Open Bible Data Home  About  News  OET Key

Moff JOS 1 CHR 2 CHR EZRA NEH EST JOB PSA PROV ECC SNG JER LAM EZE DAN HOS JOEL AMOS OBA YNA MIC NAH HAB ZEP HAG ZEC MAL MAT MARK LUKE YHN ACTs ROM 1 COR 2 COR GAL EPH PHP COL 1 TH 2 TH 1 TIM 2 TIM TIT PHM HEB YAC 1 PET 2 PET 1 YHN 2 YHN 3 YHN YUD REV

◄ Moff 2 CHR ►

2CH

1 Now Solomon the son of David established himself in his kingdom; the Eternal his God was with him and made him very great. 2 Solomon issued orders to all Israel, to the generals and commanders, the judges, and all the authorities, to every one of the headmen in Israel; 3 then, accompanied by the whole community, Solomon went to the sacred height at Gibeon. 4 God’s ark had been brought by David from Kiriath-jearim to the place prepared for it by David at Jerusalem, where he had pitched a tent for it; but at Gibeon stood God’s Trysting tent, which Moses the servant of the Eternal had made in the desert, 5 and there stood also the bronze altar, made by Bezalel the son of Uri (the son of Hur), in front of the tent of the Eternal. So Solomon and the community resorted to the Eternal there; 6 Solomon sacrificed there, on the bronze altar in front of the Trysting tent, before the Eternal, a thousand victims by burning.

7 The following night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, “Ask what I am to give you.” 8 Solomon said to God, “Thou hast proved thyself most generous to my father David, and thou hast made me succeed him as king. 9 Now, O God Eternal, let thy promise to my father David be completed; as thou hast made me king over a people whose numbers are like the dust of the earth, 10 so give me wisdom and intelligence that I may manage all the affairs of this people. For who can govern this people of thine, that is so great?”

11 God answered Solomon, “Since this is your mind, since you have asked neither riches, nor wealth, nor honour, nor the lives of your adversaries, nor even long life for yourself, but wisdom and in­telligence for yourself to govern my people over whom I have made you king, 12 wisdom and intelligence I give you, and I will add riches, wealth, and honour such as no king before you ever had, and no king after you will ever have.” 13 Solomon then returned to Jerusalem.

He reigned over Israel. 14 He amassed chariots and cavalry; he had one thousand four hundred chariots and twelve thousand cavalry, which he kept in the chariot-towns or at Jerusalem beside the king. 16 Solomon’s horses were imported from Muzri and from Kue; the royal dealers used to bring a troop of horses from Kue, paying cash for them; 17 a chariot brought in from Muzri cost seventy-five pounds in silver, and a horse cost about twenty pounds in silver (the dealers supplied all the kings of the Hittites and the Aramaeans at the same rate). 15 The king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar wood as plentiful as sycomore-trees in the lowlands.

2 Now Solomon resolved to build a temple for the Eternal and a royal palace for himself. 2 So Solomon told off seventy thousand men as labourers and eighty thousand woodcutters in the hills, with three thousand six hundred foremen. 3 Solomon also sent this message to Huram king of Tyre: “Deal with me as you dealt with my father David, when you sent him cedars to build him a palace. 4 I am building a temple in honour of the Eternal my God, dedicating it to him, for burning incense of fragrant spices before him, for presenting the bread of the Presence perpetually, and for burnt-offerings every morning and evening, on the sabbaths and at the new moon and on the set festivals of the Eternal our God—these being binding upon Israel. 5 It is a great temple I am building, for great is our God, above all gods. 6 No one could build him a temple to house him, since heaven and even the highest heaven cannot contain him. I am merely building him a temple, to have incense burned before him, and who am I even to accomplish this? 7 Send me, then, some craftsman who is an adept in working gold, silver, bronze, and iron, in handling purple, crimson, and blue dyes, some one to assist my own adepts in Judah and Jerusalem, whom my father David has collected. 8 Also send me cedars, firs, and cypress logs from Lebanon; for I know your servants are skilled at felling timber in Lebanon. 9 My servants will join your servants in getting plenty of timber ready, for the temple I am building is to be a marvel in size. 10 I will give your people the woodcutters two hundred thousand bushels of grain for food, two hundred thousand bushels of barley, a hundred and eighty thousand gallons of wine, and a hundred and eighty thousand gallons of oil.”

11 Huram king of Tyre sent this written answer to Solomon: “Because the Eternal loves his people, he has made you their king. 12 Blessed be the Eternal the God of Israel,” Huram continued, “who made heaven and earth, and who has given king David a wise son, endowed with prudence and intelligence, to build a temple and a royal palace for himself. 13 I send you an adept workman, endued with intelligence, a trusty adviser of mine called Huram, 14 the son of a Danite woman and of a Tyrian sire, an expert in handling gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood, in treating purple, blue, fine linen, and crimson dyes, also in carving and engraving of all kinds; let him be allotted a place among your own adept workmen and those of my lord David your father. 15 As for the grain, the barley, the oil, and the wine, of which my lord speaks, let these be sent to the servants; 16 we will fell as much timber as you want from Lebanon and forward it in floats by sea to Joppa, whence you can transport it up to Jerusalem.”

17 So Solomon registered all the aliens in the land of Israel, according to the census taken by his father David; they proved to be a hundred and fifty-three thousand six hundred in number. 18 Seventy thousand of them he made labourers, eighty thousand were to work as woodcutters up in the hills, and three thousand six hundred were to act as foremen and to see that the men did their work.

3 Then Solomon began the building of the temple of the Eternal at Jerusalem, on mount Moriah where the Eternal had appeared to his father David, on the very spot fixed by David at the threshing-floor of Oman the Jebusite; 2 he began to build on the second day of the second month in the fourth year of his reign. 3 Here is the ground-plan drawn up by Solomon for building the temple of God. Its length (measured by the older scale of cubits) was ninety feet, its breadth was thirty feet. 4 The length of the front porch, corresponding to the breadth of the temple, was thirty feet, and its height was a hundred and eighty feet, the interior being garnished with pure gold. 5 The large hall he wainscoted with fir, garnishing it with fine gold, and carving palms and garlands on the walls. 6 The shrine he adorned with exquisite jewels, and the gold came from Parvaim; 7 he had the whole of the shrine, the beams, the walls, and the doors garnished with gold, carving kherubs on the walls. 8 He made the most sacred interior thirty feet long, corresponding to the breadth of the temple, and it was thirty feet broad; he garnished it with over twenty-five tons of fine gold, 9 the nails of gold each weighing two pounds. The upper rooms he also garnished with gold. 10 Inside the most sacred interior he made two kherubs in woodwork, covering them with gold; 11 their wings extended for thirty feet, one wing of each kherub stretching for seven and a half feet to the wall of the shrine 12 and the other wing stretching for seven and a half feet to the wing of the other kherub. 13 These kherubs, with wings stretching across thirty feet, stood on their feet, facing inwards. 14 He also had the curtain made of fine linen, in blue, purple, and crimson, with kherubs worked on it. 15 In front of the temple he erected two columns, about fifty feet high, with a capital of seven and a half feet in height on the top of each; 16 he put garlands like necklaces round the tops of the pillars, stringing upon them a hundred pomegranates which he had carved. 17 The columns he set up in front of the temple, one on the right hand and one on the left; the one on the right he called Jachin, the one on the left he called Boaz. 4 He a also made a bronze altar, thirty feet long, thirty feet broad, and fifteen feet high. 2 He made a metal sea or tank fifteen feet in diameter, seven and a half feet high, and forty-five feet round. 3 Under it all round were gourd-like rosettes, encircling the tank, ten to every foot and a quarter; these gourd-like rosettes were in two rows, and they were cast in one piece with the tank itself, 4 which rested on twelve bulls, three facing the north, three facing the west, three facing the south, and three facing the east; the tank was placed on their backs, their haunches being turned inwards. 5 It was about three inches thick, the brim curling like the brim of a cup, like the petals of a lily, and it held over twenty-four thousand gallons. 6 He also made ten pots, placing five on the right hand and five on the left, for washing those parts of the victims which were sacrificed in burnt-oflerings; the priests washed themselves in the tank. 7 He made the ten lampstands of gold, as prescribed, and placed them inside the temple, five on the right side and five on the left. 8 He also made ten tables, and placed them inside the temple, five to the right and five to the left, as well as a hundred bowls of gold. 9 He made the court of the priests and the large court, with doors which he covered vith bronze. 10 The tank was placed on the right of the temple, facing southeast. 11 Huram made the pots, the shovels, and the bowls.

So Huram completed the work he did for king Solomon in building the temple of God, 12 the two columns, the two rounded capitals on the top of the columns, the two nets of trellis-work to cover the two rounded capitals on the top of the columns, 13 the four hundred pomegranates for each trellis-work, each network having two rows of pomegranates, to cover the two rounded capitals on the top of the columns. 14 He also made trolleys for the pots, and the pots on the trolleys, 15 the tank and its twelve bulls underneath; 16 the pots, the shovels, the forks, and all the utensils of the temple were made by the trusty Huram for king Solomon,' to build the temple of God.

17 This bright bronze work was cast by the king in the clay soil of the Jordan valley between Sukkoth and Zeredah. 18 Solomon made enormous quantities of these utensils, for the weight of the bronze was past counting. 19 Solomon himself made of pure gold all the utensils within the temple of God, with the golden altar, the tables for the bread of the Presence, 20 the lampstands with lamps to burn in front of the inner shrine, as prescribed, 21 the ornamental flowers, the lamps, and the tongs being of solid gold; 20 the snuffers, bowls, saucers, and fire-pans, and even the entrances, the doors of the inner shrine, and the doors of the temple, were made of gold.

5 So all the work done by Solomon on the temple of the Eternal was finished; Solomon then brought in the votive offerings of his father David, the silver and the gold and all the other articles, placing them in the store-chambers of the temple of God.

2 Then Solomon called together at Jerusalem the sheikhs of Israel and all the chiefs of the clans, the heads of the various families, to bring the ark of the Eternal’s compact up from David’s burg or Sion. 3 The Israelites all gathered round the king at the festival in the seventh month. 4 The sheikhs of Israel all went with the Levites and carried up the ark, 5 the Trysting tent, and all the sacred articles inside the tent; these were carried by the priests or Levites, 6 while king Solomon and all the community of Israel which had gathered round him walked in front of the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen past all counting and numbering.

7 Then the priests placed the ark of the Eternal’s compact in its place within the inner shrine, the most sacred Place, under the wings of the kherubs; 8 for the wings of the kherubs stretched over the place for the ark, covering the ark and its poles, 9 though the poles were so long that their projecting tips could be seen, not outside, but from the sacred hall in front of the shrine--the position they occupy to this very day. 10 Inside the ark there was nothing except the two tablets which Moses had placed there at Horeb, the tablets of the compact which the Eternal made with the Israelites when they left Egypt.

11 When the priests came out of the inner shrine (for all the priests present had consecrated themselves, not merely those whose turn it was to serve; 12 all the Levites who were singers, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, with their sons and clansmen, stood at the east end of the altar, robed in fine linen, and holding cymbals, lutes, and lyres; beside them stood a hundred and twenty priests who blew trumpets. 13 The trumpeters and singers joined in one loud song of praise and thanksgiving to the Eternal, and to the accompaniment of trumpets, cym­bals, and other instruments of music, they sang this praise aloud to the Eternal, chanting,

For he is good,

his kindness never fails.), a cloud filled the temple, the temple of the Eternal, 14 so densely that the priests could not stand to serve; the Eternal’s splendour of glory filled the temple of God.

6 Then said Solomon:

The sun has the Eternal set in heaven,

but chosen himself to dwell in darkness;

2 so I have built this mansion great for thee,

for thee to dwell in, to eternity. 3 The king turned round and blessed all the gathering of Israel as they stood. 4 He said,

“Blessed be the Eternal the God of Israel, who spoke directly to my father David and has done all he promised! 5 He said, ‘Ever since I brought my people out of the land of Egypt, I chose no city out of any clan of Israel to build a temple for my presence, nor did I choose any man to rule my people Israel, 6 none but Jerusalem as my seat and David as lord over my people Israel.’ 7 My father David did have it in mind to build a temple in honour of the Eternal the God of Israel; 8 but the Eternal said to my father David, ‘You had it in your mind to build a temple in my honour; you did well to have that in mind. 9 Yet you are not to build the temple; it is your son, born of your body, who shall build the temple in my honour.’ 10 The Eternal has done what he promised; for I have risen to succeed my father David and to sit upon the throne of Israel, as the Eternal promised, and I have built the temple in honour of the Eternal the God of Israel; 11 in it I have placed the ark containing the compact which the Eternal made with the Israelites.”

12 Then he stood in front of the altar of the Eternal, in presence of all the community of Israel, and stretched out his hands. 13 Solomon had made a bronze platform, seven and a half feet long, seven and a half feet wide, and about four feet high, which he placed in the middle of the court; taking up his position on this, he knelt down in the presence of all the community of Israel, and stretching out his hands to heaven he cried: 14 “O Eternal, God of Israel, there is no god like thee in heaven or earth, who keepest thy compact and showest kindness to thy servants, as they live under thine eye with all their heart. 15 Thou hast kept thy word to thy servant David my father; thou didst make him thine own promise and thou hast done it, as it is this day. 16 Now then, O Eternal, God of Israel, keep this thy promise to thy servant David my father: ‘You shall never lack a descendant in my sight to sit upon the throne of Israel, if only your children watch their lives, careful to follow my directions as you have done.’ 17 O Eternal, God of Israel, pray let this promise be fulfilled, which thou didst make to thy servant David!

