah; [he attacked it] because they did not surrenderto him;so he struck it and ripped up allthe women there who were pregnant.

Menahem over Israel

17 In the thirty-ninth year of Azariah king of Judah, Menahem the son of Gadi became king over Israel,and reignedten years in Samaria.

18 He did evil in the sight of the Lord; for all his days he did not turn from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin.

19 Pul, [Tiglath-pileser III] king of Assyria, came against the land [of Israel], and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver [as a bribe], so that he might help him to strengthen his control of the kingdom.

20 Menahem exacted the money from Israel, from all the wealthy, influential men, fifty shekels of silver from each man to give to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria turned back and did not stay there in the land.

21 Now the rest of Menahem’s acts, and everything that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

22 And Menahem slept with his fathers [in death]; his son Pekahiah became king in his place.

Pekahiah over Israel

23 In the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekahiah the son of Menahem became king over Israel,and reignedtwo years in Samaria.

24 He did evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not turn from the [idolatrous] sins of Jeroboam [I] the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin.

25 But Pekah the son of Remaliah, his officer, conspired against Pekahiah and struck him in Samaria, in the citadel of the king’s house, with Argob and Arieh; and with Pekah were fifty Gileadites. So he killed Pekahiah and became king in his place.

26 Now the rest of the acts of Pekahiah, all that he did, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

Pekah over Israel

27 In the fifty-second year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekah the son of Remaliah became king over Israel,and reignedtwenty years in Samaria.

28 He did evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not turn from the [idolatrous] sins of Jeroboam [I] the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin.

29 In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came and took Ijon, Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of [the tribe of] Naphtali, and he carried the people captive to Assyria.

30 Hoshea the son of Elah conspired against Pekah the son of Remaliah [of Israel]; he struck and killed him, and became king in his place in the twentieth year of Jotham the son of Uzziah [king of Judah].

31 Now the rest of Pekah’s acts, and everything that he did, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of Israel’s Kings.

Jotham over Judah

32 In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah king of Israel, Jotham the son of Uzziah king of Judah became king.

33 When he was twenty-five years old, he became king [over Judah], and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jerusha daughter of Zadok.

34 He did what was right in the sight of the Lord, in accordance with everything that his father Uzziah had done.

35 Only [the altars on] the high places were not removed; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places [rather than in the temple]. He built the upper gate of the house of the Lord.

36 Now the rest of the acts of Jotham, and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of Judah’s Kings?

37 In those days the Lordbegan sending Rezin the king of Aram (Syria) and [Israel’s king] Pekah the son of Remaliah against Judah.

38 Jotham slept with his fathers [in death], and was buried with them in the City of David his father (ancestor). Ahaz his son became king in his place.

Ahaz Reigns over Judah

1 In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, Ahaz the son of Jotham, king of Judah, became king.

2 Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. He did not do what was right in the sight of the Lordhis God, as his father (ancestor) David had done.

3 Instead he walked in the way of the [idolatrous] kings of Israel, and even made his son pass through the fire [as a human sacrifice], in accordance with the repulsive [and idolatrous] practices of the [pagan] nations whom the Lorddrove out before the Israelites.

4 He also sacrificed and burned incense on the high places and on the hills and under every green tree.

5 Then Rezin the king of Aram (Syria) and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, came up to Jerusalem to wage war. They besieged Ahaz, but could not overcomeandconquer him.

6 At that time Rezin king of Aram recoveredElath [in Edom] for Aram, and drove the Jews away from it. The Arameans came to Elath, and live there to this day.

Ahaz Seeks Help of Assyria

7 So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and son. Come up and rescue me from the hand of the kings of Aram and of Israel, who are rising up against me.”

8 And Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the Lordand in the treasuries of the king’s house, and sent a gift to the king of Assyria.

9 So the king of Assyria listened to him; and he went up against Damascus and captured it, and carriedits peopleaway into exile to Kir, and put Rezin [king of Aram] to death.

Damascus Falls

10 Now King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser the king of Assyria, and saw thepaganaltar which was at Damascus. Then King Ahaz sent a model of the altar to Urijah the priest along with a [detailed] pattern for all its construction.

11 So Urijah the priest built an altar; in accordance with everything that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus, that is how Urijah the priest made it before King Ahaz returned from Damascus.

