eng_aiv Amundson Interpretive Version 2 Kings 2 Kings 2 Kings 2 Kgs 2 Kings id=eng_aiv name=Amundson Interpretive Version (AIV) status=draft spec=USFM-USX 3.1.1 export=2026-11-02 char:add=translator-addition-italic char:wj=words-of-Jesus-as-received-unmapped note:f=footnotes para:r=parallel-passage-references para:d=psalm-superscriptions Elijah Denounces Ahaziah (1 Kings 22:51–53) And Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab. And Ahaziah fell through the lattice of his upper room that was in Samaria, and he was injured. And he sent messengers and said to them, “Go, inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I will live from this injury.” And the angel of YHWH said 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?’ And now thus says YHWH, ‘The bed to which you have gone up, you shall not come down from it. For You will surely die.’” And Elijah departed. And the messengers returned to him, and he said to them, “What is this—you⁺ have returned!” 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 YHWH: Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore the bed to which you have gone up, you shall not come down from it. For You will surely die.’” And he said to them, “What was the manner of the man who came up to meet you⁺ and told to you⁺ these words?” And they answered to him, “A man owning hair and wearing a leather belt around his waist.” And he said, “It is Elijah the Tishbite.” And the king sent to him a captain of fifty, and his fifty. And he went up to him, and there he was sitting on the top of the hill. And he said to him, “Man of God, the king has said: ‘Come down.’” And Elijah answered and said to the captain of the fifty, “And if I am a man of God, 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. And he turned and sent to him another captain of fifty, and his fifty. And he answered and said to him, “Man of God, thus has said the king: ‘Quickly come down.’” 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. And he turned and sent a third captain of fifty, and his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up, and he came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and he pleaded with him and said to him, “Man of God, let be precious, please, my life and the life of your servants—these fifty—in your eyes. Behold, fire has come down from the heavens and burned up the first two captains of fifty, and their fifties. And let my life be precious in your eyes.” And the angel of YHWH said to Elijah, “Go down with him; do not be afraid of him.” And he arose and went down with him to the king. And he said to him, “Thus says YHWH: Because that 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 the bed to which you have gone up there, you shall not come down from it. For you will surely die.” Jehoram Succeeds Ahaziah And he died according to the word of YHWH that Elijah had spoken. And Jehoram became king in his place in the second year of Joram son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, because he had no son. 1.17 That is, Jehoram, a variant spelling of Joram. And the rest of the acts of Ahaziah that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Words of the Days of the Kings of Israel? Elijah Taken Up to Heaven And it came to pass, at YHWH taking up Elijah by a whirlwind into the heavens, that Elijah and Elisha went from Gilgal. And Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here please, for YHWH has sent me as far as Bethel.” And Elisha said, “As YHWH lives and as your soul lives, I will not leave you.” And they went down to Bethel. And the sons of the prophets who were at Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that today YHWH will take away your master from over your head?” And he said, “Yes, I know. Keep silent.” And Elijah said to him, “Elisha, stay here please, for YHWH has sent me to Jericho.” And he said, “As YHWH lives and as your soul lives, I will not leave you.” And they came to Jericho. And the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho came to Elisha, and they said to him, “Do you know that today YHWH will take away your master from over your head?” And he answered, “Yes, I know. Keep silent.” And Elijah said to him, “Stay here, please, for YHWH has sent me to the Jordan.” And he said, “As YHWH lives and as your soul lives, I will not leave you.” And the two of them went on. And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went and stood facing them at a distance, and the two of them stood by the Jordan. And Elijah took his cloak and rolled it up, and he struck the waters, and they were divided here and here, and the two of them passed over on the dry ground. And so it was at their passing over, that Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I may do for you before I am taken away from you.” And Elisha said, “Let be, please, a double portion of your spirit upon me.” And he said, “You have made it difficult by asking. If you see me taken from you, it will be so for you. But if not, it will not be.” And it came to pass, as they were walking, walking on and speaking, that behold a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and they separated between the two of them, and Elijah went up in the whirlwind into the heavens. And Elisha saw it, and he cried out, “My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen,” and he saw him no more. And he took hold of his own clothes and tore them into two pieces. And He took up the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him, and he returned and stood by the bank of the Jordan. And he took the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and struck the waters, and he said, “Where is YHWH, God of Elijah—even he?” And he struck the waters, and they were divided here and here. And Elisha passed over. Elisha Succeeds Elijah And saw him the sons of the prophets who were from Jericho facing him, and they said, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” And they came to meet him and bowed before him to the ground. And they said to him, “Behold now, there are with your servants fifty men, sons of valor. Let them go, please, and search for your master, lest the Spirit of YHWH has taken him up and cast him upon one of the mountains, or into one of the valleys.” And he said, “You⁺ shall not send anyone.” And they urged him until he was ashamed, and he said, “Send them.” And they sent fifty men, and they searched for three days, and they did not find him. And they came back to him, for he had stayed in Jericho. And he said to them, “Did not I say to you⁺ not to go?” Elisha Heals the Waters of Jericho And the men of the city said to Elisha, “Behold, please, the site of the city is good, as my lord sees. And the waters are bad and the ground barren.” And he said, “Bring me a new bowl and put in it salt.” And they brought it to him. And he went out to the source of the waters, and he cast in there the salt and said, “Thus says YHWH, ‘I have healed these waters. There shall not be from there anymore death or barrenness.2.21 Or unfruitfulness’” And the waters were healed up to this day, according to the word of Elisha that he spoke. Elisha Mocked And he went up from there to Bethel, and he was going up the road, and some little youths2.23 Or a group of boyss or some insignificant young men; similarly in verse 24 came from the city and mocked him and said to him, “Go up, baldhead! Go up, baldhead!” And he turned around and looked at them, and he cursed them in the name of YHWH. And two female bears came out of the woods and mauled of them forty-two youths. And he went from there to Mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria. Moab’s Rebellion And Jehoram3.1 Jehoram is a variant spelling of Joram; also in verse 6. son of Ahab became king over Israel at Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned twelve years. And he did evil in the eyes of YHWH, but not like his father and mother. For he put away the pillar of Baal that his father had made. Nevertheless, in the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had made Israel to sin, he persisted. He did not depart from them. And Mesha king of Moab was a sheep breeder,3.4 Or sheepherder and he rendered to the king of Israel a hundred thousand lambs and a hundred thousand rams, with wool. And it came to pass, when Ahab was dead, that the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. And King Jehoram went out at that time from Samaria, and he mustered all Israel. And he went and sent to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, saying, “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me against Moab to the battle?” And he said, “I will go up. Like me like you, like my people like your people, like my horses like your horses.” And he said, “Where is this—the way we shall go up?” And he answered, “By the way of the Wilderness of Edom.” And the king of Israel went, and the king of Judah, and the king of Edom, and they circled around the way seven days, and there was no water for the army and for the animals that were at their feet. And the king of Israel said, “Alas! For YHWH has called together these three kings to deliver them into the hand of Moab!” And Jehoshaphat said, “Is not here a prophet of YHWH, that we may inquire of YHWH by him?” And one of the servants of the king of Israel answered and said, “Here is Elisha son of Shaphat, who poured water on the hands of Elijah.3.11 Or who was Elijah’s personal assistant” And Jehoshaphat said, “The word of YHWH is with him.” And they went down to him—the king of Israel, and Jehoshaphat, and the king of Edom. And Elisha said to the king of Israel, “What is to me and to you? Go to the prophets of your father and to the prophets of your mother.” And the king of Israel said to him, “No, for YHWH has called these three kings to deliver them into the hand of Moab.” And Elisha said, “As YHWH of Hosts lives, before whom I stand, surely unless I am lifting up the face of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not look at you or see you. And bring me a harpist.3.15 Or a musician; twice in this verse” And it came to pass, at the playing of the harpist, that the hand of YHWH came upon him. And he said, “Thus says YHWH, ‘Make this valley of pits and pits.’ For thus says YHWH, ‘You⁺ shall not see wind, nor shall you⁺ see rain, and that valley shall be filled with water so that you⁺ may drink—you⁺ and your⁺ cattle and your⁺ animals.’ And this is slight in the eyes of YHWH, and He will deliver the Moabites into your⁺ hands. And you⁺ will strike every fortified city and every choice city, and every good tree you⁺ will cut down, and every spring of water you⁺ will stop up, and every good piece of the land you⁺ will ruin with stones.” And it came to pass in the morning at the ascending of the grain offering, that, behold, waters were coming from the way of Edom, and the land was filled with the waters. And all the Moabites heard that the kings had come up to fight against them, and they were called together from everyone girding a belt and older, and they stood at the border. And they rose up early in the morning, and the sun was shining on the waters. And the Moabites saw on the other side the waters, as red as blood. And they said, “This is blood! The kings have been utterly destroyed, and they have struck one another. And now to the spoil, Moab!” And when they came to the camp of Israel, Israel rose up and struck Moab so that they fled before them. And they came into it and struck down the Moabites. And they tore down the cities, and on every good piece of land threw each man a stone and filled it. And all the springs of water they stopped up, and all the good trees they cut down. Yet they left the stones in Kir-haraseth, and the slingers surrounded it and attacked it. And the king of Moab saw that the battle was too fierce for him, and he took with him seven hundred men who drew swords to break through to the king of Edom; and they were not able. And he took his eldest son who would have reigned in his place, and he lifted him up as a burnt offering upon the wall. And there was great indignation against Israel,3.27 Or And Israel’s fury was great and they departed from him and returned to the land. The Widow’s Oil And a 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 was fearing YHWH, and the creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves.” 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 not anything in the house except but a jar of oil.” And he said, “Go, ask for yourself vessels from outside, from all your neighbors—empty vessels. Do not let it be few. And you shall come in and shut the door behind you and behind your sons, and you shall pour it into all these vessels and set aside the full ones.” And she went from him and shut the door behind her and behind her sons. They brought them near to her, and she poured it out. And it came to pass when the vessels were full that she said to her son, “Bring to me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not another vessel.” And the oil stood. And she came and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil, and pay your debt, and you and your sons live on the rest.” The Shunammite Woman (Matthew 10:40–42) And one day it came to pass that Elisha went to Shunem, and there was a great woman, and she persuaded him to eat some food. And it was, as often as he passed by, he would turn aside there to eat some food. And she said to her husband, “Behold now, I know that he is a holy man of God who passes by us continually. Let us make, please, a small upper room on the wall, and let us put for him there a bed, and a table, and a chair, and a lampstand. And it will be, in his coming to us, he can turn aside there.” And the day came to pass that he came there, and he turned aside to the upper room and lay down there. And he said to Gehazi his servant, “Call this Shunammitess.” And he called her, and she stood before his face. And he said to him, “Say now to her, ‘Behold, you have trembled concerning us with all this trouble. What am I to do for you? Am I indeed to speak for you to the king or to the commander of the army?’” And she answered, “In the midst of my people I am dwelling.” And he said, “And what is to be done for her?” And Gehazi answered, “Truly there is not unto her a son, and her husband is old.” And he said, “Call to her.” And he called to her, and she stood in the doorway. And he said, “This time next year of life, you shall embrace a son.” And she said, “No, my lord, O man of God, do not lie to your maidservant.” And the woman conceived and bore a son at this appointed time of life that Elisha had spoken to her. Elisha Raises the Shunammite’s Son (Acts 20:7–12) And the child grew, and the day came to pass that he went out to his father to the harvesters. And he said to his father, “My head! My head!” And he said to a servant, “Carry him to his mother.” And he lifted him and brought him to his mother, and he sat on her knees until the noon, and he died. And she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and she shut the door behind him and went out. 