18 But can God really live among men on earth? The very heaven, the height of heaven itself, cannot contain thee; and how much less this temple I have built! 19 So do thou turn, O Eternal my God, to thy servant in his prayers and supplications, listening to the cry of prayer which thy servant lifts to thee, 20 that thine eyes may be open, day and night, to this temple, to the place where thou hast promised thy presence, listening to the prayer thy servant offers, when he turns to this place. 21 Listen to the supplications of thy servant and of thy people Israel, when they turn in prayer towards this place; yea, hear us up in thy home, in heaven, and as thou hearest forgive us.

22 When a man sins against his neighbour and is adjured to swear an oath, when he comes and swears his oath before thine altar in this temple, 23 then do thou listen up in heaven, take action and decide between thy servants, punishing the guilty by making him suffer for his misdeeds, and vindicating the innocent by rewarding him for his innocence.

24 When thy people Israel fall before the foe, because they have sinned against thee, if they repent and own thee openly and pray with supplications to thee in this temple, 25 then do thou listen up in heaven and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, letting them remain within the land which thou gavest to them and to their fathers. 26 When the skies are shut and no rain falls, because they have sinned against thee, if they turn in prayer towards this place and own thee openly and give up their sin under thy chastisement, 27 then do thou listen in heaven and forgive the sin of thy servant and thy people Israel, as thou teachest them the good path for their life; send rain upon thy land, which thou hast given to thy people as their heritage. 28 When there is famine in the land, or pestilence, blasting or mildew, locusts or caterpillars, when their enemies besiege them in any of their towns, whatever be the plague or trouble-- 29 whatever prayer and supplication is offered by any man of them, knowing well what plagues and vexes himself, and stretching out his hands towards this temple, 30 then do thou listen up in thy home, in heaven, and forgive them, dealing with every man as he has lived, O thou who knowest his heart (for thou, thou only, knowest the heart of all men), 31 that in awe of thee they may live as thou livest, so long as they are in the land thou gavest to our fathers. 32 As for the alien, who does not belong to thy people Israel but who came from a distant land, drawn by thy great fame for sheer strength and main force, when they come and turn in prayer towards this temple, 33 then do thou listen up in thy home, in heaven, and do all that the alien asks of thee, so that the nations in the world may know what thou art, learning to stand in awe of thee like thy people Israel, and learning that thou hast taken this temple which I built to be thine own.

34 When thy people march out to 34 fight against their enemies, in any way of thine appointing, and pray to thee, turning towards this city thou hast chosen and this temple I have built in honour of thee, 35 then do thou listen up in heaven to their prayer and supplication and uphold their cause. 36 When they sin against thee (for there is no man who does not sin) and thou in thine anger leavest them to their enemies, to be carried prisoners to some land far off or near, 37 yet if they take thought in the land of their captivity and repent and offer supplications to thee in the land of their captivity, crying, ‘We have sinned, we have gone wrong, we have done evil,’ 38 if they repent, heart and soul, in the land of their captivity, where they have been carried off as prisoners, and turn in prayer towards the land thou gavest to their fathers, towards the city thou hast chosen, towards the temple I have built in honour of thee: 39 then do thou listen up in thy home, in heaven, to their prayers and supplications, and uphold their cause; forgive thy people who have sinned against thee.

40 And now, O my God, pray let thine eyes be open and thine ears attentive to prayer offered in this place.

41 Move up, O thou Eternal, to thy resting-place, thou and thy mighty ark!--

thy priests, O Eternal, in triumphant array,

thy worshippers rejoicing in prosperity!

42 O thou Eternal, disregard not thine own king,

remember thy kind promises to thy servant David.”

7 When Solomon had finished his prayer, fire fell from heaven and burned up the sacrificial victims. The splendour of the Eternal’s glory filled the temple, 2 so that the priests could not enter the temple of the Eternal, as the Eternal’s splendour filled the Eternal’s temple. 3 All Israel looked on when the fire fell and the splendour of the Eternal was upon the temple; they bowed down with their faces on the pavement in worship, giving thanks to the Eternal and chanting,

For he is good,

his kindness never fails.

4 Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices before the Eternal; 5 king Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand oxen and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep.

Thus did the king and all the people dedicate the temple of God. 6 The priests stood in their proper positions, the Levites had the musical instruments for praising the Eternal, which king David had made for the thanks­giving service (the chant to the Eternal being, “for his kindness never fails”), when he used them in the service of praise; the priests in front blew trumpets, and all Israel stood up.

7 Solomon also consecrated the middle part of the court in front of the temple of the Eternal; for it was there that he sacrificed the victims for the burnt-offering, and the fat slices from the victims of the recompense-offerings, the bronze altar made by Solomon being unable to hold the burnt-offering, the cereal-offering, and the fat slices.

8 Such was the festival held for seven days by Solomon and all Israel--a very vast host, drawn from all parts, from the Pass of Hamath down to the Wady-el-Arish. 9 On the eighth day they held a closing celebration for seven days, after the seven days devoted to the dedication of the altar. 10 Then on the twenty-third day of the seventh month he dismissed the people to their homes, rejoicing with glad hearts at all the goodness of the Eternal to David, to Solomon, and to his people Israel.

11 Thus did Solomon finish the temple of the Eternal and the royal palace; he carried out successfully all he had in mind to construct in the temple of the Eternal and in his own palace. 12 Then the Eternal appeared to Solomon by night and said to him: “I have listened to your prayer and chosen this place as my temple for sacrifice. 13 If I shut up the sky till no rain falls, or if I bid locusts devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people, 14 then, if my people, who belong to me, humble themselves and pray and seek my presence, turning from their evil ways, I will listen up in heaven and forgive their sins and heal my land. 15 My eyes shall be open and my ears attentive to prayer offered in this place; 16 for I have now chosen and consecrated this temple as my seat for ever, and my eyes and my heart shall constantly be there. 17 As for yourself, if you will live under my eye, like your father David, doing exactly as I have ordered you, and follow my rules and regulations, 18 then I will make your royal throne sure, as I agreed with your father David when I promised that he would never be without a descendant to rule Israel. 19 But if you turn away, giving up the rules and commands I have set before you, if you go to serve foreign gods and worship them, 20 then I will uproot Israel out of the land I gave them; and this temple which I have consecrated for myself I will cast out of my sight, making it a proverb and byword among all nations. 21 This temple so grand!--why, 21 any passer-by will be amazed, and ask, ‘Why has the Eternal dealt thus with this land and temple?’ 22 The answer will be, ‘Because the people forsook the Eternal the God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt; because they took up with foreign gods, wor­shipping and serving them; that is why the Eternal brought all this ruin upon them.’ ”

8 At the end of twenty years, in the course of which Solomon had built the temple of the Eternal and his own palace, 2 Solomon fortified the towns presented to him by Huram, and settled Israelites in them.

3 Solomon attacked Hamath-Zobah and conquered it. 4 He built Tadmor in the desert and also all his store-towns in Hamath; 5 he built Beth-horon the upper and Beth-horon the lower, both fortified towns with walls, gates, and bars, 6 also Baalath, all the store-towns, the towns for his chariots, the towns for his cavalry, and whatever he was pleased to build in Jerusalem, at Lebanon, and anywhere throughout his realm. 7 Solomon raised a forced levy of labourers, as is done to this day, from the descendants of the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, none of whom belonged to Israel-- 8 survivors in the land 8 whom the Israelites had not destroyed. 9 Solomon never forced Israelites to slave at his work; they were his soldiers and generals, chariot-leaders and cavalry-leaders. 10 The following two hundred and fifty men were king Solomon’s officials, who superintended all the workmen . . .

11 Solomon brought the Pharaoh’s daughter up from David’s burg to the palace he had built for her. “No wife of mine,” said he, “shall live in the residence of David king of Israel, for any spot where the ark of the Eternal has rested is sacred.”

12 Then Solomon burned victims as sacrifices to the Eternal on the altar of the Eternal which he had built in front of the vestibule, 13 sacrificing at the daily rate as laid down by Moses, on the sabbaths, at the new moon, and at the fixed festivals (three times a year, the festival of unleavened bread, the festival of Weeks, and the festival of Booths). 14 He fixed, as appointed by his father David, the divisions of priests for their service, fixed the stations for the Levites to sing praise and attend the priests, as the day’s duty required, and also arranged the warders in divisions at each gate (for David the man of God had left these orders). 15 The king’s orders for the priests and Levites were carried out faithfully in every detail, including the treasures. 16 In this way Solomon’s work was completed, from the day when the foundations of the temple of the Eternal were laid to the completion of the temple.

17 Then Solomon went to Ezion-geber and Eloth on the seacoast, in the land of Edom, 18 where Huram had ships sent to him, and also expert seamen in his service, who accompanied Solomon’s men to Ophir and brought back to king Solomon over nineteen tons of gold. 13 The amount of gold that came to Solomon in one year was nearly twenty-nine tons, 14 in addition to what was derived in taxes from traders and as tribute from Arabian emirs and from vassal-princes. 15 King Solomon made two hundred shields of beaten gold; twenty-five pounds of gold went to each shield. 16 He also made three hundred targes of beaten gold; twelve pounds of gold went to each of them; the king hung these in the “Forest of Lebanon” hall. 17 The king also made a large ivory throne, which he overlaid with pure gold; 18 the throne had six steps and a footstool of gold, fixed to the throne, with arms on each side of the seat, flanked by two lions, 19 while twelve lions stood on each side of the six steps. No such throne was ever made in any kingdom. 20 King Solomon’s drinking service was all made of gold, and all the articles in the “Forest of Lebanon” hall were made of pure gold; silver was thought nothing of in Solomon’s day. 21 For the king had ships that sailed to Tartessus along with Huram’s seamen; once every three years the Tartessus fleet came home with gold and silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.

22 So in wealth and in wisdom king Solomon excelled all kings on earth. 23 All kings on earth came to visit Solomon, to listen to the wisdom which God had put into his mind, 24 and everyone brought his present: silver articles, gold articles, robes, weapons, and spices, horses and mules, so much year by year. 25 King Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand cavalry, stationed in the chariot-towns or at Jerusalem beside the king. 26 He ruled over all the kings from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines and as far as the frontier of Egypt. 27 The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar wood as plentiful as sycomore-trees in the lowlands. 28 Horses were brought to Solomon from Egypt and from every country. 10 Huram’s sailors and Solomon’s sailors, who brought gold from Ophir, also brought sandal-wood and jewels; 11 out of the sandalwood the king made balustrades for the temple of the Eternal and for the royal palace, as well as lyres and lutes for the singers; none such had ever been Seen before in Judah.

9 When the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon, she came to test him with puzzling questions at Jerusalem, accompanied by a very large retinue, with camels bearing spices, ample gold, and jewels. As soon as she reached Solomon, she opened out all that was on her mind, 2 and Solomon answered all her questions; there was not a single thing hidden from Solomon, which he could not explain to her. 3 When the queen of Sheba realized all this wisdom of Solomon, when she saw the palace he had built, 4 the food at his table, the way his courtiers were arranged and his servants waited, and their dress, the cupbearers and their dress, and the burnt-offerings he used to offer in the temple of the Eternal, she was quite overwhelmed; 5 she said to the king, “That was a true tale I heard in my own country, of your words and wisdom! 6 But I did not believe what they said, till I came and saw for myself. And now I see not half was told me about your vast wisdom; you are far more than all the reports I heard. 7 Happy are your wives! Happy men, these courtiers who are always waiting on you and hearing your wisdom! 8 Blessed be the Eternal your God, who delighted in you and set you on the throne of Israel, to rule for the Eternal your God! It is be­cause your God loved Israel, meaning to establish them for all time, that he made you king over them, to govern and ad­minister justice.”

9 She presented the king with six hundred and ninety-three thousand pounds in gold, a wealth of spices, and jewels; never was any such supply of spices seen as the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon. 12 King Solomon in turn presented the queen of Sheba with whatever she desired, with anything she asked, besides returning the value of her own present. Then she went back to her own land, she and her retinue.

29 As for the rest of the acts of Solomon, from first to last, are they not described in the History of the prophet Nathan and in the “Prophecies” of Ahijah from Shilo, and in the “Visions” of Iddo the seer regarding Jeroboam the son of Nebat? 30 Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel for forty years. 31 Then Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David his father. His son Rehoboam reigned instead of him.

10 Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone to elect him king at Shechem. 2 But as soon as Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard the news (he was in Egypt, whither he had fled to escape from king Solomon), Jeroboam came back from Egypt; 3 he was sent for and summoned. Then Jeroboam and all Israel went and said to Rehoboam, 4 “Your father’s rule was heavy; lighten the heavy rule he imposed upon us and his crushing service, and we will serve you.” 5 He said to them, “Come back after three days.” When the people went away, 6 king Rehoboam consulted the old councillors who had served his father Solomon. He asked them what answer they would advise him to return to the people. 7 They said, “If you will be kind to this people and please them and speak favourable words to them, they will be your servants for all time.” 8 But he set aside this advice given him by the old councillors, and consulted the juniors of his own age in his retinue. 9 He asked them what answer they would advise him to return to the demand of the people, that Solomon’s rule should be lightened. 10 These juniors of his own age replied, “This people cries to you, ‘Your father’s rule was heavy, make you it lighter for us?’ Well, tell them this: ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s thighs. 11 If my father’s rule pressed hard on you, I will press harder still; my father lashed you with scourges, but I will lash you with scorpions.’ ”

12 On the third day Jeroboam and all the people came back to Rehoboam, as the king had told them. 13 The king gave them a harsh answer. King Rehoboam set aside the advice of the senior councillors, 14 and spoke to the people as the juniors had advised: “My father’s rule pressed hard on you, but I will press harder still; my father lashed you with scourges, but I will lash you with scorpions.” 15 So the king refused to heed the people. (This was a turn of things brought about by God, that the Eternal might carry out the word which he had sent by Ahijah of Shilo to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.) 16 When all Israel saw that the king refused to heed them, the people retorted to the king,

What part have we in David?

