2 Kings
Chapter:
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2 Kings 1
1 Then Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab.
2 Now Ahaziah fell through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria, and was ill; so he
sent messengers and said to them, Go, inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I
shall recover from this sickness.
3 And the Angel of Jehovah spoke to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the
messengers of the king of Samaria, and say to them, Is it because there is no God in Israel
that you are going to inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron?
4 Now therefore, thus says Jehovah: You shall not come down from the bed on which
you have gone up, but you shall die the death. And Elijah departed.
5 And when the messengers returned to him, he said to them, Why have you come back?
6 And they said to him, A man came up to meet us, and said to us, Go, return to the king
who sent you, and say to him, Thus says Jehovah: Is it because there is no God in Israel
that you are sending to inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you shall not
come down from the bed upon which you have gone up, but you shall die the death.
7 And he said to them, What kind of man was it who came up to meet you and spoke to
you these words?
8 So they answered him, A hairy man girded with a leather waistband around his loins.
And he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite.
9 Then the king sent to him a commander of fifty with his fifty. So he went up to him;
and behold, he was sitting on the top of a hill. And he spoke to him: Man of God, the king
has said, Come down!
10 And Elijah answered and said to the commander of fifty, If I am a man of God, then
let fire come down from the heavens and consume you and your fifty. And fire came down
from the heavens and consumed him and his fifty.
11 Then he sent to him another commander of fifty with his fifty. And he answered and
said to him: Man of God, thus has the king said, Come down quickly!
12 And Elijah answered and said to them, If I am a man of God, let fire come down from
the heavens and consume you and your fifty. And the fire of God came down from the
heavens and consumed him and his fifty.
13 Again, he sent a third commander of fifty with his fifty. And the third commander of
fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and implored him, and said to
him: Man of God, please let my life and the life of these fifty servants of yours be precious
in your eyes.
14 Behold, fire has come down from the heavens and burned up the first two
commanders of fifties with their fifties. But let my life now be precious in your eyes.
15 And the Angel of Jehovah said to Elijah, Go down with him; do not be afraid of him.
So he arose and went down with him to the king.
16 And he said to him, Thus says Jehovah: Because you have sent messengers to inquire
of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of His
Word? Therefore you shall not come down from the bed upon which you have gone up,
but you shall die the death.
17 So Ahaziah died according to the Word of Jehovah which Elijah had spoken. Because
he had no son, Jehoram became king in his place, in the second year of Jehoram the son of
Jehoshaphat, king of Judah.
18 Now the rest of the acts of Ahaziah which he did, are they not written in the book of
the Chronicles of the kings of Israel.
2 Kings 2
1 And it came to pass, when Jehovah was about to take Elijah up into Heaven by a
whirlwind, that Elijah and Elisha went from Gilgal.
2 Then Elijah said to Elisha, Stay here, please, for Jehovah has sent me on to Bethel. But
Elisha said, As Jehovah lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you! So they went
down to Bethel.
3 And the sons of the prophets who were at Bethel came out to Elisha, and said to him,
Do you know that Jehovah will take away your master from over you today? And he said,
Yes, I know; keep silent!
4 Then Elijah said to him, Elisha, stay here, please, for Jehovah has sent me on to Jericho.
But he said, As Jehovah lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you! So they came to
Jericho.
5 And the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho came to Elisha and said to him, Do
you know that Jehovah will take away your master from over you today? And he
answered, Yes, I know; keep silent!
6 Then Elijah said to him, Stay here, please, for Jehovah has sent me on to the Jordan.
But he said, As Jehovah lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you! So the two of
them went on.
7 And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went and stood in view of them at a distance,
while the two of them stood by the Jordan.
8 And Elijah took his mantle, rolled it up, and struck the water; and it was divided this way
and that, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground.
9 And so it was, when they had crossed over, that Elijah said to Elisha, Ask! What shall I
do for you, before I am taken away from you? And Elisha said, Please let a double portion
of your spirit be upon me.
10 And he said, You have asked a hard thing. If you see me when I am taken from you, it
shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so.
11 And it happened as they continued on and talked, that behold, a chariot of fire
appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a
whirlwind into Heaven.
12 And Elisha was watching and crying out, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel
and its horsemen! So he saw him no more. And he took hold of his own clothes and tore
them into two pieces.
13 He also took up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and
stood by the bank of the Jordan.
14 And he took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, and
said, Where is Jehovah the God of Elijah? And when he also had struck the water, it was
divided this way and that; and Elisha crossed over.
15 And when the sons of the prophets from Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of
Elijah rests upon Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed to the ground before him.
16 And they said to him, Behold now, there are fifty strong men with your servants.
Please let them go and search for your master, lest perhaps the Spirit of Jehovah has taken
him up and cast him upon some mountain or into some valley. And he said, You shall not
send.
17 And when they pressed him till he was ashamed, he said, Send! So they sent fifty men,
and they searched for three days but did not find him.
18 And when they came back to him (for he had stayed in Jericho), he said to them, Did I
not say to you, Do not go?
19 And the men of the city said to Elisha, Behold, the situation of this city is pleasant, as
my lord sees; but the water is bad, and the ground barren.
20 And he said, Bring me a new bowl, and put salt in it. So they brought it to him.
21 And he went out to the spring of the water, and cast the salt in there, and said, Thus
says Jehovah: I have healed this water; from it there shall be no more death or barrenness.
22 Thus the waters remain healed to this day, according to the word of Elisha which he
had spoken.
23 And he went up from there to Bethel; and as he was going up the road, some little
boys came from the city and mocked him, and said to him, Go up, you baldhead! Go up,
you baldhead!
24 And he turned around and looked at them, and cursed them in the name of Jehovah.
And two bears came out of the forest and ripped apart forty-two of the children.
25 And he went from there to Mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria.
2 Kings 3
1 Now Jehoram the son of Ahab became king over Israel at Samaria in the eighteenth
year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned twelve years.
2 And he did evil in the eyes of Jehovah, but not like his father and mother; for he put
away the pillar of Baal that his father had made.
3 Nevertheless he clung to the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel
sin; he did not depart from them.
4 Now Mesha the king of Moab was a raiser of sheep, and he had brought to the king of
Israel one hundred thousand lambs and the wool of one hundred thousand rams.
5 But it happened, when Ahab was dead, that the king of Moab rebelled against the king
of Israel.
6 So King Jehoram went out of Samaria that day and mustered all of Israel.
7 And he went and sent to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, saying, The king of Moab has
rebelled against me. Will you go with me to fight against Moab? And he said, I will go up; I
am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.
8 And he said, Which way shall we go up? And he answered, By way of the wilderness of
Edom.
9 So the king of Israel went with the king of Judah and the king of Edom, and they made
a circuit of a seven days' journey; and there was no water for the camp, nor for the cattle
at their feet.
10 And the king of Israel said, Alas! For Jehovah has called these three kings together to
deliver them into the hand of Moab!
11 But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not a prophet of Jehovah here, that we may inquire of
Jehovah by him? So one of the servants of the king of Israel answered and said, Elisha the
son of Shaphat is here, who poured water on the hands of Elijah.
12 And Jehoshaphat said, The Word of Jehovah is with him. So the king of Israel and
Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.
13 And Elisha said to the king of Israel, What have I to do with you? Go to the prophets
of your father and the prophets of your mother. But the king of Israel said to him, No, for
Jehovah has called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab.
14 And Elisha said, As Jehovah of Hosts lives, before whom I stand, surely were it not
that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not pay attention to you,
nor look at you.
15 But now bring me a minstrel. And it happened, when the minstrel played, that the
hand of Jehovah came upon him.
16 And he said, Thus says Jehovah: Make this valley full of ditches.
17 For thus says Jehovah: You shall not see wind, nor shall you see rain; yet the valley
shall be filled with water, so that you, your cattle, and your animals may drink.
18 And this is but a slight thing in the eyes of Jehovah; He has also delivered the Moabites
into your hand.
19 Also you shall strike every fortified city and every choice city, and shall cut down every
good tree, and stop up every spring of water, and ruin every good piece of land with
stones.
20 And it happened in the morning, when the grain offering was offered, that behold,
water came by way of Edom, and the land was filled with water.
21 And when all the Moabites had heard that the kings had come up to fight against them,
all who were able to bear arms and older were gathered; and they took their stand at the
border.
22 And they rose up early in the morning, and the sun was shining on the water; and the
Moabites saw the water on the other side as red as blood.
23 And they said, This is blood; the kings have laid waste to make desolate, and have
struck down one another; now therefore, Moab, to the spoils!
24 So when they came to the camp of Israel, Israel rose up and struck the Moabites, so
that they fled before them; and they entered, striking to kill the Moabites.
25 And they tore down the cities, and each man threw a stone on every good piece of land
and filled it; and they stopped up all the springs of water and cut down all the good trees.
But they left the stones of Kir Haraseth. However the slingers surrounded and struck it.
26 And when the king of Moab saw that the battle had prevailed against him, he took
with him seven hundred men who drew swords, to break through to the king of Edom, but
they could not.
27 Then he took his firstborn son who would have reigned in his place, and offered him as
a burnt offering upon the wall. And there was great wrath against Israel; so they departed
from him and returned to their own land.
2 Kings 4
1 Now a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha,
saying, Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared Jehovah.
And the creditor is coming to take my two children to be his slaves.
2 And Elisha said to her, What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the
house? And she said, Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a flask of oil.
3 Then he said, Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors; empty
vessels; do not gather just a few.
4 And when you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you and your sons; and
pour it into all those vessels, and set aside the full ones.
5 So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons, who brought the
vessels to her; and she poured it out.
6 And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, Bring me
another vessel. And he said to her, There is not another vessel. And the oil stopped.
7 Then she came and reported to the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil and pay
your debt; and you and your sons live on the rest.
8 And it happened one day that Elisha went to Shunem, where there was a notable
woman, and she prevailed upon him to eat food. So it was, as often as he passed by, he
would turn aside there to eat food.
9 And she said to her husband, Behold now, I know that this is a holy man of God, who
passes by us continually.
10 Please, let us make a small walled upper room; and let us put a bed for him there, and a
table and a chair and a lampstand; and it shall be, whenever he comes to us, he can turn
aside there.
11 And the day came that he came there, and he turned in to the upper room and lay
down there.
12 And he said to Gehazi his servant, Summon this Shunammite. And when he had
summoned her, she stood before him.
13 And he said to him, Say now to her, Behold, you have been concerned for us with all
this care. What shall I do for you? Shall I speak on your behalf to the king or to the
commander of the army? She answered, I am dwelling among my own people.
14 So he said, What then is to be done for her? And Gehazi answered, Truly, she has no
son, and her husband is old.
15 And he said, Summon her. When he had summoned her, she stood in the doorway.
16 And he said, At the appointed time according to the time of life you shall embrace a
son. And she said, No, my lord. Man of God, do not lie to your maidservant!
17 And the woman conceived and bore a son at the appointed time, according to the time
of life, as Elisha had spoken to her.
18 When the child was grown, it happened one day that he went out to his father, to the
reapers.
19 And he said to his father, My head, my head! So he said to a servant, Carry him to his
mother.
20 When he had taken him and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon,
and died.
21 And she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, shut the door upon him,
and went out.