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 return.” And he said, “Why are you going to him today? It is not the New Moon nor the Sabbath.” And she said, “Peace.” And she saddled a donkey and said to her servant, “Drive and go forward. Do not slacken for me the pace, for unless I speak to you.” And she departed and went in to the man of God at Mount Carmel. And it came to pass, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to Gehazi his servant, “Behold, this Shunammitess. Now run, please, to meet her, and say to her, ‘Is it all well for you? Is it well for your husband? Is it well for the child?’” And she answered, “It is well.” And she came to the man of God at the hill, and she caught him by the feet. And Gehazi came near to push her away. And the man of God said, “Let her alone, for her soul is bitter to her, and YHWH has hidden it from me and has not told me.” And she said, “Did I ask a son from my lord? Did I not say, ‘Do not deceive me’?” And he said to Gehazi, “Gird up your loins, and take my staff in your hand, and be on your way. If you meet anyone, do not greet him. And if anyone greets you, do not answer him. And lay my staff on the face of the boy.” And the mother of the child said, “As YHWH lives and as your soul lives, I will not leave you.” And he arose and followed her. And Gehazi went on ahead of them and laid the staff on the face of the boy. And there was no voice and no hearing. And he turned back to meet him and declared to him, saying, “The child has not awakened.” And Elisha came into the house, and behold, the boy was dead, lying on his bed. And he went in and shut the door behind the two of them, and he prayed to YHWH. And he went up and lay on the child, and he put his mouth on his mouth, and his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands. And he stretched out himself on him, and the flesh of the child became warm. And he returned and walked in the house once here and once here. And again he went up and stretched out himself on him. And the boy sneezed up to seven times, and the boy opened his eyes. And he called to Gehazi and said, “Call to this Shunammitess.” And he called her, and she came in to him. And he said, “Lift up your son.” And she went in and fell at his feet, and she bowed herself to the earth. And she lifted her son and went out. Elisha Purifies the Poisonous Stew And Elisha returned to Gilgal, and the famine was in the land. And the sons of the prophets were sitting before his face, and he said to his servant, “Put on the large pot and boil stew for the sons of the prophets.” And one went out into the field to gather herbs, and he found a vine of the field, and he gathered from it gourds of the field—the fullness of his garment—and he came and sliced them into the pot of stew, though they knew not. And they served it to the men to eat, and it came to pass as they were eating the stew, that they cried out and said, “Death is in the pot, O man of God.” And they could not eat it. And he said, “Bring flour.” And he put it into the pot and said, “Serve it to the people, that they may eat.” And there was not a harmful thing in the pot. Feeding a Hundred Men (Matthew 15:29–39; Mark 8:1–10) And a man came from Baal-shalishah, and he brought to the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley, and ripe grain in his sack. And he said, “Give it to the people, that they may eat.” And his servant said, “How shall I set this before the face of a hundred men?” And He said again, “Give it to the people, that they may eat. For thus says YHWH, ‘They shall eat and have left over.’” And he set it before them, and they ate and had left over, according to the word of YHWH. Naaman Cured of Leprosy (Luke 17:11–19) And Naaman commander of the army of the king of Aram was a great man in the eyes of his master, and was lifted of face, because by him YHWH had given deliverance to Aram. And the man was mighty in valor—a leper.5.1 A leper, or one with leprosy, was one afflicted with a skin disease; here and throughout this chapter; see Leviticus 13. And Aram had gone out in bands, and had brought back captive from the land of Israel a young girl. And she waited before the face of the wife of Naaman. And she said to her mistress, “If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria, then he would heal him of his leprosy!” And he went in and declared to his master, saying, “Thus and thus said the girl who is from the land of Israel.” And the king of Aram said, “Go, enter, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” And he departed and took with him ten talents of silver,5.5 10 talents is approximately 754 pounds or 342 kilograms of silver. and six thousand shekels of gold,5.5 6,000 shekels is approximately 150.8 pounds or 68.4 kilograms of gold. and ten changes of garments. And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, “And now when this letter comes to you, be advised that I have sent to you Naaman my servant, that you may heal him of his leprosy.” And it came to pass, in the king of Israel reading the letter, that he tore his garments and said, “Am I God to kill and make alive, that this one sends to me to heal a man of his leprosy? Upon thus consider, please, and see how he is presenting himself to me.” And it came to pass, in Elisha the man of God hearing that the king of Israel had torn his garments, that he sent to the king, saying, “Why have you torn your garments? Let him come, please, to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.” And Naaman went with his horses and with his chariot, and he stood at the door of the house of Elisha. And Elisha sent to him a messenger, saying, “Go and wash seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.” And Naaman became furious and went away and said, “Behold, I said to myself he would surely come out and stand, and call on the name of YHWH his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy. Are not the Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could not I wash in them and be clean?” And he turned and went away in a rage. And his servants came near and spoke to him, and said, “My father, if something great the prophet had spoken to you, would you not have done it? Then how much more when he says to you, ‘Wash and be clean’?” And he went down and dipped in the Jordan seven times, according to the saying of the man of God. And his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. Gehazi’s Greed and Leprosy And he returned to the man of God, he and all his camp, and came and stood before his face, and he said, “Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth for but in Israel. And now take please a gift from your servant.” And he said, “As YHWH lives, before whom I stand, I will receive nothing.” And he urged him to take it, and he refused. And Naaman said, “If not, let be given, please, to your servant a load of earth as a pair of mules, for your servant will offer not anymore either burnt offering or sacrifice to other gods, for but to YHWH. In this thing may YHWH pardon your servant, when my master goes into the temple of Rimmon to worship there, and he leans on my hand, and I bow down in the temple of Rimmon. In my bowing myself in the temple of Rimmon, may YHWH please pardon your servant in this thing.” And he said to him, “Go in peace.” And he departed from him a distance of land. And Gehazi the servant of Elisha the man of God said, “Behold, my master has spared Naaman this Aramaean—not receiving from his hands what he brought. For as YHWH lives, I will run after him and get from him something.” And Gehazi pursued after Naaman. And Naaman saw him running after him, and he got down from the chariot to meet him and said, “Peace?” And he said, “Peace. My master has sent me, saying, ‘Behold now this, two young men have come to me from the mountains of Ephraim of the sons of the prophets. Give, please, to them a talent of silver5.22 A talent is approximately 75.4 pounds or 34.2 kilograms of silver. and two changes of garments.’” And Naaman said, “Be resolved, take two talents.” And he urged him and bound two talents of silver in two bags, and two changes of garments, and he gave them to two of his servants, and they carried them on ahead of him. And he came to the citadel,5.24 Or the hill; Hebrew the Ophel and he took them from their hand, and stored them away in the house, and he sent away the men, and they departed. And he went in and stood before his master. And Elisha said to him, “From where, Gehazi?” And he said, “Your servant did not go where and where.” And he said to him, “Did my heart not go when the man turned back from his chariot to meet you? Is it the time to receive silver, and to receive garments, and olive groves, and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and maidservants? And the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and to your seed forever.” And he went out from before his face, leprous as the snow. The Axe Head Floats And the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “Behold now, the place where we are dwelling there to your face is too tight for us. Let us go, please, to the Jordan, and let take from there each man one beam, and let us make to us there a place where we may dwell there.” And he answered, “Go.” And the one said, “Be resolved, please, and go with your servants.” And he answered, “I will go.” And he went with them, and they came to the Jordan, and they cut down the trees. And it came to pass, the one was cutting down a tree and the iron fell into the water. And he cried out and said, “Alas, master! And it was borrowed.” And the man of God said, “Where did it fall?” And he showed him the place, and he cut off a stick and threw it in there; and the iron he made float. And he said, “Pick it up for yourself.” And he stretched out his hand, and he took it. Elisha Captures the Blinded Arameans And the king of Aram had been making war against Israel, and he counseled with his servants, saying, “In such and such a place My camp will be.” And the man of God sent to the king of Israel, saying, “Beware of passing over this place. For there Aram is coming down.” And the king of Israel sent one to the place of which the man of God had told him; and he warned him, and he was watchful there—not once and not twice. And the heart of the king of Aram was greatly troubled by this thing, and he called to his servants and said to them, “Will you⁺ not show to me who of us is for the king of Israel?” And one of his servants said, “None, my lord the king, but Elisha the prophet, who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.” And he said, “Go and see where he is, that I may send and get him.” And it was told to him, saying, “Behold, in Dothan.” And he sent there horses and chariot and a great army, and they came by night and went around against the city. And the servant of the man of God rising, arose early, and he went out, and there was an army surrounding the city, and horse and chariot. And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” And he answered, “Fear not, for more are those who are with us than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed and said, “O YHWH, open, please, his eyes, that he may see.” And YHWH 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. And they came down to him, and Elisha prayed to YHWH and said, “Strike, please, this people with blindness.” And He struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha. 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.” And he led them to Samaria. And it came to pass, when they came to Samaria, that Elisha said, “O YHWH, open the eyes of these men, that they may see.” And YHWH opened their eyes, and they saw. And behold, they were in the midst of Samaria. And the king of Israel said to Elisha at his seeing them, “Shall I strike? Shall I strike, My father?” And he answered, “You shall not strike. Those whom you have taken captive with your sword and your bow, would you kill? Set food and water before their faces, that they may eat and drink and go to their master.” And he prepared for them a great feast, and they ate and drank, and he sent them away, and they went to their master. And the bands from Aram added not again to come into the land of Israel. The Siege and Famine of Samaria And it came to pass after this, that Ben-hadad king of Aram gathered all his camp, and he went up and laid siege against Samaria. And there was a great famine in Samaria. And behold, they lay siege against it until the head of a donkey was sold for eighty shekels of silver,6.25 80 shekels is approximately 2 pounds or 907.2 grams of silver. and a forth of a cab of dove’s dung6.25 Or a fourth of a cab of seed pods; that is, approximately 0.28 dry quarts or 0.31 liters for five shekels of silver.6.25 5 shekels is approximately 2 ounces or 57 grams of silver. And it came to pass that the king of Israel passing by on the wall, and a woman cried out to him, saying, “Save me, my lord the king.” And he said, “YHWH does not save you—from where do I save you? From the threshing floor or from the winepress?” And the king said to her, “What is troubling you?” And she answered, “This woman said to me, ‘Give up your son, that we may eat him today, and my son we will eat tomorrow.’ And we boiled my son and ate him, and I said to her on the next day, ‘Give up your son, that we may eat him.’ And she has hidden her son.” And it came to pass, 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, sackcloth was on his flesh within. And he said, “Thus may God do to me, and thus He does add, if remains the head of Elisha son of Shaphat on him today.” And Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. And he sent a man ahead of 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? Look, at the coming in of the messenger, shut the door and hold him fast at the door. Is there not the sound of the feet of his master behind him?” And while he was speaking with them, behold, the messenger was coming down to him, and he said, “Behold, this evil is from YHWH. Why should I wait for YHWH any longer?” Elisha’s Prophecy of Plenty And Elisha said, “Hear the word of YHWH! Thus says YHWH: ‘About this time tomorrow a seah of fine flour7.1 A seah is approximately 6.6 dry quarts or 7.3 liters (probably about 8.2 pounds or 3.7 kilograms of flour); here and in verses 16 and 18. will be for a shekel,7.1 A shekel is approximately 0.4 ounces or 11.4 grams, probably of silver; here and in verses 16 and 18. and two seahs7.1 2 seahs is approximately 13.2 dry quarts or 14.6 liters (probably about 19.3 pounds or 8.8 kilograms of barley); here and in verses 16 and 18. of barley for a shekel in the gate of Samaria.” And the officer, whom the king on his hand leaned, answered the man of God and said, “Behold, if YHWH would make windows in the heavens, could this thing come to pass?” And he said, “Behold, you shall see it with your eyes, and from there you shall not eat.” The Syrians Flee And four leprous7.3 Leprosy was a term used for various skin diseases; here and in verse 8; see Leviticus 13. men were at the entrance of the gate, and they said one to another, “Why are we sitting here until we die? If we say, ‘We will enter the city,’ and the famine is in the city, we shall die there. And if we sit we shall die, we die. And now, come and let us surrender to the camp of Aram. If they keep us alive, we shall live. And if they put us to death, we shall die.” And they arose in the twilight to go in to the camp of Aram, and they came in to the outskirts of the camp of Aram. And behold, not a man was there. For the Lord had caused the army of Aram to hear the noise of chariot and the noise of horse, the noise of a great force. And they said one to another, “Behold, the king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Egypt to come against us.” And they arose and fled in the twilight, and they abandoned their tents and their horses and their donkeys—the camp as it was—and they fled for their life. And these lepers came to the outskirts of the camp, and they went into one tent and ate, and drank, and carried from it silver and gold and clothing, and went and hid them. And they turned back and entered into another tent and lifted up from there, and went and hid it. And they said one to another, “We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news, and we remain silent. And if we wait until the light of the morning, then punishment will find us. And now come and let us go and declare it to the house of the king.” And they went and called to the gatekeepers of the city and declared to them, saying, “We went to the camp of Aram, and behold, there was not a man or the sound of man, but only the tied horse and tied donkey and the tents as they were.” And the gatekeepers called out, and they told it to the house of the king within. And the king arose in the night and said to his servants, “Let me declare, please, to you⁺ what Aram has done to us. They know that we are hungry; and 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 enter into the city.’” And one of his servants answered and said, “Then let them take, please, five of the remaining horses, which are left in the city. Behold, they are as all the multitude of Israel who are left in it—indeed, like all the multitude of Israel left from those who are consumed. And let us send them and see.” And they took two chariot horses, and the king sent them in the direction of the camp of Aram, saying, “Go and see.” And they went after them to the Jordan, and behold, all the way was full of garments and vessels that Aram had cast away in their haste. And the messengers returned and told the king. Elisha’s Prophecy Fulfilled And the people went out and plundered the tents of Aram. And there was a seah of fine flour for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, according to the word of YHWH. And the king had appointed the officer on whom his hand leaned to be over the gate, and the people trampled him in the gate and he died, as the man of God had said who spoke when the king came down to him. And it came to pass according to the speaking of the man of God to the king, saying, “Two seahs of barley for a shekel, and a seah of fine flour for a shekel, will be about this time tomorrow in the gate of Samaria.” And that officer had answered the man of God and said, “And behold, if YHWH should make windows in the heavens, could this word come to pass?” And he had said, “Behold, you shall see it with your eyes, and from there you shall not eat.” And so it came to pass to him thus, and the people trampled him in the gate, and he died. The Shunammite’s Land Restored And Elisha spoke to the woman, whom he had revived her son, saying, “Arise and go, you and your house, and sojourn to where you will sojourn. For YHWH has called for a famine, and also it will come upon the land seven years.” And the woman arose, and she did according to the word of the man of God, and she went, she and her house, and she sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years. 