12 When the king came from Damascus, he saw the altar; then the king approached the altar and offered [sacrifices] on it,

13 and burned his burnt offering and his grain offering, and poured out his drink offering, and sprinkled the blood of his peace offerings on the altar.

14 He brought the bronze altar, which was before the Lord, from the front of the house (temple), from between the [new] altar and the house of the Lord, and put it on the north side of the [new] altar.

15 Then King Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying, “Upon the great [new] altar, burn the morning burnt offering and the evening grain offering, and the king’s burnt offering and his grain offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land and their grain offering and their drink offerings; and sprinkle on the new altar all the blood of the burnt offering and all the blood of the sacrifice. But the [old] bronze altar shall be kept for me to use toexamine the sacrifices.”

16 Urijah the priest acted in accordance with everything that King Ahaz commanded.

17 Then King Ahaz cut away the frames of the basin stands [in the temple], and removed the basin from [each of] them; and he took down the [large] Sea from the bronze oxen which were under it, and put it on a plastered stone floor.

18 He removed from the house of the Lordthe covered way for the Sabbath which they had built in the house, and the outer entrance of the king, because of the king of Assyria [who might confiscate them].

Hezekiah Reigns over Judah

19 Now the rest of the acts of Ahaz, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

20 So Ahaz slept with his fathers [in death] and was buried with his fathers in the City of David; and his son Hezekiah became king in his place.

Hoshea Reigns over Israel

1 In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea the son of Elah became king over Israel in Samaria,and reignedfor nine years.

2 He did evil in the sight of the Lord, but not as the kings of Israel who came before him.

3 Shalmaneser [V] king of Assyria came up against him, and Hoshea became his servant and paid him tribute (money).

4 But the king of Assyria discovered a conspiracy in Hoshea, who sent messengers to So, king of Egypt, and offered no tribute to the king of Assyria, ashe had doneyear by year; therefore the king of Assyria arrested him and bound him in prison.

5 Then the king of Assyria invaded all the land [of Israel] and went up toSamaria and besieged it for three years.

Israel Captive

6 In the ninth year of Hoshea,the king of Assyria took Samaria and carried [the people of] Israel into exile to Assyria, and settled them in Halah and in Habor, by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.

Why Israel Fell

7 Now this came about because the Israelites had sinned against the Lordtheir God, who had brought them up from the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and they had feared [and worshiped] other gods

8 and walked in the customs of the [pagan] nations whom the Lordhad driven out before the sons (descendants) of Israel, andin the pagan customs ofthe kings of Israel which they had introduced.

9 The Israelites ascribed things to the Lordtheir God which were not true. They built for themselves high places [of worship] in all their towns, from [the lonely] lookout tower to the [populous] fortified city.

10 They set up for themselvessacredpillars (memorial stones) andAsherim on every high hill and under every green tree.

11 There they burned incense on all the high places, just as the [pagan] nations whom the Lordhad deported before them; and they did evilandcontemptible things, provoking the Lord[to anger].

12 And they served idols, of which the Lordhad said to them, “You shall not do this thing.”

13 Yet the Lordwarned Israel and Judah through all His prophets and every seer, saying, “Turn from your evil ways and keep My commandments and My statutes, in accordance with all the Law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by My servants the prophets.”

14 However they did not listen, but stiffened their necks as did their fathers who did not believe (trust in, rely on, remain steadfast to) the Lordtheir God.

15 They rejected His statutes and His covenant which He made with their fathers, as well as His warnings that he gave them. And they followed vanity [that is, false gods, idols] and became vain (empty-headed). They followed the [pagan practices of the] nations which surrounded them, although the Lordhad commanded that they were not to do as they did.

16 They abandoned all the commandments of the Lordtheir God and made for themselves cast images of two calves; and they made an Asherah [idol] and worshiped all the [starry] host of heaven and served Baal.

17 They made their sons and their daughters pass through the fire [as human sacrifices], and used divination [to foretell the future] and enchantments; and they sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking Him to anger.

18 Therefore the Lordwas very angry with Israel and removed them from His sight; none [of the tribes] was left except the tribe of Judah.

19 Judah did not keep the commandments of the Lordtheir God either, but walked in the customs which Israel introduced.

20 So the Lordrejected all the descendants of Israel (Jacob) and [repeatedly] afflicted them and handed them over to plunderers, until He had cast them out of His sight.