22 And she called to her husband, and said, Please send me one of the young men and
one of the donkeys, that I may run to the man of God and come back.
23 And he said, Why are you going to him today? It is neither the new moon nor the
sabbath. And she said, It will be well.
24 And she saddled a donkey, and said to her servant, Lead on and go; do not slacken the
pace for me unless I say so.
25 So she departed, and went to the man of God at Mount Carmel. And so it was, when
the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to his servant Gehazi, Behold, the
Shunammite!
26 Please run now to meet her, and say to her, Is it well with you? Is it well with your
husband? Is it well with the child? And she answered, It is well.
27 And when she came to the man of God at the hill, she took hold of his feet; and
Gehazi came near to push her away; but the man of God said, Let her alone; for her soul is
bitter, and Jehovah has hidden it from me, and has not told me.
28 And she said, Did I ask a son of my lord? Did I not say, Do not deceive me?
29 Then he said to Gehazi, Gird up your loins, and take my staff in your hand, and go. If
you meet anyone, do not greet him; and if anyone greets you, do not answer him; but lay
my staff on the face of the boy.
30 And the mother of the boy said, As Jehovah lives, and as your soul lives, I will not
leave you. So he arose and went after her.
31 And Gehazi went on before them, and laid the staff on the face of the boy; but there
was neither voice nor hearing. Therefore he went back to meet him, and reported to him,
saying, The boy has not awakened.
32 And when Elisha came into the house, behold, the boy was dead, lying on his bed.
33 So he went in, shut the door behind the two of them, and prayed unto Jehovah.
34 And he went up and lay on the child, and put his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his
eyes, and his hands on his hands; and he stretched himself out on the child, and the flesh of
the child became warm.
35 He returned and walked back and forth in the house, and again went up and stretched
himself out on him; then the boy sneezed seven times, and the boy opened his eyes.
36 And he summoned Gehazi and said, Summon this Shunammite. So he summoned her.
And when she came in to him, he said, Take up your son.
37 And she went in, fell at his feet, and bowed to the ground, and took up her son and
went out.
38 And Elisha returned to Gilgal. Now there was a famine in the land, and the sons of
the prophets were sitting before him; and he said to his servant, Put on the large pot, and
boil stew for the sons of the prophets.
39 And one of them went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and
gathered from it a lapful of wild gourds, and came and sliced them into the pot of stew,
though they did not know what they were.
40 And they poured out for the men to eat. And it happened, as they were eating the stew,
that they cried out and said, Man of God, there is death in the pot! And they could not eat
it.
41 So he said, Then bring some flour. And he put it into the pot, and said, Pour it out for
the people, that they may eat. And there was nothing harmful in the pot.
42 And a man came from Baal Shalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the
firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley bread, and fresh heads of grain in his sack. And he said,
Give it to the people, that they may eat.
43 But his servant said, What? Shall I set this before one hundred men? He said again,
Give it to the people, that they may eat; for thus says Jehovah: They shall eat and have
some left over.
44 So he set it before them; and they ate and had some left over, according to the Word of
Jehovah.
2 Kings 5
1 Now Naaman, a chief of the army of the king of Syria, was a great and honorable man
before his master, because by him Jehovah had given deliverance to Syria. He was also a
mighty man of valor, but a leper.
2 And the Syrians had gone out on raids, and had brought back captive a little girl from
the land of Israel; and she was before Naaman's wife.
3 And she said to her mistress, If only my master were with the prophet who is in
Samaria! For he would take away his leprosy.
4 And he went in and told his master, saying, Thus and thus has spoken the girl, who is
from the land of Israel.
5 And the king of Syria said, Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel. So he
departed and took in his hand ten talents of silver, six thousand pieces of gold, and ten
changes of clothing.
6 Then he came to the king of Israel with the letter which said, As this letter comes to you,
behold, I have sent Naaman my servant to you, that you may take away his leprosy.
7 And it happened, when the king of Israel read the letter, that he tore his clothes and said,
Am I God, to kill and make alive, that this man sends a man to me to take away his
leprosy? Therefore please consider, and see how he seeks a quarrel with me.
8 So it was, when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes,
that he sent to the king, saying, Why have you torn your clothes? Please let him come to
me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.
9 So Naaman went with his horses and chariot, and stood at the door of Elisha's house.
10 And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, Go and wash in the Jordan seven times,
and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.
11 But Naaman was furious, and went away and said, Behold I thought He would go
forth to come out to me, and would have stood and called upon the name of Jehovah his
God, and waved his hand over the place, and taken away the leprosy.
12 Are not the Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters
of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage.
13 And his servants came near and spoke to him, and said, My father, if the prophet had
told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more then, when
he says to you, Wash, and be clean?
14 So he went down and dipped seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the
man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little boy, and he was clean.
15 And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came and stood
before him; and he said, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in
Israel; now therefore, please take a gift from your servant.
16 But he said, As Jehovah lives, before whom I stand, I shall take nothing. And he
pressed him to take it, but he refused.
17 So Naaman said, Then, if not, please let your servant be given two mule-loads of earth;
for your servant will no longer offer either burnt offering or sacrifice to other gods, but
unto Jehovah.
18 Yet in this thing may Jehovah pardon your servant: when my master goes into the
house of Rimmon to bow down there, and he supports himself on my hand, and I bow
down in the house of Rimmon; when I bow down in the house of Rimmon, may Jehovah
please pardon your servant in this thing.
19 And he said to him, Go in peace. So he departed from him a short distance.
20 But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, Behold, my master has spared
Naaman this Syrian, in not receiving from his hands what he brought; but as Jehovah lives,
I will run after him and take something from him.
21 So Gehazi ran after Naaman. And when Naaman saw him running after him, he got
down from the chariot to meet him, and said, Is all well?
22 And he said, All is well. My master has sent me, saying, Behold, just now two young
men of the sons of the prophets have come to me from the mountains of Ephraim. Please
give them a talent of silver and two changes of garments.
23 And Naaman said, Please, take two talents. And he urged him, and bound two talents
of silver in two bags, with two changes of garments, and handed them to two of his
servants; and they carried them before him.
24 And when he came to the hill, he took them from their hand, and deposited them in the
house; and he sent the men away, and they departed.
25 And he went in and stood before his master; and Elisha said to him, Where have you
been, Gehazi? And he said, Your servant did not go anywhere.
26 Then he said to him, Did not my heart go with you when the man turned back from his
chariot to meet you? Is it a time to receive money and to receive clothing, olive groves and
vineyards, sheep and oxen, male and female servants?
27 Therefore the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and your seed always. And he
went out from his presence leprous as snow.
2 Kings 6
1 And the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, See now, the place where we are dwelling
with you is too small for us.
2 Please, let us go to the Jordan, and let every man take a beam from there, and let us
make there a place where we may dwell. So he answered, Go.
3 Then one of them said, Please consent to go with your servants. And he answered, I will
go.
4 So he went with them. And when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees.
5 But as one was cutting down a log, the iron ax head fell into the water; and he cried out
and said, Alas, master! For it was borrowed.
6 And the man of God said, Where did it fall? And he showed him the place. So he cut
off a stick, and threw it in there, and the iron floated.
7 Therefore he said, Pick it up for yourself. So he extended his hand and took it.
8 Now the king of Syria was making war against Israel; and he consulted with his
servants, saying, My camp will be in such and such a place.
9 And the man of God sent to the king of Israel, saying, Beware that you do not pass this
place, for the Syrians are coming down there.
10 Then the king of Israel sent someone to the place of which the man of God had told
him. Thus he warned him, and he was watchful there, not just once or twice.
11 Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was enraged over this thing; and he called his
servants and said to them, Will you not report to me which of us is for the king of Israel?
12 And one of his servants said, No one, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is
in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.
13 So he said, Go and see where he is, that I may send and seize him. And it was reported to him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan.
14 Therefore he sent horses and chariots and a great army there, and they came by night
and surrounded the city.
15 And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, behold, the army
was surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, Alas, my
master! What shall we do?
16 So he answered, Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are
with them.
17 And Elisha prayed, and said, Jehovah, I pray, open his eyes that he may see. And
Jehovah opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full
of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
18 And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed to Jehovah, and said, Strike this
people, I pray, with blindness. And He struck them with blindness according to the word of
Elisha.
19 And Elisha said to them, This is not the way, nor is this the city. Follow me, and I will
bring you to the man whom you seek. But he led them to Samaria.
20 And so it was, when they had come to Samaria, that Elisha said, Jehovah, open the
eyes of these men, that they may see. And Jehovah opened their eyes, and they saw; and
behold, they were in the middle of Samaria!
21 Now when the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, My father, shall I smite them?
Shall I smite them?
22 But he answered, You shall not smite them. Would you kill those whom you have
taken captive with your sword and your bow? Set food and water before them, that they
may eat and drink and go to their master.
23 So he prepared a great feast for them; and after they ate and drank, he sent them away
and they went to their master. So the marauding bands from Syria came no more into the
land of Israel.
24 And it happened after this that Ben-Hadad king of Syria gathered all his army, and
went up and besieged Samaria.
25 And there was a great famine in Samaria; and behold, they besieged it until a donkey's
head was sold for eighty shekels of silver, and one-fourth of a kab of dove droppings for
five shekels of silver.
26 And as the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried out to him, saying,
Help, my lord, O king!
27 And he said, If Jehovah does not help you, where can I find help for you? From the
threshing floor or from the winepress?
28 And the king said to her, What is troubling you? And she answered, This woman said
to me, Give your son, that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.
29 So we boiled my son, and ate him. And I said to her on the next day, Give your son,
that we may eat him; but she hid her son.
30 And it happened when the king heard the words of the woman, that he tore his clothes;
and as he passed by on the wall, the people looked, and behold, he had sackcloth inside on
his flesh.
31 Then he said, God do so to me and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat
remains on him today.
32 And Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. And the king
sent a man before him, but before the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, Do
you see how this son of a murderer has sent someone to take away my head? Behold,
when the messenger comes, shut the door, and hold him fast at the door. Is not the sound
of his master's feet behind him?
33 And while he was still talking with them, behold, the messenger was coming down to
him; and he said, Behold, this evil is from Jehovah; why should I wait for Jehovah any
longer?
2 Kings 7
1 Then Elisha said, Hear the Word of Jehovah. Thus says Jehovah: Tomorrow about this
time a seah of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, at
the gate of Samaria.
2 So an officer on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God and said,
Behold, if Jehovah would make windows in the heavens, could this thing be? And he said,
Behold, you shall see it with your eyes, but you shall not eat of it.
3 Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate; and they said to one
another, Why are we sitting here until we will have died?
4 If we say, We will enter the city, the famine is in the city, and we shall die there. And if
we sit here, we are also dead. Now therefore, come, let us fall to the camp of the Syrians.
If they keep us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall have died.
5 And they rose at twilight to go to the camp of the Syrians; and when they had come to
the edge of the Syrian camp, behold, no one was there.
6 For Jehovah had caused the camp of the Syrians to hear the sound of chariots and the
sound of horses, the sound of a great army; so they said to one another, Behold, the king
of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites and the kings of the Egyptians to
come upon us!
7 Therefore they arose and fled at twilight, and left the camp; their tents, their horses, and
their donkeys; and they fled for their lives.