We’re done with Jesse’s son!

Look to your own house, David, now!

Home, Israel, to your homes! Then all Israel went home. 18 When king Rehoboam sent them Hadoram, who was in charge of the labour-gangs, the Israelites stoned him to death; whereupon king Rehoboam mounted his chariot in a hurry to escape to Jerusalem.

19 So Israel rebelled against the dynasty of David, as it still does. 17 However, Rehoboam reigned over the Israelites who lived in the towns of Judah.

11 On reaching Jerusalem, Rehoboam mustered the men of Benjamin and Judah, a hundred and eighty thousand picked men-at-arms, to attack Israel and recover the kingdom for Rehoboam. 2 But this message came from the Eternal to Shemaiah, a man of God: 3 “Give this message from the Eternal to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all the Israelites in Judah and Benjamin: 4 ‘You are not to march or fight against your fellows. Back home, every man of you! What has happened, I have caused to happen.’ ” They listened to what the Eternal said, and gave up their march against Jeroboam.

5 Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem. He built towns of defence throughout Judah, fortifying 6 Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa, 7 Bethzur, Soko, Adullam, 8 Gath, Mareshah, Ziph, 9 Adoraim, Lakhish, Azekah, 10 and Zorah, with Aijalon and Hebron (which belong to Judah and Benjamin). 11 He strengthened these fortresses, putting commanders in them, with stores of provisions, oil and wine; 12 and in each town he stored shields and spears. He made them very strong, so that he held Judah and Benjamin.

13 The priests and the Levites all over Israel went over to him 14 from every quarter; the Levites left their open lands and settlements, flocking into Judah and Jerusalem (since Jeroboam and his successors had deposed them from officiating as priests to the Eternal, 15 and had appointed priests for the high places and the satyrs and the calves which Jeroboam had made). 16 They were followed, from all the clans of Israel, by those who had made up their minds to worship the Eternal the God of Israel, and who came to Jerusalem in order to sacrifice to the Eternal the God of their fathers. 17 These proved a strength to the kingdom of Judah, and made Rehohoam son of Solomon powerful for three years, as they lived by the traditions of David and Solomon for three years.

18 Rehoboam married Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth, a son of David, and of Abihail the daughter of Eliab, a son of Jesse; 19 she bore him three sons, Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham. 20 After her he married Maakah, a granddaughter of Absalom, who bore him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith. 21 Of all his wives and mistresses (for he had eighteen wives and sixty mistresses, who bore him twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters), Rehoboam loved Maakah the granddaughter of Absalom best; 22 he made her son Abijah the crown prince, over his brothers, intending to make him king, 23 and he was wise enough to distribute his other sons all over the country of Judah and Benjamin, placing them in all the fortified towns, giving them plenty of provisions, and arranging many marriages for them.

12 It was after Rehoboam’s kingdom was established, after he became powerful, that he and all Israel along with him forsook the law of the Eternal. 2 As they had broken faith with the Eternal, in the fifth year of Rehoboam’s reign Shishak king of Egypt marched against Jerusalem 3 with twelve hundred chariots and sixty thousand cavalry and an innumerable army from Egypt, Libyans, Troglodytes, and Ethiopians. 4 He captured the fortified towns belonging to Judah, and then reached Jerusalem. Rehoboam and the nobility of Judah had gathered at Jerusalem, on account of Shishak; 5 and to them the prophet Shemaiah brought this message from the Eternal: “As you have forsaken me, I have abandoned you to Shishak.” 6 The nobility and the king humbled themselves, crying, “The Eternal is just!” 7 So when the Eternal saw that they had humbled themselves, the Eternal sent this message to Shemaiah: “They have humbled themselves; I will not destroy them; in a little while I will grant them deliverance. My wrath shall not be vented on Jerusalem by Shishak; 8 yet they must be his servants, to let them know the difference between my service and the service of foreign lands.”

9 So Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem, carrying off the treasures of the temple of the Eternal and the treasures of the royal palace; he carried off everything, even the golden shields made by Solomon. 10 (Rehoboam made bronze shields instead, which he entrusted to the officers of the guard who guarded the entry to the royal palace; 11 whenever the king entered the temple of the Eternal, the guards carried the shields, and then brought them back to the guard-room.) 12 But as Rehoboam humbled himself, the Eternal’s wrath was averted, so that he was not utterly destroyed. Besides, there was some good left still in Judah.

13 King Rehoboam then regained his royal power at Jerusalem; Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city chosen by the Eternal out of all the clans of Israel, to belong to himself. His mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonitess. 14 He did evil, for he had no mind to worship the Eternal.

15 The acts of Rehoboam, from first to last, are they not described in the histories of Shemaiah the prophet and of Iddo the seer? (Rehoboam and Jeroboam were always fighting.) 19 Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried in David’s burg; Abijah his son reigned instead of him.

13 It was in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam that Abijah began to reign over Judah. 2 For three years he reigned in Jerusalem; his mother’s name was Maakah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah.

War broke out between Abijah and Jeroboam. 3 Abijah took the field with an army of gallant soldiers, four hundred thousand picked men; Jeroboam arrayed against him eight hundred thousand picked men, who were gallant fighters. 4 Abijah took his stand on mount Zemaraim, in the highlands of Ephraim, and shouted: “Listen to me, Jeroboam, and all Israel! 5 Surely you know that the Eternal the God of Israel gave the monarchy of Israel to David for all time, to David and his descendants, by an irrevocable pledge! 6 Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon the son of David, rose in rebellion against his lord. 7 He was joined by some crafty creatures, low scoundrels, who asserted themselves against Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was inexperienced and too weak to resist them. 8 And now you think of resisting the kingdom of the Eternal, under the son of David! You are a mighty host; you have with you the golden calves which Jeroboam made as gods for you. 9 Have you not expelled the priests of the Eternal, Aaron’s sons, and the Levites? Have you not made priests for yourselves, as foreigners do, till anybody who comes forward to consecrate himself with a young bullock and seven rams can become a priest of your no-gods? 10 But as for us, the Eternal is our God; we have not forsaken him; we have the sons of Aaron serving the Eternal as priests, and the Levites at their posts, 11 burning every morning and evening to the Eternal sacrifices and fragrant incense, arranging the bread of the Presence on the sacred table, and lighting the golden lampstand with its lamps every evening. We do our duty to the Eternal our God; you have forsaken him. 12 Here is God with us, at our head; his priests have the bugles of alarm, to sound the alarum against you. Men of Israel, fight not against the Eternal the God of your fathers, for you will never succeed!”

13 However, Jeroboam laid an ambush in their rear; Judah had his army in front of them and his ambush in the rear, 14 so that, on turning to attack, there was the foe arrayed in front and behind! They cried to the Eternal, the priests blew a trumpet-blast, and the Judahites raised their war-cry. 15 Now, as the Judahites raised their war-cry, God routed Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah; 16 the men of Israel fled before Judah, and God put them into the hands of Judah; 17 Abijah and his army massacred them, till five hundred thousand picked men of Israel fell dead. 18 So the Israelites were crushed at that time, while the men of Judah won, because they relied on the Eternal the God of their fathers. 19 Abijah chased Jeroboam, and captured from him the towns of Bethel, with its villages, Jeshana, with its villages, and Ephron, with its villages. 20 Indeed, Jeroboam never recovered himself during the reign of Abijah; the Eternal struck him dead. 21 But Abijah grew powerful; he married fourteen wives and had twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.

22 The rest of the acts of Abijah, his deeds and his sayings, are described in the Midrash of the prophet Iddo. 14 Abijah slept with his fathers, and was buried in David’s burg; Asa his son reigned instead of him.

2 During his reign the country had peace for ten years. Asa 2 did what was good and right in the eyes of the Eternal his God; 3 he removed the foreign altars and shrines, he demolished the obelisks, and cut down the sacred poles, 4 ordering Judah to worship the Eternal, the God of their fathers, and to obey his law and orders. 5 He also removed from all the towns in Judah the shrines and sun-pillars.

Under him the realm lay quiet. 6 He built fortified towns in Judah, for the land was at peace and he had no wars during these years; the Eternal had granted him rest. 7 “Let us build these towns,” he said to Judah, “putting up walls and towers and gates and bars, while the country lies undisturbed since we have worshipped the Eternal our God; we have worshipped him, and he has granted us rest on every side.” So they built and prospered. 8 Asa had an army of Judahites carrying shields and spears, three hundred thousand of them, and two hundred and eighty thousand Benjamites arrayed with targes and bows--all of them gallant fighters. 9 They were once attacked by Zerah the Ethiopian at the head of a million men, with three hundred chariots. Zerah reached Mareshah, 10 and Asa marched against him, the battle being joined at Mareshah in the valley of Zephathah. 11 Asa cried to the Eternal his God, “O Eternal, thou art the only one to help the weak against the mighty. Help us, O Eternal our God, for on thee we rely, and trusting in thee do we encounter this host. 0 Eternal, thou art our God; let not mortal man prevail against thee.” 12 So the Eternal routed the Ethiopians before Asa and Judah. 13 The Ethiopians fled, pursued by Asa and his men as far as Gerar; so many Ethiopians were killed that not one remained alive; they were broken before the Eternal and his army. The Judahites bore off rich booty; 14 they captured all the towns round Gerar, as a panic from the Eternal overcame these towns; they plundered every town (for there was rich plunder in them), 15 they also captured the Bedawin tents and bore off plenty of sheep and camels; then they came back to Jerusalem.

15 Then the spirit of God inspired Azarlah the son of Oded 2 to go out and meet Asa with this message: “Listen to me, Asa, and all you men of Judah and Benjamin! The Eternal was on your side, because you were on his side; if you seek him, he will be found by you; but, if you forsake him, he will forsake you. 3 For a long while Israel was without the true God, without any priest who taught religion, without God’s law; 4 but when they turned in their trouble to the Eternal the God of Israel and sought him, he was found by them. 5 During those years there was no peace for anyone; sore woes disturbed everyone in every district; 6 clan dashed against clan, and town against town, for God punished them with all kinds of disorder. 7 But be you strong, relax not your efforts, for your work will be rewarded.”

8 When Asa heard this, he was brave enough to remove the detestable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from all the towns he had captured in the highlands of Ephraim. He also repaired the altar of the Eternal in front of the porch of the Eternal. 9 Then he summoned all Judah and Benjamin and the settlers from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon, who had come over to him in large numbers from Israel when they saw that the Eternal his God was with him. 10 Gathering at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign, 11 they sacrificed that day to the Eternal, from the booty they had captured, seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep. 12 They renewed their compact to worship the Eternal the God of their fathers with all their heart and soul, 13 resolving that anyone, young or old, man or woman, who would not worship the Eternal, the God of Israel, should be put to death. 14 They pledged their oath to the Eternal aloud, with shouts and with blasts on the trumpets and the bugles. 15 And all Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they had sworn it with all their heart and sought him with all their desire; the Eternal was found by them, and he gave them peace on every side.

16 King Asa also deposed his mother Maakah from the position of queen-mother, because she had made an obscene object for Astarte; Asa demolished this object of an image, reduced it to dust, and burned it in the Kidron ravine. 17 The shrines were not removed from Israel; still, Asa’s mind was undivided all his life.

19 Down to the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign, there was no further war. 16 But in the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign, Baasha king of Israel attacked Judah, fortifying Ramah in order to prevent anyone pass­ing to or from Asa king of Judah. 2 So Asa took silver and gold from the treasures of the temple of the Eternal and the royal palace, and sent this message to Benhadad the king of Aram at Damascus: 3 “There is an alliance between myself and you, as there was between my father and your father. Here is a present of silver and gold; come, break your alliance with Baasha the king of Israel, and force him to let me alone.” 4 Benhadad agreed to king Asa’s request; he sent his generals to attack the towns of Israel, and they stormed Ijon, Dan, and Abel-maim, as well as all the store-towns of Naphtali. 5 When Baasha heard this, he stopped fortifying Ramah and abandoned his enterprise. 6 Then king Asa took all the men of Judah, and they carried away the stones and timber with which Baasha had been fortifying Ramah; Asa used them to fortify Geba and Mizpah.

7 Then Hanani the seer came and told Asa king of Judah, “You have lost a victory over the Aramaean army, by relying on the king of Aram instead of relying on the Eternal your God. 8 Were not the Ethiopians and the Libyans a huge host, with an enormous number of chariots and cavalry? Yet the Eternal put them into your power, because you relied on him. 9 For the Eternal’s eyes dart here and there over the whole world, as he exerts his power on behalf of those who are devoted to him. This is a foolish deed of yours; after this you will have to fight.” 10 Asa, angry at the seer, clapped him into the stocks, for he was in a rage with him for what he said. It was at this time also that Asa tortured some of the people.

