Amplified Bible (AMP)

Hezekiah’s Illness and Recovery

1 In those days [when Sennacherib first invaded Judah] Hezekiah became deathly ill. The prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die and not recover.’”

2 Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, saying,

3 “Please, O Lord, remember now [with compassion] how I have walked before You in faithfulnessandtruth and with a whole heart [entirely devoted to You], and have done what is good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

4 Before Isaiah had gone out of the middle courtyard, the word of the Lordcame to him, saying,

5 “Go back and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father (ancestor): “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears. Behold, I am healing you; on the third day you shall go up to the house of the Lord.

6 I will add fifteen years to your life and save you and this city [Jerusalem] from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will protect this city for My own sake and for My servant David’s sake.”’”

7 Then Isaiah said, “Bring a cake of figs. And they brought it and placed it on the [painful] inflammation, and he recovered.”

8 Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “What will be the sign that the Lordwill [completely] heal me, and that I shall go up to the house of the Lordon the third day?”

9 Isaiah said, “This will be the sign to you from the Lord, that He will do the thing that He has spoken: shall the shadow [indicating the time of day] go forward ten steps, or go backward ten steps?”

10 Hezekiah answered, “It is easy for the shadow to go forward ten steps; no, but let the shadow turn backward ten steps.”

11 So Isaiah the prophet called out to the Lord, and He brought the shadow on the steps ten steps backward by which it had gone down on thesundial of Ahaz.

Hezekiah Shows Babylon His Treasures

12 At that timeBerodach-baladan a son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah, for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick.

13 Hezekiah listened toandwelcomed them and [foolishly] showed them all his treasure house–the silver and gold and spices and precious oil and his armory and everything that was found in his treasuries. There was nothing in his house (palace) nor in all his realm that Hezekiah did not show them.

14 Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah and said to him, “What did these men say [that would cause you to do this for them]? From where have they come to you?” Hezekiah said, “They have come from a far country, from Babylon.”

15 Isaiah said, “What have they seen in your house?” Hezekiah answered, “They have seen everything that is in my house (palace). There is nothing in my treasuries that I have not shown them.”

16 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord.

17 ‘Behold, the time is coming when everything that is in your house, and that your fathers have stored up until this day, will be carried to Babylon; nothing will be left,’ says the Lord.

18 ‘And some of your sons (descendants) who will be born to you will betaken away [as captives]; and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.’”

19 Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lordwhich you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “Is it not good, if [at least] there will be peace and security in my lifetime?”

20 The rest of the acts of Hezekiah and all his might, and how he made the [Siloam] pool and the aqueduct and brought water into the city, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

21 Hezekiah slept with his fathers [in death], and Manasseh his son became king in his place.

Manasseh Succeeds Hezekiah

1 Manasseh was twelve years old when hebecame king, and he reigned for fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hephzibah.

2 He did [great] evil in the sight of the Lord, in accordance with the [idolatrous] repulsive acts of the [pagan] nations whom the Lorddispossessed before the sons (descendants) of Israel.

3 For he rebuilt the high places [for the worship of pagan gods] which his father Hezekiah had destroyed; and he set up altars for Baal and made an [image of] Asherah, just as Ahab king of Israel had done, and he worshiped all the [starry] host of heaven and served them.

4 And he built [pagan] altars in the house (temple) of the Lord, of which the Lordhad said, “In Jerusalem I will put MyName (Presence).”

5 And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courtyards of the house of the Lord.

6 He made his son pass through the fireandburned him [as an offering to Molech]; he practiced witchcraft and divination, and dealt with mediums and soothsayers. He did great evil in the sight of the Lord, provokingHim to anger.

7 He made a carved image of the [goddess] Asherah and set it up in the house (temple), of which the Lordsaid to David and to his son Solomon, “In this house and in Jerusalem [in the tribe of Judah], which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel, I will put My Name forever.

8 And I will not make the feet of Israel wander anymore from the land which I gave their fathers, if only they will be careful to act in accordance with everything that I have commanded them, and with all the law that My servant Moses commanded them.”

9 But they did not listen; and Manasseh seduced them to do more evil than the nations whom the Lorddestroyed before the sons (descendants) of Israel.

The King’s Idolatries Rebuked

10 Now the Lordspoke through His servants the prophets, saying,

11 “Because Manasseh king of Judah has committed these repulsive acts, having done more evil than all the Amorites did who were before him, and has also made Judah sin with his idols;

12 therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘Behold, I am bringingsuchcatastrophe on Jerusalem and Judah, that everyone who hears of it, both of his ears will ring [from the shock].

13 ~‘I will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samaria and the plummet of the house of Ahab; and I will wipe Jerusalem clean just as one wipes a [dirty] bowl clean, wiping it and turning it upside down.

14 ~‘I will abandon the remnant (remainder) of My inheritance and hand them over to their enemies; and they will become plunder and spoil to all their enemies,

15 because they have done evil in My sight, and have been provoking Me to anger, since the day their fathers came from Egypt to this day.’”

16 Moreover, Manasseh shed a very great quantity of innocent blood, until he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another; besides his sin with which he made Judah sin, by doing evil in the sight of the Lord.