8 And when the lepers came to the edge of the camp, they went into one tent and ate and
drank, and carried from it silver and gold and clothing, and went and hid them; then they
came back and entered another tent, and carried some from there also, and went and hid it.
9 Then they said to one another, We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news,
and we are remaining silent. If we wait until morning light, some punishment will come
upon us. Now therefore, come, let us go and tell the king's household.
10 So they went and called to the gatekeepers of the city, and reported to them, saying,
We went to the Syrian camp, and behold, no one was there, no voice of man; only horses
and donkeys tied, and the tents as they were.
11 And the gatekeepers called out, and they reported it to the king's household inside.
12 So the king arose in the night and said to his servants, Let me now tell you what the
Syrians have done to us. They know that we are hungry; therefore they have gone out of
the camp to hide themselves in the field, saying, When they come out of the city, we shall
catch them alive, and get into the city.
13 And one of his servants answered and said, Please, let several men take five of the
remaining horses which are left in the city. Behold, they may either become like all the
multitude of Israel that are left in it; or behold, they may become like all the multitude of
Israel left from those who are consumed; so let us send them and see.
14 Therefore they took two chariots with horses; and the king sent them after the Syrian
camp, saying, Go and see.
15 And they went after them to the Jordan; and behold, all the way was full of garments
and weapons which the Syrians had thrown away in their haste. So the messengers
returned and reported to the king.
16 Then the people went out and plundered the camp of the Syrians. And a seah of fine
flour was sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, according to the Word of
Jehovah.
17 Now the king had appointed the officer on whose hand he leaned to have charge of the
gate. But the people trampled him in the gate, and he died, just as the man of God had
spoken, who had spoken when the king came down to him.
18 So it happened just as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, Two seahs of
barley for a shekel, and a seah of fine flour for a shekel, shall be sold tomorrow about this
time in the gate of Samaria.
19 And that officer had answered the man of God, and said, Now behold, if Jehovah
would make windows in the heavens, could such a thing be? And he had said, Behold, you
shall see it with your eyes, but you shall not eat of it.
20 Thus it happened to him, for the people trampled him in the gate, and he died.
2 Kings 8
1 Then Elisha spoke to the woman whose son he had restored to life, saying, Arise and
go, you and your household, and stay wherever you can; for Jehovah has called for a
famine, and furthermore, it will come upon the land for seven years.
2 So the woman arose and did according to the word of the man of God, and she went
with her household and dwelt in the land of the Philistines seven years.
3 And it came to pass, at the end of seven years, that the woman returned from the land of
the Philistines; and she went to cry out to the king for her house and for her land.
4 Now the king was speaking with Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, saying, Tell
me, please, all the great things that Elisha has done.
5 And it happened, as he was telling the king how he had restored the dead to life, that
behold, the woman whose son he had restored to life, was crying out to the king for her
house and for her land. And Gehazi said, My lord, O king, this is the woman, and this is
her son whom Elisha restored to life.
6 And when the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed a certain
officer to her, saying, Restore all that was hers, and all the proceeds of the fields from the
day that she left the land until now.
7 And Elisha came to Damascus, and Ben-Hadad king of Syria was sick; and it was
reported to him, saying, The man of God has come here.
8 And the king said to Hazael, Take a present in your hand, and go to meet the man of
God, and inquire of Jehovah by him, saying, Shall I remain alive of this disease?
9 So Hazael went to meet him and took a present with him, of every good thing of
Damascus, forty camel-loads; and he came and stood before him, and said, Your son Ben-Hadad king of Syria has sent me to you, saying, Shall I remain alive of this disease?
10 And Elisha said to him, Go, say to him, You shall live to remain alive. However
Jehovah has shown me that he shall die the death.
11 Then he stood still and set his face until he was ashamed; and the man of God wept.
12 And Hazael said, Why is my lord weeping? He answered, Because I know the evil that
you will do to the children of Israel: Their strongholds you will set on fire, and their young
men you will kill with the sword; and you will dash their children, and rip open their
women with child.
13 And Hazael said, But what is your servant; a dog, that he should do this great thing?
And Elisha answered, Jehovah has shown me that you will become king over Syria.
14 And he departed from Elisha, and came to his master, who said to him, What did
Elisha say to you? And he answered, He told me that you will live to remain alive.
15 But it happened on the next day that he took a thick cloth and dipped it in water, and
spread it over his face so that he died; and Hazael reigned in his place.
16 Now in the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab, king of Israel, Jehoshaphat having
been king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat began to reign as king of Judah.
17 He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in
Jerusalem.
18 And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done,
for the daughter of Ahab was his wife; and he did evil in the eyes of Jehovah.
19 Yet Jehovah would not destroy Judah, for the sake of his servant David, as He had
promised him to give a lamp to him and his sons all their days.
20 In his days Edom revolted against the hand of Judah, and made a king over themselves.
21 So Joram passed over to Zair, and all his chariots with him. And he rose up by night
and struck the Edomites who had surrounded him and the commanders of the chariots; and
the people fled to their tents.
22 Thus Edom has been in revolt against the hand of Judah to this day. Then Libnah
revolted at the same time.
23 Now the rest of the acts of Joram, and all that he did, are they not written in the book
of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah.
24 So Joram rested with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the City of David.
And Ahaziah his son reigned in his place.
25 In the twelfth year of Joram the son of Ahab, king of Israel, Ahaziah the son of
Jehoram, king of Judah, began to reign.
26 Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned one year in
Jerusalem. His mother's name was Athaliah the daughter of Omri, king of Israel.
27 And he walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, and did evil in the eyes of Jehovah,
like the house of Ahab, for he was the son-in-law to the house of Ahab.
28 And he went with Joram the son of Ahab to war against Hazael king of Syria at
Ramoth Gilead; and the Syrians struck Joram.
29 Then King Joram went back to Jezreel to be healed from the wounds with which the
Syrians had struck him at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. And
Ahaziah the son of Jehoram, king of Judah, went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in
Jezreel, because he was sick.
2 Kings 9
1 And Elisha the prophet summoned one of the sons of the prophets, and said to him,
Gird up your loins, take this flask of oil in your hand, and go to Ramoth Gilead.
2 Now when you have come there, look for Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of
Nimshi, and go in and make him rise up from among his brothers. And when you have
brought him to an inner room,
3 take the flask of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, Thus says Jehovah: I have
anointed you king over Israel. And when you have opened the door and fled, do not delay.
4 So the young man, the servant of the prophet, went to Ramoth Gilead.
5 And when he came in, behold, the commanders of the army were sitting. And he said, I
have a message for you, commander. And Jehu said, For which one of us? And he said,
For you, commander.
6 And he arose and went into the house. And he poured the oil on his head, and said to
him, Thus says Jehovah the God of Israel: I have anointed you king over the people of
Jehovah, over Israel.
7 And you shall strike down the house of Ahab your master, that I may avenge the blood
of My servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of Jehovah, at the hand of
Jezebel.
8 For the whole house of Ahab shall perish; and I shall cut off from Ahab all those who
urinate against a wall in Israel, both bond and free.
9 Thus I shall make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and
like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah.
10 The dogs shall eat Jezebel on the plot of ground at Jezreel, for there shall be no one to
bury her. And he opened the door and fled.
11 Then Jehu came out to the servants of his master, and one of them said to him, Is all
well? Why did this madman come to you? And he said to them, You know the man and his
talk.
12 And they said, A lie! Tell us now. So he said, Thus and thus he has spoken to me,
saying, Thus says Jehovah: I have anointed you king over Israel.
13 Then each man hastened to take his garment and put it under him on the top of the
steps; and they blew the shofar, saying, Jehu is king!
14 So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, conspired against Joram. (Now
Joram had been defending Ramoth Gilead, he and all Israel, against Hazael king of Syria.
15 But King Joram had returned to Jezreel to be healed from the wounds with which the
Syrians had struck him when he fought with Hazael king of Syria.) And Jehu said, If you
are so minded, let no one leave or escape from the city to go and report it in Jezreel.
16 So Jehu rode and went to Jezreel, for Joram was lying there; and Ahaziah king of
Judah had come down to see Joram.
17 Now a watchman was standing on the tower in Jezreel, and he saw the company of
Jehu as he came, and said, I see a multitude. And Joram said, Get a horseman and send
him to meet them, and let him say, Is it peace?
18 So the horseman went to meet him, and said, Thus says the king: Is it peace? And Jehu
said, What have you to do with peace? Turn around and follow me. So the watchman
reported, saying, The messenger went to them, but has not returned.
19 Then he sent out a second horseman who came to them, and said, Thus says the king:
Is it peace? And Jehu answered, What have you to do with peace? Turn around and
follow me.
20 So the watchman reported, saying, He went up to them and has not returned; and the
driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi, for he drives madly!
21 Then Joram said, Make ready. And his chariot was made ready. And Joram king of
Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his chariot; and they went out to meet
Jehu, and met him on the portion of Naboth the Jezreelite.
22 And it happened, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, Is it peace, Jehu? So he
answered, What peace, as long as the harlotries of your mother Jezebel and her witchcraft
are so many?
23 Then Joram turned his hands and fled, and said to Ahaziah, Treachery, O Ahaziah!
24 And Jehu drew his bow with full strength and shot Jehoram between his arms; and the
arrow came out at his heart, and he sank down in his chariot.
25 Then Jehu said to Bidkar his officer, Pick him up, and throw him into the parcel of the
land of Naboth the Jezreelite; for remember, when you and I were riding together behind
Ahab his father, that Jehovah had laid this burden upon him:
26 Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons, says
Jehovah, and I will repay you in this plot, says Jehovah. Now therefore, take and throw
him on the plot of ground, according to the Word of Jehovah.
27 And when Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this, he fled by the way of the garden house.
And Jehu pursued him, and said, Strike him also in the chariot, at the ascent of Gur, which
is by Ibleam. And he fled to Megiddo, and died there.
28 And his servants carried him in the chariot to Jerusalem, and buried him in his tomb
with his fathers in the City of David.
29 In the eleventh year of Joram the son of Ahab, Ahaziah had become king over Judah.
30 Now when Jehu came to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she put black paint on her
eyes and adorned her head, and looked down through a window.
31 And as Jehu had entered at the gate, she said, Is it peace, Zimri, murderer of your
master?
32 And he lifted up his face to the window, and said, Who is on my side? Who? And two
or three officials looked down at him.
33 And he said, Throw her down! So they threw her down, and some of her blood
spattered on the wall and on the horses; and he trampled her.
34 And when he came in, he ate and drank. Then he said, Go now, see to this accursed
woman, and bury her, for she was a king's daughter.
35 And they went to bury her, but they found no more of her than the skull and the feet
and the palms of her hands.
36 Therefore they came back and reported to him. And he said, This is the Word of Jehovah, which He has spoken by His servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, On the plot of ground at Jezreel dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel;
37 and the corpse of Jezebel shall be as dung on the face of the land, in the plot at Jezreel,
so that they shall not say, This is Jezebel.
2 Kings 10
1 Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote and sent letters to Samaria, to
the rulers of Jezreel, to the elders, and to those rearing Ahab's sons, saying:
2 Now as soon as this letter comes to you, since your master's sons are with you, and you
have chariots and horses, a fortified city also, and weapons,
3 choose the best and most upright of your master's sons, set him on his father's throne,
and fight for your master's house.