11 Now the acts of Asa, from first to last, are described in the History of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 12 In the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa’s feet became diseased; the disease was very painful, and Asa had recourse to his physicians, not to the Eternal. 13 Asa slept with his fathers, dying in the forty-first year of his reign; 14 he was buried in a tomb of his own, which he had cut out for himself in David’s burg, and was laid out in a resting-place filled with fragrant perfumes and all kinds of spices prepared by the perfumers’ art; a large bonfire was lit in his honour.

17 Jehoshaphat his son reigned instead of him, and established his power against Israel. 2 He posted armed forces in every fortified town of Judah, setting military posts throughout the country of Judah and in the towns of Ephraim captured by his father Asa. 3 The Eternal was with Jehoshaphat, because he took the line taken at first by his father; he resorted not to the Baals 4 but to his father’s God, living by his commands, instead of doing as Israel did. 5 Therefore did the Eternal establish the kingdom under his rule; all Judah brought presents to Jehoshaphat, and he had abundant wealth and honour. 6 He made it his ambition to live on the lines of the Eternal, and proceeded to remove the shrines and sacred poles from Judah.

7 In the third year of his reign he sent some of his leading men, Benhail, Obadiah, Zecharlah, Nethanel, and Micaiah, to give religious instruction throughout the towns of Judah, 8 accompanied by some Levites, Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asa- hel, Shemiramoth, Jehonatban, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tobadonijah, also by Elishama and Jehoram, who were priests. 9 Taking the law-book of the Eternal, they gave instructions throughout Judah; they went to every town in Judah, instructing the people.

10 The Eternal also put such a dread upon all the realms round Judah that they made no war upon Jehoshaphat. 11 Indeed, some of the Philistines brought tribute to Jehoshaphat, a vast quantity of silver, while the Arabians brought him flocks, seven thousand seven hundred rams and seven thousand seven hundred he-goats. 12 Jehoshaphat became more and more powerful. He built castles and towns for storing provisions throughout Judah; 13 he had large military stores in the towns of Judah, and soldiers, gallant fighters, in Jerusalem. 14 This was their register, by families: Judah’s generals were Adnah, in command of three hundred thousand gallant fighters, 15 next to him Jehohanan, in command of two hundred and eighty thousand, 16 and next to him Amasiah the son of Zichri, who volunteered for the service of the Eternal, in command of two hundred thousand gallant fighters; 17 Benjamin’s generals were Eliada; a gallant soldier, in command of two hundred thousand men armed with bow and targe, 18 and next to him Jehozabad, in command of a hundred and eighty thousand men all ready for the fray. 19 These were at the king’s disposal, besides the troops posted by the king in the fortified towns all over Judah.

18 Jehoshaphat had abundant wealth and honour. He allied himself in marriage to Ahab. 2 Some years later he visited Ahab at Samaria, where Ahab killed large numbers of sheep and oxen for him and his company, pressing him to join in an attack on Ramoth-gilead. 3 Said Ahab king of Israel to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “Will you accompany me me against Ramoth-gilead?” He replied, “I am one with you, my men are one with your men; we will join you in the war. 4 But first of all,” added Jehoshaphat, “pray find out what the Eternal has to say.”

5 So the king of Israel, gathering the prophets together, four hundred of them, asked them, “Shall we march to attack Ramoth-gilead, or shall I give it up?” “March,” they answered, “God will put it into the hands of the king.” 6 Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there not some other prophet of the Eternal whom we might consult?” 7 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is another man through whom we may consult the Eternal, but I hate him, for he never will prophesy any good for me, he always prophesies some evil; it is Micaiah the son of Imlah.” “Let not the king say so,” re­plied Jehoshaphat. 8 So the king 8 of Israel called an officer and told him to bring Micaiah the son of Imlah quickly.

9 Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were seated, each upon his throne, in full armour, seated at the entry to the gate of Samaria, with all the prophets prophesying in front of them. 10 Zedekiah the son of Kenaanah had made iron horns and given this message from the Eternal: “With these you shall push the Aramaeans till they perish.” 11 So said all the prophets, shouting, “March to Ramoth-gilead and win; for the Eternal will put it into the hands of the king.” 12 The messenger who went for Mieaiah told him that the prophets with one consent were predicting good for the king; “Pray let your message be like any one of theirs; say a good word.” 13 “As the Eternal lives,” said Mieaiah, “whatever my God tells me I will say.” 14 When he came to the king, the king asked him, “Mieaiah, shall we march to attack Ramoth-gilead or give it up?” “Oh march away and win,” said Mieaiah, “for it is sure to fall into your hands!” 15 The king retorted, “How often have I to adjure you to tell me the plain truth as from the Eternal?” 16 “Well,” said Mieaiah, “I had a vision: I saw all Israel scattered over the hills like sheep without a shepherd; and the Eternal said, ‘These folk have no master; better let each of them go home in peace!’ ” 17 So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy any good for me, but only evil?” 18 “No,” cried Mieaiah, “listen to this from the Eternal. I had a vision of the Eternal seated on his throne, with all the heavenly host standing right and left of him. 19 When the Eternal asked, ‘Who will delude Ahab into marching to his death at Ramoth-gilead?’ one said this, another said that, 20 till one spirit came forward and, standing before the Eternal, offered to delude Ahab. ‘How?’ said the Eternal. 21 The spirit answered, ‘By passing as a lying spirit into the mouth of all his prophets!’ ‘You shall delude him,’ said the Eternal, ‘you shall succeed in that; pass out and do it.’ 22 So the Eternal has put a lying spirit into the mouth of your prophets here; the Eternal has resolved on evil for you.”

23 At this, Zedekiah the son of Kenaanah stepped forward and struck Mieaiah on the cheek, saying, “Where is the spirit of the Eternal that speaks through you?” 24 “You will find that out,” said Mieaiah, “on the day when you have to take refuge in an inner chamber!” 25 Then the king of Israel said, “Take Mieaiah away back to Amon the governor of the town and to prince Joash, 26 with orders from the king that the fellow is to be clapped into prison and fed on bread and water, to keep him miserable, till I come home victorious.” 27 “If ever you come home victorious,” said Mieaiah, “then the Eternal has not spoken by me.”

28 Then the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah marched on Ramoth-gilead. 29 “I will go into the fray disguised,” said the king of Israel to Jehoshaphat, “but you can put on your own robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself before they entered the fray. 30 Now the king of Aram had ordered the captains of his chariots to fight with no one, young or old, except the king of Israel; 31 so, on seeing Jehoshaphat, the chariot-captains thought he was the king of Israel and surrounded him. Jehoshaphat gave a shout, and the Eternal helped him; God moved them to leave him alone. 32 Seeing that he was not the king of Israel, the chariot-captains stopped pursuing him. 33 But a certain archer, drawing his bow at a venture, struck the king of Israel between the joints of his armour. “Wheel round,” cried the king to the driver of his chariot, “get me out of the battle, for I am badly wounded.” 34 However, as the fight grew fiercer that day, the king remained to face the Aramaeans till night fell; about sunset he died.

19 Jehoshaphat king of Judah returned safe home to Jerusalem. 2 He was met by Jehu the son of Hanani the seer, who came out and said to king Jehoshaphat, “Should one help bad men, and be a friend to those who hate the Eternal? This has drawn down on you anger from the Eternal. 3 Still, there is some good in you; you have removed the sacred poles from the land and made up your mind to worship God.”

4 Jehoshaphat resided at Jerusalem; once more he went over the nation from Beersheba to the highlands of Ephraim and brought them back to the Eternal the God of their fathers. 5 He also appointed judges all over the land, in each one of the fortified towns of Judah, 6 charging them to be careful how they acted. “For,” said he, “you act as judges not on behalf of man but of the Eternal, who is beside you as you give your decisions. 7 So let awe for the Eternal control you; be careful to act in that spirit, for the Eternal our God knows nothing of injustice, nor of favouritism, nor of bribing.

8 At Jerusalem Jehoshaphat also established a court of Levites and priests and headmen in Israel for religious cases and disputes among the citizens of Jerusalem. 9 He gave the judges this charge; “In awe of the Eternal, with loyal heart and single mind, you shall act. 10 Whenever a case comes before you from your fellows in any town, and you have to decide between manslaughter and murder, or to decide what law or command, what rule or regulation applies, warn the parties against incurring guilt before the Eternal, and so bringing wrath on yourselves and on your fellows. You must do this, not to incur guilt. 11 Amariah the high-priest presides over you in all religious cases, and Zebadiah the son of Ishmael, the clan-chief of Judah, in all civil cases; the Levites execute your decisions. Get to work, then, with courage; and may the Eternal be with each honest man.”

20 It was after this that the qa Moabites and Ammonites, with some of the Meunim, made war on Jehoshaphat. 2 Word came to Jehoshaphat that a huge host was moving against him from Edom, over the Dead Sea, and that they were already at Hazazon-tamar (or Engedi). 3 Jehoshaphat was afraid; he resolved to have recourse to the Eternal, and proclaimed a fast all over Judah. 4 So Judah assembled to seek help from the Eternal; people came from every town in Judah to worship the Eternal. 5 And Jehoshaphat rose in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, before the new court in the temple of the Eternal, 6 praying thus: “O Eternal, the God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven, and ruler of all realms on earth? Such power and might is thine that no one can resist thee. 7 O our God, didst not thou evict the natives of this land before thy people Israel, giving the land to the offspring of Abraham thy friend, for all time? 8 And they settled in it, they have built a sanctuary in it to thine honour, thinking that 9 if evil befell them, the sword in judgment, or pestilence, or famine, they would stand in front of this temple and before thee (for in this temple is thy presence) and cry to thee in their distress, till thou didst hear and save them. 10 Now here are the Ammonites and Moabites and folk from mount Seir, whom thou didst not allow Israel to invade, when Israel came out of the land of Egypt--no, Israel turned away from them and did not destroy them! 11 Look how they reward us, coming to eject us from thy very own country which thou hast given us to be ours. 12 O our God, wilt thou not deal with them? We are helpless against this mighty host that is attacking us; we know not what to do, but we look to thee.”

13 All the men of Judah stood before the Eternal, with their infants, their wives, and their children. 14 Then Jehaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite descended from Asaph, was inspired by the spirit of the Eternal in the midst of the gathering 15 to cry, “Listen, all ye men of Judah, ye citizens of Jerusalem, and you, O king Jehoshaphat; the Eternal’s message to you is this: ‘Fear not, falter not before this vast army; it is for God, not for you, to fight them. 16 March down against them to-morrow; they are coming up by the ascent of Haziz, and you will come upon them at the end of the ravine in front of the desert of Jeruel. 17 You will not need to do any fighting; take up your position, stand still, and watch the victory of the Eternal, who is on your side, Judah and Jerusalem. Fear not, falter not. Move out against them to-morrow, for the Eternal is on your side.’ ” 18 Jehoshaphat bent his head, face 18 to the ground, and all the men of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem fell down before the Eternal, worshipping the Eternal, 19 while the Levites (Korahites belonging to the Kohath family) stood up to praise the Eternal the God of Israel, at the pitch of their voices.

20 Next morning they rose and moved into the open country round Tekoa. As they advanced, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen, men of Judah and citizens of Jerusalem! Take hold of the Eternal your God and you will keep hold of fife; hold by his prophets, and you will prosper.” 21 After this counsel to the nation, he appointed the Eternal’s singers to praise him in sacred vestments, marching in front of the army and chanting,

Give thanks to the Eternal,

for his kindness never fails.

22 As they began to sing and praise him, the Eternal set men in ambush against the Ammonites, the Moabites, and the folk from mount Seir, who had attacked Judah, and they were routed. 23 The Ammonites and the Moabites turned on the natives of mount Seir, determined to wipe them out; and then, after destroying the natives of Seir, they all helped to kill one another. 24 So when the men of Judah reached their post of attack looking over the open country, they saw the host were so many corpses stretched upon the ground; not a man had escaped. 25 When Jehoshaphat and his people came to plunder them, they found plenty of cattle, goods, garments, and valuables, which they carried off for their own use—-more, indeed, than they could bear away; the booty was so enormous that it took them three days to remove it. 26 On the fourth day they mustered in the valley of Berakah (Blessvale), where they blessed the Eternal; hence to this day it is called Blessvale. 27 Then all the men of Judah and Jerusalem, headed by Jehoshaphat, returned home to Jerusalem, rejoicing, since the Eternal had given them joy over their enemies; 28 they went to the temple of the Eternal at Jerusalem with lutes and lyres and trumpets. 29 And when the foreign countries heard that the Eternal had fought against the enemies of Israel, the dread of God fell on them all. 30 So the realm of Jehoshaphat was undisturbed, for his God granted him rest on every side.

31 Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem for twenty-five years. His mother’s name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi. 32 He followed the path of his father Asa, never swerving from it, doing what was right in the eyes of the Eternal. 33 Still the shrines were not removed, nor had the nation as yet turned to the God of their fathers.

34 The rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, from first to last, are described in the History of Jehu the son of Hanani, which is inserted in the Book of the Kings of Israel.

35 Later on, Jehoshaphat king of Judah allied himself to Ahaziah king of Israel, an iniquitous monarch; 36 he joined him in building ships to sail to Tartessus. They built the ships at Eziongeber. 37 Whereupon Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah uttered a prophecy against Jehoshaphat. “Because you have joined Ahaziah,” he said, “the Eternal has wrecked your enterprise.” And the ships were wrecked; they were never able to sail to Tartessus.