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 make an appeal to the king on behalf of her house and on behalf her field. And the king spoke to Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, “Recount, please, to me all the great things that Elisha has done.” And it came to pass, as he was telling the king how he had revived the dead, that there was the woman whom he had revived her son, appealing to the king for her house and for her field. And Gehazi said, “My lord the king, this is the woman and this is her son whom Elisha revived.” And the king asked the woman, and she told him. And the king appointed for her one eunuch, saying, “Restore all that was unto her, and all the proceeds of the field from the day that she left the land and until now.” Hazael Murders Ben-hadad And Elisha went to Damascus, and Ben-hadad king of Aram was sick. And it was declared to him, saying, “The man of God has come as far as here.” And the king said to Hazael, “Take in your hand a gift, and go to meet the man of God, and inquire of YHWH by him, saying, ‘Will I recover from this sickness?’” And Hazael went to meet him, and took a gift in his hand of every good thing of Damascus, a burden of forty camels. And he came and stood before his face and said, “Your son Ben-hadad king of Aram has sent me to you, saying, ‘Will I recover from this sickness?’” And Elisha said to him, “Go, say, ‘Will you not surely recover?’ And YHWH8.10 Or “Go and say, ‘You will surely not recover.’ And YHWH has shown me that he will surely die.” And he set his countenance, and he set it until he was ashamed. And the man of God wept. And Hazael said, “Why is my lord weeping?” And He answered, “Because I know the evil that you will do to the sons of Israel—their strongholds you will send into the fire, and their young men you will kill with the sword, and their children you will dash to pieces, and their pregnant women you will split open.” And Hazael said, “But what is your servant, a dog, that he should do this great thing?” And Elisha answered, “YHWH has made me see that you will be king over Aram.” And he departed from Elisha and came to his master, and he said to him, “What did Elisha say to you?” And he said, “He said to me: You will surely recover.” And it came to pass on the next day that he took a thick cloth and dipped it in the waters, and he spread it over his face, and he died. And Hazael reigned in his place. Jehoram Reigns in Judah (2 Chronicles 21:1–7) And in the fifth year of Joram son of Ahab king of Israel—and Jehoshaphat was king of Judah—Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat began his reign as king of Judah. He was a son of thirty-two years in his reigning, and eight years he reigned in Jerusalem. And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as had done the house of Ahab. For the daughter of Ahab was his wife; and he did evil in the eyes of YHWH. And YHWH was not willing to destroy Judah, for the sake of David his servant, as He promised to him to give to him a lamp for his sons all the days. Edom and Libnah Rebel (2 Chronicles 21:8–11) In his days8.20 That is, In the days of Jehoram, Edom revolted against the hand of Judah, and they appointed a king over themselves. And Joram8.21 Joram is a variant of Jehoram (the son of Jehoshaphat), as in verse 16; also in verses 23 and 24 went to Zair, and all the chariots with him, and he rose by night and struck Edom, who had surrounded him, and the captains of the chariots. And the people fled to their tents. And Edom has been in revolt against the hand of Judah to this day. Then Libnah revolted at that time. And the rest of the acts of Joram, and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Words of the Days of the Kings of Judah? And Joram rested with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the City of David. And Ahaziah his son reigned in his place. Ahaziah Reigns in Judah (2 Chronicles 22:1–7) In the twelfth year of Jehoram son of Ahab king of Israel, Ahaziah son of Joram king of Judah began to reign. Ahaziah was a son of twenty-two years in his reigning, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. And the name of His mother was Athaliah, the daughter of Omri king of Israel. And he walked in the way of the house of Ahab and did evil in the eyes of YHWH, like the house of Ahab; for he was the son-in-law of the house of Ahab. And he went with Jehoram son of Ahab to the battle against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth-gilead. And the Aramaeans wounded Jehoram. And Jehoram the king went back to recover—to Jezreel—from the wounds that the Aramaeans had inflicted on him at Ramah when he fought against Hazael king of Aram. And Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Jehoram son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick. 8.29 Ramah is a variant of Ramoth; see verse 28. Jehu Anointed King of Israel And Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets and said to him, “Gird up your loins and take this flask of oil in your hand, and go to Ramoth-gilead. And you will come to there and see there Jehu son of Jehoshaphat son of Nimshi, and you will come and make him rise up from the midst of his brothers. And bring him to an inner chamber. And take the flask of the oil, and pour it on his head and say, ‘Thus says YHWH: I have anointed you king over Israel.’ And open the door and flee, and do not delay.” And the young man, the servant of the prophet, went to Ramoth-gilead. And he arrived, and behold, the captains of the army were sitting, and he said, “A word from me is to you, commander.” And Jehu said, “For that of all of us?” And he said, “To you, commander.” And he arose and went into the house, and he poured the oil on his head and said to him, “Thus says YHWH, God of Israel: ‘I have anointed you as king over the people of YHWH, over Israel. And you shall strike 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 YHWH from the hand of Jezebel. And all the house of Ahab will perish, and I will cut off from Ahab the one who urinates against the wall, and the one who is restrained, and the one who is free in Israel. And I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat and like the house of Baasha son of Ahijah. And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the portion of Jezreel, and there is none to bury her.’” And he opened the door and fled. And Jehu went out to the servants of his master, and one said to him, “Peace? Why did this madman come to you?” And he said to them, “You⁺ know the man and his babble.” And they said, “False! Declare now to us.” And he said, “Like this and like this he spoke to me, saying, ‘Thus says YHWH: I have anointed you as king over Israel.’” And they hurried, and each man took his garment and put it under him on the top of the steps, and they blew with the shofar and said, “Jehu is king.” Jehu Kills Joram and Ahaziah (2 Chronicles 22:8–9) And Jehu son of Jehoshaphat son of Nimshi conspired against Jehoram. (And Jehoram had been defending Ramoth-gilead, he and all Israel, from the presence of Hazael king of Aram. And king Jehoram9.15 Jehoram is a variant of Joram; also in verses 17, 21, 22, 23, and 24 had returned to recover in Jezreel from the wounds that the Aramaeans had inflicted on him when he fought with Hazael king of Aram.) And Jehu said, “If it is your⁺ mind, do not let a fugitive go out from the city to go and tell it in Jezreel.” And Jehu rode in a chariot and went to Jezreel, because Jehoram was laid up there. And Ahaziah king of Judah had come down to see Jehoram. And the watchman stood on the tower in Jezreel, and he saw the company of Jehu in his coming, and said, “A company I see.” And Jehoram said, “Take a rider and send him to meet them, and let him say, ‘Is it peace?’” And the rider on the horse went to meet him and said, “Thus says the king, ‘Is it peace?’” And Jehu said, “And what is for you regarding peace? Turn around to after me.” And the watchman declared, saying, “The messenger went to them, and he is not coming back.” And he sent out a second rider on a horse, and he went in to them and said, “Thus says the king, ‘Is peace?’” And Jehu answered, “And what to you with peace? Turn around to behind me.” And the watchman declared, saying, “He went up even to them and is not coming back. And the driving is like the driving of Jehu son of Nimshi,9.20 Or grandson of Nimshi; see verse 14. for he drives with madness!” And Jehoram said, “Harness!” And his chariot was harnessed. And Jehoram king of Israel went out, and Ahaziah king of Judah, each man in his chariot, and they went out to meet Jehu and they found him in the portion of Naboth the Jezreelite. And it came to pass, when Jehoram saw Jehu, that he said, “Is it peace, Jehu?” And he said, “What peace is, during the prostitution9.22 Prostitution here is a metaphor for idolatry. of Jezebel your mother and her many witchcrafts?” And Jehoram turned his hands and fled, and he said to Ahaziah, “Treachery, Ahaziah.” And Jehu filled his hand with a bow and struck Jehoram between his arms, and the arrow came out from his heart, and he sank down in his chariot. And he said to Bidkar his captain, “Lift up and throw him into the portion of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite, for remember that I and you were riding together behind Ahab his father, and YHWH lifted up upon him this burden: ‘If not the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons I saw yesterday, declares YHWH, and I will repay to you in this portion, declares YHWH.’ And now take and throw him into the portion, according to the word of YHWH.” And Ahaziah king of Judah saw, and he fled up the road toward Beth-haggan, and Jehu pursued him and said, “Shoot him also.” So they shot Ahaziah in the chariot on the Ascent of Gur,9.27 See Syriac, Vulgate, and LXX; Hebrew “Shoot him, too, in his chariot!” (They did this) on the Ascent of Gur, which is by Ibleam. And he fled to Megiddo and died there. And his servants carried him in the chariot to Jerusalem, and they buried him in his tomb with his fathers in the City of David. (And in the eleventh year of Jehoram son of Ahab, Ahaziah had become king over Judah.) Jezebel’s Violent Death And Jehu had come to Jezreel, and Jezebel heard and put her eyes in paint and adorned her head, and she looked down through the window. And Jehu entered into the gate, and she said, “Is it peace, O Zimri, manslayer of his master?9.31 Or “Is there peace for Zimri, the murderer of his master?” See 1 Kings 16:10.” And he lifted up his face to the window and said, “Who is with me? Who?” And two or three eunuchs looked out at him. And he said, “Drop her!” And they dropped her, and her blood splattered on the wall and on the horses, and he trampled her underfoot. And he came in and ate and drank and said, “Look after now this accursed woman and bury her, for she was a daughter of a king.” And they went to bury her, and no more they found of her but if the skull and the feet and the palms of the hands. And they turned back and reported to him, and he said, “The word of YHWH it is, which He spoke by His servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ‘In the portion of Jezreel the dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel. And the corpse of Jezebel shall be as dung on the face of the field in the portion of Jezreel, so that they cannot say: This is Jezebel.’” 9.37 See verse 10 and 1 Kings 21:23. Ahab’s Seventy Sons Killed And Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote letters and sent to Samaria to the rulers of Jezreel,10.1 Hebrew; LXX and Vulgate officials of the city to the elders, and to those supporting Ahab,10.1 That is the guardians of the sons of Ahab saying, “And now at the coming in of this letter to you⁺—and with you⁺ are sons of your⁺ master, and with you⁺ are the chariots and the horses, and a fortified city, and weapons— choose the best and the most upright of the sons of your⁺ master, and set him on the throne of his father, and fight for the house of your⁺ master.” And they were afraid exceedingly greatly, and they said, “Behold, the two kings could not stand up to him, and how can we stand ourselves?” And he who was over the house, and he who was in charge of the city, and the elders, and the supporters, sent to Jehu, saying, “We are your servants, and all that you tell to us, we will do. But not any man we will make king. That which is good in your eyes, do.” And he wrote to them a second letter, saying, “If you⁺ are for me, and my voice you⁺ will obey, take the heads of the men, the sons of your⁺ master, and come to me by this time tomorrow to Jezreel.” The sons of the king, seventy men, were with the great ones of the city, those bringing them up. And it came to pass, when the letter came to them, that they took the sons of the king and slaughtered seventy men, and they put their heads in the baskets and sent them to him at Jezreel. And a messenger came and declared to him, saying, “They have brought the heads of the sons of the king.” And he said, “Place them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until the morning.” And it came to pass in the morning that he went out and stood and said to all the people, “You⁺ are righteous. Behold, I conspired against my master and killed him. And who killed all these? Know, then, that nothing shall fall to the earth of the word of YHWH that YHWH spoke concerning the house of Ahab, for YHWH has done what He spoke by the hand of His servant Elijah.” And Jehu killed all who remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men, and his acquaintances, and his priests, until none he left remaining to him. And he arose and departed and went to Samaria. He was at Beth-eked of the Shepherds on the way, and Jehu met the brothers of Ahaziah king of Judah and said, “Who are you⁺?” And they said, “We are brothers of Ahaziah, and we have come down for the welfare of the sons of the king and the sons of the queen mother.” And he said, “Take them alive.” And they took them alive and killed them at the well of Beth-eked—forty-two men. And he left not a man