4 But they were exceedingly afraid, and said, Behold, two kings have not stood before
him; how then can we stand?
5 And he who was over the house, and he who was over the city, the elders also, and
those rearing the sons, sent to Jehu, saying, We are your servants, we will do all you tell us;
but we will not make anyone king. Do what is good in your eyes.
6 Then he wrote a second letter to them, saying: If you are for me and will obey my voice,
take the heads of the men, your master's sons, and come to me at Jezreel by this time
tomorrow. Now the king's sons, seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, who
were rearing them.
7 So it was, when the letter came to them, that they took the king's sons and slaughtered
seventy persons, put their heads in baskets and sent them to him at Jezreel.
8 And a messenger came and reported to him, saying, They have brought the heads of the
king's sons. And he said, Lay them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until morning.
9 And it came about in the morning, that he went out and stood, and said to all the people,
You are righteous. Behold, I have conspired against my master and killed him; but who
killed all these?
10 Know now that nothing has fallen to the earth of the Word of Jehovah which Jehovah
has spoken concerning the house of Ahab; for Jehovah has done what He has spoken by
the hand of His servant Elijah.
11 Thus Jehu killed all who remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great
men and his acquaintances and his priests, until he left him no one remaining.
12 And he arose and departed and went to Samaria. On the way, at the house of the
shepherds at Beth Eked,
13 Jehu met the brothers of Ahaziah king of Judah, and said, Who are you? And they
answered, We are the brothers of Ahaziah; we have come down to greet the sons of the
king and the sons of the queen mother.
14 And he said, Take them alive! So they took them alive, and killed them at the well of
Beth Eked, forty-two men; and he left none of them.
15 And when he departed from there, he met Jehonadab the son of Rechab, coming to
meet him; and he blessed him and said to him, Is your heart upright, as my heart is with
your heart? And Jehonadab answered, It is. Jehu said, If it is, give me your hand. So he
gave him his hand, and he took him up to him into the chariot.
16 Then he said, Come with me, and see my zeal for Jehovah. So they made him ride in
his chariot.
17 And when he came to Samaria, he killed all who remained to Ahab in Samaria, till he
had destroyed them, according to the Word of Jehovah which He had spoken to Elijah.
18 Then Jehu gathered all the people together, and said to them, Ahab served Baal a little,
Jehu shall serve him much.
19 Now therefore, call to me all the prophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his priests.
Let no one be missing, for I have a great sacrifice to Baal. Whoever is missing shall not
live. But Jehu acted with cunning, in order to destroy those serving Baal.
20 And Jehu said, Consecrate a solemn assembly to Baal. So they proclaimed it.
21 Then Jehu sent throughout all Israel; and all those serving Baal came, so that there was
not a man left who did not come. So they came into the house of Baal, and the house of
Baal was full from one end to the other.
22 And he said to the one over the wardrobe, Bring out the vestments for all those serving
Baal. So he brought out vestments for them.
23 And Jehu and Jehonadab the son of Rechab went into the house of Baal, and said to
those serving Baal, Search and see that no servants of Jehovah are here with you, but only
those serving Baal.
24 So they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had appointed for
himself eighty men outside, and had said, If any of the men whom I have brought into
your hands escapes, whoever lets him escape, it shall be his soul for the soul of the other.
25 Now it happened, as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, that
Jehu said to the runners and the officers, Go in and strike them; let no one come out! And
they killed them with the edge of the sword; then the runners and the officers threw them
out, and went into the city of the house of Baal.
26 And they brought the sacred pillars out of the house of Baal and burned them.
27 Then they broke down the sacred pillar of Baal, and tore down the house of Baal and
made it an outhouse to this day.
28 Thus Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel.
29 However Jehu did not turn away from after the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat,
who had made Israel sin, that is, from the golden calves that were at Bethel and Dan.
30 And Jehovah said to Jehu, Because you have done well in doing what is right in My
eyes, and have done to the house of Ahab all that was in My heart, your sons shall sit on
the throne of Israel to the fourth generation.
31 But Jehu took no heed to walk in the Law of Jehovah the God of Israel with all his
heart; for he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam, who had made Israel sin.
32 In those days Jehovah began to cut off Israel; and Hazael struck them in all the territory
of Israel
33 from the Jordan eastward: all the land of Gilead; Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh; from
Aroer, which is by the River Arnon, including Gilead and Bashan.
34 Now the rest of the acts of Jehu, all that he did, and all his might, are they not written
in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel.
35 So Jehu rested with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria. And Jehoahaz his son
reigned in his place.
36 And the days that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria were twenty-eight years.
2 Kings 11
1 When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son had died, she arose and
destroyed all the royal seed.
2 But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of
Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king's sons who were being murdered; and
they hid him and his nurse in the bedroom, from Athaliah, so that he was not killed.
3 So he was hidden with her in the house of Jehovah for six years, while Athaliah was
reigning over the land.
4 In the seventh year Jehoiada sent and brought the commanders of hundreds, the
mercenaries and runners, and brought them into the house of Jehovah to him. And he
made a covenant with them and took an oath from them in the house of Jehovah, and
showed them the king's son.
5 And he commanded them, saying, This is what you shall do: One-third of you who
come on the Sabbath shall be keeping watch over the king's house,
6 one-third shall be at the gate of Sur, and one-third at the gate behind the runners. You
shall keep the watch of the house by turns.
7 The two parts of you who go out on the Sabbath shall keep the watch of the house of
Jehovah for the king.
8 And you shall surround the king on all sides, every man with his weapons in his hand;
and whoever comes within range, let him be put to death. You shall be with the king as he
goes out and as he comes in.
9 Thus the commanders of the hundreds did according to all that Jehoiada the priest
commanded. Each of them took his men who were going in on the Sabbath, with those
who were going out on the Sabbath, and came to Jehoiada the priest.
10 And the priest gave the commanders of hundreds the spears and shields which had
belonged to King David, that were in the house of Jehovah.
11 And the runners stood, every man with his weapons in his hand, all around the king,
from the right side of the house to the left side of the house, by the altar and the house.
12 And he brought out the king's son, put the crown on him, and gave him the Testimony;
they made him king and anointed him, and they clapped their hands and said, Long live the
king!
13 Now when Athaliah heard the sound of the runners and the people, she came to the
people in the house of Jehovah.
14 And when she looked, behold, the king was standing by the pillar according to the
custom; and the rulers and the trumpeters were by the king. All the people of the land were
rejoicing and blowing trumpets. So Athaliah tore her clothes and cried out, Treason!
Treason!
15 And Jehoiada the priest commanded the commanders of the hundreds, those
mustering the army, and said to them, Take her outside from the ranks of the house, and
whoever follows after her, slay with the sword. For the priest had said, Do not let her be
killed in the house of Jehovah.
16 So they laid hands on her; and she went by way of the horses' entrance into the king's
house, and there she was put to death.
17 And Jehoiada made a covenant between Jehovah, the king, and the people, to be the
people of Jehovah; and also between the king and the people.
18 And all the people of the land went to the house of Baal, and tore it down. They
thoroughly broke in pieces its altars and images, and killed Mattan the priest of Baal before
the altars. And the priest appointed officers over the house of Jehovah.
19 And he took the commanders of hundreds, the mercenaries, the runners, and all the
people of the land; and they brought the king down from the house of Jehovah, and went
by way of the gate of the runners to the king's house. And he sat on the throne of the
kings.
20 And all the people of the land rejoiced; and the city was at peace, for they had slain
Athaliah with the sword in the king's house.
21 Jehoash was seven years old when he became king.
2 Kings 12
1 In the seventh year of Jehu, Jehoash became king, and he reigned forty years in
Jerusalem. His mother's name was Zibiah of Beer-sheba.
2 Jehoash did what was right in the eyes of Jehovah all the days in which Jehoiada the
priest had instructed him.
3 But the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense
on the high places.
4 And Jehoash said to the priests, All the money of the consecrated things that are
brought into the house of Jehovah, each man's poll tax money, each man's valuation
money, and all the money that a man purposes in his heart to bring into the house of
Jehovah;
5 let the priests take it themselves, each from his acquaintance; and let them repair the
breaches of the house, wherever any breach is found.
6 But it was so, by the twenty-third year of King Jehoash, that the priests had not repaired
the breaches of the house.
7 So King Jehoash summoned Jehoiada the priest and the other priests, and said to them,
Why have you not repaired the breaches of the house? Now therefore, do not take more
money from your acquaintances, but give it for repairing the breaches of the house.
8 And the priests agreed that they would neither receive more money from the people, nor
repair the breaches of the house.
9 And Jehoiada the priest took a chest, bored a hole in its lid, and set it beside the altar, on
the right side as one comes into the house of Jehovah; and the priests who kept the door
put there all the money brought into the house of Jehovah.
10 So it was, whenever they saw that there was much money in the chest, that the king's
scribe and the high priest came up and put it in bags, and counted the money that was
found in the house of Jehovah.
11 Then they gave the money, which had been weighed out, into the hands of those doing
the work, who had the oversight of the house of Jehovah; and they brought it out to the
craftsmen and builders who worked on the house of Jehovah,
12 and to masons and stonecutters, and for buying timber and hewn stone, to repair the
breaches of the house of Jehovah, and for all that was brought out to make the house
strong.
13 However there were not made for the house of Jehovah basins of silver, snuffers,
bowls, trumpets, any articles of gold or articles of silver, from the money brought into the
house of Jehovah;
14 for they gave it towards the business of doing the work, to restore the house of Jehovah
with it.
15 Moreover they did not require an accounting from the men into whose hands they gave
the money to give to the workmen, for they were dealing faithfully.
16 The money from the trespass offerings and the money from the sin offerings was not
brought into the house of Jehovah. It belonged to the priests.
17 Then Hazael king of Syria went up and fought against Gath, and took it; and then
Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem.
18 And Jehoash king of Judah took all the consecrated things that his fathers, Jehoshaphat
and Jehoram and Ahaziah, kings of Judah, had set apart, and his own consecrated things,
and all the gold found in the treasuries of the house of Jehovah and in the king's house,
and sent them to Hazael king of Syria. Then he went away from Jerusalem.
19 Now the rest of the acts of Joash, and all that he did, are they not written in the book
of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah.
20 And his servants rose up and conspired treason, and killed Joash in the house of the
Millo, which goes down to Silla.
21 For Jozachar the son of Shimeath and Jehozabad the son of Shomer, his servants,
struck him. So he died, and they buried him with his fathers in the City of David. And
Amaziah his son reigned in his place.
2 Kings 13
1 In the twenty-third year of Joash the son of Ahaziah, king of Judah, Jehoahaz the son
of Jehu became king over Israel in Samaria, and reigned seventeen years.
2 And he did evil in the eyes of Jehovah, and followed after the sins of Jeroboam the son
of Nebat, who had made Israel sin. He did not depart from them.
3 And the anger of Jehovah burned against Israel, and He delivered them into the hand of
Hazael king of Syria, and into the hand of Ben-Hadad the son of Hazael, all their days.