21 Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers and was buried “ with his fathers in David’s burg. Jehoram his son reigned instead of him. 2 He had several kinsmen, sons of Jehoshaphat, Azarlah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Michael, and Shephatiah; all of these were sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel, 3 and their father had presented them with rich gifts of silver, gold, and valuables, as well as with fortified towns in Judah, but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram, since he was the eldest son. 4 When Jehoram ascended his father’s throne, he put all his brothers to death, along with a number of the nobility in Israel. 5 Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem for eight years. 6 He lived on the lines of the kings of Israel, following the dynasty of Ahab—-for he was married to Ahab’s daughter. He did what was evil in the eyes of the Eternal, 7 but the Eternal would not destroy the dynasty of David, for the sake of the compact he had made with David, and as he had promised David and his descendants a dynasty for all time.

8 During his reign Edom revolted from Judah and set up a king for itself. 9 Whereupon Jehoram invaded them with his officers and all his chariots; he attacked them by night, defeating the Edomites who surrounded him and the officers of his chariots. 10 Edom to this day is in rebellion against Judah. Libnah at the same time revolted from Jehoram, because he had forsaken the Eternal the God of his fathers. 11 He actually set up shrines on the hills of Judah and seduced the citizens of Jerusalem into idolatry; he made Judah unfaithful. 12 So a letter reached him from the prophet Elijah, which ran thus: “The Eternal the God of your father David declares that as you have not lived on the lines of your father Jehoshaphat or of Asa king of Judah, 13 but on the lines of the kings of Israel, as you have seduced Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem into idolatry like that of the dynasty of Ahab, as you have murdered your own brothers, better men than yourself, 14 the Eternal will strike heavily at your nation, your children, your wives, and all you possess; 15 and you shall suffer cruelly from a disease in your bowels, till your bowels drop out with disease year after year.”

16 So the Eternal roused up against Jehoram the Philistines and Arabians who adjoin the Ethiopians; 17 they attacked Judah, broke into the country, and carried off all the possessions to be found in the royal household, along with the king’s sons and wives, till not a soul was left him except Jehoahaz, the youngest son. 18 After that the Eternal punished him with an incurable disease of the bowels. 19 In due time, at the end of two years, his bowels dropped out, owing to the disease, and he died in sharp pain. His people lit no bonfire for him, as for his fathers. 20 He was thirty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for eight years in Jerusalem; he died with no one to regret him, and he was buried in David’s burg, though not in the tombs of the kings.

22 The citizens of Jerusalem made his youngest son Ahaziah king instead of him, for all the older sons had been murdered by the horde that accompanied the Arabians to the camp. So Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah was king. 2 Ahaziah was forty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem for one year. His mother’s name was Athaliah, a granddaughter of Omri. 3 He too lived on the lines of the dynasty of Ahab, for his mother was an evil counsellor to him; 4 he did evil in the eyes of the Eternal, like the dynasty of Ahab; they were his counsellors after his father died, and they were the ruin of him. 5 He followed their advice, accompanying Jehoram the son of Ahab king of Israel to attack Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth-gilead; the Aramaeans wounded Jehoram, 6 who returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds he had received at Ramah in attacking Hazael king of Aram; and Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to Jezreel to visit Jehoram the son of Ahab, as he was ill.

7 Now this visit of Ahaziah to Jehoram proved, under God, his downfall. For, on arriving, he went with Jehoram on an expedition against Jehu the grandson of Nimshi, whom the Eternal had anointed for the purpose of destroying the dynasty of Ahab. 8 As Jehu executed doom on the dynasty of Ahab, he came across the nobles of Judah and the kinsmen of Ahaziah serving under Ahaziah, and he killed them; 9 he hunted for Ahaziah himself, who was caught hiding in Samaria, brought before Jehu, and killed. They allowed him to be buried, however, reflecting that he was the son of Jehoshaphat, who had been a whole-hearted worshipper of the Eternal.

As none of Ahaziah’s family could hold the reins of power, 10 Athaltah his mother, finding that her son was dead, went and murdered all the male survivors of the royal house of Judah. 11 But Jehoshabeath, a daughter of the king, caught up Joash the son of Ahaziah from the king’s sons who were being murdered, and hid him and his nurse in a bedroom. In this way Jehoshabeath, the daughter of king Jehoram, and the wife of Jehoiada the priest—-she was a sister of Ahaziah—-hid the boy in safety, so that Athaliah did not kill him.

12 For six years the boy lay concealed with the princess and his nurse inside the temple of God, while Athaliah ruled the land. 23 In the seventh year Jehoiada took action. Making a compact with the army officers, Azariah son of Jehoram, Ishmael son of Jehohanan, Azariah son of Obed, Maaseiah son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat son of Zichri, 2 he and they went through Judah, gathering the Levites from every town in Judah and also the headmen of Israel. They came to Jerusalem, 3 where all the gathering made a compact with the king inside the temple of God. “The king’s son must reign,” said Jehoiada, “as the Eternal promised that the descendants of David should reign. 4 This is what you must do; a third of you priests and Levites who come on duty on sabbath must guard the door, 5 a third of you must be at the palace, and a third of you must be at the Horse gate. The people will be all in the court of the temple of the Eternal, 6 but no one is to enter the temple of the Eternal except the priests and the Levites on service: they may enter, for they are consecrated, but all the people must observe the injunction of the Eternal. 7 The Levites must surround the king, every man carrying his weapons; anyone who enters the temple is to be slain. Keep close to the king at every turn.”

8 The Levites and all the men of Judah carried out all the orders of Jehoiada the priest. They mustered all their men, those coming on duty and those going off duty on the sabbath (for Jehoiada the priest did not dismiss the divisions). 9 Jehoiada the priest also handed to the officers the spears, the targes, and the shields belonging to king David which had lain in the temple of God; 10 he posted all the men, each carrying his weapons, from the south side of the temple to the north side of the temple, facing the altar and the temple. 11 Then, bringing out the king’s son, he put the crown and the royal bracelets on him. They proclaimed him king and anointed him, shouting, “God save the king!” 12 [[When Athaliah heard the cheers of the men running about and praising the king, she came out to them in the temple of the Eternal. 13 When she looked, there she saw the king standing on the platform at the entrance, with the captains and the trumpeters beside him, and all the people of the land rejoicing and blowing trumpets, the singers playing music on their instruments and leading the praise. “Treason! Treason!” shouted Athaliah, tearing her robes. 14 But Jehoiada the priest led out the captains and the army commanders, telling them, “Bring her out between the ranks, and slay whoever follows her” (the priest would not let her be killed inside the temple of the Eternal). 15 So they caught hold of her; she went to the horses’ entry of the royal palace, and there they killed her.

16 Jehoiada then made a compact for himself and all the people and the king, that they were to be the Eternal’s people. 17 All the people went to the temple of Baal and demolished it, smashing his altars and images, and killing Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altars.]] 18 Jehoiada appointed guards for the temple of the Eternal, under authority of the priests and Levites whom David had arranged in the temple of the Eternal to offer the burnt-offerings of the Eternal, as prescribed in the law of Moses, with rejoicing and with singing, as ordered by David. 19 He put thq warders at the gates of the temple of the Eternal, that no one who was in any way unclean might enter, 20 Then, taking the captains, the nobles, the governors of the people, and all the people of the land, he had the king brought down from the temple of the Eternal; they went by the upper gate to the royal palace and seated the king upon the royal throne. 21 The people of the land all rejoiced; the town was quiet; and Athaliah they cut down.

24 Joash was seven years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem for forty years. His mother’s name was Zibiah of Beersheba. 2 Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Eternal all the days of Jehoiada the priest; 3 Jehoiada provided him with two wives, and he had sons and daughters.

4 Afterwards Joash planned to repair the temple of the Eternal. 5 So he summoned the priests and Levites, ordering them to go to the towns of Judah and collect from all Israel money enough to keep the temple of their God in repair year by year. “See that you make haste with your work,” he added. But the Levites did not make haste. 6 So the king summoned Jehoiada the priest and asked him why he had not insisted upon the Levites collecting for the Tent of the Presence, from Judah and Jerusalem, the tax fixed by Moses the servant of the Eternal, and by the community of Israel. 7 (For that iniquitous woman Athaliah and her priests had plundered the temple of the Eternal and bestowed on the Baals all the votive offerings in the temple of the Eternal.) 8 By order of the king, a box was then made and placed outside the entrance to the temple of the Eternal, 9 and proclamation was made throughout Judah and Jerusalem that the tax levied on Israel in the desert by Moses the servant of God was to be paid in to the Eternal. 10 The nobles and the nation all rejoiced; they paid the tax, throwing the money into the box till it was full. 11 Whenever the Levites brought the box for the royal inspection, and it was found that there was a large sum of money in it, the king’s secretary and the high-priest’s inspector emptied the box and had it replaced as before. This was done day after day; and plenty of money was gathered, 12 which the king and Jehoiada handed over to those who had charge of the Eternal’s temple; masons and joiners were hired to restore the temple of the Eternal, and also iron-workers and brass founders to repair the temple of the Eternal.

13 The workmen toiled till the repairs were completed, till they had restored the temple of God to its former state and stability. 14 When they had finished, the rest of the money was laid before the king and Jehoiada, who used it to make utensils for the temple of the Eternal, utensils for the service, pestles, saucers, and articles of gold and silver.

All the days of Jehoiada, there were burnt-offerings sacrificed constantly in the temple of the Eternal. 15 But Jehoiada became old and worn out; he died, and died at the age of a hundred and thirty. 16 They buried him among the kings in David’s burg, because he had done good service in Israel, good service to God and to his temple. 17 Then, after the death of Jehoiada, the nobles of Judah went with a petition to the king, by whose permission 18 They abandoned the temple of the Eternal the God of their fathers, and worshipped sacred poles and idols. God’s anger fell on Judah and Jerusalem for this guilt of theirs. 19 He sent them prophets to bring them back to the Eternal, prophets who warned them; but they would not listen to the prophets. 20 Zecharlah the son of Jehoiada the priest was inspired to stand above the people and deliver them this message from God: “Why break the commands of the Eternal? Why defeat yourselves? Because you have abandoned the Eternal, he has abandoned you.” 21 But they conspired against him and, by order of the king, stoned him to death in the court of the temple of the Eternal; 22 king Joash forgot the kindness done him by Jehoiada, and murdered Jehoiada’s son, who cried out as he died, “May the Eternal note this and punish it!”

23 A year later the Aramaean army attacked Joash; advancing on Judah and Jerusalem, they cut off all the nobles and sent their goods as plunder to the king of Damascus. 24 The Aramseans brought only a small force, and the Eternal put a large army into their hands, because they had abandoned the Eternal the God of their fathers. So did the Aramaeans inflict punishment upon Joash. 25 When they left--and they left him seriously wounded--his own officers conspired against him for having murdered the son of Jehoiada the priest; they killed him in bed, and he died and was buried in David’s burg, though not in the tombs of the kings. 26 (The conspirators were Zabad the son of Shimeath the Ammonitess and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith the Moabitess.) 27 All about his sons, and the grave warnings of the prophets to hi, and his restoration of the temple of God, will be found in the Midrash of the Book of the Kings.

Amaziah his son reigned instead of him. 25 Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem for twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem. 2 He did what was right in the eyes of the Eternal, but not with an undivided mind. 3 When he had secured his kingdom, he killed the officers who had murdered the king his father, 4 but he did not kill their children; he followed the injunction of the Eternal as written in the lawbook of Moses, that fathers are not to die on account of their children, nor children on account of their fathers, but that everyone must die for his own sin. 5 Amaziah also mustered the men of Judah, placing them by families under generals and commanders; he took a census of all the men of Judah and of Benjamin, from twenty years and upwards, and found that they numbered three hundred thousand picked men, fit for active service, able to handle spears and shields.

6 He further hired from Israel, for forty-one thousand two hundred and fifty pounds, a hundred thousand gallant soldiers. 7 But a man of God came and said to him, “O king, do not take the force of Israelites, for the Eternal is not with Israel (that is, with any of the Ephraimites). 8 Go by yourself, strike your own blow, be brave in battle; God will not let you fall before the foe, for God has power to help and to hurl down.” 9 Amaziah said to the man of God, “But what shall we do about the forty-one thousand two hundred and fifty pounds which I have paid to the troops of Israel?” The man of God replied, “The Eternal is able to give you far more than that.” 10 Then Amaziah detached the troops which had joined him from Ephraim; he sent them home. This enraged them against Judah, and they returned home furious. 11 Amaziah took heart and led out his men to the wady of Salt, where he killed ten thousand of the men of Seir, 12 while the men of Judah carried off other ten thousand alive, and taking them to the top of the Rock flung them down, till they were all dashed to pieces. 13 Meantime the troops which Amaziah had sent home, refusing to take them into battle, fell upon the towns of Judah, from Samaria as far as to Bethhoron, killing three thousand men and capturing large booty.

14 It was after his return from the massacre of the Edomites, that Amaziah brought the gods of the men of Seir and set them up to be his gods, bowing in homage before them and burning incense to them. 15 At this the Eternal’s anger blazed against Amaziah; he sent him a prophet who asked him, “Why have you resorted to foreign gods, to gods who could not save their own people from you?” 16 As they talked, the king said, “Did we appoint you to be a counsellor of the king? Give over; why should you lose your life?” So the prophet stopped, saying, “Well, I know God’s counsel; he means to destroy you, because you have done this, and refused to listen to my warning.”