17 Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, everything that he did, and the sin that he committed, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

18 Manasseh slept with his fathers [in death] and was buried in the garden of his own house, in the garden of Uzza. And his son Amon became king in his place.

Amon Succeeds Manasseh

19 Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Meshullemeth the daughter of Haruz of Jotbah.

20 He also did evil in the sight of the Lord, just as his father Manasseh had done.

21 He walked in all the [evil] ways that his father had walked; and he served the idols that his father had served, and worshiped them;

22 he abandoned the Lord, the God of his fathers, and did not walk in the way of the Lord.

23 But the servants of Amon conspired against him and killed the king in his own house (palace).

24 Then the people of the land [of Judah] killed all those who had conspired against King Amon, and the people of the land made his son Josiah king in his place.

25 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?

26 He was buried in his tomb in the garden of Uzza, and his son Josiah became king in his place.

Josiah Succeeds Amon

1 Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and reigned for thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath.

2 He did what was right in the sight of the Lordand walked in all the ways of his father (ancestor) David, and did not turn aside to the right or to the left.

3 In the eighteenth year of King Josiah, the king sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam the scribe to the house of the Lord, saying,

4 “Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, so that he may count the entire amount of money brought into the house of the Lord, which the doorkeepers have collected from the people.

5 And have them deliver it to the hands of the workmen who have been appointed over the house of the Lord, and have them give it to the workmen who are in the house of the Lordto repair the damages of the house–

6 that is, [have them give the money] to the carpenters and the builders and the masons–and to buy timber and cut stones to repair the house (temple).

7 However, no accounting shall be required of them for the money placed in their hands, because they act faithfully.”

The Lost Book

8 Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the Book of the Law in the house (temple) of the Lord.” Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it.

9 Shaphan the scribe came to the king and brought back word to him: “Your servants have emptied out the money that was found in the house, and have placed it in the hands of the workmen who have been appointed over the house of the Lord.”

10 Then Shaphan the scribe told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read it [aloud] before the king.

11 Now when the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes.

12 Then the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Achbor the son of Micaiah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the servant of the king, saying,

13 “Go, inquire of the Lordfor my sake and for the sake of the people and for all Judah concerning the words of this book which has been found, for great is the wrath of the Lordwhich has been kindled against us, because our fathers have not listened toandobeyed the words of this book, so as to act in accordance with everything that is written concerning us.”

Huldah Predicts

14 So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe (she was living in Jerusalem, in the Second Quarter [the new part of the city]); and they spoke to her.

15 She said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘Tell the man who sent you to me,

16 thus says the Lord: “Behold, I am bringing a catastrophe on this place (Judah) and on its inhabitants, [according to] all the words of the book which the king of Judah has read.

17 Because they have abandoned (rejected) 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 burns against this place, and it will not be quenched.”’

18 But to the king of Judah who sent you to inquire of the Lord, you shall say this to him: ‘Thus says the LordGod of Israel, “Regardingthe words which you have heard,

19 because your heart was tender (receptive, penitent) and you humbled yourself before the Lordwhen you heard what I said against this place and against its inhabitants, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and because you have torn your clothes and wept before Me, I have heard you,” declares the Lord.

20 “Therefore, behold, [King Josiah,] I will gather you to your fathers, and you will be taken to your grave in peace, and your eyes will not see all the evil (catastrophe) which I will bring on this place.”’” So they brought back word to the king.

Josiah’s Covenant

1 King Josiah sentwordand they brought to him all the elders of Judah and of Jerusalem.

2 The king went up to the house of the Lord, and with him all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests, the prophets, and all the people, both small and great; and he read in their hearing all the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the house (temple) of the Lord.

3 The king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lordand to keep His commandments, His testimonies, and His statutes with all his heart and soul, to confirm the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people entered into the covenant.

Reforms under Josiah

4 Then the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest and the priests of the second rank and the doorkeepers to bring out of the temple of the Lordall the articles made for Baal, for [the goddess] Asherah, and for all the [starry] host of heaven; and he burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron, and carried their ashes to Bethel [where Israel’s idolatry began].

5 He got rid of the idolatrous priests whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense [to pagan gods] in the high places in Judah’s cities and all around Jerusalem–also those who burned incense to Baal, to the sun, to the moon, to the constellations [of the zodiac], and to all the [starry] host of heaven.

6 Josiah brought out the Asherah from the house of the Lordto the Brook Kidron outside Jerusalem, and burned it there, and ground it to dust, and threw its dust on the graves of the common people [who had sacrificed to it].

7 And he tore down the houses of the [male] cult prostitutes, which were at the house (temple) of the Lord, where the women were weaving [tent] hangings for the Asherah [shrines].

8 Then Josiah brought all the [idolatrous] priests from the cities of Judah, and desecrated the high places where the priests had burned incense [to idols], from Geba to Beersheba, [that is, north to south]; and he tore down the high places of the gates which were at the entrance of the gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which were on one’s left at the city gate.

9 However, the priests of the high places were not allowed to go up to the altar of the Lordin Jerusalem [to serve], but they ate unleavened bread among their brothers.

10 Josiah also defiled Topheth, which is in the Valley of Ben-hinnom (son of Hinnom), so that no man could make his son or his daughter pass through the fire [as a burnt offering] for Molech.