21 When He had torn Israel from the [royal] house of David, they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king. And Jeroboam drove Israel away from following the Lordand made them commit a great sin.

22 For the Israelites walked in all the [idolatrous] sins which Jeroboam committed; they did not turn from them

23 until the Lordremoved Israel from His sight, just as He had foretold through all His servants the prophets. So Israel went into exile from their own land to Assyria to this day [the date of this writing].

Cities of Israel Filled with Strangers

24 The king of Assyria broughtmenfrom Babylon and from Cuthah and from Avva and from Hamath and Sepharvaim, and settled them in the cities of Samaria in place of the sons (people) of Israel. They took possession of Samaria and lived in its cities.

25 Now when they began to live there, they did not fear the Lord; therefore the Lordsent lions among them which killed some of them.

26 So the king of Assyria was told, “The nations whom you have sent into exile and settled in the cities of Samaria do not know the custom of the god of the land; so He has sent lions among them, and they are killing them because they do not know the manner of [worship demanded by] the god of the land.”

27 Then the king of Assyria commanded, “Take back [to Samaria] one of the priests whom you brought from there, and have him go and live there; and have him teach the people the custom of the god of the land.”

28 So one of the priests whom they had exiled from Samaria came [back] and lived in Bethel and taught them how they should fear [and worship] the Lord.

29 But every nation still made gods of its own and put them in the houses (shrines) of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in the cities where they lived.

30 The men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, the men of Cuth made Nergal, the men of Hamath made Ashima,

31 the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.

32 They also feared the Lordand appointed from among themselves priests of the high places, who sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places.

33 They feared the Lord, yet served their own gods, following the custom of the nations from among whom they had been sent into exile.

34 To this day they act in accordance with their former [pagan] customs: they do not [really] fear the Lord, nor do they obey their statutes and ordinances, nor the law, nor the commandments which the Lordcommanded the sons (descendants) of Jacob, whom He named Israel;

35 with whom the Lordhad made a covenant and commanded them, saying, “You shall not fear other gods or bow yourselves to them nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them.

36 But the Lord, who brought you up from the land of Egypt with great power and an outstretched arm, Him you shall fear, and to Him you shall bow yourselves down, and to Him you shall sacrifice.

37 The statutes and the ordinances and the law and the commandment which He wrote for you [by the hand of Moses], you shall observe and do forever. You shall not fear (worship, serve) other gods.

38 The covenant that I have made with you, you shall not forget; you shall not fear other gods.

39 But the Lordyour God you shall fear [and worship]; then He will rescue you from the hands of all your enemies.”

40 However, they did not listen, but they acted in accordance with their former custom.

41 So these nations [superficially] feared the Lord; they also served their idols, as did their children and their children’s children, just as their fathers did, so do they to this day [the date of this writing].

Hezekiah Reigns over Judah

1 Now it came about in the third year of Hoshea the son of Elah king of Israel, Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah became king.

2 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah.

3 Hezekiah did right in the sight of the Lord, in accordance with everything that David his father (ancestor) had done.

4 He removed the high places [of pagan worship], broke down the images (memorial stones) and cut down the Asherim. He also crushed to pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the Israelites had burned incense to it; and it was calledNehushtan [a bronze sculpture].

5 Hezekiah trusted inandrelied confidently on the Lord, the God of Israel; so that after him there was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, noramong thosewho were before him.

6 For he clung to the Lord; he did not turn away from [faithfully] following Him, but he kept His commandments, which the Lordhad commanded Moses.

Hezekiah Victorious

7 And the Lordwas with Hezekiah; he was successful wherever he went. And he rebelled against the king of Assyria and refused to serve him.

8 He defeated the Philistines as far as Gaza [the most distant city] and its borders, from the [isolated] lookout tower to the [populous] fortified city.

9 Now in the fourth year of King Hezekiah, which was the seventh of Hoshea the son of Elah king of Israel, Shalmaneser the king of Assyria went up against Samaria and besieged it.

10 At the end of three years they captured it; in the sixth year of Hezekiah, which was the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Israel, Samaria was taken.

11 Then the king of Assyria sent Israel into exile to Assyria, and put them in Halah, and on the Habor, the river of [the city of] Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes,

12 because they did not obey the voice of the Lordtheir God, but broke His covenant, everything that Moses the servant of the Lordhad commanded; and they would not listen nor do it.