17 Then Amaziah king of Judah let himself be counselled to send a message to Joash son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel, challenging him to an encounter. 18 Joash king of Israel sent this answer to Amaziah king of Judah: “The thistle at Lebanon sent word to the cedar at Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son in marriage’ --when a wild animal at Lebanon trampled down the thistle as it passed! 19 You have defeated Edom (you say to yourself), and you are proud of it. Stay at home; why provoke trouble, to the ruin of yourself, and of Judah with you?” 20 But Amaziah would not listen to him--which was God’s doing, in order to give Judah over to their foes, for having had recourse to the gods of Edom. 21 So Joash king of Israel sallied out; he and Amaziah king of Judah had an encounter at Beth-shemesh, which belongs to Judah; 22 Judah was overthrown by Israel, and every man scurried home. 23 At Beth-shemesh Joash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the grandson of Ahaziah; he took him down to Jerusalem, demolished the wall of Jerusalem for two hundred yards, from the gate of Ephraim to the Corner gate, 24 seized all the gold and silver and all the articles to be found in the temple of God, and all the treasures in the royal palace, carried off the household of Obed-edom and other hos­tages, and then returned to Samaria.

25 Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, lived for fifteen years after the death of Joash son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel. 26 As for the rest of the acts of Amaziah, from first to last, are they not described in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel? 27 No sooner did Amaziah cease to follow the Eternal, than a con­spiracy was formed against him in Jerusalem; he fled to Lakhish, but the conspirators sent men after him and murdered him at Lakhish; 28 he was then brought back on horses and buried with his fathers, in the capital of Judah.

26 The people of Judah all took Uzziah, who was sixteen, and made him king instead of his father Amaziah. 2 (It was he who rebuilt Eloth and restored it to Judah, after king Amaziah slept with his fathers.) 3 Uzziah was sixteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem for fifty-two years. His mother’s name was Jekoliah of Jerusalem. 4 He did what was right in the eyes of the Eternal, exactly as his father Amaziah had done; 5 he steadily worshipped God during the lifetime of Zechariah, who gave instruction in religion, and as long as he worshipped the Eternal, God gave him success. 6 He sallied out to fight the Philistines, de­molishing the walls of Gath and Jabneh and Ashdod, and building towns in the land of the Philistines; 7 God helped him against the Philistines, against the Arabians who lived at Gurbaal, and against the Meunim; 8 the Ammonites paid tribute to Uzziah, and his fame spread far, as far as to Egypt, so powerful did he become.

9 Uzziah also built towers in Jerusalem over the Comer gate and the Gai gate and at the angles of the walls, making them strong posts, 10 He built peel-towers in the open country and dug many a reservoir, for he had large herds, both in the lowlands and on the tableland; he had also farmers and vinedressers on the hills and in the fruitful fields, for he was a lover of agriculture. 11 And Uzziah had an army of fighting men who served in detachments, according to the number of their levies as drawn up by Jeiel the secretary and Maaseiah the comptroller, under Hananiah, one of the royal generals. 12 The total number of headmen, of the gallant leaders, was two thousand six hundred, 13 who were in command of a trained army of three hundred and seven thousand five hundred men, sturdy fighters on the side of the king against his enemies. 14 For these men, for the whole army, Uzziah provided shields, lances, helmets, cuirasses, and bows, with stones for the slingers. 15 On the towers and at the angles of the walls in Jerusalem he had machines placed, which a clever engineer had invented, for shooting arrows and for hurling large stones. His fame spread far, for he was wonderfully helped in attaining power.

16 But when he attained power, he became haughty, and that ruined him. He broke faith with the Eternal his God, by entering the temple of the Eternal in order to burn incense on the altar of incense. 17 Azariah the priest followed him in, along with eighty brave priests of the Eternal, 18 who opposed king Uzziah, telling him, “It is not your business, Uzziah, to bum incense to the Eternal; it is the business of the priests, the sons of Aaron, who have been consecrated to burn incense. Leave the sanctuary; you have committed a sin; this will only discredit you, before God the Eternal.” 19 Uzziah was furious. He was holding a censer to burn incense, and there, beside the altar of incense, as he raged at the priests, leprosy broke out on his forehead, before the priests in the temple of the Eternal! 20 Azariah the high-priest and all the priests were looking at him, and there he was with leprosy on his forehead! They pushed him quickly outside; indeed he hurried out, of his own accord, since the Eternal had struck him. 21 To the day of his death king Uzziah remained a leper, and as a leper he lived apart, excluded from the temple of the Eternal. His son Jotham managed the royal household, and ruled the nation. 22 The rest of the acts of Uzziah, from first to last, were written by the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz. 23 Uzziah slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers--but only in the burial-field belonging to the kings, for men said to themselves, “He was a leper.”

27 Jotham his son reigned instead of him. Now Jotham was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem for sixteen years. His mother’s name was Jerusha the daughter of Zadok. 2 He did what was right in the eyes of the Eternal, exactly as his father Uzziah had done, except that he did not make his way into the temple of the Eternal. (The nation still went wrong.) 3 He built the upper gate of the temple of the Eternal, and built largely on the Ophel wall; 4 he also built towns in the highlands of Judah, with castles and peel-towers in the forests. 5 He fought the king of the Ammonites and won; that year the Ammonites gave him tribute to the amount of forty-one thousand two hundred and fifty pounds in silver, a hundred thousand bushels of wheat, and a hundred thousand bushels of barley; all this was paid over to him that year by the Ammonites, the same next year, and the same the year after. 6 So Jotham became powerful because he lived steadily before the Eternal his God.

7 The rest of the acts of Jotham, all his wars and his career, are described in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. 8 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem for sixteen years. 9 Then Jotham slept with his fathers and was buried in David’s burg. Ahaz his son reigned instead of him.

28 Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem for sixteen years. He did not do what was right in the eyes of the Eternal, as his ancestor David had done; 2 he lived on the lines of the kings of Israel, making metal images for the Baals; 3 he also burned incense in the valley of Ben-Hinnom, and burned his children in the flames, following the abominable practice of the pagans whom the Eternal had dispossessed to make room for Israel; 4 he sacrificed and burnt incense at the shrines, on the hill-tops, and under every spreading tree.

5 So the Eternal his God let him fall into the hands of the king of Aram; the Aramaeans defeated him and carried off a vast number of his people as prisoners, taking them away to Damascus. He also fell into the hands of the king of Israel, who defeated him in a crushing disaster; 6 in a single day Pekah the son of Remaliah killed a hundred and twenty thousand men in Judah, all of them brave soldiers, because they had abandoned the Eternal the God of their fathers; 7 Zichri, an Ephraimite hero, killed prince Maaseiah, Azrikam the royal treasurer, and Elkanah the vizier; 8 and the Israelites made prisoners of two hundred thousand of their kinsfolk, women, boys, and girls, besides carrying off rich plunder, which they took to Samaria.

9 But a prophet of the Eternal was there, called Oded. He went out to meet the army on its return to Samaria, and said to them, “It was because the Eternal the God of your fathers was angry with Judah, that he has put them into your power, and you have massacred them with a fury that has resounded high as heaven itself. 10 And now you intend to hold these folk of Judah and Jerusalem as your slaves, male and female? Have not you, even you, sins of your own against the Eternal your God? 11 Listen; send back the prisoners you have captured from your kinsfolk, for the fierce anger of the Eternal rests upon you.” 12 Some chiefs of Ephraim, Azariah the son of Johanan, Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai, also protested against the soldiers who had returned from the war. 13 “You must not bring in the prisoners here,” they declared, “for what you mean to do will make us incur fresh guilt before the Eternal, in addition to our sins and guilt--for great is our guilt, and God’s fierce wrath is against Israel.” 14 So the armed men left the prisoners and the plunder in front of the nobles and all the community; 15 whereupon the men already mentioned rose and took the plunder to clothe the naked prisoners, arraying them in dress and sandals, giving them food and drink, and anointing them; after which they mounted all the feeble prisoners on asses, and took them back to their kinsmen at Jericho, the town of palm-trees; then they went back to Samaria.

16 It was then that king Ahaz sent for help to the king of Assyria; 17 for the Edomites had once more defeated Judah and carried off prisoners, 18 while the Philistines had raided the towns in the lowlands and the Negeb of Judah, capturing Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Soko, Timnah, and Gimzo, with their townships, and settling there. 19 For the Eternal had brought Judah low on account of king Ahaz, who had behaved wantonly in Judah and broken faith badly with the Eternal. 20 Tilgath-pilneser king of Assyria did come to him, but he proved a burden to him, instead of a strength. 21 For Ahaz rifled treasure from the temple of the Eternal and from the royal palace and from the nobles, to make a present for the king of Assyria; but it was of no avail.

22 In his hour of trouble he sinned still worse against the Eternal, did this king Ahaz; 23 for he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus who had defeated him, thinking that as the Aramaean gods helped the Aramaean kings, he would sacrifice to them to gain their help. But they proved the ruin of him and of all Israel. 24 Ahaz further collected all the articles belonging to the temple of God, broke them to pieces, and closed the doors of the temple of the Eternal. 25 He put up altars in every comer of Jerusalem, erected shrines in each and every town of Judah for burning incense to foreign gods, and so vexed the Eternal the God of his fathers.

26 The rest of his acts, and his whole career, from first to last, are described in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. Then Ahaz slept with his fathers and was buried inside Jerusalem; they would not take him to the tombs of the kings. Hezekiah his son reigned instead of him.

29 Hezekiah began to reign at the age of five and twenty, and he reigned in Jerusalem for twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Abijah the daughter of Zechariah. 2 He did what was right in the eyes of the Eternal, exactly as David his ancestor had done. 3 In the first month of the first year of his reign, he opened the doors of the temple of the Eternal and repaired them. 4 He also summoned the priests and Levites, assembling them in the open space east of the temple, 5 and said to them, "Listen, O Levites; purify yourselves and purify the temple of the Eternal the God of your fathers, removing the filth from the sacred shrine. 6 For our fathers have sinned and done wrong in the sight of the Eternal our God, they have abandoned him, they have ignored the dwelling-place of the Eternal and turned their backs upon him; 7 they have shut up the doors in the porch and put out the lamps, they have not burned incense

nor sacrificed burnt-offerings in the sacred shrine to the God of Israel. 8 Therefore the Eternal’s anger has rested on Judah and Jerusalem; he has left them to be an awful example, at which men shudder and hiss—as you can see for yourselves. 9 For this has led to our fathers being cut down, and our boys and girls and wives being made prisoners. 10 Now I mean to make a compact with the Eternal the God of Israel, so that his fierce anger may turn from us. 11 My children, be not indifferent; for the Eternal has chosen you for his service, to wait on him, that you should be his attendants and burn incense.”

12 Then up rose the Levites, Mahath the son of Amasai, and Joel the son of Azariah, who were Kohathites, Kish the son of Abdi, and Azariah the son of Jehallelel, who were Merarites, Joah the son of Zimmah, and Eden the son of Joah, who were Gershonites, 13 Shimri and Jehiel, who were descendants of Elizaphan, Zecharlah and Mattaniah, who were Asaphites, 14 Jehuel and Shimei, who were Hemanites, and Shemaiah and Uzziel, who were descendants of Jeduthun; 15 they mustered their fellows, purified themselves, and entered, by order of the king under the authority of the Eternal, to cleanse the temple of the Eternal. 16 The priests went inside the interior of the temple of the Eternal to cleanse it, and brought out all the filth they found inside the temple of the Eternal, to the court of the temple of the Eternal, whence the Levites carried it off to the Kidron-ravine. 17 They began this purifying on the first day of the first month, and on the eighth day they reached the porch of the Eternal; then they purified the temple of the Eternal in eight days, finishing everything on the sixteenth day of the first month, 18 when they went to king Hezekiah in the palace and reported that they had cleansed all the temple of the Eternal, the altar of burnt-offering with all its utensils, and the table for the Presence-bread, with all its utensils, 19 besides mending, purifying, and placing before the altar of the Eternal all the utensils which had been flung aside during the reign of king Ahaz, when he committed sacrilege.

20 Then king Hezekiah rose early, summoned the authorities of the city, and went up to the temple of the Eternal. 21 Seven bullocks, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven he-goats were brought as a sin-offering for the kingdom and for the sanctuary and for Judah, which he ordered the priests, the sons of Aaron, to sacrifice on the altar of the Eternal. 22 So they killed the bullocks; the priests received the blood and splashed it on the altar. They killed the rams, and splashed their blood upon the altar. They also killed the lambs, and splashed their blood upon the altar. 23 The he-goats for the sin-offering were led before the king and the gathering, who laid their hands upon them; 24 then the priests killed them and made a sin-offering with their blood upon the altar, as an expiation for all Israel (for the king gave orders that the burnt- offering and the sin-offering were to be sacrificed for all Israel). 25 The Levites he placed in the temple of the Eternal, with cymbals, lutes, and lyres, in accordance with the regulations of David, of Gad the royal seer, and of Nathan the prophet (for the Eternal had transmitted the order by means of his prophets). 26 The Levites stood with the Davidic instruments, the priests with the trumpets. 27 Hezekiah ordered the burnt-offering to be sacrificed on the altar. And as the sacrifice began, the song to the Eternal began also, with trumpet blasts, led by the musical instruments of David king of Israel. 28 The congregation all worshipped, the singers sang, and the trumpeters blew blasts, all together, until the sacrifice was over. 29 At the close of the sacrifice, the king and all who were present bowed low in worship. 30 (King Hezekiah and his nobles had ordered the Levites to sing praise to the Eternal from the psalms of David and of Asaph the seer. They sang psalms gladly, then bowed their heads in worship.)