11 And he got rid of the horses that the kings of Judah had given [in worship] to the sun at the entrance of the house of the Lord, by the chamber of Nathan-melech the official, which was in the annex; and he burned the chariots of the sun.

12 The altars [dedicated to the starry host of heaven] which were on the roof, the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars which Manasseh had made in the two courtyards of the house of the Lord, the king tore down; and he smashed them there and threw their dust into the Brook Kidron.

13 The king desecrated the high places which were opposite [east of] Jerusalem, which were on the right (south) of the mount of corruption which Solomon the king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the repulsiveness of the Sidonians, for Chemosh the repulsiveness of Moab, and for Milcom the repulsiveness of the sons (descendants) of Ammon.

14 He broke in pieces thesacredpillars (cultic memorial stones, images) and cut down the Asherim and replaced them with human bones [to desecrate the places forever].

15 Further, the altar that was at Bethel, the high place which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin, had made, even that altar and the high place he tore down. Then he demolished its stones, ground them to dust, and burned the Asherah.

16 And as Josiah turned, he saw the graves that were there on the mountain, and he sentmenand had the bones taken from the graves, and burned them on the altar and [thereby] desecrated it, in accordance with the word of the Lordwhich the man of God prophesied, who proclaimed these things [about this altar, naming Josiah before he was born].

17 Then Josiah said, “What is this monument (gravestone) that I see?” The men of the city told him, “It is the grave of the man of God who came from Judah and proclaimed these things which you have done to the altar of Bethel.”

18 He said, “Let him alone; let no one disturb his bones.” So they left his bones undisturbed, with the bones of the prophet who came from Samaria.

19 Josiah also removed all the houses of the high places which were in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made provoking the Lord[to anger]; and he did to them just as he had done [to those] in Bethel.

20 All the priests of the high places who were there he slaughtered on the altars, and burned human bones on them [to desecrate the places forever]. Then he returned to Jerusalem.

Passover Reinstituted

21 Then the king commanded all the people, saying, “Celebrate the Passover to the Lordyour God as it is written in this book of the covenant.”

22 Indeed, such a Passover as this had not been held since the days of the judges who judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah.

23 But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, this Passover to the Lordwas kept in Jerusalem.

24 Moreover, Josiah removed the mediums and the soothsayers and the teraphim (household gods) and the idols and all the repulsive things that were seen in Judah and in Jerusalem, so that he might fulfill the words of the law written in the book which Hilkiah the priest found in the house (temple) of the Lord.

25 Before him there was no king like Josiah who turned to the Lordwith all his heart and all his soul and all his might, in accordance with all the Law of Moses; nor did anyone like him arise after him.

26 However, the Lorddid not turn from the fierceness of His great wrath which was kindled against Judah because of all thedespicable acts with which Manasseh had provoked Him.

27 The Lordsaid, “I will also remove Judah from My sight, just as I have removed Israel; and will reject this city which I have chosen, this Jerusalem, and the house, of which I said, ‘My Name [and the pledge of My Presence] shall be there.’”

Jehoahaz Succeeds Josiah

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

29 In his days Pharaoh Neco (Necho) king of Egypt went up to the king of Assyria to the river Euphrates [to help him fight Nabopolassar the king of Babylon]. King Josiah went out to meet him, but Pharaoh killed Josiah at Megiddo when he saw him.

30 Josiah’s servants carried his dead body in a chariot from Megiddo, brought him to Jerusalem, and buried him in his own tomb. Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah and anointed him and made him king in his father’s place.

31 Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned for [only] three months in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.

32 He did evil in the sight of the Lord, in accordance with everything that his forefathers had done.

33 Pharaoh Neco imprisoned him at Riblah in the land of Hamath, so that he would not reign in Jerusalem, and imposed a fine on the land of a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold.

Jehoiakim Made King by Pharaoh

34 Pharaoh Neco made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in place of his father Josiah, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. But he took Jehoahaz and brought him to Egypt, where he died.

35 Jehoiakim gave the silver and the gold to Pharaoh, but he taxed the land to give the money as Pharaoh commanded. He collected the silver and gold from the people of the land, from everyone according to his assessment, to give it to Pharaoh Neco.

36 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zebidah daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah.

37 He did evil in the sight of the Lord, in accordance with everything that his forefathers had done.

Babylon Controls Jehoiakim

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

2 The Lordsent marauding bands of Chaldeans, Arameans (Syrians), Moabites, and Ammonites against Jehoiakim. And He sent them against Judah to destroy it, in accordance with the word of the Lordwhich He spoke through His servants the prophets.

3 Surely this came on Judah at the command of the Lord, to remove them from His sight because of the sins of [King] Manasseh, in accordance with everything that he had done,

4 and also for the innocent blood that he shed, for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; and the Lordwould not pardon it.

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

Jehoiachin Reigns

6 So Jehoiakim slept with his fathers [in death], and his son Jehoiachin became king in his place.

7 The king of Egypt did not come out of his land again, because theking of Babylon had taken everything that belonged to the king of Egypt, from the river of Egypt to the river Euphrates.

8 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned [only] three months in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Nehushta daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem.