4 So Jehoahaz entreated Jehovah, and Jehovah gave heed to his face; for He saw the
oppression of Israel, because the king of Syria oppressed them.
5 And Jehovah gave Israel a savior, so that they escaped from under the hand of the
Syrians; and the children of Israel dwelt in their tents as before.
6 Nevertheless they did not depart from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, who had
made Israel sin, but walked in them; and the groves also remained in Samaria.
7 For he did not leave to Jehoahaz any of the people except for fifty horsemen, ten
chariots, and ten thousand foot soldiers; for the king of Syria had destroyed them and
made them like the dust at threshing.
8 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz, all that he did, and his might, are they not written
in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel.
9 And Jehoahaz rested with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria. And Joash his
son reigned in his place.
10 In the thirty-seventh year of Joash king of Judah, Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz
became king over Israel in Samaria, and reigned sixteen years.
11 And he did evil in the eyes of Jehovah. He did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam
the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin, but walked in them.
12 Now the rest of the acts of Joash, all that he did, and his might with which he fought
against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the
kings of Israel.
13 So Joash rested with his fathers. And Jeroboam sat on his throne. And Joash was
buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.
14 Now Elisha had become sick with the illness from which he would die. And Joash the
king of Israel came down to him, and wept over his face, and said, O my father, my father,
the chariots of Israel and their horsemen!
15 And Elisha said to him, Take a bow and some arrows. So he took himself a bow and
some arrows.
16 And he said to the king of Israel, Put your hand on the bow. So he put his hand on it,
and Elisha put his hands on the king's hands.
17 And he said, Open the east window; and he opened it. Then Elisha said, Shoot; and he
shot. And he said, The arrow of Jehovah's deliverance and the arrow of deliverance from
Syria; for you shall strike the Syrians at Aphek till you have destroyed them.
18 Then he said, Take the arrows; so he took them. And he said to the king of Israel,
Strike the ground; so he struck three times, and stopped.
19 And the man of God was angry with him, and said, You should have struck five or six
times; then you would have struck Syria to finish them off! But now you will strike Syria
only three times.
20 And Elisha died, and they buried him. And the raiding bands from Moab invaded the
land in the beginning of the year.
21 And so it was, as they were burying a man, that behold, they saw a band of raiders;
and they threw the man into the tomb of Elisha; and when the man was let go and hit the
bones of Elisha, he revived and stood up on his feet.
22 And Hazael king of Syria oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz.
23 But Jehovah was gracious to them, had compassion on them, and regarded them,
because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not yet destroy them
or cast them from His presence.
24 Then Hazael king of Syria died, and Ben-Hadad his son reigned in his place.
25 And Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz took back from the hand of Ben-Hadad, the son of
Hazael, the cities which he had taken out of the hand of Jehoahaz his father in battle.
Three times Joash struck him and restored the cities of Israel.
2 Kings 14
1 In the second year of Joash the son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel, Amaziah the son of
Joash, king of Judah, became king.
2 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in
Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem.
3 And he did what was right in the eyes of Jehovah, yet not like his father David; he did
everything as his father Joash had done.
4 However the high places were not taken away, and the people were still sacrificing and
burning incense on the high places.
5 And it happened, as soon as the kingdom had been secured in his hand, that he struck
his servants who had killed his father the king.
6 But the children of the murderers he did not execute, according to what is written in the
Book of the Law of Moses, in which Jehovah had commanded, saying, Fathers shall not
be put to death for their children, nor shall children be put to death for their fathers; but a
person shall be put to death for his own sin.
7 He killed ten thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt, and took Sela by war, and called
its name Joktheel to this day.
8 Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king
of Israel, saying, Come, let us look one another in the face.
9 And Jehoash king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, The thistle that was in
Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, Give your daughter to my son as
wife; and a wild beast that was in Lebanon passed by and trampled the thistle.
10 You have attacked to strike Edom, and your heart has lifted you up. Glory in that, and
stay at your house; why stir yourself up over evil so that you fall, you and Judah with you?
11 But Amaziah would not listen. Therefore Jehoash king of Israel went out; so he and
Amaziah king of Judah looked each other in the face at Beth Shemesh of Judah.
12 And Judah was struck down before Israel, and every man fled to his tent.
13 And Jehoash king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash, the son of
Ahaziah, at Beth Shemesh; and came to Jerusalem, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem
from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate; four hundred cubits.
14 And he took all the gold and silver, all the articles that were found in the house of
Jehovah and in the treasuries of the king's house, and hostages, and returned to Samaria.
15 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoash which he did; his might, and how he fought with
Amaziah king of Judah; are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of
Israel.
16 So Jehoash rested with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.
And Jeroboam his son reigned in his place.
17 And Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, lived fifteen years after the death of
Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel.
18 Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles
of the kings of Judah.
19 And they conspired treason against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish; but they
sent after him to Lachish and killed him there.
20 And they brought him on horses, and he was buried at Jerusalem with his fathers in the
City of David.
21 And all the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him
king instead of his father Amaziah.
22 He built Elath and restored it to Judah, after the king rested with his fathers.
23 In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, Jeroboam the son of
Joash, king of Israel, became king in Samaria, and reigned forty-one years.
24 And he did evil in the eyes of Jehovah; he did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam
the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin.
25 He restored the territory of Israel from the entrance of Hamath to the sea of the plain,
according to the Word of Jehovah the God of Israel, which He had spoken through His servant
Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet who was from Gath Hepher.
26 For Jehovah saw that the affliction of Israel was very bitter; and whether bond or free,
there was no helper for Israel.
27 And Jehovah had not spoken to blot out the name of Israel from under the heavens;
but He saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.
28 Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, and all that he did; his might, how he made war,
and how he recovered for Israel from Damascus and Hamath what had belonged to Judah;
are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel.
29 So Jeroboam rested with his fathers, the kings of Israel. And Zechariah his son reigned
in his place.
2 Kings 15
1 In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Azariah the son of Amaziah,
king of Judah, became king.
2 He was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in
Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jecholiah of Jerusalem.
3 And he did what was right in the eyes of Jehovah, according to all that his father
Amaziah had done,
4 except that the high places were not removed; the people were still sacrificing and
burning incense on the high places.
5 And Jehovah struck the king, so that he was a leper until the day of his death; so he
dwelt in a separate house. And Jotham the king's son was over the house, judging the
people of the land.
6 Now the rest of the acts of Azariah, and all that he did, are they not written in the book
of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah.
7 So Azariah rested with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the City of
David. And Jotham his son reigned in his place.
8 In the thirty-eighth year of Azariah king of Judah, Zechariah the son of Jeroboam
reigned over Israel in Samaria six months.
9 And he did evil in the eyes of Jehovah, as his fathers had done; he did not depart from
the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin.
10 And Shallum the son of Jabesh conspired against him, and struck and killed him in
front of the people, and reigned in his place.
11 Now the rest of the acts of Zechariah, behold, they are written in the book of the
Chronicles of the kings of Israel.
12 This was the Word of Jehovah which He had spoken to Jehu, saying, Your sons shall
sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation. And so it was.
13 Shallum the son of Jabesh became king in the thirty-ninth year of Uzziah king of
Judah; and he reigned a month of days in Samaria.
14 For Menahem the son of Gadi went up from Tirzah, came to Samaria, and struck
Shallum the son of Jabesh in Samaria and killed him; and reigned in his place.
15 Now the rest of the acts of Shallum, and the treason he had conspired, behold, they
are written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel.
16 Menahem struck Tiphsah, all who were there, and its territory from Tirzah; because
they did not open to him, therefore he struck it. All the pregnant women he ripped open.
17 In the thirty-ninth year of Azariah king of Judah, Menahem the son of Gadi became
king over Israel, and reigned ten years in Samaria.
18 And he did evil in the eyes of Jehovah; he did not depart all his days from the sins of
Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin.
19 And Pul king of Assyria came against the land; and Menahem gave Pul a thousand
talents of silver, that his hand might be with him to strengthen the kingdom under his hand.
20 And Menahem brought out the money from Israel, from all the mighty men of wealth,
from each man fifty shekels of silver, to give to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria
turned back, and did not stay there in the land.
21 Now the rest of the acts of Menahem, and all that he did, are they not written in the
book of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel.
22 So Menahem rested with his fathers. And Pekahiah his son reigned in his place.
23 In the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekahiah the son of Menahem became
king over Israel in Samaria, and reigned two years.
24 And he did evil in the eyes of Jehovah; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam the
son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin.
25 Then Pekah the son of Remaliah, an officer of his, conspired against him and struck
him in Samaria, in the palace of the king's house, along with Argob and Arieh; and with
him were fifty men of Gilead. He killed him and reigned in his place.
26 Now the rest of the acts of Pekahiah, and all that he did, behold, they are written in the
book of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel.
27 In the fifty-second year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekah the son of Remaliah became
king over Israel in Samaria, and reigned twenty years.
28 And he did evil in the eyes of Jehovah; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam the
son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin.
29 In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria came and took Ijon,
Abel Beth Maachah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali;
and he carried them captive to Assyria.
30 Then Hoshea the son of Elah conspired treason against Pekah the son of Remaliah, and
struck and killed him; and he reigned in his place in the twentieth year of Jotham the son of
Uzziah.
31 Now the rest of the acts of Pekah, and all that he did, behold, they are written in the
book of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel.
32 In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, Jotham the son of
Uzziah, king of Judah, began to reign.
33 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in
Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jerusha the daughter of Zadok.
34 And he did what was right in the eyes of Jehovah; he did according to all that his father
Uzziah had done.
35 However the high places were not removed; the people were still sacrificing and
burning incense on the high places. He built the Upper Gate of the house of Jehovah.
36 Now the rest of the acts of Jotham, and all that he did, are they not written in the book
of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah.
37 In those days Jehovah began to send Rezin king of Syria and Pekah the son of
Remaliah against Judah.
38 So Jotham rested with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the City of David
his father. And Ahaz his son reigned in his place.
2 Kings 16
1 In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, Ahaz the son of Jotham king of
Judah began to reign.
2 Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in
Jerusalem; and he did not do what was right in the eyes of Jehovah his God, as his father
David had done.
3 But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel. He also made his son pass through the
fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom Jehovah had cast out before the
children of Israel.
4 And he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every
green tree.
5 Then Rezin king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, came up to
Jerusalem to make war; and they besieged Ahaz but could not overcome him.
6 At that time Rezin king of Syria restored Elath to Syria, and cleared out the men of
Judah from Elath. Then the Syrians went to Elath, and dwell there to this day.
7 So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria, saying, I am your servant
and your son. Come up and save me from the hand of the king of Syria and from the hand
of the king of Israel, who are rising up against me.
8 And Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of Jehovah, and in the
treasuries of the king's house, and sent it as a present to the king of Assyria.
9 So the king of Assyria heeded him; for the king of Assyria went up against Damascus
and took it, carried its people captive to Kir, and killed Rezin.
10 Now King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria, and saw
an altar that was at Damascus; and King Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the design of the
altar and its pattern, according to all its workmanship.
11 And Urijah the priest built an altar according to all that King Ahaz had sent from
Damascus. And Urijah the priest had it made before King Ahaz returned from Damascus.
12 And when the king came back from Damascus, the king saw the altar; and the king
approached the altar and went up to it.