31 Then Hezekiah addressed the gathering. "Now that you have consecrated yourselves to the Eternal," he said, "draw near and bring to the temple of the Eternal sacrifices by way of thank-offerings." So they came forward with sacrifices of thank-offering, and all who cared brought burnt-offerings of their own accord. 32 The burnt-offerings brought by the gathering amounted to seventy bullocks, a hundred rams, and two hundred lambs, all of which were given as a burnt- offering to the Eternal. 33 The thank-offerings amounted to six hundred oxen and three thousand sheep. 34 There were too few priests to flay all the victims for the burnt-offering; so the priests were helped by their fellows, the Levites, till the work was done—till all the priests had purified themselves (for the Levites had been more strict about purifying themselves than the priests). 35 Besides, there was a large quantity of burnt-offerings to be disposed of, with fat slices from the victims of the recompense-offerings and libations from every burnt-offering. In this way the service of the Eternal’s temple was inaugurated. 36 Hezekiah and the whole nation rejoiced that God had provided thus for the worship of the people; for the thing had come as a sudden surprise.

30 Hezekiah then sent word oa to all Israel and Judah, writing letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, bidding them attend the temple of the Eternal in Jerusalem in order to hold the passover in honour of the Eternal the God of Israel. 2 The king and his nobles and all the community in Jerusalem had agreed to hold the passover in the second month of the year; 3 they could not hold it in the first month, as too few priests had purified themselves, and also as the people had not gathered to Jerusalem. 4 The plan had commended itself to the king and all the community. 5 So they passed a decree to make a proclamation through the whole of Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, bidding the people come and hold the passover at Jerusalem in honour of the Eternal the God of Israel. For only a few had held it hitherto as by law appointed.

6 Couriers carried the letters from the king and his nobles all over Israel and Judah, by order of the king. The message was: “Men of Israel, turn to the Eternal the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, that he may himself turn to those of you who have survived and escaped the kings of Assyria. 7 Be not like your fathers and fellows who sinned against the Eternal the God of their fathers, till he abandoned them for men to shudder at, as you see for yourselves. 8 Do not be stubborn like your fathers; pledge yourselves to the Eternal and come inside his sanctuary, which he has consecrated for all time; worship the Eternal your God, that his fierce anger may turn from you. 9 For if you turn to the Eternal, your kinsfolk and children shall be pitied by their captors and allowed to return to this land; the Eternal your God is kind and compassionate, he will not disregard you if you come back to him.” 10 The couriers passed from town to town through the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, as far as to Zebulun, but the people derided them and scoffed at them. 11 Some, however, from Asher and Manasseh and Zebuiun did humble themselves and come to Jerusalem. 12 As for Judah, God moved them to be of one mind in obeying the orders of the king and his nobles, as inspired by the Eternal.

13 Large was the gathering at Jerusalem to hold the festival of unleavened bread in the second month, a great assembly. 14 They started to remove the altars from Jerusalem; they removed these altars of incense and flung them into the Kidron-ravine. 15 Then they killed the passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the second month; the priests and the Levites with shame purified themselves and brought burnt-offerings into the temple of the Eternal, 16 taking up their due positions as laid down by Moses the man of God; the priests splashed the blood which was handed to them by the Levites. 17 (For, as a large number in the assembly had not purified themselves, the Levites had the duty of killing the passover lamb for anyone who was unpurified, in order to purify them for the Eternal.) 18 A host of people, numbers from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not purified themselves, and yet ate the passover lamb irregularly; for Hezekiah had prayed on their behalf, “May the kind Eternal pardon anyone 19 who seriously resolves to worship God, even the Eternal the God of his fathers, although he may not ritually be pure!” 20 The Eternal listened to Hezekiah’s prayer and did pardon the people.

21 For seven days the Israelites present at Jerusalem held the festival of unleavened bread with great delight; the Levites and the priests sang praise to the Eternal day by day with all their might; 22 and Hezekiah encouraged all the Levites who were most skilful in the musical service of the Eternal. For seven days the people ate the offerings at the festival, as they made their recompense-offerings, rendering thanks to the Eternal the God of their fathers. 23 Indeed, the assembly all decided to celebrate the festival for seven days more, and for seven days more they held it with delight; 24 for Hezekiah king of Judah had presented the assembly with a thousand bullocks and seven thousand sheep to offer, the nobles gave the assembly a thousand bullocks and ten thousand sheep, and a large number of priests purified themselves.

25 All the assembly of Judah, with the priests and the Levites and all the gathering from Israel and the foreigners who came from the land of Israel or who lived in Judah, rejoiced; 26 there was loud joy in Jerusalem, for never since the days of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel, had there been a festival like this in Jerusalem. 27 The Levitical priests pronounced the benediction over the people, so loudly that their voices resounded to heaven, God’s sacred dwelling.

31 After all this was over, all Israel who had been present marched off to the towns of Judah, demolishing the obelisks, cutting down the sacred poles, and destroying the shrines and altars all over Judah and Benjamin, as well as in Ephraim and Manasseh, till they had made an end of them all. Whereupon the men of Israel all went back to their towns, every man to his own home.

2 Hezekiah re-established the divisions of the priests and Levites, each in his due position, for burnt-offerings, for recompense-offerings, for the service of thanks and praise, and for guarding the gates at the camp of the Eternal. 3 He also fixed the amount to be contributed to the king for the burnt-offerings, the morning and evening burnt-offerings, as well as the burnt-offerings for the sabbaths, the new moon festivals, and the regular festivals, as laid down in the law of the Eternal. 4 He ordered the citizens of Jerusalem to provide the supplies for the priests and the Levites, that they might devote themselves to the law of the Eternal.

5 When these orders were issued, the Israelites contributed richly the first-fruits of corn, wine, oil, honey, and all their crops; they also brought in a full tithe of everything. 6 The men of Israel and Judah who lived in the towns of Judah also brought in a tithe of oxen and sheep, and votive offerings consecrated to the Eternal their God, which they piled up; 7 they laid the foundation of the piles in the third month and finished them in the seventh month. 8 When Hezekiah and the nobles came and saw the piles, they blessed the Eternal and his people Israel. 9 Hezekiah asked the priests and the Levites about the piles, 10 and Azariah the high priest, who was a Zadokite, replied, “Ever since the people began to bring their offerings into the temple of the Eternal, we have had enough to eat and have plenty left over. The Eternal has blessed his people, and we have this great heap of stores left.” 11 Then Hezekiah ordered rooms to be got ready in the temple of the Eternal; the rooms were got ready, 12 and they duly carried in the offerings, the tithes, and the votive gifts.

13 Their inspector was Conaniah the Levite, assisted by his brother Shimei; Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismakjahu, Ma- hath, and Benaiah were the foremen, under Conaniah and his brother Shimei, by order of king Hezekiah and of Azaziah who superintended the temple of God. 14 Kore the son of Imnah 14 the Levite, who was warder at the east gate, looked after the freewill offerings to God, distributing what was reserved for the Eternal, and also the sacred portions. 15 Under him Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shekaniah officiated in the towns of the Levites, distributing faithfully to their fellows, division by division, to old and young alike 16 (except, that is, to any males registered from three years old and upwards, who were on duty in the temple of the Eternal, as each day might require them, to serve in their respective offices, by divisions). 17 The list of priests was prepared in order of their families; the Levites were registered from twenty years and upwards by their divisions for service. 18 This was for the purpose of registering all their children, their wives and boys and girls, throughout the community. They duly devoted themselves to the sacred task. 19 And in every town there were officials specially named to look after the Aaronite priests who lived in the country districts of the towns, to distribute supplies to all males among the priests and all entered on the register of the Levites.

20 This was Hezekiah’s policy all over Judah. His actions were good and right and loyal before the Eternal his God; 21 whatever he undertook in the interests of the temple of God, the law, and the commands of God, by way of worshipping his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered.

32 It was after this, after all this loyal service, that Sancherib king of Assyria invaded Judah, besieging the fortified towns and meaning to seize them. 2 When Hezekiah saw that Sancherib had come determined to attack Jerusalem, 3 he and his nobles and his chiefs agreed to stop the water of the fountains outside the town. He was helped by them; 4 indeed, a crowd collected and stopped up all the fountains as well as the torrent that gushed through the country, crying, “Why should Assyrian kings find plenty of water when they come?” 5 Hezekiah, taking heart, built up any part of the wall that had been broken, built towers on the wall, and ran another wall outside; he strengthened the Millo in David’s burg, and provided ample missiles and shields.

6 Then, appointing officers over the citizens, he gathered them in the open space at the gate of the city, and encouraged them. 7 “Be firm,” he said, “be brave, be not daunted nor dismayed for the king of Assyria or for all his host; we have with us One greater than all he has; 8 he has a mortal force, but we have with us the Eternal our God, to help us and to fight our battles.” The people put reliance on what Hezekiah king of Judah said. 9 After this, as Sancherib king of Assyria and all his forces lay near Lakhish, he sent some of his officers to Jerusalem, with this message for Hezekiah king of Judah and all the men of Judah at Jerusalem: 10 “Sancherib king of Assyria asks you what you are relying on, to stand a siege in Jerusalem. 11 Surely Hezekiah is beguiling you; he means to leave you to perish of famine and thirst, by telling you that the Eternal your God will save you from the king of Assyria. 12 Has not this very Hezekiah removed the Eternal’s shrines and altars, and ordered Judah and Jerusalem to worship and to burn incense at a single altar? 13 Do you not know what I and my fathers have done to all nations elsewhere in the world? Have the gods of these nations been able at all to save their lands from me? 14 What god of any nation exterminated by my fathers was ever able to save his people from me? And is your God able to save you from me? 15 Come, do not let Hezekiah delude you or beguile you like this; do not believe him. No god of any nation or realm has been able to save his people from me or from my fathers; much less shall your gods.”

16 His officers said even worse things against God the Eternal and his servant Hezekiah. 17 (Sancherib also wrote letters, insulting the Eternal the God of Israel and attacking him thus: “As the gods of the nations elsewhere in the world have failed to save their folk from me, so shall Hezekiah’s God fail to save his folk.”) 18 The officers shouted aloud in Hebrew to the citizens of Jerusalem on the walls, to terrify them and scare them, that they might capture the city. 19 They talked about the God of Jerusalem as one of the gods of the nations on earth, mere hand-made idols! 20 King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz prayed over this and cried to heaven; 21 then the Eternal sent an angel who swept off all the gallant fighters, the leaders, and captains, in the camp of the king of Assyria, till he had to go home in disgrace. He went into the temple of his god, and there his own offspring murdered him with their swords. 22 So the Eternal rescued Hezekiah and the citizens of Jerusalem from Sancherib the king of Assyria as well as from all other foes, protecting them on every side. 23 Indeed, many folk brought presents to the Eternal in Jerusalem and rare gifts to Hezekiah king of Judah, till he was of high repute among all nations, from now onwards.

24 Then it was that Hezekiah fell dangerously ill; he prayed to the Eternal, who answered him and let him have a miraculous token of recovery. 25 But Hezekiah made no return for the benefit thus bestowed on him; he proved haughty, and this brought wrath on himself and upon Judah and Jerusalem. 26 However, Hezekiah humbled himself in penitence for his haughty pride, both he and the citizens of Jerusalem, so that during the reign of Hezekiah the wrath of the Eternal did not fall upon them.

27 Hezekiah had enormous wealth and honour; he supplied himself with treasuries to hold silver, gold, jewels, spices, rarities, and all kinds of handsome articles, 28 also stores for the influx of grain, wine, and oil, barns for all kinds of cattle, and pens for sheep; 29 he acquired enormous numbers of flocks and herds, for God gave him rich possessions. 30 It was Hezekiah who stopped the spring that fed the Gihon water, and directed the water down westward to David’s burg: Hezekiah succeeded in all that he undertook. 31 (In the case of the ambassadors who had been sent by the princes of Babylon to ask him about the miraculous token which had happened in his land, God tested him by leaving him to himself, that He might find out all that was in his mind.)

32 The rest of the acts of Hezekiah and his pious deeds are described in the Vision of the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz and in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 33 Hezekiah slept with his fathers and was buried in the upper part of the tombs of the sons of David; all Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem paid him honour when he died. Manasseh his son reigned instead of him.

33 Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem for fifty-five years. 2 He did what was evil in the eyes of the Eternal, following the abominable practices of the pagans whom the Eternal had dispossessed before the Israelites; 3 he rebuilt the shrines which his father Hezekiah had demolished, he erected altars to Baals, made images of Astarte, and worshipped all the stars and did homage to them. 4 He even built altars in the temple of the Eternal, though the Eternal had said, “I will set my Presence here for all time, in Jerusalem”; 5 he built altars for all the stars in the two courtyards of the temple of the Eternal. 6 He burned his children in the valley of Ben-Hinnom, he practised augury, sorcery, and witchcraft, he instituted mediums and wizards; he did ample evil in the sight of the Eternal, to vex him. 7 He put a carved image of an idol he had made, in the temple of God, though God had said to David and his son Solomon, “Within this temple, at Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the clans of Israel, I will grant my Presence for all time; 8 never will I send Israel wandering out of the land I have given to their fathers, if only they will be mindful to obey exactly all my commands, the laws and rules and regulations laid down for them by Moses.” 9 Manasseh made Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem go wrong, till they did worse than the very pagans whom the Eternal had destroyed before the Israelites.