9 He did evil in the sight of the Lord, in accordance with everything that his father had done.

Deportation to Babylon

10 At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon went up to Jerusalem, and the city came under siege.

11 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to the city while his servants were besieging it.

12 Jehoiachin king of Judah surrendered to the king of Babylon, he and his mother and his servants and his captains and his [palace] officials. So the king of Babylon took him prisoner in the eighth year of his [own] reign.

13 He carried out of there (Jerusalem) all the treasures of the house (temple) of the Lord, and the treasures of the house (palace) of the king, and cut in pieces all the articles of gold in the temple of the Lord, which Solomon king of Israel had made, just as the Lordhad said.

14 He led away into exile all Jerusalem and all the captains and all the brave men, ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and the smiths. None remained except the poorest people of the land.

15 Nebuchadnezzar led Jehoiachin away into exile to Babylon; also he took the king’s mother and the king’s wives and his officials and the leading men of the land [including Ezekiel] as exiles from Jerusalem to Babylon.

16 And the king of Babylon brought as exiles to Babylon all the brave men, seven thousand [of them], and the craftsmen and the smiths, a thousand [of them], all strong and fit for war.

Zedekiah Made King

17 Then the king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s uncle, king in his place, and changed his name to Zedekiah.

18 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.

19 He did evil in the sight of the Lord, in accordance with everything that Jehoiakim had done.

20 Because of the anger of the Lordthese thingshappened in Jerusalem and Judah, and it [finally] came to the point that He cast them from His presence. And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

Nebuchadnezzar Besieges Jerusalem

1 Now in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he with all his army, against Jerusalem, and camped against it and built siege works surrounding it.

2 The city came under siege [for nearly two years] until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.

3 On the ninth day of thefourthmonth the famine [caused by the siege] was severe in the city; there was no food for the people of the land.

4 Then the city [wall] was broken into [and conquered]; all the men of warfledby night by way of the gate between the two walls by the king’s garden, though theChaldeans (Babylonians) were all around the city. And they went by way of the Arabah (the plain of the Jordan).

5 The army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho. Then his entire army was dispersed from him.

6 So they seized the king (Zedekiah) and brought him to the king of Babylon at Riblah [on the Orontes River], and sentence was passed on him.

7 They slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, then put out the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him [hand and foot] with bronze fetters and brought him to Babylon.

Jerusalem Burned and Plundered

8 On the seventh day of the fifth month in the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, Nebuzaradan, captain of the bodyguard, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem.

9 He burned the house (temple) of the Lord, the king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great house he burned down.

10 All the army of the Chaldeans (Babylonians) whowere withthe captain of the bodyguard tore down the walls around Jerusalem.

11 Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard deported [into exile] the rest of the people who were left in the city and the deserters who had joined the king of Babylon, and the rest of the multitude.

12 But the captain of the bodyguard left some of the unimportantandpoorest people of the land to be vineyard workers and farmers.

13 Now the Chaldeans (Babylonians) smashed the bronze pillars which were in the house of the Lordand their bases and the bronze sea (large basin) which were in the house of the Lord, and carried the bronze to Babylon.

14 They took away the pots, the shovels, the snuffers, the spoons, and all the bronze articles which were used in thetempleservice,

15 the captain of the bodyguard also took away the firepans and basins, anything made of fine gold and anything made of fine silver.

16 The two pillars, the one sea (large basin), and the bases which Solomon had made for the house of the Lord, the bronze of all these articles was incalculable.

17 The height of the one pillar was eighteen cubits (27 ft.), and a capital of bronze was on top of it. The height of the capital was three cubits (4.5 ft.); a network (lattice work) and pomegranates around the capital were all of bronze. And the second pillar had the same as these, with a network.

18 The captain of the bodyguard took [captive] Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the second priest, and the three doorkeepers [of the temple].

19 And from the city [of Jerusalem] he took an officer who was in command of the men of war, and five men from the king’s personal advisors who were found in the city, and the scribe of the captain of the army who mustered the people of the land [for military service] and sixty men from the people of the land who were found in the city.

20 Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah.

21 Then the king of Babylon struck them down and killed them at Riblah in the land of Hamath [north of Damascus]. So Judah was taken into exile from its land.

Gedaliah Made Governor

22 Now over the people whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left in the land of Judah, he appointed [as governor] Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan.

23 When all the captains of the forces, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliahgovernor,they came with their men to Gedaliah at Mizpah, namely, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of the Maacathite.

24 Gedaliah swore [an oath] to them and their men, and said to them, “Do not be afraid of the servants (officials) of the Chaldeans. Live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will be well with you.”

25 But in the seventh month Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal family [who had a claim to be governor], came with ten men and struck and killed Gedaliah and the Jews and the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah.

26 Then all the people, both small and great, and the captains of the forces set out and went to Egypt; for they were afraid of the Chaldeans (Babylonians).

27 Now it came about in the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, on the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month, that Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he became king, showed favor to Jehoiachin king of Judahandreleased him from prison;

28 and he spoke kindly to him and set his throne above the throne of the [other] kings [of captive peoples] who were with him in Babylon.

29 Jehoiachin changed his prison clothes [for palace garments] and he dined regularly in the king’s presence for the remainder of his life;

30 and his allowance, a continual one, was given to him by the king (Evil-meridach), a portion every day, for the rest of his life.