of them. And he departed from there, and he met Jehonadab son of Rechab coming to meet him. And he blessed him and said to him, “Is your heart straight as my heart is toward your heart?” And Jehonadab answered, “It is.” And he said, “Give me your hand.” And he gave him his hand, and he took him up to him into the chariot. And he said, “Come with me and see my zeal for YHWH.” And they had him ride in his chariot. And he came to Samaria, and he killed all who remained to Ahab in Samaria until he had destroyed them, according to the word of YHWH that He spoke to Elijah. Jehu Kills the Priests of Baal And Jehu gathered together all the people and said to them, “Ahab served the Baal a little; Jehu will serve him much. And now all the prophets of the Baal, all his servants, and all his priests, call to me. Let not a man be missing, for a great sacrifice I have for the Baal. Anyone who is missing shall not live.” And Jehu acted deceptively, with the intent of destroying the worshipers of Baal. And Jehu said, “Proclaim a solemn assembly for the Baal.” And they proclaimed it. And Jehu sent throughout all Israel, and all the worshipers of the Baal came, and was not left a man who did not come in. And they came in to the house of the Baal, and the house of the Baal was full mouth to mouth. And he said to the one in charge of the wardrobe, “Bring out garments for all the worshipers of the Baal.” And he brought out for them the clothing. And Jehu went, and Jonadab son of Rechab, into the house of the Baal, and they said to the worshipers of the Baal, “Search and see that are here with you⁺ no servants of YHWH, for but the worshipers of the Baal only.” And they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. And Jehu had appointed for himself on the outside eighty men and said, “The man who lets one escape from the men whom I have brought into your⁺ hands, his soul for his soul.” 10.24 LXX he went in; see also verse 25. And it came to pass, at his finishing to make the burnt offering, that Jehu said to the guard and to the captains, “Go in, strike them. Let not a man come out.” And they struck them with the mouth of the sword. And the guards and the officers cast them out and went into the inner room of the house of the Baal. And they brought out the pillars of the house of the Baal and burned them. And they broke down the pillar of the Baal and broke down the house of the Baal, and made it a latrine to this day. Jehu Repeats Jeroboam’s Sins And Jehu destroyed the Baal from Israel. However, the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had caused to sin Israel, Jehu did not turn away from after them—from the golden calves that were at Bethel and Dan. And YHWH said to Jehu, “Because that you have done well in doing right in My eyes—according to all that is in My heart you have done to the house of Ahab—sons of the fourth shall sit unto you on the throne of Israel.” And Jehu did not take heed to walk in the law of YHWH, God of Israel, with all his heart. For he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam, who had caused Israel to sin. In those days YHWH began to cut off some of Israel, and Hazael conquered them in all the territory of Israel, from the Jordan to the rising of the sun, all the land of Gilead (the Gadite, and the Reubenite, and the Manassite), from Aroer which is by the River Arnon, and Gilead and Bashan. Jehoahaz Succeeds Jehu in Israel And the rest of the acts of Jehu, and all that he did, and all his might, are they not written in the Book of the Words of the Days of the Kings of Israel? And Jehu rested with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria. And Jehoahaz his son reigned in his place. And the days that Jehu reigned over Israel were twenty-eight years in Samaria. Athaliah and Joash (2 Chronicles 22:10–12) And Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, and she arose and destroyed all the seed of the kingdom. And Jehosheba the daughter of King Joram,11.2 Jehosheba is a variant of Jehoshabeath; see 2 Chronicles 22:11. sister of Ahaziah, took Joash son of Ahaziah, and she stole him away from the midst of the sons of the king who were to be killed. And with his nurse in the bedroom they hid him from Athaliah, so that he was not killed. 11.2 Joram is a variant spelling of Jehoram. And he was with her in the house of YHWH, hidden six years, and Athaliah reigned over the land. Joash Anointed King of Judah (2 Chronicles 23:1–11) And in the seventh year Jehoiada sent and brought the heads of the hundreds, the Carites,11.4 Or the mercenaries or the executioners; also in verse 19 and the runners, and he brought them to him into the house of YHWH. And he made with them a covenant and took an oath from them in the house of YHWH. And he showed them the son of the king. And he commanded them, saying, “This is the thing that you⁺ shall do: A third of you⁺ who come on duty on the Sabbath shall be keeping the watch over the house of the king, and a third at the gate of Sur, and a third at the gate behind the runners. And you⁺ shall keep the watch of the house pulled down. And the two hands of you⁺ who go off duty on the Sabbath shall keep the watch of the house of YHWH for the king. And you⁺ shall surround upon the king on all sides, each man and his weapons in his hand. And he who is coming to the ranks will be killed. And You are to be with the king in his going out and in his coming in.” And the captains of the hundreds did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded, and took each of them his men—those going in on the Sabbath with those going out on the Sabbath—and they came to Jehoiada the priest. And the priest gave the captains of the hundreds the spears and the shields that were unto King David, which were in the house of YHWH. And the runners stood, each man and his weapons in his hand, from the right shoulder of the house to the left shoulder of the house, by the altar and the house, upon the king all around. And he brought out the son of the king and put on him the diadem and the Testimony. And they made him king and anointed him, and they clapped their hands and said, “Long live the king.” The Death of Athaliah (2 Chronicles 23:12–15) And Athaliah heard the voice of the runners and of the people, and she came to the people in the house of YHWH. And she looked, and behold, the king was standing by a pillar according to custom, and the leaders and the trumpets by the king. And all the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing with the trumpets. And Athaliah tore her clothes and cried out, “Treason! Treason!” And Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains of the hundreds, inspectors of the army, and said to them, “Take her outside to the house between the ranks,11.15 Or out from the precincts and the one who comes after her put to death with the sword.” For the priest had said, “Do not let her be killed in the house of YHWH.” And they seized her hands, and she went by way of the entrance of the horses to the house of the king, and she was put to death there. Jehoiada Restores the Worship of Yahweh (2 Chronicles 23:16–21) And Jehoiada cut a covenant between YHWH and between the king and between the people, that they should be a people of YHWH—and also between the king and between the people. And all the people of the land went to the house of the Baal and tore it down. Its altars and images they broke in pieces thoroughly, and Mattan the priest of the Baal they killed before the face of the altars. And the priest appointed officers over the house of YHWH. And he took the captains of the hundreds, and the Carites, and the runners, and all the people of the land, and they brought down the king from the house of YHWH, and they went by way of the gate of the runners to the house of the king. And he sat on the throne of the kings. And all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet. For they had killed Athaliah with the sword in the house of the king. Jehoash was11.21 Jehoashis a variant of Joash (son of Ahaziah) as in verse 2 a son of seven years in his reigning. Joash Repairs the Temple (2 Chronicles 24:1–14) In the seventh year of Jehu, Jehoash12.1 Jehoash is a variant of Joash (son of Ahaziah); also in verses 2, 4, 6, 7, and 18; see 2 Kings 11:2. became king. And forty years he reigned in Jerusalem. And the name of his mother was Zibiah of Beersheba. And Jehoash did right in the eyes of YHWH all the days in which Jehoiada the priest instructed him. But the high places were not taken away; still the people sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. And Jehoash said to the priests, “All the silver of the holy things that are brought into the house of YHWH, the silver of passing over of each man, the silver of his valuation assessment, and all the silver that a man purposes in his heart to bring into the house of YHWH, let the priests take it unto themselves, each from his constituency, and they shall strengthen the breach of the house in every place where there is found a breach.” And it was by the twentieth year and third year of King Jehoash, that the priests had not strengthened the breach of the house. And King Jehoash called to Jehoiada the priest, and to the priests, and he said to them, “Why have you⁺ not strengthened the breach of the house? And now take no more silver from your⁺ constituency, but for the breach of the house give it.” And the priests agreed to receive no more silver from the people, nor to strengthen the breach of the house. And Jehoiada the priest took one chest and bored a hole in its lid and set it beside the altar, on the right side as one comes into the house of YHWH. And the priests who kept the door put there all the silver brought into the house of YHWH. And it was, at their seeing that there was much silver in the chest, that came up a scribe of the king and the high priest, and they bound it up and counted the silver found in the house of YHWH. And they gave the weighed silver into the hands of those who did the work, those inspecting the house of YHWH, and they paid it out to the carpenters and to the builders making the house of YHWH, and to the masons, and to hewers of stone, and for buying timber and hewn stone to strengthen the breach of the house of YHWH, and for all that went out upon the temple to strengthen it. However, there were not made for the house of YHWH basins of silver, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, trumpets, or any articles of gold or articles of silver, from the silver brought into the house of YHWH; but they gave to those doing the work, and they strengthened with it the house of YHWH. And they did not require an account with the men whom into their hands they delivered the silver to be paid to those doing the work, for in faithfulness they were acting. The silver from the guilt offerings and the silver from the sin offerings was not brought into the house of YHWH; to the priests it belonged. The Death of Joash (2 Chronicles 24:23–27) Then went up Hazael king of Aram and fought against Gath and captured it. And Hazael set his face to go up against Jerusalem. And Jehoash king of Judah took all the holy things that Jehoshaphat, and Joram, and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own sacred things, and all the gold found in the treasuries of the house of YHWH and in the house of the king. And he sent them to Hazael king of Aram. And he went up from Jerusalem. And the rest of the acts of Joash and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Words of the Days of the Kings of Judah? And his servants arose and formed a conspiracy, and they killed Joash at Beth-millo, which goes down to Silla. For Jozabad son of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer,12.21 Hebrew; LXX and Syriac Jozacar his servants, struck him down, and he died. And they buried him with his fathers in the City of David, and Amaziah his son reigned in his place. 12.21 Shomer is a variant of Shimrith; see 2 Chronicles 24:26. Jehoahaz Reigns in Israel In the twentieth year and third year of Joash son of Ahaziah king of Judah, Jehoahaz son of Jehu became king over Israel in Samaria seventeen years. And he did evil in the eyes of YHWH and went after the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had caused Israel to sin. He did not depart from them. And the anger of YHWH was kindled against Israel, and He delivered them into the hand of Hazael king of Aram and into the hand of Ben-hadad son of Hazael, all the days. And Jehoahaz pleaded before YHWH, and YHWH listened to him. For He saw the oppression of Israel, because the king of Aram oppressed them. And YHWH gave to Israel a deliverer, and they went out from under the hand of Aram. And the sons of Israel dwelt in their tents as yesterday and the day before yesterday. Nevertheless, they did not depart from the sins of the house of Jeroboam who had caused Israel to sin. They walked in them,13.6 LXX, Syriac, Targum Yonaton, and Vulgate; Hebrew He walked in them and also the wooden image remained in Samaria. For He left remaining none of the people of Jehoahaz, but only fifty horsemen, and ten chariots, and ten thousand foot soldiers; for the king of Aram had destroyed them and made them like the dust for threshing. And the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz, and all that he did, and his might, are they not written in the Book of the Words of the Days of the Kings of Israel? And Jehoahaz rested with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria. And Joash13.9 Joash is a variant of Jehoash; also in verses 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 25 his son reigned in his place. Jehoash Reigns in Israel In the thirtieth year and seventh year of Joash king of Judah, Jehoash son of Jehoahaz became king over Israel in Samaria sixteen years. And he did evil in the eyes of YHWH. He did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had caused Israel to sin. He walked in them. And the rest of the acts of Joash, and 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 Words of the Days of the Kings of Israel? And Joash rested with his fathers, and Jeroboam sat on his throne. And Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. Elisha’s Final Prophecy And 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, “My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen.” And Elisha said to him, “Take a bow and some arrows.” And he took to him a bow and arrows. And he said to the king of Israel, “Put your hand on the bow.” And he drove his hand, and Elisha put his hands on the hands of the king. And he said, “Open the window to the east.” And he opened it, and Elisha said, “Shoot.” And he shot. And he said, “The arrow of deliverance of YHWH, and the arrow of deliverance from Aram. For you must strike Aram at Aphek until you have consumed them.” And he said, “Take the arrows.” And he took them, and he said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground.” And he struck three times and he stood. And the man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck Aram up to completion. Now three times you will strike Aram.” And Elisha died, and they buried him. And the bands from Moab came into the land at the coming in of the year.13.20 That is, into the land in the spring of the year And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that suddenly they spied a band, and they cast the man in the tomb of Elisha, and the man was let down and touched the bones of Elisha, and he was revived and stood on his feet. And Hazael king of Aram oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz. And YHWH was gracious to them and had compassion on them, and he turned to them on account of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And He would not destroy them nor cast them from His presence, even to now. And Hazael king of Aram died, and Ben-hadad his son reigned in his place. And Jehoash son of Jehoahaz turned and took the cities from the hand of Ben-hadad son of Hazael that he had taken from the hand of Jehoahaz his father in the war. Three times Joash defeated him and returned the cities of Israel. Amaziah Reigns in Judah (2 Chronicles 25:1–4) In the second year of Joash14.1 Joash is a variant of Jehoash; also in verses 17, 23, and 27 son of Jehoahaz king of Israel, Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah became king. He was a son of twenty-five years in his reigning, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. And the name of His mother was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem. And he did right in the eyes of YHWH, yet not like David his father. According to all that Joash his father had done, he did. However the high places were not taken away; still the people sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. And it came to pass, as soon as the kingdom was established in his hand, that he killed his servants who had struck the king, his father. And the sons of those striking he did not kill, as it is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, in which YHWH commanded, saying, “Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, and children shall not be put to death for their fathers; for but a person for his own sin shall be put to death.” 