13 So he sacrificed his burnt offering with smoke and his grain offering; and he poured his
drink offering and sprinkled the blood of his peace offerings on the altar.
14 He also brought the bronze altar from before Jehovah, from the front of the house,
from between his altar and the house of Jehovah; and put it on the north side of his altar.
15 And King Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying, On the great new altar burn the
morning burnt offering with smoke, the evening grain offering, the king's burnt offering,
and his grain offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land, their grain
offering, and their drink offerings; and sprinkle on it all the blood of the burnt offering and
all the blood of the sacrifice. But the bronze altar shall be for me to inquire by.
16 Thus did Urijah the priest, according to all that King Ahaz had commanded.
17 And King Ahaz cut off the rims of the carts, and removed the lavers from them; and
he took down the sea from the bronze oxen that were under it, and put it on a pavement
of stones.
18 And the covered Sabbath structure which they had built in the house, he removed from
the house of Jehovah, along with the king's outer entrance, before the king of Assyria.
19 Now the rest of the acts of Ahaz which he did, are they not written in the book of the
Chronicles of the kings of Judah.
20 So Ahaz rested with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the City of David.
And Hezekiah his son reigned in his place.
2 Kings 17
1 In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea the son of Elah became king of
Israel in Samaria, and he reigned nine years.
2 And he did evil in the eyes of Jehovah, but not as the kings of Israel who were before
him.
3 Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against him; and Hoshea became his servant, and
paid him tribute.
4 And the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea; for he had sent messengers to So,
king of Egypt, and brought no tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year.
Therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in prison.
5 Now the king of Assyria went throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria and
besieged it for three years.
6 In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria took Samaria and carried Israel away to
Assyria, and settled them in Halah and by the Habor, the River of Gozan, and in the cities
of the Medes.
7 For so it was that the children of Israel had sinned against Jehovah their God, who had
brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt;
and they feared other gods,
8 and had walked in the statutes of the nations whom Jehovah had cast out before the
children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made.
9 And the children of Israel secretly did things against Jehovah their God that were not
right, and they built for themselves high places in all their cities, from watchtower to
fortified city.
10 They set up for themselves sacred pillars and groves on every high hill and under every
green tree.
11 There they burned incense on all the high places, like the nations whom Jehovah had
carried away before them, and did evil things to provoke Jehovah to anger;
12 for they served idols, of which Jehovah had said to them, You shall not do this thing.
13 Yet Jehovah testified against Israel and against Judah, by the hand of all of His
prophets and every seer, saying, Turn away from your evil ways, and keep My
commandments and My statutes, according to all the Law which I have commanded your
fathers, and which I have sent to you by the hand of My servants the prophets.
14 Nevertheless they would not hear, but stiffened their necks, like the necks of their
fathers, who had not believed in Jehovah their God.
15 And they rejected His statutes and His covenant that He had made with their fathers,
and His testimonies which He had testified against them; they went after their vanities,
became vain, and went after the nations who were all around them, concerning whom
Jehovah had charged them that they should not do like them.
16 And they left all the commandments of Jehovah their God, made for themselves
molten images, two calves, made a grove and bowed down to all the host of the heavens,
and served Baal.
17 And they caused their sons and daughters to pass through the fire, practiced divination
of witchcraft and fortunetelling, and sold themselves to do evil in the eyes of Jehovah, to
provoke Him to anger.
18 Therefore Jehovah was very angry with Israel, and removed them away from before
His face; there was no one left but only the tribe of Judah.
19 Also Judah did not keep the commandments of Jehovah their God, but walked in the
statutes of Israel which they had made.
20 And Jehovah rejected all the seed of Israel, afflicted them, and delivered them into the
hand of plunderers, until He had cast them away from before His face.
21 For He tore Israel from the house of David, and they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat
king. And Jeroboam drove Israel from following after Jehovah, and made them sin a great
sin.
22 For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they have
not departed from them,
23 until Jehovah had removed Israel from before His face, as He had said by all His
servants the prophets. Thus Israel was carried away from their own land into Assyria, as it
is this day.
24 Then the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Ava, Hamath, and
from Sepharvaim, and settled them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel;
and they took possession of Samaria and dwelt in its cities.
25 And it was so, at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they did not fear Jehovah;
therefore Jehovah sent lions among them, which killed some of them.
26 So they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, The nations whom you have removed and
placed in the cities of Samaria do not know the ordinances of the God of the land;
therefore He has sent lions among them, and behold, they are killing them because they do
not know the ordinances of the God of the land.
27 So the king of Assyria commanded, saying, Send there one of the priests whom you
have brought from there; let him go and dwell there, and let him teach them the ordinances
of the God of the land.
28 Then one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and dwelt in
Bethel, and taught them how they should fear Jehovah.
29 However nation by nation they continued making gods of their own, and put them in
the houses on the high places which those from Samaria had made, nation by nation in the
cities where they were living.
30 The men of Babylon made Succoth Benoth, the men of Cuth made Nergal, the men of
Hamath made Ashima,
31 and the Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the Sepharvites burned their children in
fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.
32 So they feared Jehovah; and from among all of them they appointed for themselves
priests of the high places, who attended to the houses of the high places for them.
33 They feared Jehovah, and also served their own gods; according to the manner of the
nations from where they were carried away.
34 To this day they continue doing according to the former manner; they do not fear
Jehovah, nor do they follow their statutes or their ordinances, or the Law and
commandments which Jehovah has commanded the sons of Jacob, whom He had
ordained with the name, Israel;
35 with whom Jehovah had made a covenant and charged them, saying: You shall not fear
other gods, nor bow down to them nor serve them nor sacrifice to them;
36 but Jehovah, who has brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great power and an
outstretched arm, Him you shall fear, to Him you shall bow down, and to Him you shall
offer sacrifice.
37 And the statutes, the ordinances, the Law, and the commandments which He has
written for you, you shall take heed to do forever; you shall not fear other gods.
38 And the covenant that I have made with you, you shall not forget, nor shall you fear
other gods.
39 But Jehovah your God you shall fear; and He shall deliver you out of the hand of all
your enemies.
40 However they have not obeyed, but are doing according to their former manner.
41 Thus these nations feared Jehovah, while also serving their graven images. And their
children and their children's children have continued doing as their fathers have done, even
to this day.
2 Kings 18
1 Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea the son of Elah, king of Israel, that
Hezekiah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign.
2 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in
Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah.
3 And he did what was right in the eyes of Jehovah, according to all that his father David
had done.
4 He removed the high places and broke the sacred pillars, chopped down the groves and
broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made; for until those days the children
of Israel burned incense to it, and called it Nehushtan.
5 He trusted in Jehovah the God of Israel, so that after him was no one like him among all
the kings of Judah, nor who were before him.
6 For he clung to Jehovah; he did not turn aside from following after Him, but kept His
commandments, which Jehovah had commanded Moses.
7 Jehovah was with him; he prospered wherever he went. And he rebelled against the king
of Assyria and did not serve him.
8 He struck the Philistines, as far as Gaza and its territory, from watchtower to fortified
city.
9 And it came to pass in the fourth year of King Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of
Hoshea the son of Elah, king of Israel, that Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against
Samaria and besieged it.
10 And at the end of three years they took it. In the sixth year of Hezekiah, that is, the
ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was captured.
11 And the king of Assyria carried Israel away captive to Assyria, and led them to Halah
and the Habor, the River of Gozan, and to the cities of the Medes,
12 because they had not obeyed the voice of Jehovah their God, but transgressed His
covenant and all that Moses the servant of Jehovah had commanded; they had neither
heeded nor done them.
13 And in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up
against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them.
14 And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, I have
done wrong; turn away from me; whatever you impose upon me I will endure. And the
king of Assyria assessed Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty
talents of gold.
15 And Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of Jehovah and in the
treasuries of the king's house.
16 At that time Hezekiah stripped the gold from the doors of the temple of Jehovah, and
from the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of
Assyria.
17 And the king of Assyria sent Tartan, Rabsaris, and Rabshakeh from Lachish, with
great forces against Jerusalem, to King Hezekiah. And they went up and came to
Jerusalem. And when they had come up, they went and stood by the aqueduct of the upper
pool, which was on the highway to the Fuller's Field.
18 And when they had called out to the king, Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over
the household, Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder, came out to
them.
19 And Rabshakeh said to them, Say now to Hezekiah, Thus says the great king, the king
of Assyria: What confidence is this in which you have trusted?
20 You have spoken of having counsel and power for war; but they are mere words of the
lips. And in whom have you trusted, that you have rebelled against me?
21 Now behold, you have trusted in the staff of this broken reed, Egypt, on which if a
man leans, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all those
trusting in him.
22 But if you say to me, We have trusted in Jehovah our God, is it not He whose high
places and whose altars Hezekiah has removed, and has said to Judah and Jerusalem, You
shall bow down before this altar in Jerusalem?
23 Now therefore, I urge you, give a pledge to my master the king of Assyria, and I will
give you two thousand horses; if you are able on your part to put riders on them!
24 How then will you turn away the face of one governor of the least of my master's
servants, and put your trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen?
25 Have I now come up without Jehovah against this place to destroy it? Jehovah has said
to me, Go up against this land, and destroy it.
26 Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, Shebna, and Joah said to Rabshakeh, Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it; and do not speak to us in the Jewish language in the hearing of the people on the wall.
27 But Rabshakeh said to them, Has my master sent me to your master and to you to
speak these words, and not also to the men who sit on the wall, who will eat their own
dung and drink their own urine with you?
28 Then Rabshakeh stood and called out with a loud voice in the Jewish language, and spoke, saying, Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria!
29 Thus says the king: Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he shall not be able to deliver
you out of his hand;
30 nor let Hezekiah make you trust in Jehovah, saying, Jehovah will rescue to deliver us;
this city shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.
31 Do not listen to Hezekiah; for thus says the king of Assyria: Make a peace treaty and
come out to me; and every one of you shall eat from his own vine and every one from his
own fig tree, and every one of you shall drink the waters of his own cistern;
32 until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and new
wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive groves and honey, that you may live
and not die. But do not listen to Hezekiah, lest he persuade you, saying, Jehovah will
deliver us.
33 Have any of the gods of the nations at all delivered its land from the hand of the king
of Assyria?
34 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim and
Hena and Ivah? Have they delivered Samaria out of my hand?
35 Who among all the gods of the lands have delivered their lands out of my hand, that
Jehovah should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?
36 But the people kept quiet and answered him not a word; for the king's commandment
was, Do not answer him.
37 Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and
Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and
reported to him the words of Rabshakeh.
2 Kings 19
1 And so it was, when King Hezekiah heard it, that he tore his clothes, covered himself
with sackcloth, and went into the house of Jehovah.
2 And he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and the elders of
the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz.
3 And they said to him, Thus says Hezekiah: This day is a day of trouble, and rebuke,
and contempt; for the children have come to birth, but there is no strength to bring forth.
4 It may be that Jehovah your God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, whom his
master the king of Assyria has sent to reproach the living God, and will rebuke the words
which Jehovah your God has heard. Therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is
found left.
5 So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah.
6 And Isaiah said to them, Thus you shall say to your master, Thus says Jehovah: Do not
be afraid of the words which you have heard, with which the servants of the king of
Assyria have blasphemed Me.