David in Old Age

1 Now King David wasold, advanced in years; they covered him with clothes, but he could not get warm.

2 So his servants said to him, “Let a young virgin be found for my lord the king and let her attend him and become his nurse; let her lie against your chest, so that my lord the king may feel warm.”

3 So they searched for a beautiful girl throughout the territory of Israel, and found Abishag theShunammite, and brought her to the king.

4 The girl was very beautiful; and she became the king’s nurse and served him, but the kingwas not intimate with her.

5 Then Adonijah the son of [David’s wife] Haggith exalted himself, saying, “I [the eldest living son] will be king.” So [following Absalom’s example] he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him.

6 His father [David] hadnever rebuked him at any time by asking, “Why have you done this?” Adonijah was also a very handsome man, and he was born after Absalom.

7 He had conferred withJoab the son of Zeruiah [David’s half sister] and with Abiathar the priest; and they followed Adonijah and helped him.

8 But Zadok the priest, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and David’smost formidable warriors did not side with Adonijah [in his desire to become king].

9 Adonijah sacrificed sheep and oxen and fattened steers by the Stone of Zoheleth, which is beside [the well] En-rogel; and he invited all his brothers, the king’s sons, and all the men of Judah, the king’s servants [to this feast].

10 But he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the most formidable warriors, or his brother Solomon.

Nathan and Bathsheba

11 Then Nathan spoke to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, “Have you not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith has become king, and David our lord does not know about it?

12 Come now, please let me advise you and save your life and the life of your son Solomon.

13 Go at once to King David and say to him, ‘Did you not, my lord, O king, swear to your maidservant, saying, “Solomon your son shall certainly be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne”? Why then has Adonijah become king?’

14 Behold, while you are still there speaking with the king, I will come in after you and confirm your words.”

15 So Bathsheba went to the king in his bedroom. Now the king was very oldandweak, and Abishag the Shunammite was attending the king.

16 So Bathsheba bowed down and paid respect to the king. And the king said, “What do you wish?”

17 She said to him, “My lord, you swore by the Lordyour God to your maidservant,saying,‘Solomon your son shall certainly be king after me and he shall sit on my throne.’

18 But now, behold, Adonijah is [acting as] king; and now [as things stand], my lord the king, you do not know it.

19 He has sacrificed oxen and fattened steers and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king’s sons and Abiathar the priest and Joab the commander of the army [to a feast], but he did not invite your servant Solomon.

20 Now as for you, my lord the king, the eyes of allIsrael are on you [waiting for you] to tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him.

21 Otherwise it will come about when my lord the king lies down [in death] with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be consideredpolitical enemies.”

22 While she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet came in.

23 The king was told, “Here is Nathan the prophet.” And when he came before the king, he bowed before the king with his face to the ground.

24 Then Nathan said, “My lord the king, have you said, ‘Adonijah shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne’?

25 Because he has gone down today [to En-Rogel] and has sacrificed oxen and fattened steers and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king’s sons, the commanders of the army and Abiathar the priest [to this feast]; and [right now] they are eating and drinking in his presence; and they say, ‘Longlive King Adonijah!’

26 But he has not invited me, your servant, nor Zadok the priest, nor Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, nor your servant Solomon.

27 If this thing has been done by my lord the king, why have you not shown your servants who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?”

28 King David answered, “Call Bathsheba to me.” And she came into the king’s presence and stood before him.

29 Then the king swore an oath and said, “As the Lordlives, who has redeemed my soul from all distress,

30 even as I swore to you by the Lord, the God of Israel, saying, ‘Solomon your son shall certainly be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place’; I will indeed do so thisveryday.”

31 Bathsheba bowed down with her face to the ground, and laid herself face down before the king and said, “May my lord King David live forever!”

32 Then King David said, “Call Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada to me.” And they came before the king.

33 The king told them, “Take theservants of your lord with you and have Solomon my sonride on my own mule, and bring him down to [the spring at]Gihon [in the Kidron Valley].

34 Let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there as king over Israel. Then blow the trumpet and say, ‘Longlive King Solomon!’

35 Then you shall come up [to Jerusalem] after him, and he shall come and sit on my throne and he shall reignas kingin my place; for I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and Judah.”

36 Benaiah [the overseer of the king’s bodyguards], the son of Jehoiada answered the king and said, “Amen! (So be it!) May the Lord, the God of my lord the king, say so too.

37 Just as the Lordhas been with my lord the king, so may He be with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David!”

Solomon Anointed King

38 So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites [the king’s bodyguards] went down [from Jerusalem] and had Solomon ride on King David’s mule, and brought him to [the spring at] Gihon.

39 Zadok the priest took a horn of [olive] oil from the [sacred] tent and anointed Solomon. They blew the trumpet, and all the people said, “Longlive King Solomon!”

40 All the people went up after him, and they were playing on flutes and rejoicing with great joy, so that the earth shookandseemed to burst open with their [joyful] sound.

41 Now Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they finished eating. When Joab heard the trumpet sound, he said, “Why is the city in such an uproar?”