14.6 Deuteronomy 24:16 He struck Edom in the Valley of Salt—ten thousand—and he seized Sela by war and called its name Joktheel to this day. Jehoash Defeats Amaziah (2 Chronicles 25:17–24) Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, son of Jehu king of Israel, saying, “Come, let us cause to be seen our faces.” 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 beast of the field that was in Lebanon passed by and trampled the thistle. You have surely struck Edom, and your heart has lifted you up. Be honored and stay at home. And why should you stir yourself up in evil so that you will fall—you and Judah with you?” And Amaziah would not listen, and Jehoash king of Israel went up. And they cause to be seen their faces—he and Amaziah king of Judah—at Beth-shemesh, which is unto Judah. And Judah was defeated by Israel, and they fled, each man to his tent. And Amaziah king of Judah, son of Jehoash son of Ahaziah, captured Jehoash king of Israel at Beth-shemesh. And he went in to Jerusalem, and he broke down the wall of Jerusalem, from the Gate of Ephraim to the Gate of the Corner—four hundred cubits.14.13 400 cubits is approximately 600 feet or 182.9 meters. And he took all the gold and the silver and all the articles that were found in the house of YHWH and in the treasuries of the house of the king, and the sons of the pledges; and he returned to Samaria. Jeroboam II Succeeds Jehoash in Israel And the rest of the acts of Jehoash that he did, and his might, and how he fought with Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Words of the Days of the Kings of Israel? And Jehoash rested with his fathers and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. And Jeroboam his son reigned in his place. The Death of Amaziah (2 Chronicles 25:25–28) And Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah lived fifteen years after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel. And the rest of the acts of Amaziah, are they not written in the Book of the Words of the Days of the Kings of Judah? And they formed a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish. And they sent after him to Lachish, and they killed him there. And they lifted him up on the horses, and he was buried in Jerusalem with his fathers in the City of David. Azariah Succeeds Amaziah in Judah (2 Chronicles 26:1–2) And all the people of Judah took Azariah—14.21 Azariah is also called Uzziah; see 2 Chronicles 26:1. and he was a son of sixteen years—and they made him king instead of his father Amaziah. He built Elath and brought it back to Judah after the king rested with his fathers. 14.22 Elath is a variant of Eloth; see 1 Kings 9:26. Jeroboam II Reigns in Israel In the fifth year and tenth year of Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah, Jeroboam son of Joash king of Israel became king in Samaria, forty-one years. And he did evil in the eyes of YHWH; he did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had caused Israel to sin. He restored the border of Israel from the entrance of Hamath to the Sea of the Arabah,14.25 That is, the Dead Sea according to the word of YHWH, God of Israel, which He had spoken through His servant Jonah son of Amittai, the prophet who was from Gath-hepher. For YHWH saw the affliction of Israel—very bitter—and there was none restrained and none set free, and no helper for Israel. And YHWH had not spoken to blot out the name of Israel from under the heavens, and He saved them by the hand of Jeroboam son of Joash. And the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, and all that he did, and his might with which he made war and with which he brought back Damascus and Hamath of Judah into Israel, are they not written in the Book of the Words of the Days of the Kings of Israel? And Jeroboam rested with his fathers,14.29 Hebrew; some LXX manuscripts include and he was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. And Zechariah his son reigned in his place. Azariah Reigns in Judah (2 Chronicles 26:3–23) In the twentieth year and seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Azariah15.1 Azariah is also called Uzziah; also in verses 6, 7, 8, 17, 23, and 27; see 2 Chronicles 26:1. son of Amaziah king of Judah became king. He was a son of sixteen years in his reigning, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years. And the name of his mother was Jecholiah from Jerusalem. And he did right in the eyes of YHWH, according to all that Amaziah his father had done. However the high places were not turned aside; the people continued sacrificing and burning incense on the high places. And YHWH struck the king, and he became a leper15.5 Leprosy was a term used for various skin diseases; see Leviticus 13. until the day of his death, and he dwelt in a separate house, and Jotham son of the king was over the house, judging the people of the land. And the rest of the acts of Azariah and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Words of the Days of the Kings of Judah? And Azariah rested with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the City of David.15.7 See 2 Chronicles 26:23. And Jotham his son reigned in his place. Zechariah Reigns in Israel In the thirtieth year and eighth year of Azariah king of Judah, Zechariah son of Jeroboam became king over Israel in Samaria six months. And he did evil in the eyes of YHWH, as his fathers had done. He did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had caused Israel to sin. And Shallum son of Jabesh conspired against him, and struck him down in front of the people,15.10 Hebrew; some LXX manuscripts struck him down in Ibleam and he killed him. And he reigned in his place. And the rest of the acts of Zechariah, behold, they are written in the Book of the Words of the Days of the Kings of Israel. It was the word of YHWH that He had spoken to Jehu, saying, “Sons unto you of the fourth shall sit on the throne of Israel.” And it was so. Shallum Reigns in Israel Shallum son of Jabesh became king in the thirtieth year and ninth year of Uzziah15.13 Uzziah is also called Azariah; also in verses 32 and 34; see verse 1. king of Judah, and he reigned a month of days in Samaria. And Menahem son of Gadi went up from Tirzah and came in to Samaria, and he struck Shallum son of Jabesh in Samaria and killed him, and he reigned in his place. And the rest of the acts of Shallum and the conspiracy that he led, behold, they are written in the Book of the Words of the Days of the Kings of Israel. Then Menahem struck Tiphsah and all who were in it and its borders from Tirzah, because it did not open to him. And he struck it—all its pregnant women he split open. Menahem Reigns in Israel In the thirtieth year and ninth year of Azariah king of Judah, Menahem son of Gadi became king over Israel ten years in Samaria. And he did evil in the eyes of YHWH; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had caused Israel to sin all his days. Pul15.19 Pul is another name for Tiglath-pileser; see verse 29. king of Assyria came against the land, and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver,15.19 1,000 talents is approximately 37.7 tons or 34.2 metric tons of silver. that his hand might be with him to strengthen the kingdom under his control. And Menahem brought out the silver from Israel, from all the mighty men of wealth, to give to the king of Assyria, fifty shekels of silver15.20 50 shekels is approximately 1.26 pounds or 569.8 grams of silver. for one man. And the king of Assyria turned back and did not stay there in the land. And the rest of the acts of Menahem and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Words of the Days of the Kings of Israel? And Menahem rested with his fathers, and Pekahiah his son reigned in his place. Pekahiah Reigns in Israel In the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekahiah son of Menahem became king over Israel in Samaria two years. And he did evil in the eyes of YHWH; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had caused Israel to sin. And Pekah son of Remaliah, his officer, conspired against him and killed him in Samaria, in the citadel of the house of the king, along with Argob and Arieh, and with him fifty men of the Gileadites. And He killed him and reigned in his place. And the rest of the acts of Pekahiah, and all that he did, behold, they are written in the Book of the Words of the Days of the Kings of Israel. Pekah Reigns in Israel In the fiftieth year and second year of Azariah king of Judah, became king Pekah son of Remaliah over Israel in Samaria twenty years. And he did evil in the eyes of YHWH; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had caused Israel to sin. In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came and seized Ijon, and Abel-beth-maacah, and Janoah, and Kedesh, and Hazor, and Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and he removed them to Assyria. And Hoshea son of Elah bound a conspiracy against Pekah son of Remaliah, and he struck him and killed him. And he reigned in his place in the twentieth year of Jotham son of Uzziah. And the rest of the acts of Pekah and all that he did, behold, they are written in the Book of the Words of the Days of the Kings of Israel. Jotham Reigns in Judah (2 Chronicles 27:1–9) In the second year of Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel, Jotham son of Uzziah king of Judah became king. He was a son of twenty-five years in his reigning, and sixteen years he reigned in Jerusalem. And the name of his mother was Jerusha daughter of Zadok. 15.33 Jerusha is a variant of Jerushah; see 2 Chronicles 27:1. And he did right in the eyes of YHWH. According to all that Uzziah his father had done, he did. However, the high places were not removed; still the people sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. He built the Upper Gate of the house of YHWH. And the rest of the acts of Jotham and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Words of the Days of the Kings of Judah? (In those days YHWH began to send against Judah Rezin king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah.) And 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. Ahaz Reigns in Judah (2 Chronicles 28:1–4) In the seventh year and tenth year of Pekah son of Remaliah, Ahaz son of Jotham king of Judah began to reign. Ahaz was a son of twenty years in his reigning, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And he did not do right in the eyes of YHWH his God like David his father. And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and he even made his son pass through the fire,16.3 That is, he even sacrificed his son in the fire according to the abominations of the nations whom YHWH had cast out from before the sons of Israel. And he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree. Then Rezin king of Aram came up—and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel—to Jerusalem to battle. And they lay siege upon Ahaz, and they could not fight him. At that time Rezin king of Aram captured Elath for Aram,16.6 Elath is a variant of Eloth; see 1 Kings 9:26. and he drove out the Jews from Elath. And the Edomites went in to Elath, and they dwell there to this day. 16.6 Or Syria And 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 Aram and from the hand of the king of Israel, who are rising up against me.” And Ahaz took the silver and the gold that was found in the house of YHWH and in the treasuries of the house of the king, and he sent it to the king of Assyria—a bribe. And the king of Assyria listened to him, and the king of Assyria went up against Damascus and took it, and he removed it to Kir. And Rezin he killed. The Idolatry of Ahaz (2 Chronicles 28:16–27) And King Ahaz went to meet Tiglath-pileser King of Assyria at Damascus. And he 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. And Urijah the priest built an altar according to all that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus; so did Urijah the priest until came back King Ahaz from Damascus. And the king came back from Damascus, and the king saw the altar, and the king drew near on the altar and made offerings on it. And he burned his burnt offering and his grain offering, and he poured out his drink offering and sprinkled the blood of the peace offerings that were of him on the altar. And the bronze altar that was before YHWH He also brought from the front of the temple (from between the altar and between the house of YHWH), and he put it on the side of the altar to the north. And King Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying, “On the great altar burn the burnt offering of the morning, and the grain offering of the evening, and the burnt offering of the king, and his grain offering, and the burnt offering of all the people of the land, and their grain offerings, and their drink offerings. And all the blood of the burnt offering and all the blood of the sacrifice sprinkle on it. And the bronze altar shall be for me to seek guidance.” And Urijah the priest did according to all that King Ahaz commanded. And King Ahaz cut off the borders of the bases, and he removed from them the basin. And he took down the Sea from the bronze oxen that were under it, and he put it on a pavement of stones. And the covered place for the Sabbath16.18 Or the base of his throne; see also LXX. that they had built in the temple, and the outer entrance of the king, he removed from the house of YHWH on account of the king of Assyria. And the rest of the acts of Ahaz that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Words of the Days of the Kings of Judah? And Ahaz rested with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the City of David. And Hezekiah reigned his son in his place. Hoshea the Last King of Israel In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea son of Elah became king in Samaria over Israel nine years. And he did evil in the eyes of YHWH, but not as the kings of Israel who were before his face. Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against him; and Hoshea became to him a vassal and returned to him tribute. And the king of Assyria uncovered in Hoshea a conspiracy, in that he had sent messengers to So17.4 So is likely an abbreviation for Osorkon. king of Egypt, and he did not bring up tribute to the king of Assyria as year by year. And the king of Assyria shut him up and bound him in the house of imprisonment. Israel Carried Captive to Assyria And the king of Assyria went throughout all the land, and he went up to Samaria and besieged it three years. In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria, and he carried away Israel to Assyria and settled them in Halah, and by the Habor River in Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes. And it came to pass that the sons of Israel had sinned against YHWH their God who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And they had feared other gods, and they had walked in the statutes of the nations whom YHWH had cast out from before the sons of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made. And the sons of Israel secretly did things that were not right against YHWH their God, and they built for themselves high places in all their cities, from a tower of the watchers to a fortified city. And they set up for themselves pillars and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree. And they burned incense there on all the high places, like the nations whom YHWH had carried away before them, and they did wicked things to provoke YHWH. For they served the idols of which YHWH had said to them, “You⁺ shall not do this thing.”17.12 Exodus 20:4–6; Deuteronomy 5:8–10 And YHWH testified against Israel and against Judah by all His prophets and every seer, saying, “Turn from your⁺ evil ways and keep My commandments and My statutes, according to all of the Law that I commanded your⁺ fathers, and that I sent to you⁺ by My servants the prophets.” And they would not listen, and they stiffened their necks like the necks of their fathers who did not remain steadfast in YHWH their God. And they rejected His statutes, and His covenant that He had made with their fathers, and His testimonies that He had testified against them. And they followed after the idols, and they became empty and went after the nations who were all around them, whom YHWH had commanded them that they should not do like them. And they left all the commandments of YHWH their God, and they made for themselves a molten image and two calves, and they made an Asherah pole and bowed low to all the host of the heavens, and they served the Baal. And their sons and daughters they caused to pass through the fire,17.17 That is, And they sacrificed their sons and their daughters in the fire and they practiced divination and soothsaying and sold themselves to do evil in the eyes of YHWH, to provoke Him. And YHWH was very angry with Israel, and He turned them aside from His presence. There was none left but the tribe of Judah by itself. Even Judah did not keep the commandments of YHWH their God, and they walked in the statutes of Israel that they made. And YHWH rejected all the seed of Israel, and He afflicted them and delivered them into the hand of plunderers, until that He had cast them away from his face. For He tore Israel from the house of David, and they made king Jeroboam son of Nebat. And Jeroboam drove away Israel from following YHWH, and he made them sin a great sin. For the sons of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam that he did. They did not depart from them until that YHWH turned aside Israel from His presence, as He had said by all His servants the prophets. And Israel was carried away from their own land to Assyria, to this day. Samaria Resettled And the king of Assyria brought in those from Babylon and Cuthah and Ava and Hamath and Sepharvaim, and he caused them to dwell in the cities of Samaria instead of the sons of Israel. And they took possession of Samaria and dwelt in its cities. And it was at the beginning of their dwelling there that they did not fear YHWH, and YHWH sent among them the lions, and they were killing among them. And they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, “The nations whom you have carried away and placed in the cities of Samaria do not know the custom of the God of the land, and he has sent among them the lions. And behold, they are killing them because they do not know the custom of the God of the land.” And the king of Assyria commanded, saying, “Send there one of the priests whom you⁺ carried away from there, and let him go and dwell there, and let him teach them the custom of the God of the land.” And one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came, and he dwelt in Bethel and taught them how they should fear YHWH. And they were making, each nation its gods, and they set them up in the shrines of the high places that the Samaritans had made—each nation in the cities where they dwelt there. And the men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima, and the Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim. And they feared YHWH, and they made for themselves from every class priests of the high places, and they were acting for them in the shrines of the high places. They were fearing YHWH, and they were serving their own gods according to the custom of the nations that they were carried away from there. To this day they continue practicing the former customs; they do not fear YHWH, and they do not follow according to their statutes, or according to their ordinances, or according to the law and the commandment that YHWH had commanded the sons of Jacob, whom He named Israel. And YHWH had cut a covenant with them and commanded them, saying, “You⁺ shall not fear other gods, and not bow low to them, and not serve them, and not sacrifice to them. For but YHWH, who brought you⁺ up from the land of Egypt with great power and an outstretched arm, Him you⁺ shall fear, and Him you⁺ shall worship, and to Him you⁺ shall offer sacrifices. And the statutes and the ordinances and the law and the commandment that He wrote for you⁺, you⁺ shall be careful to observe, all the days. And you⁺ shall not fear other gods. And the covenant that I have made with you⁺, you⁺ shall not forget. And you⁺ shall not fear other gods. For but YHWH your⁺ God you⁺ shall fear, and He will snatch you⁺ up from the hand of all your⁺ enemies.” But they did not obey, for they acted according to their former custom. And it came to pass that these nations feared YHWH, and their carved images they were serving—also their sons and the sons of their sons. As their fathers did, they are doing even to this day. Hezekiah Destroys Idolatry in Judah (2 Chronicles 29:1–2) And it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. He was a son of twenty-five years in his reigning, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. And the name of his mother was Abi daughter of Zechariah. 18.2 Abi is a variant of Abijah; see 2 Chronicles 29:1. And he did right in the eyes of YHWH, according to all that David his father had done. He turned aside the high places, and he shattered the pillars, and he cut down the Asherah pole, and he crushed the bronze serpent that Moses had made. For until those days the sons of Israel were burning incense to it and calling it Nehushtan.18.4 Nehushtan sounds like the Hebrew for bronze and also for snake. He trusted in YHWH, God of Israel, and after him none was like him among all the kings of Judah, nor those who were before him. And he clung to YHWH; he did not depart from after Him, and he kept His commandments that YHWH had commanded Moses. And YHWH was with him; in every place where he went, he prospered. And he rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him. He struck the Philistines as far as Gaza and its border, from a tower of watchers to a fortified city. And it came to pass in the fourth year of King Hezekiah—it was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel—that Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria and laid siege to it. And they took it at the end of three years. In the sixth year of Hezekiah (it was the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel), Samaria was captured. And the king of Assyria carried away Israel to Assyria, and he led them to Halah, and to Habor by the river of Gozan, and to the cities of the Medes, because that they did not obey the voice of YHWH their God, and they transgressed His covenant and all that Moses the servant of YHWH had commanded, and they would not hear nor do it. Sennacherib Invades Judah (2 Chronicles 32:1–8; Psalm 46:1–11) And in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah, and he seized them. And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, “I have done wrong; turn away from me; that which you impose on me I will bear.” And the king of Assyria laid upon Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver18.14 300 talents is approximately 11.3 tons or 10.3 metric tons of silver. and thirty talents of gold.18.14 30 talents is approximately 1.13 tons or 1.03 metric tons of gold. And Hezekiah gave him all the silver found in the house of YHWH and in the treasuries of the house of the king. At that time Hezekiah cut off the doors of the temple of YHWH and the pillars that Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and he gave them to the king of Assyria. Sennacherib Threatens Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 32:9–19; Isaiah 36:1–22) And the king of Assyria sent the Tartan18.17 Hebrew Tartan is the title of a field marshal, general, or commander in the Assyrian military. and the Rabsaris18.17 Hebrew Rab-saris is the title of the chief eunuch in the Assyrian military. and the Rabshakeh18.17 Hebrew Rab-shakeh is the title of a high-ranking Assyrian military officer; here and throughout chapters 18 and 19, as well as Isaiah 36 and 37. from Lachish to King Hezekiah with a great army against Jerusalem. And they went up and came to Jerusalem. And they went up and came in and stood by the conduit of the upper pool that was on the highway to the Field of the Fuller. And they called to the king, and there came out to them Eliakim son of Hilkiah who was over the house, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder. And the Rabshakeh said to them, “Say now to Hezekiah: Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: What is this confidence in which you trust? You say: But a word of the lips, counsel and strength for war. And on whom do you trust, that you rebel against me? Now behold, You are trusting for yourself on the staff of this broken reed—on Egypt, on which if a man leans, it will go into his hand and pierce it. Thus is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him. But if you⁺ say to me, ‘In YHWH our God we trust,’ is it not He for whom His high places and His altars Hezekiah has taken away, and he said to Judah and to Jerusalem, ‘You⁺ shall bow low before this altar in Jerusalem’? And now give a pledge, please, to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give to you two thousand horses, if you are able to put for yourself riders on them. And how will you turn back the face of a captain of one of the least of the servants of my master, and put your trust in Egypt for chariots and for horsemen? Now is it without YHWH that I have come up against this place to destroy it? YHWH said to me, ‘Go up against this land and destroy it.’” And Eliakim son of Hilkiah, and Shebna, and Joah, said to the Rabshakeh, “Speak, please, to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it, and do not speak with us in Judean in the ears of the people who are on the wall.” 18.26 Or in Hebrew; also in verse 28 And the Rabshakeh said to them, “And is it for your master, to you only, that my master has sent me to speak these words? Is it not for the men sitting on the wall, who are to eat their own dung and drink their own urine with you⁺?” And the Rabshakeh stood and called out in a loud voice in Judean, and spoke, saying, “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria. Thus says the king: Do not let Hezekiah deceive you⁺, for he shall not be able to deliver you⁺ from his hand. And do not let Hezekiah make you⁺ trust in YHWH, saying, ‘YHWH will surely deliver us, and this city shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’ Do not listen to Hezekiah, for thus says the king of Assyria: Make with me a blessing,18.31 Or Make peace with me and come out to me, and eat, each man from his own vine, and each man from his own fig tree, and drink each man the waters of his own cistern, 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 oil and honey—that you⁺ may live and not die. Do not listen to Hezekiah, lest he persuade you⁺, saying, ‘YHWH will deliver us.’ Have any gods of the nations ever delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria? Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim and Hena and Ivah? Indeed, have they delivered Samaria from my hand? Who among all the gods of the countries have delivered their lands from my hand, that YHWH should deliver Jerusalem from my hand?” And the people kept silent and did not answer him a word, for it was the command from the king, saying, “Do not answer him.” And Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who was over the house, came—and Shebna the scribe, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder—to Hezekiah with torn clothes, and they declared to him the words of the Rabshakeh. Isaiah’s Message of Deliverance (Isaiah 37:1–7) And it came to pass when King Hezekiah heard it that he tore his clothes and covered himself with sackcloth and went into the house of YHWH. And he sent Eliakim who was over the house, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covering themselves with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet son of Amoz. And they said to him, “Thus says Hezekiah: This day is a day of distress and rebuke and blasphemy, for the sons have come to birth, and there is no strength to bring forth. Perhaps YHWH your God will hear all the words of the Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master has sent to reproach the living God, and he will decide concerning the words that YHWH your God has heard. And you shall lift up a prayer for the remnant that is found.” And the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah. And Isaiah said to them, “Thus you⁺ shall say to your⁺ master, thus says YHWH: ‘Do not be afraid in the face of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me. Surely I will send upon him a spirit, and he will hear a report and return to his own land, and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.’” Sennacherib’s Blasphemous Letter (Isaiah 37:8–13) And the Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah, for he had heard that he had pulled out from Lachish. And he heard concerning Tirhakah king of Cush,19.9 That is, the upper Nile region saying, “Behold, he has come out to make war with you.” And he turned and sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, “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. Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the lands, devoting them to destruction.19.11 Forms of the Hebrew cherem refer to the giving over of things or persons to YHWH, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering. And shall you be delivered? Have the gods of the nations delivered those whom my fathers destroyed—Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and the sons of Eden who were in Telassar? Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah?’” Hezekiah’s Prayer (Isaiah 37:14–20) And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and he read it and went up to the house of YHWH. And Hezekiah spread it out before the face of YHWH. And Hezekiah prayed before the face of YHWH and said, “O YHWH, God of Israel, dwelling between the cherubim, You alone are God of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made the heavens and the earth. Incline, O YHWH, Your ear, and hear; open, O YHWH, Your eyes, and see; and listen to the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God. Truly, O YHWH, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands, and they have given their gods into the fire, for they were not gods, but rather the work of the hands of men—wood and stone. And they have destroyed them. And now, O YHWH our God, save us, please, from his hand, and all the kingdoms of the earth will know that You, O YHWH, are God—you alone.” Sennacherib’s Fall Prophesied (Isaiah 37:21–35) And Isaiah son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says YHWH, God of Israel: Because you have prayed to Me against Sennacherib king of Assyria, I have heard. This is the word that YHWH has spoken concerning him: ‘She despises you and mocks you, the virgin daughter of Zion. Behind you she has shaken her head, the daughter of Jerusalem. Whom have you reproached and blasphemed? And against whom have you raised your voice, and lifted up on high your eyes? Against the Holy One of Israel! By your messengers you have reproached the Lord, and you have said: “By the multitude of my chariots I have come up to the height of the mountains, to the limits of Lebanon. And I will cut down the height of its cedars, the choice of its cypresses,19.23 Or pines or junipers or firs and I will enter the ends of its borders, the forest of its orchard. I have dug and I have drunk strange waters, and I have dried up with the soles of my feet all the brooks of Egypt.” Did you not hear? Long ago I made it, and from ancient times I formed it. Now I have brought it to pass, that you should be for crushing into heaps of ruins fortified cities. Therefore their dwellers are feeble of hand; they are dismayed and ashamed. They were as the grass of the field, and the greenness of the tender grass, as the grass of the roofs, and blighted before the face of standing grain. And your dwelling place, and Your going out, and your coming in I know— and your raging against Me. Because your raging against me and your tumult have come up to My ears, I will put My hook in your nose and My bridle in your lips, and I will turn you back by the way in which you came.’ And this is a sign to you: You shall eat this year what grows on its own, and in the second year what springs from the same. And in the third year you will sow and reap; and you will plant vineyards and eat their fruits. And it will continue—the escaped of the house of Judah, the remnant, a root downward, and it will make fruit upward. For out of Jerusalem will go forth a remnant, and those who escape from Mount Zion. The zeal of YHWH of Hosts will do this. 19.31 LXX, many Hebrew manuscripts, and an alternate MT reading; the other alternate reads The zeal of YHWH. Therefore thus says YHWH concerning the king of Assyria: ‘He shall not come into this city, nor will he shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor build a mound against it. By the way that he came in he will return, and into this city he shall not come,’ a declaration of YHWH. ‘For I will cover over this city to save it for My own sake, and for the sake of David My servant.’” Jerusalem Delivered from the Assyrians (2 Chronicles 32:20–23; Isaiah 37:36–38) And it came to pass on that night that the angel of YHWH went out, and he struck in the camp of Assyria a hundred eighty-five thousand; and they rose early in the morning, and behold, all were dead corpses! And Sennacherib king of Assyria pulled out and went away, and he returned and dwelt in Nineveh. And it came to pass, as he was worshiping in the temple of Nisroch his god, that his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer19.37 LXX and an alternate MT reading (see also Isaiah 37:38); MT lacks his sons. struck him down with the sword, and they escaped into the land of Ararat. And Esar-haddon his son reigned in his place. Hezekiah’s Illness and Recovery (2 Chronicles 32:24–31; Isaiah 38:1–8) In those days Hezekiah was sick unto death, and Isaiah son of Amoz the prophet went to him and said to him, “Thus says YHWH: ‘Set in order your house, for you shall die and not live.’” And he turned his face toward the wall and prayed to YHWH, saying, “Please, O YHWH, remember now how I have walked before You in truth and with a loyal heart, and I have done good in your eyes.” And Hezekiah wept a great weeping. And it came to pass—Isaiah had not gone out to the middle courtyard—20.4 LXX and an alternate MT reading; the other alternate reads the middle of the city that the word of YHWH came to him, saying, “Return and say to Hezekiah the leader of My people, thus says YHWH, the God of David your father: ‘I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Surely I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of YHWH. And I will add to your days fifteen years, and from the hand of the king of Assyria I will deliver you and this city, and I will cover over this city for My own sake and for the sake of David My servant.’” And Isaiah said, “Take a cake of figs.” And they took it and laid it on the boil, and he recovered. And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “What is the sign that YHWH will heal me, that I shall go up the third day to the house of YHWH?” And Isaiah said, “This is to you the sign from YHWH, that YHWH will do the thing that He has spoken: Shall the shadow go forward ten degrees, or go backward ten degrees?” And Hezekiah answered, “It is light for the shadow to lengthen ten degrees. No, but let the shadow go backward ten degrees.” And Isaiah the prophet cried out to YHWH, and He brought back the shadow by the degrees that it had gone down on the steps of Ahaz—backward ten degrees. Hezekiah Shows His Treasures (Isaiah 39:1–8) At that time Merodach-baladan20.12 Some Hebrew manuscripts, LXX, and Syriac (see also Isaiah 39:1); MT Berodach-baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that Hezekiah had been sick. And Hezekiah listened to them and showed them all the house of his treasure—the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and the house of his armor, and all that was found among his treasures. There was not a thing that Hezekiah did not show them in his house and in all his dominion. And Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah and said to him, “What did these men say, and from where did they come to you?” And Hezekiah said, “They came from a distant land, from Babylon.” And he said, “What have they seen in your house?” And Hezekiah said, “All that is in my house, they have seen. There is not a thing that I have not shown them among my treasures.” And Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of YHWH: Behold, the days are coming, and will be lifted all that is in your house and that your fathers have accumulated until this day, to Babylon. Not a thing will be left, says YHWH. And some of your sons who will go forth from you, whom you will beget, they will be taken and they will be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.” And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of YHWH that you have spoken is good.” For he said, “Why not, if there will be peace and security in my days?” Manasseh Succeeds Hezekiah And the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and all his might, and how he made the pool and the tunnel20.20 Or watercourse or conduit and brought the water into the city, are they not written in the Book of the Words of the Days of the Kings of Judah? And Hezekiah rested with his fathers, and Manasseh his son reigned in his place. Manasseh Reigns in Judah (2 Chronicles 33:1–9) Manasseh was a son of twelve years in his reigning, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. And the name of his mother was Hephzi-bah. And he did evil in the eyes of YHWH, according to the abominations of the nations whom YHWH had cast out before the sons of Israel. And he turned and built the high places that Hezekiah his father had destroyed, and he raised up altars for Baal and made an Asherah pole, as had done Ahab king of Israel, and he worshiped all the host of the heavens and served them. And He built altars in the house of YHWH, of which YHWH had said, “In Jerusalem I will put My Name.” And he built altars for all the host of the heavens in the two courts of the house of YHWH. And he made his son pass through the fire,21.6 That is, he sacrificed his son in the fire and he practiced divination and used witchcraft and consulted a medium and spiritists. He multiplied to do evil in the eyes of YHWH, to provoke Him to anger. And he set a carved image of Asherah that He had made in the house of which YHWH 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. And I will not add to make wander the feet of Israel from the land that I gave to their fathers, only if they are careful to do according to all that I have commanded them and according to all the law that My servant Moses commanded them.” And they did not listen, and Manasseh led them astray to do more evil than the nations whom YHWH had destroyed before the sons of Israel. Manasseh’s Idolatries Rebuked (2 Chronicles 33:10–20) And YHWH spoke by His servants the prophets, saying, “Because that Manasseh king of Judah has done these abominations, he has acted more wickedly than all that the Amorite did who were before him, and also he has caused Judah to sin with his idols. Therefore thus says YHWH, God of Israel: ‘Behold, I am bringing in calamity upon Jerusalem and Judah, that everyone who hears it, the two of his ears will tingle. And I will stretch out over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samaria and the plumb line of the house of Ahab, and I will wipe out Jerusalem as one wipes the bowl, wiping it and turning it upon its face. And I will forsake the remnant of My inheritance, and I will give them into the hand of their enemies, and they shall become plunder and spoil to all their enemies, because that they have done evil in My eyes and have provoked Me to anger since the day that their fathers came out of Egypt and up to this day.’” And also Manasseh shed very much innocent blood, until that he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another, besides his sin by which he caused Judah to sin by doing evil in the eyes of YHWH. And the rest of the acts of Manasseh, and all that he did, and his sin that he committed, are they not written in the Book of the Words of the Days of the Kings of Judah? And Manasseh rested with his fathers and was buried in the garden of his own house, in the garden of Uzza. And Amon his son reigned in his place. Amon Reigns in Judah (2 Chronicles 33:21–25) Amon was a son of twenty-two years in his reigning, and two years he reigned in Jerusalem. And the name of his mother was Meshullemeth daughter of Haruz of Jotbah. And he did evil in the eyes of YHWH, as Manasseh his father had done. And he walked in all the ways that his father had walked, and he served the idols that his father had served, and he bowed low to them. And He forsook YHWH, God of his fathers, and he did not walk in the way of YHWH. And the servants of Amon conspired against him and killed the king in his own house. And the people of the land struck all those who had conspired against King Amon, and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his place. And the rest of the acts of Amon that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Words of the Days of the Kings of Judah? And he was buried in his tomb in the garden of Uzza. And Josiah his son reigned in his place. Josiah Reigns in Judah (2 Chronicles 34:1–2) Josiah was a son of eight years in his reigning, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. And the name of his mother was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath. And he did right in the eyes of YHWH and walked in all the ways of David his father, and he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. Funding the Temple Repairs (2 Chronicles 34:8–13) And it came to pass in the eighteenth year of king Josiah, that the King sent Shaphan son of Azaliah son of Meshullam, the scribe, to the house of YHWH, saying, “Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, and he will completely count the silver that was brought into the house of YHWH, which the keepers of the threshold have gathered from the people. And let them deliver it into the hand of those doing the work, who are the overseers in the house of YHWH, and let them give it to those doing the work that is in the house of YHWH, to repair the damage of the house, to the carpenters, and to the builders, and to the masons, and to buy timber and hewn stone to strengthen the house. However, of the silver delivered into their hands there need not be accounting made with them, because they work with faithfulness.” Hilkiah Finds the Book of the Law (2 Chronicles 34:14–21) And Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the book of the Law in the house of YHWH.” And Hilkiah gave the Book to Shaphan, and he read it. And Shaphan the scribe went to the king, and the king brought back word and said, “Your servants have gathered the silver found in the house, and they have delivered it into the hand of those who do the work, who oversee the house of YHWH.” And Shaphan the scribe declared to the king, saying, “Hilkiah the priest has given a book to me.” And Shaphan read it before the face of the king. And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, that he tore his garments. And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam son of Shaphan, and Achbor son of Micaiah,22.12 Achbor is another name for Abdon; see 2 Chronicles 34:20. and Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah servant of the king, saying: 22.12 Micaiah is a variant of Micah; see 2 Chronicles 34:20. “Go, inquire of YHWH for me and for the people and for all Judah concerning the words of this book that has been found, for great is the wrath of YHWH that is aroused against us, upon that our fathers have not listened to the words of this book, to do according to all that is written about us.” Huldah’s Prophecy (2 Chronicles 34:22–28) And Hilkiah the priest went, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asaiah, to Huldah the prophetess the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah,22.14 Tikvah is a variant of Tokhath; see 2 Chronicles 34:22. son of Harhas22.14 Harhas is a variant of Hasrah; see 2 Chronicles 34:22. keeper of the garments. And she dwelt in Jerusalem in the Mishneh,22.14 Or the Second Quarter or the Second District and they spoke with her. And she said to them, “Thus says YHWH, God of Israel, ‘Say to the man who sent you⁺ to Me, thus says YHWH: Behold, I will bring calamity on this place and on its dwellers—all the words of the book that the king of Judah has read, because that they have forsaken Me and burned incense to other gods, in order to provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands. And My wrath will be kindled against this place, and shall not be quenched.’ And as for the king of Judah who sent you⁺ to inquire of YHWH, in this manner you⁺ shall speak to him: Thus says YHWH, God of Israel: ‘The words that you have heard— because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before YHWH when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its dwellers, that they would become a desolation and a curse, and you tore your clothes and wept before Me, I also have heard’—the declaration of YHWH. ‘Therefore behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace. And your eyes shall not see all the calamity that I will bring on this place.’” And they brought back her word to the king. Josiah Renews the Covenant (2 Chronicles 34:29–33) And the king sent them, and they gathered to him all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. And the king went up to the house of YHWH, and all the men of Judah, and all those dwelling in Jerusalem with him, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the people from small and to great, and he read in their ears all the words of the Book of the Covenant found in the house of YHWH. And the king stood by the pillar, and he cut the covenant before the face of YHWH, to walk after YHWH and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes with all the heart and with all the soul, to establish the words of this covenant written in this book. And all the people stood in the covenant. Josiah Destroys Idolatry (1 Kings 13:1–10; 2 Chronicles 34:3–7) And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, and the priests of the second rank, and the keepers of the threshold, to bring out of the temple of YHWH all the articles made for the Baal, and for the Asherah, 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. And he removed the idolatrous priests whom the kings of Judah had ordained (and they burned incense on the high places in the cities of Judah and in the places all around Jerusalem) and those who burned incense to the Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to the constellations, and to all the host of the heavens. And he brought the Asherah pole from the house of YHWH outside Jerusalem to the Kidron Valley, and he burned it in the Kidron Valley, of and he crushed it to a dust, and threw its dust on the graves of the sons of the people. And he tore down the houses of the male shrine prostitutes that were in the house of YHWH, where the women had woven houses for the Asherah. And he brought all the priests from the cities of Judah, and he defiled the high places where the priests had burned incense there, from Geba to Beersheba, and he broke down the high places of the gates that were at the entrance of the gate of Joshua the governor of the city, that were on the left of a man at the gate of the city. Only the priests of the high places did not come up to the altar of YHWH in Jerusalem, but rather they ate unleavened things in the midst of their brothers. And he defiled Topheth, which is in the Valley of Ben-hinnom,23.10 Or the Valley of the Son of Hinnom so that no man could pass his son or his daughter through the fire23.10 That is, could sacrifice his son or daughter in the fire to Molech. And he removed the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun from the entrance to the house of YHWH, by the chamber of Nathan-melech the officer, who was in the parbarim.23.11 Hebrew parbarim were structures attached to the west side of Solomon’s temple. And the chariots of the sun he burned with the fire. And the altars that were on the roof of the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars that Manasseh had made in the two courts of the house of YHWH, the king broke down and pulverized them there,23.12 Or quickly removed them from there and he threw their dust into the Kidron Valley. And the high places that were on the face of Jerusalem, that were on the right of the Mount of Corruption, which Solomon the king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians, and for Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, and for Milcom23.13 Milcom is a variant of Molech; see Leviticus 18:21 and 1 Kings 11:7. the abomination of the sons of Ammon, the king defiled. And he broke in pieces the pillars, and he cut down the Asherah poles, and he filled their places with the bones of men. Moreover the altar that was at Bethel and the high place that Jeroboam son of Nebat had made, who had caused Israel to sin—both that altar and the high place—he broke down,23.15 Hebrew; LXX broke into pieces and he burned the high place and crushed it to powder, and he burned the Asherah pole. And Josiah turned, and he saw the tombs that were there on the mountain, and he sent and took the bones out of the tombs and he burned them on the altar and defiled it according to the word of YHWH that the man of God had proclaimed, who had proclaimed these words. 23.16 Hebrew; see 1 Kings 13:2; LXX includes when Jeroboam stood by the altar at the feast. And he turned and lifted his eyes to the tomb of the man of God. And he said, “What is this monument 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 that you have done against the altar of Bethel.” And he said, “Let him alone. Let no man move his bones.” And his bones they let alone with the bones of the prophet who came from Samaria. And also all the shrines of the high places that were in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made to provoke anger, Josiah took away. And he did to them according to all the deeds that he had done in Bethel. And he slaughtered all the priests of the high places who were there on the altars, and he burned the bones of man on them. And he returned to Jerusalem. Josiah Restores the Passover (2 Chronicles 35:1–19) And the king commanded all the people, saying, “Make a Passover to YHWH your⁺ God, as it is written in this Book of the Covenant.” For it had not been done like this Passover since the days of the judges who judged Israel, and all the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah. But rather in the eighteenth year of King Josiah this Passover was done to YHWH in Jerusalem. Moreover, the mediums, and the spiritists, and the teraphim, and the idols, and all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, Josiah put away, that he would cause to stand the words of the law written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of YHWH. And there was none like him before his face, a king who turned to YHWH with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses—and after him not one has arisen like him. Nevertheless, YHWH did not turn away from the burning of His great wrath, with which His anger was kindled against Judah because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked Him. And YHWH said, “Also Judah I will remove from My sight as I have removed Israel, and I will cast off this city that I have chosen, Jerusalem, and the house of which I said, ‘My Name shall be there.’” The Death of Josiah (2 Chronicles 35:20–24) And the rest of the acts of Josiah, and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Words of the Days of the Kings of Judah? In his days Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt went on account of the king of Assyria to the River Euphrates, and King Josiah went against him. And he killed him at Megiddo when he saw him. And his servants moved his body in a chariot from Megiddo, and they brought him to Jerusalem and buried him in his own tomb. And the people of the land took Jehoahaz son of Josiah and anointed him and made him king in place of his father. Jehoahaz Succeeds Josiah (2 Chronicles 36:1–4) Jehoahaz was a son of twenty-three years in his reigning, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. And the name of his mother was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah from Libnah. And he did evil in the eyes of YHWH according to all that his fathers had done. And Pharaoh Neco bound him at Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem. And he imposed a tribute on the land of a hundred talents of silver23.33 100 talents is approximately 3.77 tons or 3.42 metric tons of silver. and a talent of gold.23.33 A talent is approximately 75.4 pounds or 34.2 kilograms of gold. And Pharaoh Neco made Eliakim son of Josiah king in place of Josiah his father, and he turned his name to Jehoiakim. And he took Jehoahaz and carried him off to Egypt, and he died there. And the silver and the gold Jehoiakim gave to Pharaoh, but he taxed the land to give the silver according to the mouth of Pharaoh. From each man, according to his assessment, he exacted the silver and the gold from the people of the land to give it to Pharaoh Neco. Jehoiakim Reigns in Judah (2 Chronicles 36:5–8) Jehoiakim was a son of twenty-five years in his reigning, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And the name of his mother was Zebudah daughter of Pedaiah from Rumah. And he did evil in the eyes of YHWH, according to all that his fathers had done. Babylon Controls Jehoiakim In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became a vassal to him three years. And he turned and rebelled against him. And YHWH sent against him bands of Chaldeans,24.2 Or Babylonians and bands of Aram, and bands of Moabites, and bands of the sons of Ammon. And He sent them against Judah to destroy it according to the word of YHWH, which He had spoken by His servants the prophets. Surely at the commandment of YHWH this came upon Judah, to remove them from His sight for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done, and also of the innocent blood that he poured out. And he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and YHWH was not willing to forgive. And the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Words of the Days of the Kings of Judah? Jehoiachin Reigns in Judah (2 Chronicles 36:9–10) And Jehoiakim rested with his fathers, and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place. And the king of Egypt added not anymore to go out of his land. For the king of Babylon had taken from the Brook of Egypt to the River Euphrates all that belonged to the king of Egypt. Jehoiachin was a son of eighteen years in his reigning, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. And the name of his mother was Nehushta daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. And he did evil in the eyes of YHWH, according to all that his father had done. The Captivity of Jerusalem (Lamentations 1:1–22) At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jerusalem, and the city came under siege. And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came against the city, and his servants lay siege to it. And Jehoiachin king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon—he, and his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his officers. And the king of Babylon took him captive in the eighth year of his reign. And he carried out from there all the treasures of the house of YHWH and the treasures of the house of the king, and he cut in pieces all the articles of gold that Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of YHWH, as YHWH had declared. And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the captains, and all the mighty men of valor—ten thousand captives—and every craftsman and smith. None remained except the poor of the people of the land. And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon. And the mother of the king, and the wives of the king, and his eunuchs, and the leaders of the land, he carried into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon, and all the men of valor, seven thousand, and the craftsmen and the smiths, a thousand, all strong, fit for war. And the king of Babylon brought these captive to Babylon. And the king of Babylon made Mattaniah his uncle king in his place, and he turned his name to Zedekiah. Zedekiah Reigns in Judah (2 Chronicles 36:11–14; Jeremiah 52:1–3) Zedekiah was a son of twenty-one years in his reigning, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And the name of his mother was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. And He did evil in the eyes of YHWH, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. For on account of the nose of YHWH this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, that He finally cast them out from His presence. And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar Besieges Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 36:15–21; Jeremiah 39:1–10) And 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 came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem and encamped against it. And they built against it a siege wall all around. And the city came under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. And on the ninth day of the fourth month,25.3 Probable reading (see Jeremiah 52:6); MT does not include fourth. the famine had become so severe in the city that there was no bread for the people of the land. And the city was breached, and all the men of war fled by night by way of the gate between the two walls, which was by the garden of the king. And the Chaldeans25.4 That is, the Babylonians; also in verses 5, 6, 10, 13, 24, 25, and 26 were against the city all around. And he went by way of the Arabah.25.4 Or the Jordan Valley And the army of the Chaldeans pursued after the king, and they overtook him in the plains of Jericho, and all his army was scattered from him. And they took the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, and they pronounced judgment on him. And the sons of Zedekiah they killed before his eyes, and the eyes of Zedekiah he put out, and he bound him with bronze fetters and took him to Babylon. The Temple Destroyed (Jeremiah 52:12–23) And in the fifth month, on the seventh of the month (it was the ninth year and tenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), Nebuzaradan the captain of the guards, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. And he burned the house of YHWH, and the house of the king, and all the houses of Jerusalem—and every great house he burned with the fire. And all the army of the Chaldeans, who were with the captain of the guards, broke down the walls of Jerusalem all around. And the rest of the people remaining in the city, and the fallen ones who had fallen to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the multitude, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guards carry away. And the captain of the guards left behind some of the poor of the land to tend the vineyards and to be farmers. And the bronze pillars that were in the house of YHWH, and the carts and the bronze Sea that were in the house of YHWH, the Chaldeans broke in pieces and carried their bronze to Babylon. And also the pots, and the shovels, and the trimmers, and the dishes, and all the bronze vessels with which they ministered, took they away with them. And the firepans, and the sprinkling bowls, the things of pure gold and pure silver, the captain of the guards took away. The two pillars, the one Sea, and the carts that Solomon had made for the house of YHWH—there was no weighing of the brass of all these articles. Eighteen cubits25.17 18 cubits is approximately 27 feet or 8.2 meters. was the height of the one pillar. And the capital on it was of bronze, and the height of the capital was three cubits.25.17 3 cubits is approximately 4.5 feet or 1.4 meters. And the network and pomegranates on the capital all around—all were of bronze, and like these was the second pillar, with the network. Captives Carried to Babylon (Jeremiah 52:24–30) And the captain of the guards took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the threshold. And out of the city He took one eunuch because he was an inspector over the men of war, and five men seeing the face of the king who were found in the city, and the scribe of the captain of the army who mustered the people of the land, and sixty men of the people of the land found in the city. And Nebuzaradan captain of the guards took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. And the king of Babylon struck them and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. And he removed Judah from its own land. Gedaliah Governs in Judah (Jeremiah 40:1–16) And for the people who remained in the land of Judah whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left, he made governor over them Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan. And all the captains of the armies heard—they and the men—that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, and they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah—Ishmael son of Nethaniah, and Johanan son of Kareah, and Seraiah son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah son of the Maacathite—they and their men. 25.23 Jaazaniah is a variant of Jezaniah; see Jeremiah 40:8. And Gedaliah and their men took an oath before them, and he 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 will be well with you⁺.” The Murder of Gedaliah (Jeremiah 41:1–10) And it came to pass in the seventh month, that came Ishmael son of Nethaniah son of Elishama, of the seed of the kingdom, and ten men with him, and they struck Gedaliah and he died, along with the Jews and the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah. And all the people arose, from small even to great, and the captains of the armies, and they went to Egypt. For they were afraid of the Chaldeans. Jehoiachin Released from Prison (Jeremiah 52:31–34) And it came to pass in the thirty-seventh year of the removal 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 of his reigning lifted up the head of Jehoiachin25.27 That is released Jehoiachin king of Judah out of the house of restraint. And He spoke to him kindly and gave to him a seat above the throne of the kings who were with him in Babylon. And he changed the garments of his restraint, and he ate bread regularly before his face all the days of his life. And his allowance—there was a regular allowance given to him by the king, a portion day by day all the days of his life.