Invasion of Judah

13 In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria went up against all the fortified cities of Judah [except Jerusalem] and captured them.

14 Then Hezekiah king of Judah sentwordto the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, “I have done wrong. Withdraw from me; whatever you impose on me I will bear.” So the king of Assyria imposed on Hezekiah king of Judah [a tribute tax of] three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.

15 Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house (temple) of the Lord, and in the treasuries of the king’s house (palace).

16 At that time Hezekiah cut awaythe gold framework fromthe doors of the temple of the Lordand from the doorposts whichhe had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria.

17 Then the king of Assyria sentthe Tartan and the Rab-saris and the Rabshakeh [his highest officials] with a large army, from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. They went up and came to Jerusalem, and when they went up and arrived, they stood by the aqueduct of the upper pool, which is on the road of the Fuller’s Field.

18 When they called for the king, Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was in charge of the [king’s] household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the secretary went out to [meet] them.

19 Then the Rabshakeh said to them, “Say to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria, “What is [the reason for] this confidence that you have?

20 You say (but they are only empty words) ‘I havecounsel and strength for the war.’ Now on whom do you rely, that you have rebelled against me?

21 Now pay attention: you are relying on Egypt, on that staff of crushed reed; if a man leans on it, it willonlygo into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trustandrely on him.

22 But if you tell me, ‘We trust inandrely on the Lordour God,’ is it not He whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, and has said to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You shall worship [only] before this altar in Jerusalem’?

23 Now then, make a bargain with my lord the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses, if on your part you can put riders on them.

24 How then can you drive backevenone official of the least of my master’s servants, when you rely on Egypt for chariots and horsemen?

25 Now have I come up against this place to destroy it without the Lord’sapproval? The Lordsaid to me, ‘Go up against this land and destroy it.’”’”

26 Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, and Shebna and Joah, said to the Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in the Aramaic (Syrian) language, because we understand it; and do not speak with us in the Judean (Hebrew) language in the hearing of the people who are on the wall.”

27 But the Rabshakeh said to them, “Has my master sent meonlyto your master and to you to say these things? Has he not sent me to the men who sit on the wall, [who are doomed by the siege] to eat their own excrement and drink their own urine along with you?”

28 Then the Rabshakeh stood and shouted out with a loud voice in Judean (Hebrew), “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria.

29 Thus says the king, ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to rescue you from my hand;

30 nor let Hezekiah make you trust inandrely on the Lord, saying, “The Lordwill certainly rescue us, and this city [of Jerusalem] will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.”

31 ~‘Do not listen to Hezekiah, for thus says the king of Assyria: “Surrender to me and come out to [meet] me, and every man may eat from his own vine and fig tree, and every man may drink the waters of his own well,

32 until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey, so that you may live and not die.” Do not listen to Hezekiah when he misleadsandincites you, saying, “The Lordwill rescue us!”

33 ~‘Has any one of the gods of the nations ever rescued his land from the hand of the king of Assyria?

34 ~‘Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad [in Aram]? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah [in the valley of the Euphrates]? Have they rescued Samaria (Israel’s capital) from my hand?

35 ~‘Who among all the gods of the lands have rescued their lands from my hand, that the Lordwould rescue Jerusalem from my hand?’”

36 But the people kept silent and did not answer him, for the king had commanded, “Do not answer him.”

37 Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was in charge of the [royal] household, and Shebna the scribe and Joah the son of Asaph the secretary, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn [in grief and despair] and told him what the Rabshakeh had said.

Isaiah Encourages Hezekiah

1 When king Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes and he covered himself with sackcloth and went into the house (temple) of the Lord.

2 Then he sent Eliakim who was in charge of his household, Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz.

3 They said to him, “Thus says Hezekiah, ‘This is a day of distressandanxiety, of punishment and humiliation; for children have come to [the time of their] birth and there is no strength to rescue them.

4 ~‘It may be that the Lordyour God will hear all the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to tauntanddefy the living God, and will rebuke the words which the Lordyour God has heard. So offer a prayer for the remnant [of His people] that is left [in Judah].’”

5 So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah.

6 Isaiah said to them, “Say this 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 (blasphemed) Me.

7 Behold, I will put a spirit in him so that he will hear a rumor and return to his own land. And I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.”’”

Sennacherib Defies God

8 So the Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah [a fortified city of Judah]; for he had heard that the king had left Lachish.