42 While he was still speaking, behold, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest arrived. And Adonijah said, “Come in, for you are a valiantandtrustworthy man and you bring good news.”

43 But Jonathan replied to Adonijah, “No,on the contrary, our lord King David has made Solomon king!

44 The king has sent him with Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites; and they have had him ride on the king’s [own royal] mule.

45 Also, Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king in Gihon, and they have come up from there celebrating, so the city is in an uproar. This is the noise which you have heard.

46 Besides, Solomon has taken his seat on the throne of the kingdom.

47 Moreover, the king’s servants came to bless (congratulate) our lord King David, saying, ‘Mayyour God make the name of Solomon better (more famous) than your name and make his throne greater than your throne.’ And the king bowed himself [before God] upon the bed.

48 The king has also said this: ‘Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who has granted one [of my descendants] to sit on my throne today andallowedmy eyes to see it.’”

49 Then all Adonijah’s guests were terrified [of being branded as traitors] and stood upandleft the feast, and each one went on his way.

50 And Adonijah feared Solomon, and he got up and went [to the tabernacle on Mt. Zion] and took hold of the horns of the altar [seeking asylum].

51 Now Solomon was told, “Behold, Adonijah is afraid of King Solomon, and behold, he has grasped the horns of the altar [seeking God’s protection], saying, ‘King Solomon must swear to me today that he will not kill his servant with the sword.’”

52 Solomon said, “If he [proves he] is a worthy man, notevenone of his hairs shall fall to the ground; but if wickedness is found in him, he shall die.”

53 So King Solomon sent [soldiers], and they brought Adonijah down from the altar [that was in front of the tabernacle]. And he came and bowed down to King Solomon, and Solomon said to him, “Go to your house.”

David’s Charge to Solomon

1 When David’s time to die approached, he gave instructions to Solomon his son, saying,

2 “I am going the way of all the earth [as dust to dust]. Be strong and prove yourself a man.

3 Keep the charge of the Lordyour God, [that is, fulfill your obligation to] walk in His ways, keep His statutes, His commandments, His precepts, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, so that you may succeed in everything that you do and wherever you turn,

4 so that the Lordmay fulfill Hispromise concerning me, saying, ‘If your sons are careful regarding their way [of life], to walk before Me in truth with all their heartandmind and with all their soul, you shall not fail to have a man (descendant) on the throne of Israel.’

5 Now you also know what Joab the son of Zeruiah [my sister] did to me, and what he did to the two commanders of the armies of Israel, to Abner the son of Ner and to Amasa the son of Jether, [both of] whom he murdered;avenging the blood of war in [a time of] peace. And he put the [innocent] blood of war [of Abner and Amasa] on hisbelt that was around hiswaist, and on his sandals on his feet.

6 So act in accordance with your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to Sheol (the place of the dead) in peace.

7 But be graciousandkind to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be among those who [have the honor to] eat at your table; for they met me [with kindness] when I fled from your brother Absalom.

8 And look, you have with you Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite of Bahurim; he is the one who cursed me with a sinister curse the day I went to Mahanaim. But he came down to meet me at the Jordan [on my return], and I swore to him by the Lord, saying, ‘I will not put you to death with the sword.’

9 But now do not let him go unpunished, for you are a wise man; and you will know what to do to him, and you will bring his gray head down to Sheol [covered] with blood.”

Death of David

10 So David lay down with his fathers [in death] and was buried in theCity of David.

11 The time that David reigned over Israel was forty years: he reigned seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.

12 Then Solomon sat on the throne of David his father, and his kingdom was firmly established.

13 Now Adonijah the son of [David and] Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. She said, “Do you come in peace?” And he said, “In peace.”

14 Then he said, “I have somethingto sayto you.” And she said, “Speak.”

15 So he said, “You know that the kingdom belonged to me [as the eldest living son] and all Israellooked to meandexpected me to be king. However, the kingdom has passed [from me] and became my brother’s, for it was his from the Lord.

16 So now I am making one request of you; do notrefuse me.” And she said to him, “Speak.”

17 He said, “Please speak to King Solomon, for he will not refuse you;askthat he may give me Abishag the Shunammite as a wife.”

18 Bathsheba replied, “Very well; I will speak to the king for you.”

Adonijah Executed

19 So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah. And the king rose to meet her, bowed before her, and sat down on his throne; then he had a throne set for her, the king’s mother, and she sat on his right.

20 Then she said, “I am making one small request of you; do not refuse me.” And the king said to her, “Ask, my mother, for I will not refuse you.”

21 So she said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to your brother Adonijah as a wife.”

22 King Solomon answered and said to his mother, “And why are you asking forAbishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask the kingdom for him also–since he is my older brother–[ask it] for him and for Abiathar the priest and Joab the son of Zeruiah [his supporters]!”

23 Then King Solomon swore by the Lord, saying, “May God do the same to me, and more also, if Adonijah has not requested this [deplorable] thing against his ownlife.

24 So now, as the Lordlives, who has established me and set me on the throne of David my father, and who has made me a house as He promised, Adonijah shall indeed be put to death today.”

25 So King Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and hestruck Adonijah and he died.

26 Then the king said to Abiathar the priest, “Go to Anathoth to your own fields, for youcertainly deserve to die; but I will not put you to death this day, because you carried the ark of the Lord Godbefore my father David, and you suffered everything that my father endured.”