7 Behold, I will send a spirit upon him, and he shall hear a rumor and return to his own
land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.
8 And Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah, for he
heard that he had departed from Lachish.
9 And the king heard concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, Behold, he has come out to
wage war with you. So he again sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying,
10 Thus you shall speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying: Do not let your God in whom
you trust deceive you, saying, Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king of
Assyria.
11 Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands by utterly
destroying them; and shall you be delivered?
12 Have the gods of the nations delivered those whom my fathers have destroyed, Gozan
and Haran and Rezeph, and the children of Eden who were in Telassar?
13 Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of
Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah?
14 And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and
Hezekiah went up to the house of Jehovah, and spread it before Jehovah.
15 And Hezekiah prayed before Jehovah, and said: O Jehovah the God of Israel, the One
who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the
earth. You have made the heavens and earth.
16 Extend Your ear, O Jehovah, and hear; open Your eyes, O Jehovah, and see; and hear
the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God.
17 Truly, Jehovah, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands,
18 and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were not gods, but the work of men's
hands; wood and stone. Therefore they destroyed them.
19 Now therefore, O Jehovah our God, I pray, save us out of his hand, that all the
kingdoms of the earth may know that You are Jehovah God, You alone.
20 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, Thus says Jehovah the God
of Israel: I have heard that which you have prayed to Me against Sennacherib king of
Assyria.
21 This is the word which Jehovah has spoken concerning him: The virgin daughter of
Zion has despised you and laughed you to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem Has shaken her
head behind you!
22 Whom have you reproached and blasphemed? Against whom have you raised your
voice, and lifted up your eyes on high? Against the Holy One of Israel!
23 By your messengers you have reproached the Lord, and said: By the multitude of my
chariots I have come up to the height of the mountains, next to Lebanon; I will cut down
its tall cedars and its choice cypress trees; I will enter the ends of its lodging places, into its
forest at Carmel.
24 I have dug and drunk strange waters, and with the soles of my feet I have dried up all
the rivers of Egypt.
25 Have you not heard? From long ago I have made it, and from ancient times I have
formed it. Now I have brought it to pass, that you should crush fortified cities into heaps of
ruins.
26 Therefore their inhabitants were short handed; they were shattered and put to shame;
they were as the grass of the field and the green herb, as the grass on the housetops and
grain blighted before it is grown.
27 But I know your abode, your going out and your coming in, and your rage against Me.
28 Because your rage against Me and your arrogance have come up into My ears,
therefore I will put my hook in your nose and My bridle in your lips, and I will turn you
back by the way which you have come.
29 This shall be a sign to you: You shall eat this year such as grows of itself, and in the
second year what springs from the same; also in the third year sow and reap, plant
vineyards and eat the fruit of them.
30 And the remnant who have escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root
downward, and bear fruit upward.
31 For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant, and those who escape from Mount Zion. The
zeal of Jehovah of Hosts shall do this.
32 Therefore thus says Jehovah concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not come into
this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor build a siege mound
against it.
33 By the way that he came, by the same shall he return; and he shall not come into this
city, says Jehovah.
34 For I have defended this city, to save it for My own sake and for My servant David's
sake.
35 And it came to pass that night that the Angel of Jehovah went out, and struck in the
camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when they arose early in
the morning, behold, all of them were dead corpses.
36 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh.
37 Now it came to pass, as he was bowing down in the house of Nisroch his god, that his
sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him with the sword; and they escaped into the
land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place.
2 Kings 20
1 In those days Hezekiah had become sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of
Amoz, came to him and said to him, Thus says Jehovah: Set your house in order, for you
are dying, and shall not live.
2 And he turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to Jehovah, saying,
3 Remember now, O Jehovah, I pray, how I have walked before You in truth and with a
perfect heart, and have done what was good in Your eyes. And Hezekiah wailed with great
weeping.
4 And it happened, before Isaiah had gone out into the middle court, that the Word of
Jehovah came to him, saying,
5 Return and say to Hezekiah the ruler of My people, Thus says Jehovah the God of
David your father: I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will heal you.
On the third day you shall go up to the house of Jehovah.
6 And I will add to your days fifteen years. I will deliver you and this city from the hand of
the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for My own sake, and for the sake of My
servant David.
7 And Isaiah said, Take a lump of figs. So they took and laid it on the boil, and he lived.
8 And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, What is the sign that Jehovah will heal me, and that I shall
go up to the house of Jehovah the third day?
9 And Isaiah said, This is the sign to you from Jehovah, that Jehovah will do the thing
which He has spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten steps or go backward ten steps?
10 And Hezekiah answered, It is an easy thing for the shadow to go down ten steps; no,
but let the shadow go backward ten steps.
11 So Isaiah the prophet cried out to Jehovah, and He brought the shadow ten steps
backward, by which it had gone down on the sundial of Ahaz.
12 At that time Berodach-Baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a
present to Hezekiah, for he heard that Hezekiah had been sick.
13 And Hezekiah was attentive to them, and showed them all the house of his treasures;
the silver and gold, the spices and precious ointment, and all the house of his weapons; all
that was found among his treasures. There was nothing in his house or in all his dominion
that Hezekiah did not show them.
14 Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah, and said to him, What did these men
say, and from where did they come to you? So Hezekiah said, They came from a distant
land, from Babylon.
15 And he said, What have they seen in your house? So Hezekiah answered, They have
seen all that is in my house; there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shown
them.
16 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, Hear the Word of Jehovah:
17 Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and what your fathers have
laid in store until this day, shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left, says Jehovah.
18 And they shall take away some of your sons who shall come forth from you, whom
you shall beget; and they shall be officials in the palace of the king of Babylon.
19 And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, The Word of Jehovah which you have spoken is good!
For he thought, Will there not be peace and truth in my days?
20 Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah; all his might, and how he made a pool and a
tunnel and brought water into the city; are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of
the kings of Judah.
21 So Hezekiah rested with his fathers. And Manasseh his son reigned in his place.
2 Kings 21
1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in
Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hephzibah.
2 And he did evil in the eyes of Jehovah, according to the abominations of the nations
whom Jehovah had cast out before the children of Israel.
3 For he rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; he raised up
altars for Baal, and made a grove, as Ahab king of Israel had done; and he bowed down to
all the host of the heavens and served them.
4 He also built altars in the house of Jehovah, of which Jehovah had said, In Jerusalem I
will put My name.
5 And he built altars for all the host of the heavens in the two courts of the house of
Jehovah.
6 He also made his son pass through the fire, practiced witchcraft and fortunetelling, and
consulted necromancers and mediums. He did much evil in the eyes of Jehovah, to
provoke Him to anger.
7 And he set a graven image in the grove that he had made, in the house of which Jehovah
had said to David and to Solomon his son, In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have
chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put My name forever;
8 and I will not make the feet of Israel wander anymore from the land which I have given
to their fathers; only if they take heed to do according to all that I have commanded them,
and according to all the Law that My servant Moses has commanded them.
9 But they have paid no attention, and Manasseh caused them to err, to do more evil than
the nations whom Jehovah had destroyed before the children of Israel.
10 And Jehovah spoke by His servants the prophets, saying,
11 Because Manasseh king of Judah has done these abominations (he has acted more
wickedly than all the Amorites who were before him, and has also made Judah sin with his
idols),
12 therefore thus says Jehovah the God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing such evil upon
Jerusalem and Judah, that whoever hears of it, both his ears shall tingle.
13 And I shall stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samaria and the plummet of
the house of Ahab; I shall wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it face
down.
14 Thus I will forsake the remnant of My inheritance and deliver them into the hand of
their enemies; and they shall become spoils and plunder to all their enemies,
15 because they have done evil in My eyes, and have provoked Me to anger since the day
their fathers had come out of Egypt, even to this day.
16 Moreover Manasseh shed very much innocent blood, till he had filled Jerusalem from
one end to the other, besides his sin by which he made Judah sin, to do evil in the eyes of
Jehovah.
17 Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh; all that he did, and the sin that he sinned; are
they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah.
18 So Manasseh rested with his fathers, and was buried in the garden of his own house, in
the garden of Uzza. And his son Amon reigned in his place.
19 Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned two years in
Jerusalem. His mother's name was Meshullemeth the daughter of Haruz of Jotbah.
20 And he did evil in the eyes of Jehovah, as his father Manasseh had done.
21 Thus he walked in all the ways that his father had walked; and he served the idols that
his father had served, and bowed down to them.
22 He forsook Jehovah the God of his fathers, and did not walk in the way of Jehovah.
23 Then the servants of Amon conspired against him, and killed the king in his own
house.
24 But the people of the land struck all those conspiring against King Amon. And the
people of the land made his son Josiah king in his place.
25 Now the rest of the acts of Amon which he did, are they not written in the book of the
Chronicles of the kings of Judah.
26 And he was buried in his tomb in the garden of Uzza. And Josiah his son reigned in his
place.
2 Kings 22
1 Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in
Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath.
2 And he did what was right in the eyes of Jehovah, and walked in all the ways of his
father David; he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.
3 And it came to pass, in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, that the king sent Shaphan
the scribe, the son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, to the house of Jehovah, saying:
4 Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, that he may count the money which has been brought
into the house of Jehovah, which the doorkeepers have gathered from the people.
5 And let them deliver it into the hand of those doing the work, who are the overseers in
the house of Jehovah; let them give it to those who are in the house of Jehovah doing the
work, to repair the breaches of the house;
6 to the craftsmen and builders and masons; and to buy timber and hewn stone to repair the house.
7 However there was no accounting made with them of the money delivered into their
hand, because they were dealing faithfully.
8 Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, I have found the Book of the
Law in the house of Jehovah. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it.
9 And Shaphan the scribe came to the king and brought back word to the king, saying,
Your servants have gathered the money found in the house, and have delivered it into the
hand of those who are doing the work, who oversee the house of Jehovah.
10 And Shaphan the scribe reported to the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest has given me a
book. And Shaphan read it before the king.
11 And it happened, when the king heard the Words of the Book of the Law, that he tore
his clothes.
12 And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Achbor the
son of Michaiah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king's servant, saying,
13 Go, inquire of Jehovah for me, for the people and for all Judah, concerning the words
of this book that has been found; for great is the wrath of Jehovah that has been kindled
against us, because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book, to do according to
all that is written concerning us.
14 So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to Huldah the
prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the
wardrobe. (She dwelt in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter.) And they spoke with her.
15 And she said to them, Thus says Jehovah the God of Israel, Tell the man who has sent
you to Me,
16 Thus says Jehovah: Behold, I am bringing evil upon this place and upon its inhabitants;
all the Words of the Book which the king of Judah has read;
17 because they have forsaken Me and burned incense to other gods, that they might
provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands. Therefore My wrath has been
kindled against this place, and shall not be quenched.
18 But as for the king of Judah who sent you to inquire of Jehovah, thus you shall say to
him, Thus says Jehovah the God of Israel: Concerning the words which you have heard;
19 because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before Jehovah when you
heard what I have spoken against this place and against its inhabitants, that they would
become a desolation and a curse, and you tore your clothes and wept before Me, I also
have heard you, says Jehovah.
20 Behold therefore, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your
grave in peace; and your eyes shall not see all the evil that I am bringing upon this place.