9 When the king heard them say concerning Tirhakah king ofEthiopia, “Behold, he has come out to make war against you,” he sent messengers again to Hezekiah, saying,

10 “Say this to Hezekiah king of Judah, ‘Do not let your God on whom you rely deceive you by saying, “Jerusalem shall not be handed over to the king of Assyria.”

11 ~‘Listen, you have heard what the Assyrian kings have done to all the lands, destroying them completely. So will you be spared?

12 ~‘Did the gods of the nations whom my forefathers destroyed rescue them–Gozan and Haran [of Mesopotamia] and Rezeph and the people of Eden who were in Telassar?

13 ~‘Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad [of northern Syria], the king of the city of Sepharvaim, and of Hena and Ivvah?’”

Hezekiah’s Prayer

14 Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the house (temple) of the Lordand spread it out before the Lord.

15 Hezekiah prayed before the Lordand said, “O Lord, the God of Israel, who is enthronedabovethe cherubim [of theark in the temple], You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made the heavens and the earth.

16 O Lord, bend down Your ear and hear; Lord, open Your eyes and see; hear the [taunting] words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to tauntanddefy the living God.

17 It is true, Lord, that the Assyrian kings have devastated the nations and their lands

18 and have thrown their gods into the fire, for they were not [real] gods but [only] the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. So they [could destroy them and] have destroyed them.

19 Now, O Lordour God, please, save us from his hand so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know [without any doubt] that You alone, O Lord, are God.”

God’s Answer through Isaiah

20 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sentwordto Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘I have heard your prayer to Me regarding Sennacherib king of Assyria.’

21 This is the word that the Lordhas spoken against him:

‘The virgin daughter of Zion

Has despised you and mocked you;

The daughter of Jerusalem

Has shaken her head behind you!

22 ‘Whom have you taunted and blasphemed?

Against whom have you raised your voice,

And haughtily lifted up your eyes?

Against the Holy One of Israel!

23 ‘Through your messengers you have tauntedanddefied the Lord,

And have said [boastfully], “With my many chariots

I came up to the heights of the mountains,

To the remotest parts of Lebanon;

I cut down its tall cedar trees and its choicest cypress trees.

I entered its most distant lodging, its densest forest.

24 “I dugwellsand drank foreign waters,

And with the sole of my feet I dried up

All the rivers of [the Lower Nile of] Egypt.”

25 ‘Have you not heard [asks the God of Israel]?

Long ago I did it;

From ancient times I planned it.

Now I have brought it to pass,

That you [king of Assyria] should [be My instrument to] turn fortified cities into ruinous heaps.

26 ‘Therefore their inhabitants were powerless,

They were shattered [in spirit] and put to shame;

They were like plants of the field, the green herb,

As grass on the housetops is scorched before it is grown up.

27 ‘But I [the Lord] know your sitting down [O Sennacherib],

Your going out, your coming in,

And your raging against Me.

28 ‘Because of your raging against Me,

And because your arroganceandcomplacency have come up to My ears,

I will put My hook in your nose,

And My bridle in your lips,

And I will turn you back [to Assyria] by the way that you came.

29 ‘Then this shall be the sign [of these things] to you [Hezekiah]: this year you will eat what grows of itself, in the second year what springs up voluntarily, and in the third year sow and reap, plant vineyards, and eat their fruit.

30 ~‘The survivors who remain of the house of Judah will again take root downward and bear fruit upward.

31 ~‘For a remnant will go forth from Jerusalem, and [a band of] survivors from Mount Zion. The zeal of the Lordof hosts shall perform this.

32 ‘Therefore thus says the Lordconcerning the king of Assyria: “He will not come to this city [Jerusalem] nor shoot an arrow there; nor will he come before it with a shield nor throw up a siege ramp against it.

33 By the way that he came, by the same way he will return, and he will not come into this city,”’ declares the Lord.

34 ‘For I will protect this city to save it, for My own sake and for My servant David’s sake.’”

35 Then it came to pass that night, that theangel of the Lordwent forth and struck down 185,000 [men] in the camp of the Assyrians; whenthe survivorsgot up early in the morning, behold, all [185,000] of them were dead.

36 So Sennacherib king of Assyrialeft and returnedhome,and lived atNineveh.

37 It came about as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, that his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer killed him with a sword; and they escaped to the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son became king in his place.