27 So Solomon dismissed Abiathar [a descendant of Eli] from being priest to the Lord, fulfilling the word of the Lord, which He had spoken concerning the house (descendants) of Eli in Shiloh.

Joab Executed

28 Now the news reached Joab, for Joab had supportedandfollowed Adonijah, although he had not followed Absalom. So Joab fled to the [sacred] tent of the Lordand took hold of the horns of the altar [to seek asylum].

29 King Solomon was told that Joab had fled to the tent of the Lordand was at that moment beside the altar. Then Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, “Go,strike him down.”

30 So Benaiah came to the tent of the Lordand told Joab, “This is what the king commands, ‘Come outof there.’” But Joab said, “No, for I will die here.” Then Benaiah brought word to the king again, saying, “This is what Joab said, and this is how he answered me.”

31 The king said to him, “Do as he has said.Strike him down and bury him, so that you may remove from me and from my father’s house the innocent blood which Joab shed.

32 The Lordwill return his bloody deeds upon his own head, because he struck down two men more righteous and honorable than he and killed them with the sword, without my father David knowing: Abner the son of Ner, commander of the army of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, commander of the army of Judah.

33 So shall their blood return on the head of Joab and the heads of his descendants forever. But for David, his descendants, his house, and his throne, may there be peace from the Lordforever.”

34 So Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up [to the tabernacle] and struck and killed Joab, and he was buried at his own house in the wilderness [of Judah].

35 The king appointed Benaiah the son of Jehoiada over the army in Joab’s place, and appointed Zadok the priest in place of Abiathar.

Shimei Executed

36 Now the king sentwordand called for Shimei and said to him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and live there. Do not go from there toany other place.

37 For on the day you leave and cross over theBrook Kidron, know for certain that you shall surely die; your blood shall be on your own head.”

38 Shimei said to the king, “The word (ruling) is good. As my lord the king has said, so will your servant do.” So Shimei lived in Jerusalem for many days.

39 But it happened after three years, that two of Shimei’s servants ran away to Achish the son of Maacah, the king ofGath. And Shimei was told, “Behold, your [runaway] servants are in Gath.”

40 So Shimei arose, saddled his donkey, and went to Gath to [King] Achish to look for his servants. And Shimei went and brought thembackfrom Gath.

41 Now Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath, and had returned.

42 So the king sentwordand called for Shimei and said to him, “Did I not make you swear by the Lordand solemnly warn you, saying, ‘Know for certain that on the day you leave [Jerusalem] and go anywhere, you shall surely die’? And you said to me, ‘The word (ruling) I have heard is good.’

43 Why then have you not kept the oath of the Lord, and the command which I gave you?”

44 The king also said to Shimei, “You are aware in your own heart of all the evil you did to my father David; so the Lordshall return your evil on your own head.

45 But King Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before the Lordforever.”

46 So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck down Shimei, and he died.

So the kingdom was established in the hands of Solomon.

Solomon’s Rule Consolidated

1 Now Solomon became a son-in-law to Pharaoh king of Egypt [and formed an alliance] bytaking Pharaoh’s daughter [in marriage]. He brought her to theCity of David [where she remained temporarily] until he had finished building his own house (palace) and the house of the Lordand the wall around Jerusalem.

2 But [in the meantime] the people were still sacrificing [to God] on the high places (hilltops) [as the pagans did to their idols], for there was no [permanent] house yet built for theName of the Lord.

3 Now Solomon loved the Lord, walking [at first] in the statutes of David his father, except [for the fact that] he sacrificed and burned incense in the high places [ignoring the law that required all sacrifices to be offered at the tabernacle].

4 The king went to Gibeon [near Jerusalem, where the tabernacle and the bronze altar stood] to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place. Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.

5 In Gibeon the Lordappeared to Solomon in a dream at night; and God said, “Ask [Me] what I shall give you.”

Solomon’s Prayer

6 Then Solomon said, “You have shown Your servant David my father great lovingkindness, because he walked before You in faithfulness and righteousness and with uprightness of heart toward You; and You have kept for him this great lovingkindness, in that You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is today.

7 So now, O Lordmy God, You have made Your servant king in place of David my father; and as for me, I am but a little boy [in wisdom and experience]; I do not know how to go out or come in [that is, how to conduct business as a king].

8 Your servant is among Your people whom You have chosen, a great people who are too many to be numbered or counted.

9 So give Your servant an understanding mindanda hearing heart [with which] to judge Your people, so that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judgeandrule this great people of Yours?”

God’s Answer

10 Now it pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing.

11 God said to him, “Because you have asked this and have not asked for yourself a long life nor for wealth, nor for the lives of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to recognize justice,

12 behold, I have done as you asked. I have given you a wise and discerning heart (mind), so that no one before you was your equal, nor shall anyone equal to you arise after you.

13 I have also given you what you have not asked, both wealth and honor, so that there will not be anyone equal to you among the kings, for all your days.

14 If you walk in My ways, keeping My statutes and My commandments, as your father Daviddid, then I will lengthen your days.”

15 Then Solomon awoke, and he realized that it was a dream. He came [back] to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; he offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and he prepared a feast for all his servants.