So they brought back word to the king.
2 Kings 23
1 And the king sent them and they gathered all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem to him.
2 And the king went up to the house of Jehovah with all the men of Judah, and with him
all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; the priests and the prophets and all the people, both small
and great. And he read in their ears all the Words of the Book of the Covenant which was
found in the house of Jehovah.
3 Then the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before Jehovah, to follow
Jehovah and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes, with all his
heart and all his soul, to perform the Words of this covenant that were written in this Book.
And all the people stood for the covenant.
4 And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, the priests of the second order, and
the doorkeepers, to bring out of the temple of Jehovah all the articles that were made for
Baal, for the grove, and for all the host of the heavens; and he burned them outside
Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and carried their ashes to Bethel.
5 And he put an end to the idolatrous priests whom the kings of Judah had dedicated to
burn incense on the high places in the cities of Judah and in the places all around
Jerusalem, and those burning incense to Baal, to the sun, to the moon, to the zodiac, and to
all the host of the heavens.
6 And he brought out the grove from the house of Jehovah, to the Brook Kidron outside
Jerusalem, burned it at the Brook Kidron and pulverized the ashes, and threw its ashes on
the graves of the sons of the people.
7 And he tore down the houses of the male temple prostitutes that were in the house of
Jehovah, where the women were weaving shelters for the grove.
8 And he brought all the priests from the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where
the priests had burned incense, from Geba to Beer-sheba; also he broke down the high
places at the gates which were at the entrance of the Gate of Joshua the governor of the
city, which were to one's left of the city gate.
9 Nevertheless the priests of the high places did not come up to the altar of Jehovah in
Jerusalem, but they ate unleavened bread among their brethren.
10 And he defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the children of the sons of Hinnom,
that no man might make his son or his daughter pass through the fire to Molech.
11 And he did away with the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun, at
the entrance to the house of Jehovah, by the chamber of Nathan-Melech, the official who
was in the court; and he burned the chariots of the sun with fire.
12 The altars that were on the roof of the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of
Judah had made, and the altars which Manasseh had made in the two courts of the house
of Jehovah, the king beat them down and ran and hurled their dust into the Brook Kidron.
13 And the king defiled the high places that were east of Jerusalem, which were on the
south of the mount of corruption, which Solomon king of Israel had built for Ashtaroth the
abomination of the Sidonians, for Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, and for
Milcom the abomination of the children of Ammon.
14 And he broke in pieces the sacred pillars and chopped down the groves, and filled
their places with the bones of men.
15 Moreover the altar that was at Bethel, and the high place which Jeroboam the son of
Nebat had made, by which he had made Israel to sin, both that altar and the high place he
tore down; and he burned the high place and pulverized it to dust, and burned the grove.
16 And as Josiah turned, he saw the tombs that were there on the mountain. And he sent
and took the bones out of the tombs and burned them on the altar, and defiled it according
to the Word of Jehovah which the man of God had proclaimed, who had proclaimed these
things.
17 Then he said, What monument is this that I see? And the men of the city said to him, It
is the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and proclaimed these things which
you have done against the altar of Bethel.
18 And he said, Let him alone; let no one disturb his bones. So they let his bones alone,
with the bones of the prophet that had come from Samaria.
19 And Josiah also took away all the houses of the high places that were in the cities of
Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made to provoke to anger; and he did to them
according to all the deeds he had done at Bethel.
20 And he slaughtered all the priests of the high places who were there, on the altars, and
burned men's bones on them; and he returned to Jerusalem.
21 And the king commanded all the people, saying, Keep the Passover to Jehovah your
God, as it is written in this Book of the Covenant.
22 Surely such a Passover had never been held since the days of the judges who judged
Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel nor the kings of Judah.
23 It was in the eighteenth year of King Josiah that this Passover was observed unto
Jehovah in Jerusalem.
24 Moreover Josiah put away the mediums and fortunetellers, the household images and
idols, all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, that he
might perform the Words of the Law which were written in the Book that Hilkiah the priest
had found in the house of Jehovah.
25 And before him there was no king like him, who turned to Jehovah with all his heart,
with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses; nor after him
has any arisen like him.
26 Nevertheless Jehovah had not turned from His great burning wrath, with which His
anger had been kindled against Judah, because of all the provocations with which
Manasseh had provoked Him.
27 And Jehovah said, I will also remove Judah from before My face, as I have removed
Israel, and will cast off this city Jerusalem which I have chosen, and the house of which I
had said, My name shall be there.
28 Now the rest of the acts of Josiah, and all that he did, are they not written in the book
of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah.
29 In his days Pharaoh Necho king of Egypt went up against the king of Assyria, to the
River Euphrates; and King Josiah went out to meet him. And Pharaoh Necho killed him at
Megiddo when he saw him.
30 And his servants made him ride dead from Megiddo, brought him to Jerusalem, and
buried him in his own tomb. And the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah,
anointed him, and made him king in his father's place.
31 Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned three
months in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.
32 And he did evil in the eyes of Jehovah, according to all that his fathers had done.
33 And Pharaoh Necho put him in bonds at Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might
not reign in Jerusalem; and he imposed on the land a tribute of one hundred talents of
silver and a talent of gold.
34 And Pharaoh Necho made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in place of his father Josiah,
and changed his name to Jehoiakim. And Pharaoh took Jehoahaz and he came to Egypt,
and he died there.
35 And Jehoiakim gave the silver and gold to Pharaoh; but he taxed the land to give
money at the mouth of Pharaoh; he exacted the silver and gold from the people of the land,
from every one according to his assessment, to give it to Pharaoh Necho.
36 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years
in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Zebudah the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah.
37 And he did evil in the eyes of Jehovah, according to all that his fathers had done.
2 Kings 24
1 In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his
servant for three years. Then he turned and rebelled against him.
2 And Jehovah sent against him raiding bands of Chaldeans, bands of Syrians, bands of
Moabites, and bands of the sons of Ammon; He sent them against Judah to destroy it,
according to the Word of Jehovah which He had spoken by the hand of His servants the
prophets.
3 Surely at the mouth of Jehovah this came upon Judah, to remove them from before His
face because of the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done,
4 and also because of the innocent blood that he had shed; for he had filled Jerusalem
with innocent blood, which Jehovah was not willing to forgive.
5 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and all that he did, are they not written in the
book of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah.
6 So Jehoiakim rested with his fathers. And Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place.
7 And the king of Egypt did not come out of his land anymore, for the king of Babylon
had taken all that belonged to the king of Egypt from the Brook of Egypt to the River
Euphrates.
8 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem
three months. His mother's name was Nehushta the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem.
9 And he did evil in the eyes of Jehovah, according to all that his fathers had done.
10 At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against
Jerusalem, and the city was besieged.
11 And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came against the city, as his servants were
besieging it.
12 And Jehoiachin king of Judah, his mother, his servants, his princes, and his officials
went out to the king of Babylon; and the king of Babylon took him in the eighth year of his
reign.
13 And he carried out from there all the treasures of the house of Jehovah and the
treasures of the king's house, and he cut in pieces all the articles of gold which Solomon
king of Israel had made in the temple of Jehovah, as Jehovah had spoken.
14 He also carried into captivity all Jerusalem: all the commanders and all the mighty men
of valor, ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths. No one remained except
the poorest people of the land.
15 And he carried Jehoiachin captive to Babylon. The king's mother, the king's wives, his
officials, and the mighty ones of prominence of the land he carried into captivity from
Jerusalem to Babylon.
16 All the men of valor, seven thousand, and craftsmen and smiths, one thousand, all who
were strong and fit for war, these the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon.
17 And the king of Babylon made Mattaniah, his uncle, king in his place, and changed his
name to Zedekiah.
18 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years
in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.
19 He also did evil in the eyes of Jehovah, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.
20 For through the anger of Jehovah it happened in Jerusalem and Judah, until He had
cast them out from before His face, that Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.
2 Kings 25
1 Thus it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth of
the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his forces came against Jerusalem
and encamped against it; and they built a siege wall against it all around.
2 And the city was besieged until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.
3 By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was so severe in the city that there was
no food for the people of the land.
4 And the city was broken into, and all the men of war fled at night by way of the gate
between the two walls, which was by the king's garden, even though the Chaldeans were
encamped all around against the city. And the king went the way toward the plain.
5 And the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king, and they overtook him in the plains of
Jericho; and all his army was scattered from him.
6 So they took the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, and they
pronounced judgment upon him.
7 And they killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, put out the eyes of Zedekiah,
bound him with bronze fetters, and brought him to Babylon.
8 And in the fifth month, on the seventh of the month (which was the nineteenth year of
King Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, a servant
of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem.
9 He burned the house of Jehovah and the king's house; all the houses of Jerusalem, that
is, all the houses of distinction, he burned with fire.
10 And all the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard broke down
the walls of Jerusalem all around.
11 And Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive the rest of the people
who remained in the city and the defectors who had fallen out to the king of Babylon, with
the rest of the multitude.
12 But the captain of the guard left some of the poor of the land as vinedressers and
farmers.
13 The bronze pillars that were in the house of Jehovah, and the carts and the bronze sea
that were in the house of Jehovah, the Chaldeans broke in pieces, and carried the bronze to
Babylon.
14 They also took away the pots, the shovels, the snuffers, the spoons, and all the bronze
utensils which were used in service.
15 The firepans and the basins, the things of gold in gold and of silver in silver, the captain
of the guard carried away.
16 The two pillars, one Sea, and the carts, which Solomon had made for the house of
Jehovah, the bronze of all these articles was without weight.
17 The height of one pillar was eighteen cubits, and the capital on it was of bronze. The
height of the capital was three cubits, and the network and pomegranates all around the
capital were all of bronze. The second pillar was the same, with a network.
18 And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the second priest,
and the three doorkeepers.
19 He also took out of the city an official who had charge of the men of war, five men
who were found in the city who looked after the king's presence, the chief marshal of the
army who mustered the people of the land, and sixty men of the people of the land who
were found in the city.
20 So Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, took these and brought them to the king of
Babylon at Riblah.
21 And the king of Babylon struck them and put them to death at Riblah in the land of
Hamath. Thus Judah was carried away captive from its land.
22 And he made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, governor over the
people who remained in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had
left.
23 And when all the commanders of the forces, they and their men, heard that the king of
Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah; Ishmael the son
of Nethaniah, Johanan the son of Careah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite,
and Jaazaniah the son of a Maachathite, they and their men.
24 And Gedaliah swore before them and their men, and said to them, Do not be afraid of
the servants of the Chaldeans. Dwell in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall
be well with you.
25 But it happened in the seventh month that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of
Elishama, of the royal seed, came with ten men and struck Gedaliah, the Jews, as well as
the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah, so that they died.
26 And all the people, small and great, and the commanders of the forces, arose and went
to Egypt; for they were afraid before the Chaldeans.
27 And it came to pass in the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of
Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh of the month, that Evil-Merodach king
of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of
Judah from prison.
28 He spoke kindly to him, and gave him a more prominent seat than those of the kings
who were with him in Babylon.
29 And Jehoiachin changed from his prison garments, and he ate bread continually before
him all the days of his life.
30 And a continual allowance was rationed to him by the king, the matter day by day, all
the days of his life.
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