10 The Eternal warned Manasseh and his people, but they paid no heed. 11 So the Eternal brought the generals of the king of Assyria against them, who caught and chained Manasseh, shackling him in fetters and carrying him off to Babylon. 12 When he was in trouble, he besought the Eternal his God, humbling himself low before the God of his fathers; 13 he prayed to him, and the Eternal listened to him, answered his entreaty, and brought him back to his kingdom at Jerusalem. Then Manasseh realized that the Eternal was God.

14 After this he ran a wall outside David’s burg, west of Gihon in the valley, up to the entry of the Fish gate, encircling Ophel; he made the wall very high. He placed army officers in all the fortified towns of Judah. 15 And he removed the foreign gods and the idols from the temple of the Eternal, as well as all the altars he had built on the hill of the temple of the Eternal and throughout Jerusalem; he flung them outside the city. 16 He rebuilt the altar of the Eternal, offering on it sacrifices of recompense-offerings and thank-offerings, and he ordered Judah to worship the Eternal the God of Israel. 17 The people continued to sacrifice at their shrines, but only to the Eternal their God.

18 The rest of the acts of Manasseh, his prayer to his God and the words spoken to him by the seers in the name of the Eternal the God of Israel, are described in the Book of the Kings of Israel. 19 [[The story of his prayer, of how God answered his en­treaty, of all his sin and trespass, and of the places where he built shrines and erected sacred poles and metal idols, before he humbled himself—it is all written in the History of the Seers.]] 20 So Manasseh slept with his fathers, and was buried in the garden of his own palace. Amon his son reigned instead of him.

21 Amon was twenty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem for two years. 22 He did what was evil in the eyes of the Eternal, like his father Manasseh; Amon sacrificed to all the carved idols made by his father Manasseh, and worshipped them. 23 He did not humble himself before the Eternal, as his father Manasseh had done; this Amon became worse and worse. 24 His officers conspired against him and murdered him in his palace; 25 but the nation killed all the conspirators, and elected Amon’s son Josiah to reign instead of him.

34 Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem for thirty-one years. 2 He did what was right in the eyes of the Eternal, and followed the lines of his ancestor David, turning neither to the right hand nor to the left.

3 In the eighth year of his reign, when he was still a boy, he began to revere the God of his ancestor David, and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the shrines, the sacred poles, the carved idols, and the metal gods. 4 Under his eyes, they demolished the altars of the Baals; he cut down the sun-pillars high over them, and as for the sacred poles, the carved idols, and the metal gods, he broke them in pieces, ground them to dust, and scattered the dust over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. 5 He burned the bones of the priests upon their altars, as he purged Judah and Jerusalem, 6 and destroyed their houses in the towns of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, as far as Naphtali; 7 he demolished altars, crushed sacred poles and carved idols to powder, and cut down all the sun-pillars, throughout all the land of Israel; after which he returned to Jerusalem.

8 In the eighteenth year of his reign, after he had purged the country and the temple, he sent Shaphan the son of Azallah, Maaseiah the provost of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the chancellor, to repair the temple of the Eternal his God. 9 They went to Hilkiah the high-priest and handed over the money brought into the temple of God, which had been collected by the Levites or warders from Manasseh, Ephraim, and all the survivors of Israel, as well as from Judah and Benjamin and the citizens of Jerusalem. 10 This money was put into the hands of the foremen who had charge of the temple of the Eternal, and these men, at work on the temple of the Eternal, spent it on the repairs and reconstruction of the temple, 11 paying joiners and builders to buy dressed stones, and timber for couplings and for beams in the buildings destroyed by the kings of Judah. 12 The men did their work honestly, supervised by Jahath and Obadiah, Merarite Levites, and by Zechariah and Meshullam, who were Kohathites, appointed to direct the work. Levites, every man of them a skilled musician, 13 also supervised the labourers and directed all the workmen in every department; the clerks, the stewards, and the warders were also taken from the Levites.

14 It was as they were taking out the money which had been deposited in the temple of the Eternal, that Hilkiah the priest found the law-book of the Eternal, written by Moses. 15 Hilkiah told Shaphan the secretary that he had found the law-book in the temple of the Eternal, and he handed it over to Shaphan, 16 who took the law-book to the king, as he gave in his report to the king. He reported, “Your servants are doing all that was entrusted to them. 17 The money found in the temple of the Eternal has been paid out to the foremen and to the workmen.” 18 Shaphan the secretary also told the king that Hilkiah the priest had handed him a book.

19 Shaphan read out of the book to the king; and when the king heard the words of the law, he tore his clothes, 20 and ordered Hilkiah, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Abdon the son of Micah, Shaphan the secretary, and Asalah a royal official, 21 to “go and consult the Eternal for me and for those left in Israel and Judah, about the terms of this book that has been found; for the Eternal vents his anger upon us, because our fathers have not obeyed the word of the Eternal, to carry out all the injunctions written in this book.” 22 So Hilkiah and the others went, as the king ordered, and told Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah (the grandson of Harhas), keeper of the robes (she lived in the second ward of Jerusalem). 23 She gave them this message from the Eternal the God of Israel: 24 “Tell the man who sent you to me that this is the Eternal’s decree: ‘I will bring upon this place and its inhabitants all the dread curses described in the book read to the king of Judah, 25 because the people have abandoned me, burning incense to other gods, to vex me with all their evil practices. Therefore my wrath is vented on this place, and it shall blaze without quenching.’ 26 However, tell this to the king of Judah who sent you to consult the Eternal: ‘The Eternal the God of Israel declares, 27 since you have listened to my words, since your heart was penitent, and you humbled yourself before God when you heard his threats against this place and its inhabitants, since you tore your clothes and wept before me, I have heard you, says the Eternal; 28 I will gather you to your fathers, you shall be gathered to your grave in peace, and your eyes shall not see all the disasters I am bringing on this place and its inhabitants.’ ”

29 They took back this answer to the king, and the king summoned all the sheikhs of Judah and Jerusalem; 30 he went up to the temple of the Eternal, accompanied by all the men of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem, the priests, the Levites, and all the people, young and old. He then read aloud to them all the words of the book of the compact, which had been found in the temple of the Eternal, 31 and, standing on the platform, the king made a compact, in presence of the Eternal, to follow the Eternal, to obey his orders and his warnings and his rules, heart and soul, carrying out the terms of the compact laid down in this book. 32 He made everyone in Jerusalem and Benjamin adhere to it. The citizens of Jerusalem carried out this compact with God, the God of their fathers; 33 Josiah removed all the abominable idols from every district belonging to Israel, and made everyone within Israel offer worship to the Eternal their God; during all his reign they never gave up their devotion to the Eternal the God of their fathers.

35 Josiah held a passover in honour of the Eternal at Jerusalem; the passover lamb was killed on the fourteenth day of the first month. 2 He assigned the priests their duties, and encouraged them to serve in the temple of the Eternal. 3 And he addressed the Levites, men sacred to the Eternal, who gave religious instruction to all Israel. “Since the sacred ark,” said he, “was placed inside the temple built by Solomon the son of David, 'king of Israel, and you have no longer to carry it on your shoulders, see to the worship of the Eternal your God, and of his people Is rael. 4 Arrange yourselves by your families in your divisions, as prescribed by David king of Israel and by his son Solomon; 5 stand in the sacred place with some of each Levitical family, to serve each group of families among your kinsmen the laity; 6 kill the passover lamb, then purify yourselves and prepare the passover, that your kinsmen may celebrate according to the Eternal’s instructions given by Moses.” 7 Josiah gave all the people present lambs and kids from his flocks, all as victims for the passover sacrifices, amounting to thirty thousand, with three thousand bullocks; these came out of the king’s property. 8 His nobles also made a freewill offering to the people, the priests, and the Levites. Hilkiah, Zecharlah, and Jehiel, who were in charge of the temple of God, gave the priests two thousand six hundred lambs and three hundred oxen for the passover sacrifices, 9 while Conaniah, with Shemaiah and Nethanel his brothers and Hashabiah, Jeiel, and Jozabad, wrho were heads of the Levites, gave the Levites five thousand lambs and five hundred oxen for the passover sacrifices. 10 So the service was arranged; the priests stood in their positions, and the Levites in their divisions, as the king ordered. 11 The passover lambs were killed, and the priests splashed their blood on the altar, as they received it from the Levites who were flaying the victims. 12 Parts of the victims of the burnt-offering were removed, to be given to the various groups of families among the laity, to sacrifice to the Eternal, as enjoined in the law-book of Moses. So too with the oxen. 13 They duly roasted the passover lamb in the fire, and boiled the sacrificial flesh of the oxen in pots, cauldrons, and pans, carrying the meat quickly among the laity. 14 Then they prepared flesh for themselves and for the priests; as the Aaronite priests were occupied till night in sacrificing the burnt-offerings and the fat slices, the Levites had to make their preparation for themselves and for the Aaronite priests. 15 The Asaphite singers were arrayed as David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun (the king’s seer) had prescribed, and the warders were at each gate; they did not require to leave their posts, as their fellows the Levites got the meat all ready for them. 16 In this way the whole service of holding the passover in honour of the Eternal and of sacrificing burnt-offerings on the altar of the Eternal was carried out that day, as king Josiah ordered. 17 The Israelites present held their passover and also, for seven days, the festival of unleavened bread. 18 Never since the days of the prophet Samuel had there been a passover like it in Israel; never had any king of Israel celebrated such a passover as was held by Josiah, by the priests and the Levites, by all Judah and Israel who were present, and by the citizens of Jerusalem. 19 This passover was held in the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign.

20 After all this, when Josiah had arranged the temple, Necho king of Egypt marched north to fight at Karkhemish on the Euphrates. Josiah sallied out to attack him, 21 but Necho sent ambassadors to him with this message; “What have you to do with me, O king of Judah? I am out against your ancient foe, not against you; and God has ordered me to be quick about it. Stop interfering with God, who is on my side, lest he destroy you.” 22 But Josiah would not leave him alone; he presumed to attack him, paying no heed to what Necho had been inspired to tell him. The fight opened in the valley of Megiddo. 23 The archers aimed at king Josiah, till Josiah cried to his men, “Take me away, I am badly wounded.” 24 So his men lifted him out of the chariot and put him into his reserve chariot, driving him to Jerusalem, where he died and was buried in the tombs of his fathers. All Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah. 25 Jeremiah composed an elegy over Josiah, and the singers, both men and women, all uttered a lament over Josiah--as indeed they do to this day, for they made it a regular custom in Israel. The laments are written in the Book of Elegies. 26 The rest of the acts of Josiah and his brave deeds, in obedience to the instructions of the law of the Eternal, 27 his acts from first to last, are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah.

36 Then the nation took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah and made him king in Jerusalem, instead of his father. 2 Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem for three months. 3 The king of Egypt deposed him at Jerusalem, and fined the country forty-two thousand pounds in silver and six thousand pounds in gold; 4 the king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, changing his name to Jehoiakim; Necho bore off his brother Jehoahaz to Egypt. 5 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign; he reigned in Jerusalem for eleven years, and did what was evil in the eyes of the Eternal his God. 6 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against him and shackled him in chains, to carry him off to Babylon. 7 Nebuchadnezzar also bore off some vessels from the temple of the Eternal and put them inside his palace at Babylon.

8 As for the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, his abominable deeds, and all his career, they are described in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah.

His son Jehoiakin reigned instead of him. 9 Jehoiakin was eighteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem for three months. He did what was evil in the eyes of the Eternal. 10 The following spring, king Nebuchadnezzar sent and brought him to Babylon, with the costly vessels of the temple of the Eternal, making his kinsman Zedekiah king instead of him over Judah and Jerusalem.

11 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem for eleven years. 12 He did what was evil in the eyes of the Eternal his God. He would not humble himself before the prophet Jeremiah, who had the authority of the Eternal, 13 and he rebelled against king Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear to be loyal; he hardened his heart and obstinately refused to turn to the Eternal the God of Israel. 14 Also the leading priests and the people all sinned heavily by copying the abominable practices of the pagans, defiling the temple of the Eternal which he had hallowed in Jerusalem. 15 The Eternal the God of their 15 fathers sent warning to them by his messengers, eagerly and earnestly, because he had pity upon his people and his dwelling-place; 16 but they mocked God’s messengers, despised his words, and derided his prophets, until the wrath of the Eternal burst upon his people, past all remedy. 17 He brought down on them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their soldiers inside the house of their sanctuary, and spared neither youths nor maidens, neither old men nor seniors--all were handed over to them by God. 18 (Also all the vessels of the temple of God, large and small, the treasures of the temple of the Eternal, and the treasures belonging to the king and to his nobles, all these the Chaldean king took away to Babylon, 19 burning down the temple of God, pulling down the wall of Jerusalem, burning all its buildings, and destroying all the costly vessels.) 20 He carried off the survivors to Babylon, where they were slaves to him and to his sons until the Persian empire rose. 21 All this, in fulfilment of what the Eternal had predicted by Jeremiah, that the land was to enjoy her sabbatical years, keeping her sabbaths all the time she lay desolate, for the full seventy years.

22 [[In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the prediction of the Eternal, announced by Jeremiah, might be carried out, the Eternal moved Cyrus king of Persia to issue a proclomation throughout all his realm, and to put it in writing. 23 "By order of Cyrus king of Persia: the Eternal the God of Israel has given me all kingdoms of the earth, and he has commissioned me to build him a temple at Jerusalem which is in Judah. Whosoever among you belongs to this people (may the Eternal his God be with him), let him go up thither."]]