Solomon Wisely Judges

16 Then two women who were prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.

17 And the one woman said, “O my lord, this woman and I live in the same house; and I gave birth to a child while she was in the house.

18 And on the third day after I gave birth, this woman also gave birth. And we were [alone] together; no one else was with us in the house, just we two.

19 Now this woman’s son died during the night, because she lay on him [and smothered him].

20 So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from [his place] beside me while your maidservant was asleep, and laid him on her bosom, and laid her dead son on my bosom.

21 When I got up in the morning to nurse my son, behold, he was dead. But when I examined him carefully in the morning, behold, it was not my son,the onewhom I had borne.”

22 Then the other woman said, “No! For my son is the one who is living, and your son is the dead one.” But the first woman said, “No! For your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.” [This is how] they were speaking before the king.

23 Then the king said, “This woman says, ‘This is my son, the one who is alive, and your son is the dead one’; and the other woman says, ‘No! For your son is the dead one, and my son is the one who is alive.’”

24 Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword before the king.

25 Then the king said, “Cut the living child in two, and give half to the one [woman] and half to the other.”

26 Then the woman whose child was the living one spoke to the king, for she was deeply moved over her son, “O my lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him.” But the other said, “He shall be neither mine nor yours; cuthim!”

27 Then the king said, “Give the first woman [who is pleading for his life] the living child, and by no means kill him. She is his mother.”

28 When all [the people of] Israel heard about the judgment which the king had made, they [were in awe and reverently] feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was within him to administer justice.

Solomon’s Officials

1 King Solomon was king over all [the people of] Israel.

2 These were his [chief] officials: Azariah theson of Zadok was thehighpriest;

3 Elihoreph and Ahijah the sons of Shisha, were scribes; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was the recorder [of important events];

4 Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was in command of the army; Zadok and Abiathar were priests;

5 Azariah the son of Nathan was in charge of the deputies; Zabud the son of Nathan was priest and was the king’s friend [and trusted advisor];

6 Ahishar was in charge of the household (palace); and Adoniram the son of Abda was in charge of the forced labor.

7 Solomon had twelve deputies over all Israel, whosecured provisions for the king and his household; each man had to provide for a month in the year.

8 These were their names: Ben-hur, in the hill country of [the tribe of] Ephraim;

9 Ben-deker in Makaz and Shaalbim and Beth-shemesh and Elon-beth-hanan;

10 Ben-hesed, in Arubboth (to him belonged Socoh and all the land of Hepher);

11 Ben-abinadab, in all the hills of Dor (Taphath, Solomon’s daughter, was his wife);

12 Baana the son of Ahilud, in Taanach, Megiddo, and all Beth-shean which is beside Zarethan below Jezreel, from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah as far as beyond Jokmeam;

13 Ben-geber, in Ramoth-gilead (the villages of Jair the son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead belonged to him, also the region of Argob, which is in Bashan, sixty great cities with walls and bronze bars);

14 Ahinadab the son of Iddo, in Mahanaim;

15 Ahimaaz, in [the tribe of] Naphtali (he also married Basemath, Solomon’s daughter);

16 Baana the son of Hushai, in [the tribe of] Asher and Bealoth;

17 Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah, in [the tribe of] Issachar;

18 Shimei the son of Ela, in [the tribe of] Benjamin;

19 Geber the son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, the country of Sihon king of the Amorites and of Og king of Bashan; andhe wasthe only officer who was in the land.

Solomon’s Power, Wealth and Wisdom

20 [The people of] Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand that is in abundance by the sea; they were eating and drinking and rejoicing.

21 Now Solomon reigned over all the kingdoms from the [Euphrates] River to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt; they brought tribute (money) and served Solomon all the days of his life.

22 Solomon’s food [for the royal household] for one day was thirtykors of finely milled flour, sixty kors of wheat flour,

23 ten fat oxen, twenty pasture-fed oxen, a hundred sheep not counting fallow deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fattened fowl.

24 For he was ruling over everything west of the [Euphrates] River, from Tiphsah to Gaza, over all the kings west of the [Euphrates] River; and he had peace on all sides around him.

25 Judah and Israel lived in security, every man under his vine and fig tree [in peace and prosperity], from Dan [in the north] to Beersheba [in the south], during all the days of Solomon.

26 Solomon also had40,000 stalls of horses for his chariots, and 12,000 horsemen.

27 Those deputies provided food for King Solomon and for all [the staff] who came to King Solomon’s table, each in his month; they let nothing be lacking.

28 They also brought the barley and straw for the horses and swift steeds (warhorses, chargers) to the place where it was needed, each man according to his assignment.

29 Now God gave Solomon [exceptional] wisdom and very great discernment and breadth of mind, like the sand of the seashore.

30 Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the sons of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt.

31 For he was wiserthan all [other] men, [wiser] thanEthan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol. His fame wasknownin all the surrounding nations.

32 He also spoke 3,000 proverbs, and his songs were 1,005.

33 He spoke of trees, from the cedar which is in Lebanon to the hyssop [vine] that grows on the wall; he spoke also of animals, of birds, of creeping things, and fish.

34 People came from all the peoples (nations) to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom.