The Book of 2 Chronicles
Chapter 1
1 Solomon son of David showed himself steadfast over his kingdom, and Yahweh his Elohim was with him and magnified him surpassingly.
2 Solomon summoned all Israel, the chiefs of thousands and of hundreds, the judges and every prince of all Israel, the heads of the fathers’ houses.
3 Then Solomon and the entire assembly with him went to the high-place at Gibeon, for there was the tent of appointment of the One, Elohim, that Moses the servant of Yahweh had made in the wilderness.
4 However, the coffer of the One, Elohim, David had brought up from Kiriath-jearim to the place David had prepared for it, for he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem.
5 And the copper altar that Bezalel son of Uri son of Hur had made was there before the tabernacle of Yahweh; so Solomon and the assembly sought after it.
6 There Solomon ascended to the copper altar before Yahweh at the tent of appointment and offered up on it a thousand ascent offerings.
7 In that night Elohim appeared to Solomon and said to him, Ask what I shall give to you.
8 At that Solomon said to Elohim, You have shown great benignity to my father David, and You have made me king in place of him.
9 Now, O Yahweh Elohim, let Your promise to my father David prove faithful, for You have made me king over a people as numerous as the soil grains of the earth.
10 Now grant me wisdom and knowledge, and so I shall go forth and come in before this people; for who can judge this great people of Yours?
11 Then Elohim said to Solomon, Because this has been in your heart, and you have not asked for riches, substance and honor, or the soul of those hating you, and also you have not asked for many days, yet you are asking for wisdom and knowledge for yourself that you may judge My people over whom I have made you king,
12 the wisdom and knowledge are being granted to you, and also riches, substance and honor I shall give to you, such as none of the kings before you has come to have, nor shall there be any after you.
13 So from before the tent of appointment at the high-place at Gibeon, Solomon came to Jerusalem, and he reigned over Israel.
14 Solomon was gathering chariots and steeds; and he came to have 1,400 chariots and 12,000 steeds. He had them stabled in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.
15 The king made the silver and the gold in Jerusalem as common as stones, and he made the cedars as abundant as mulberry trees that are in the low foothills.
16 The horses that Solomon had were imports from Egypt and from Kue; and the royal merchants took them from Kue at a price.
17 A chariot coming up from Egypt was sold forth for 600 shekels of silver; a horse went for 150. So they brought them forth by their hand to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of Syria.
Chapter 2
1 Solomon resolved to build a house for the Name of Yahweh and a house for his royal position.
2 Solomon numbered 70,000 men as burden carriers, and 80,000 men as stone hewers in the hill-country, and 3,600 men as overseers over them.
3 Then Solomon sent to king Huram of Tyre, saying, Just as you dealt with my father David and sent him cedar to build himself a house to dwell in it
4 behold, I his son am building a house for the Name of Yahweh my Elohim to sanctify it to Him for fuming incense of spices before Him, for the continuous bread in array, and for the morning and the evening ascent offerings on sabbaths, on new moons and on appointed festivals of Yahweh our Elohim; for the eon this will be upon Israel.
5 The house that I am building shall be great, for our Elohim is greater than all the elohim.
6 Yet who could retain vigor to build Him a house, since the heavens and the heavens of the heavens cannot contain Him? And who am I that I should build Him a house save to fume incense before Him?
7 Now send me a wise man, skilled at working in gold, in silver, in bronze and in iron, also in purple, vermillion and blue wool, and knowing how to engrave engravings together with the wise men who are with me in Judah and in Jerusalem, whom my father David provided.
8 Send me cedar timbers, firs and algum wood from the Lebanon, for I know that your servants are skilled at cutting the timber of Lebanon. Now my servants will work with your servants
9 to provide me with abundant timber, for the house that I am building will be great and marvelous.
10 I will even provide 20,000 cors of wheat as food for your servants, the choppers who cut down the trees, also 20,000 cors of barley, 20,000 bath measures of wine, and 20,000 bath measures of oil.
11 King Huram of Tyre replied in writing and sent it to Solomon: In love for His people has Yahweh put you over them as king.
12 And Huram went on to say: Blessed be Yahweh Elohim of Israel, Who made the heavens and the earth, Who has given king David a wise son, endued with intelligence and understanding, who is about to build a house for Yahweh and a house for his royal position.
13 I now send you Huram-abi, a wise man endued with understanding,
14 the son of a woman from the daughters of Dan; his father was a Tyrian man. He is skilled at working in gold, in silver, in bronze, in iron, in precious stones and in wood, in purple, in blue wool, in fine linen and in vermillion; he knows how to engrave any engraving and to devise any design that may be given to him, together with your wise men and the wise men of my lord, your father David.
15 Now let my lord send his servants the wheat and the barley, the oil and the wine which my lord promised.
16 As for ourselves, we shall cut down trees from the Lebanon according to all your need and shall bring them to you as rafts by sea to Joppa; then you can take them up to Jerusalem.
17 Solomon numbered all the men who were sojourners in the land of Israel, after the numbering when his father David had enumerated them; and they were found to be 153,600.
18 He assigned 70,000 of them as burden carriers, and 80,000 as stone hewers in the hill-country, and 3,600 men as overseers to make the people serve.
Chapter 3
1 Then Solomon started to build the house of Yahweh in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah where He had appeared to his father David, at the place which David had prepared on the threshing site of Ornan the Jebusite.
2 He started to build on the second day of the second month in the fourth year of his reign.
3 Solomon laid these foundations for the building of the house of the One, Elohim: Its length in cubits by the former measure was sixty cubits, and its width twenty cubits.
4 And the portico on the facade of the house was twenty cubits in its length, on the facade of the width of the house; and its elevation was twenty. He overlaid it on the inside with pure gold.
5 The greater house he paneled with wood of fir and overspread it with good gold and set up on it palm trees and braids.
6 He overlaid the house with precious stone for beauty; the gold was gold from Parvaim.
7 He overspread the house with gold the rafters, the thresholds, its sidewalls and its doors; and he engraved cherubim on the sidewalls.
8 Inside he built the holy of holies; its length on the facade of the width of the house was twenty cubits, and its width was twenty cubits; he overspread it with 600 talents of good gold.
9 The weight of the gold for the nails was fifty shekels; only their upper parts he overspread with gold.
10 Then, inside the holy of holies, he made two cherubim in sculpted workmanship, and he overlaid them with gold.
11 As for the wings of the cherubim, their length was twenty cubits, the one wing of five cubits touching the sidewall of the house, and the other wing of five cubits touching the wing of the other cherub.
12 And the wing of the other cherub of five cubits was touching the sidewall of the house, while the other wing of five cubits was clinging to the wing of the other cherub.
13 The wings of these cherubim were spread out twenty cubits, and they were standing on their feet with their faces inward.
14 He also made the curtain of blue wool, purple and vermillion and fine linen, and he set up cherubim on it.
15 Then he made before the house two columns, thirty-five cubits in length, and the column cap that was on top of it was five cubits.
16 He made braids in the innermost sanctuary. He also put them on top of the columns. And he made a hundred pomegranates and put them in the braids.
17 He set up the columns on the facade of the temple, one to the right and one to the left; and he called the name of the right one Jachin and the name of the left one Boaz.
Chapter 4
1 Then he made the copper altar, its length twenty cubits, its width twenty cubits, and ten cubits its rise.
2 He made the sea of cast metal, ten cubits from its one lip to its other lip, circular round about; five cubits was its rise, and a measuring tape of thirty cubits would surround it round about.
3 Beneath it was the likeness of oxen, surrounding it all around, ten in a cubit, encompassing the sea round about; the oxen were in two rows, cast in one casting with it.
4 It was standing on twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south and three facing east. The sea was above upon them, and all their hinder parts were inward.
5 Its thickness was a handbreadth, and its lip was like the workmanship of the lip of a cup, like anemone petals. Filled to capacity it would contain 3,000 bath measures.
6 He also made ten lavers and put five to the right and five to the left, to wash in them; they rinsed out in them the implements for the ascent offering; but the sea was for the priests to wash in it.
7 He made the ten lampstands of gold according to their ordinance and put them in the nave, five at the right side and five at the left.
8 He also made ten tables and left them in the nave, five at the right side and five at the left, and he made a hundred sprinkling bowls of gold.
9 He made the court of the priests, the great outer court and the doors for the outer court; he overlaid their doors with bronze.
10 He put the sea on the right flank of the house, eastward, toward the south.
11 Finally Huram made the pots, the shovels and the sprinkling bowls. Thus Huram finished doing all the work that he had undertaken for king Solomon on the house of the One, Elohim:
12 The two columns, the globes and the capitals on top of the two columns; and the two meshings for covering the two globes of the capitals that were on top of the columns;
13 the 400 pomegranates for the two meshings, two rows of pomegranates for each meshing to cover the two globes of the capitals that were overlooking the columns;
14 the ten bases and the ten lavers on the bases;
15 the one sea and the twelve oxen beneath it;
16 the pots, the shovels, the forks and all these utensils that Huram-abi made of scoured bronze for king Solomon for the house of Yahweh.
17 In the basin of the Jordan the king had them cast in the thick mud of the ground between Succoth and Zarethan.
18 Solomon made all these utensils in very great quantity, so that the weight of the copper was not investigated.
19 Solomon had all the utensils made for the house of the One, Elohim: the altar of gold and the tables with the bread of the presence on them;
20 the lampstands and their lamps of plated gold, to blaze them up, according to the ordinance, before the innermost sanctuary;
21 and the petals and the lamps and the tongs of gold; this was solid gold;
22 the snippers, the sprinkling bowls, the spoons and the firepans of plated gold; the portal of the house, its inner doors to the holy of holies and the double doors of the nave of the house, all of gold.
Chapter 5
1 When all the work that Solomon had done for the house of Yahweh was accomplished, Solomon brought in the hallowed things of his father David; and the silver and the gold and all the utensils he put among the treasures of the house of the One, Elohim.
2 Then Solomon assembled all the elders of Israel and all the heads of the stocks, the patriarchal princes of the sons of Israel at Jerusalem to bring up the coffer of the covenant of Yahweh from the city of David, that is, Zion.
3 All the men of Israel were assembled to the king for the festival; it was in the seventh month.
4 When all the elders of Israel had come, the Levites carried the coffer,
5 and they brought up the coffer and the tent of appointment and all the hallowed utensils that were in the tent; the priests and the Levites brought them up,
6 while king Solomon and the whole congregation of Israel, all those congregated to him, were before the coffer, making sacrifices of the flock and of the herd that could not be numbered and not be counted for multitude.
7 Then the priests brought the coffer of the covenant of Yahweh to its place, to the innermost sanctuary of the house, the holy of holies, underneath the wings of the cherubim.
8 The cherubim were spreading out their wings over the place of the coffer, so that the cherubim kept the coffer and its poles covered from above.
9 Yet the poles stuck out, so that the ends of the poles could be seen from the holy place adjoining the innermost sanctuary, but they were not seen from the outside. There they are unto this day.
10 There was nothing in the coffer but the two tablets that Moses had placed there at Horeb when Yahweh had contracted with the sons of Israel at their coming forth from Egypt.
11 It came to be when the priests came forth from the holy place for all the priests who had converged here had sanctified themselves without keeping to the set apportionments
12 and the Levites who were singers belonging to all of them, to Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and to their sons and their brothers, clothed in fine linen, standing with cymbals and zithers and harps to the east of the altar, and with them were 120 priests blowing the bugles.
13 And buglers and singers were in unison to make one sound heard, to praise and acclaim Yahweh. And as they raised up their voice with the bugles and the cymbals and the instruments of song, and with praising Yahweh, saying: For He is good, For His benignity is for the eon, then the house was filled with a cloud, the glory of Yahweh.
14 The priests were unable to stay and minister because of the cloud; for the glory of Yahweh filled the house of the One, Elohim.
Chapter 6
1 Then Solomon stated: Yahweh Himself has said He was to tabernacle in murkiness.
2 And I, for my part, have built a house, a residence for You, a site for You to dwell in for the eons.
3 Now the king turned his face around and blessed the whole assembly of Israel while the whole assembly of Israel was standing.
4 He said, Blessed be Yahweh Elohim of Israel, Who spoke with His mouth to my father David and fulfilled it with His hands, saying,
5 From the day on which I brought forth My people Israel from the land of Egypt, I have not chosen a city from all the tribes of Israel to build a house that My Name be there; nor have I chosen anyone to become governor over My people Israel.
6 But I chose Jerusalem that My Name be there, and I chose David that he be over My people Israel.
7 It came to be on the heart of my father David to build a house for the Name of Yahweh Elohim of Israel.
8 Yet Yahweh said to my father David, Inasmuch as it was on your heart to build a house for My Name, you did well that it came to be on your heart.
9 But you shall not build the house, but rather your son who is coming forth from your loins, he shall build the house for My Name.
10 Now Yahweh has carried out His word that He had spoken; for I have risen in place of my father David, and I am sitting on the throne of Israel, just as Yahweh had spoken; and I have built the house for the Name of Yahweh Elohim of Israel;
11 and there I have set the coffer wherein the covenant of Yahweh is that He contracted with the sons of Israel.
12 Then he stood before the altar of Yahweh in front of the whole assembly of Israel, and he spread out his palms.
13 For Solomon had made a platform of bronze and had placed it in the midst of the outer court. Its length was five cubits, its width five cubits, and its rise three cubits. He stood on it and knelt on his knees in front of the whole assembly of Israel; he spread out his palms to the heavens
14 and said, O Yahweh Elohim of Israel, there is no elohim like You in the heavens and on the earth, keeping the covenant and the benignity toward Your servants who are walking before You with all their heart,
15 You Who have kept with Your servant David, my father, what You spoke to him. You spoke with Your mouth, and You fulfilled it with Your hand, as on this day.
16 And now, O Yahweh Elohim of Israel, keep with Your servant David, my father, what You spoke to him, saying: There shall not be cut off a man of yours from before Me to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your sons should keep their way to walk in My law just as you have walked before Me.
17 And now, O Yahweh Elohim of Israel, let Your word come true that You have spoken to Your servant, to David.
18 Will Elohim truly dwell with mankind on the earth? Behold, the heavens and the heavens of the heavens themselves cannot contain You; how much less, indeed, this house that I have built!
19 Yet You will turn toward the prayer of Your servant and to his supplication, O Yahweh my Elohim, to hearken to the appeal and to the prayer that Your servant is praying before You today.
20 O that Your eyes be open toward this house by day and by night, toward the place where You promised to place Your Name, to hearken to the prayer that Your servant is praying toward this place.
21 You will hearken to the supplications of Your servant and of Your people Israel, when they pray toward this place; and You Yourself shall hearken from Your dwelling place, from the heavens, and when You hearken, You will pardon.
22 If a man sins against his associate who loads on him an oath of imprecation to imprecate him, and he comes with his oath of imprecation before Your altar in this house,
23 then may You Yourself hearken from the heavens, and You will act and judge Your servants, so as to pay back to the wicked, to bring his way on his own head, and to justify the just, to give to him according to his righteousness.
24 When Your people Israel are struck before an enemy because they were sinning against You, and they return and acclaim Your Name and pray and supplicate before You in this house,
25 then may You Yourself hearken from the heavens, and You will pardon the sin of Your people Israel, and You will restore them to the ground that You gave to them and to their fathers.
26 When the heavens are restrained and there is no rain because they were sinning against You, and they pray toward this place and acclaim Your Name and turn back from their sin because You made them humble,
27 then may You Yourself hearken from the heavens, and You will pardon the sin of Your servants, Your people Israel; for You are directing them to the good way in which they should walk; and You will give rain on Your land that You have given as an allotment to Your people.
28 In case a famine comes on the land, or a plague comes, or a blast, or mildew, in case locusts and beetles come, in case his enemy is distressing him in the land of his gates any kind of contagion, any illness
29 in every prayer, every supplication that may occur by any human or by all of Your people Israel, for they know each one his contagion and his pain, when he spreads out his palms toward this house,
30 then may You Yourself hearken from the heavens, the site of Your dwelling, and You will pardon and give to each one according to all his ways since You know his heart for You Yourself, You alone, know the heart of the sons of humanity
31 so that they may fear You and walk in Your ways all the days that they are alive on the surface of the ground that You gave to our fathers.
32 And also to the foreigner who is not of Your people Israel, he who came from a far country on account of Your Name for they shall hear of Your great Name and Your steadfast hand and Your outstretched arm when they come and pray toward this house,
33 to them may You Yourself hearken from the heavens, from the site of Your dwelling, and You will act according to all for which the foreigner calls to You; in order that all the peoples of the earth may know Your Name so as to fear You as do Your own people Israel, and know that Your Name has been called over this house that I have built.
34 In case Your people go forth to a battle against their enemies, in the way that You send them, and they pray to You in the direction of this city that You have chosen and toward the house that I have built for Your Name,
35 then You will hearken from the heavens to their prayer and their supplication, and You will execute right judgment for them.
36 In case they are sinning against You for there is no human who does not sin and You are angry with them, and give them up before the enemy, so that their captors capture them and bring them to the land of the enemy, far or near,
37 yet they turn back their heart in the land where they are captives, so that they return to You and supplicate in the land of their captivity, saying, We have sinned, we are depraved, and we are wicked,
38 and they return to You with all their heart and with all their soul, in the land of their captors who had captured them, and they pray in the direction of their land that You gave to their fathers and toward the city that You have chosen and toward the house that I have built for Your Name,
39 then You will hearken from the heavens, from the site of Your dwelling, to their prayer and their supplications, and You will execute right judgment for them, and You will pardon Your people who have sinned against You.
40 Now, my Elohim, I pray, may Your eyes be open, and Your ears attentive to the prayer of this place.
41 And now, Do rise, O Yahweh Elohim, to Your resting place. You and the coffer of Your strength. Your priests, O Yahweh Elohim, may they be clothed with salvation, And Your benign ones, may they rejoice in Your goodness.
42 O Yahweh, Elohim, do not turn back from the face of Your anointed one; O do remember the benignities promised Your servant David.
Chapter 7
1 As Solomon finished praying, the fire itself descended from the heavens and devoured the ascent offering and the sacrifices; and Yahweh’s glory itself filled the house.
2 The priests were unable to enter the house of Yahweh on that occasion, for the glory of Yahweh filled the house of Yahweh.
3 And all the sons of Israel were watching when the fire descended and the glory of Yahweh was upon the house; and they bowed their brow to the earth, on the pavement, and worshipped and acclaimed Yahweh: For He is good, for His benignity is for the eon.
4 Then the king and all the people were offering sacrifices before Yahweh.
5 King Solomon offered the sacrifice of the oxen, 22,000, and 120,000 of the flock. Thus the king and all the people dedicated the house of the One, Elohim.
6 The priests were standing over their charges, and the Levites with the instruments of song to Yahweh that king David had made to acclaim Yahweh For His benignity is for the eon when David would praise by their hand; and the priests were blowing bugles in front of them, and all Israel were standing.
7 Solomon hallowed the middle part of the court before the house of Yahweh, for there he offered the ascent offerings and the fat pieces of the peace offerings, because the copper altar that Solomon had made could not contain the ascent offering and the approach present and the fat pieces.
8 Thus Solomon observed the festival at that time for seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great assembly, coming from Lebo-hamath unto the Wadi of Egypt.
9 On the eighth day they held a day of restraint, for they had observed the dedication of the altar for seven days and the festival for seven days;
10 so on the twenty-third day of the seventh month he dismissed the people to their tents, rejoicing and cheerful of heart over the goodness that Yahweh had shown to David, to Solomon and to His people Israel.
11 Thus Solomon finished the house of Yahweh and the house of the king, and he prospered in everything that had come into Solomon’s heart to accomplish in the house of Yahweh and in his own house.
12 Then Yahweh appeared to Solomon in the night and said to him: I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place as Mine as a house of sacrifice.
13 If I restrain the heavens and there is no rain, or if I instruct the grasshopper to devour the land, or if I send a plague among My people,
14 when My people upon whom My Name has been called, are submissive and pray and seek My face and turn back from their evil ways, then I shall hear from the heavens, I shall pardon their sin, and I shall heal their land.
15 Now My eyes shall be open and My ears attentive to the prayer of this place.
16 Now I have chosen and sanctified this house for My Name to be there unto the eon. My eyes and My heart will be there all the days.
17 As for you, if you should walk before Me, just as your father David walked, by doing according to all that I have instructed you, and if you should keep My statutes and My ordinances,
18 then I will confirm the throne of your kingship just as I contracted with your father David, saying, There shall not be cut off a man of yours from ruling over Israel.
19 But if you yourselves should turn away and forsake My statutes and My instructions that I have set before you, so that you go and serve other elohim and bow down to them,
20 then I will pluck them up off My ground that I have given to them, and I shall fling away from My face this house that I have sanctified for My Name, and I shall make it a proverb and a byword among all the peoples.
21 This house, it shall become rubbish heaps. Everyone passing by it shall be appalled. When he asks, On what grounds did Yahweh thus to this land and to this house?
22 people will answer, Because they forsook Yahweh the Elohim of their fathers Who brought them forth from the land of Egypt, and they held fast on other elohim and worshipped them and served them. Therefore He brought all this evil on them.
Chapter 8
1 It came to be at the end of twenty years when Solomon had built the house of Yahweh and his own house,
2 that, as for the cities which Huram returned to Solomon, Solomon rebuilt them and settled the sons of Israel there.
3 Furthermore Solomon went to Hamath-zobah and fastened a hold on it.
4 He rebuilt Tadmor in the wilderness and all the provision cities that he had built in Hamath.
5 He rebuilt Upper Beth-horon and Lower Beth-horon as fortified cities with walls, double doors and bars,
6 also Baalath and all the provision cities that had become Solomon’s, all the chariot cities and the cities for horsemen, and all his attachments which Solomon wished to build in Jerusalem, in the Lebanon and in all the land under his rule.
7 All the people left of the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite and the Jebusite, those who were not of Israel,
8 from their sons who had been left after them in the land, whom the sons of Israel had not destroyed Solomon brought them up for tributary service unto this day.
9 Yet there were none of the sons of Israel whom Solomon made conscript servants for his work force, for they were men of military age, his chiefs, his adjutants and the chiefs of his chariotry and his horsemen.
10 These were the chiefs of the deputies king Solomon had, 250, who were holding sway over the people.
11 Solomon led up Pharaoh’s daughter from the city of David to the house that he had built for her; for he said, Though a wife of mine, she should not dwell in the house of David king of Israel, since they are holy to which the coffer of Yahweh has come.
12 Then Solomon offered up ascent offerings to Yahweh on the altar of Yahweh that he had built before the portico,
13 as a day by day requirement to offer up according to the instruction of Moses for the sabbaths, for the new moons and for the appointed festivals three times in the year, at the festival of unleavened bread at the festival of weeks, and at the festival of booths.
14 According to the custom of his father David, he made stand the apportionments of the priests over their service, and the Levites over their charges, to praise and to minister in front of the priests, as required day in, day out, and the gatekeepers by their apportionments, gate by gate, for such was the instruction of David the man of Elohim.
15 They did not withdraw from the instruction of the king as to the priests and the Levites in regard to any matter, and to the treasuries.
16 And all of Solomon’s work was well prepared, at the day of the foundation of the house of Yahweh, until he finished it; thus was the finishing up of the house of Yahweh.
17 Then Solomon went to Ezion-geber and to Elath on the seashore in the land of Edom.
18 Huram sent to him ships, under the hand of his officials, along with crews who knew the sea; and they came with Solomon’s servants to Ophir and procured from there 450 talents of gold and brought it to king Solomon.
Chapter 9
1 When the queen of Sheba heard of Solomon’s fame, she came to probe Solomon with dark enigmas. She came to Jerusalem to Solomon with a very illustrious retinue, camels carrying aromatics, gold in abundance and precious stones, and she spoke with him all that was on her mind,
2 while Solomon told her all her matters. There was no matter too obscure for Solomon that he could not tell her.
3 When the queen of Sheba had discerned the wisdom of Solomon and had seen the house that he had built,
4 the food of his table, the seating of his officials, the standing of those ministering to him and their clothing, and his cupbearers and their clothing, as well as his ascent offering that he was offering up in the house of Yahweh, then there was no more spirit in her.
5 So she said to the king, True was the word that I heard in my land about your affairs and about your wisdom.
6 Yet I did not believe their words until I came and my eyes had seen it; and behold, not half of the magnitude of your wisdom was told to me. You have added beyond the report that I heard.
7 Happy are your men; happy are these officials of yours who are continually standing before you and hearkening to your wisdom.
8 May Yahweh your Elohim be blessed, Who delights in you so as to put you on His throne as king for Yahweh your Elohim. Because of your Elohim’s love for Israel to make it stand for the eon, He has constituted you as king over them to execute right judgment and justice.
9 Then she gave the king 120 talents of gold, a very great quantity of aromatics and precious stones. There has not been any such aromatic like this which the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon.
10 Besides, Huram’s officials and Solomon’s servants who brought gold from Ophir, also brought algum wood and precious stones.
11 The king used the algum wood for entranceways in the house of Yahweh and in the house of the king, also for harps and zithers for the singers; none like them had been seen before in the land of Judah.
12 King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire for which she asked, more than all she had brought to the king. Then she turned and went to her own land, she and her servants.
13 The weight of the gold that came to Solomon in each year was 666 talents of gold,
14 besides that from the exploring men and what the merchants were bringing. Also all the kings of Arabia and the viceroys of the land were bringing gold and silver to Solomon.
15 King Solomon made 200 large shields of ductile gold 600 shekels of ductile gold he brought up on each large shield
16 and 300 shields of ductile gold 300 shekels of gold he brought up on each shield and the king put them in the Lebanon wildwood house.
17 The king also made a great ivory throne and overlaid it with pure gold.
18 The throne had six steps and a footrest of gold, kept bolted to the throne, also armrests on this side and on that side of the place of the seat, and two lions standing beside the armrests.
19 Twelve lions were standing there on the six steps, on this side and on that side; such a thing had not been made for any other kingdom.
20 All king Solomon’s drinking vessels were gold, and all the vessels of the Lebanon wildwood house were plated gold. Silver was not reckoned as anything in Solomon’s days.
21 For the king had ships going to Tarshish with Huram’s officials. Once in three years the Tarshish ships would come carrying gold, silver, elephant tusks, also apes and peacocks.
22 Thus king Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth.
23 And all the kings of the earth were seeking the face of Solomon to hear his wisdom that the One, Elohim, had bestowed in his heart.
24 They were bringing each his approach present, articles of silver and articles of gold and raiments, stacte and aromatics, also horses and mules, a rate year by year.
25 Solomon came to have 4,000 stalls of horses and chariots, and 12,000 steeds. He had them stabled in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.
26 He came to be ruler over all the kings from the Stream unto the land of the Philistines and unto the boundary of Egypt.
27 The king made the silver in Jerusalem as common as stones, and he made the cedars as abundant as mulberry trees that are in the low foothills.
28 The horses that Solomon had were brought forth from Egypt and from all the lands.
29 As for the remaining affairs of Solomon, first and last, are they not written in the annals of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the vision seer concerning Jeroboam son of Nebat?
30 Solomon reigned forty years over all Israel in Jerusalem.
31 Then Solomon lay down with his fathers, and they entombed him in the city of David his father; his son Rehoboam reigned in his stead.
Chapter 10
1 Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king.
2 It came to be as Jeroboam son of Nebat heard it when he was in Egypt to which he had fled away from the face of king Solomon, that Jeroboam returned from Egypt.
3 So they sent and called him. Then Jeroboam and all Israel came, and they spoke to Rehoboam, saying,
4 Your father, he made our yoke harsh. As for you now, lighten the harsh service of your father, and his heavy yoke that he put on us, and we shall serve you.
5 He replied to them, Go away for three days and then return to me. So the people went away.
6 Then king Rehoboam consulted the elders who had been standing before his father Solomon while he was alive, saying, How are you counseling to render a reply to this people?
7 They spoke to him, saying, Should you become goodhearted to this people today so that you please them and speak good words to them, then they will become your servants all their days.
8 But he forsook the counsel of the elders with which they had counseled him and consulted the young men who had grown up with him, who were standing before him.
9 He asked them, What are you counseling we should render as a reply to this people who have spoken to me, saying, Lighten the yoke that your father put on us.
10 Then the young men who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, Thus you should answer the people who have spoken to you, saying, Your father, he made our yoke heavy. As for you, lighten it for us. Thus you should answer them, My small finger, it is thicker than my father’s waist.
11 And now my father, he laded a heavy yoke on you; yet I, I shall add to your yoke. My father, he flogged you with whips; yet I will do so with scorpions.
12 So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, just as the king had spoken, saying, Return to me on the third day.
13 Yet the king answered them obstinately; king Rehoboam forsook the counsel of the elders.
14 He spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying, My father, he made heavy your yoke; yet I, I shall add to it. My father, he flogged you with whips; yet I will do so with scorpions.
15 The king did not hearken to the people, for the circumstance had come from the One, Elohim, that Yahweh might carry out His word that He had spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat by means of Ahijah the Shilonite.
16 When all Israel saw that the king did not hearken to them, then the people replied to the king, saying, What portion do we have in David? We have no allotment in the son of Jesse! Each one to your tents, O Israel! Now see to your own house, O David! So all Israel went to their tents.
17 As for the sons of Israel who were dwelling in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam still reigned over them.
18 Then king Rehoboam sent out Hadoram, who was in charge of the tributary service; but the sons of Israel pelted him with stones so that he died. Yet king Rehoboam was resolute to get up on his chariot to flee to Jerusalem.
19 So Israel transgressed against the house of David until this day.
Chapter 11
1 When Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled the house of Judah and Benjamin, 180,000 choice men, practiced in battle, to fight against Israel, in order to restore the kingship to Rehoboam.
2 But the word of Yahweh came to Shemaiah the man of Elohim, saying,
3 Speak to Rehoboam son of Solomon king of Judah and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, saying,
4 Thus speaks Yahweh: You shall neither go up nor fight against your brothers. Return, each man to his house; for it was from Me that this thing has come about. So they hearkened to the words of Yahweh and turned back from going against Jeroboam.
5 Rehoboam dwelt in Jerusalem and built fortified cities in Judah.
6 Thus he rebuilt Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa,
7 Bethzur, Soco, Adullam,
8 Gath, Mareshah, Ziph,
9 Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah,
10 Zorah, Aijalon and Hebron as fortified cities in Judah and Benjamin.
11 He reinforced the fortifications and put governors in them, along with storehouses of food, oil and wine,
12 as well as large shields and lances in all of them, city by city. Thus he reinforced them very much; and so Judah and Benjamin were his.
13 The priests and the Levites from all their territories in all Israel stationed themselves with him;
14 for the Levites forsook their common pasture lands and their holdings and went to Judah and to Jerusalem, since Jeroboam with his sons had cast them off from serving as priests of Yahweh.
15 He had recruited for himself priests for the high-places, for hairy goat demons and the calf idols that he had made.
16 And following them from all the tribes of Israel those who gave their heart to seek Yahweh Elohim of Israel came to Jerusalem to sacrifice to Yahweh the Elohim of their fathers.
17 They made the kingdom of Judah steadfast and made Rehoboam son of Solomon resolute for three years, for they walked in the way of David and Solomon for three years.
18 Rehoboam took a wife for himself, Mahalath, daughter of David’s son Jerimoth and of Abihail, daughter of Jesse’s son Eliab.
19 The sons she bore him were Jeush, Shemariah and Zaham.
20 After her he took for himself Maacah daughter of Absalom, who bore him Abijah, Attai, Ziza and Shelomith.
21 Rehoboam loved Maacah daughter of Absalom more than all his wives and his concubines for he had taken up eighteen wives and sixty concubines; he begot twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.
22 Rehoboam assigned Abijah son of Maacah to officiate as the head, as governor among his brothers, so as to make him king.
23 He acted understandingly, and he detailed some of all his sons to all the lands of Judah and Benjamin and to all the fortified cities. He gave them sustenance in abundance, and he took up for them a throng of wives.
Chapter 12
1 It came to be that, as soon as Rehoboam’s kingship was established and as soon as he held fast to it, he forsook the law of Yahweh, and all Israel with him.
2 It occurred in the fifth year of king Rehoboam that Shishak king of Egypt marched up against Jerusalem because they had offended Yahweh
3 with 1,200 chariots and 60,000 horsemen. And there was no number to the people who came with him from Egypt: Libyans, Sukkites and Cushites.
4 He seized the fortified cities in Judah and came as far as Jerusalem.
5 Then Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and the chief officials of Judah who were gathered in Jerusalem because of Shishak, and he said to them, Thus says Yahweh: You have forsaken Me, and I also have forsaken you to the hand of Shishak.
6 Then Israel’s chief officials and the king submitted and said, Just is Yahweh.
7 When Yahweh saw that they had submitted, the word of Yahweh came to Shemaiah, saying, They have submitted, so I shall not bring them to ruin, and I will soon give them deliverance, and My fury shall not be poured forth on Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak.
8 But they shall become his servants, that they may know servitude to Me and servitude to the kingdoms of the other lands.
9 When Shishak king of Egypt marched up against Jerusalem, he took away the treasures of the house of Yahweh and the treasures of the house of the king; he took them all. He was also taking away the golden shields that Solomon had made.
10 In place of them, king Rehoboam made shields of bronze and gave the supervision over them into the hand of the chiefs of the runners who were guarding the portal of the king’s house.
11 It came to be that as often as the king came to the house of Yahweh, the runners came and carried them; and afterward they would bring them back to the anteroom of the runners.
12 Since he had submitted, the anger of Yahweh turned away from him and did not bring him to ruin entirely. And, moreover, in Judah matters came to be well.
13 King Rehoboam showed himself steadfast in Jerusalem and reigned; for Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city that Yahweh had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel to put His Name there. His mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonitess.
14 He did evil, for he had not set his heart on seeking after Yahweh.
15 The affairs of Rehoboam, first and last, are they not written in the annals of Shemaiah the prophet and Iddo the vision seer to be registered in his genealogy? There were wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their days.
16 Then Rehoboam lay down with his fathers and was entombed in the city of David. His son Abijah reigned in his stead.
Chapter 13
1 In the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam, Abijah became king over Judah.
2 Three years he reigned in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Maacah daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam;
3 so Abijah engaged in the battle with an army of masters of war, 400,000 chosen men. Jeroboam arrayed for battle against him 800,000 chosen men, a masterful army.
4 Abijah rose up on Mount Zemaraim in the hill country of Ephraim and said: Hear me, Jeroboam and all Israel.
5 Do you not know that Yahweh Elohim of Israel has given the kingship over Israel to David for the eon, to him and to his sons, a covenant of salt?
6 But Jeroboam son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon son of David arose and revolted against his lord.
7 Inane men gathered together around him, sons of worthlessness; they made themselves aggressive against Rehoboam son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was a lad and tender of heart and did not have courage before them.
8 And now you resolved to reinforce yourselves before the kingdom of Yahweh in the hand of David’s sons. You are a vast throng, and with you are the golden calves that Jeroboam made for you as elohim.
9 Did you not expel the priests of Yahweh, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and appoint for yourselves priests like the peoples of other lands? Now anyone who comes to consecrate himself with a bull calf of the herd, and seven rams, even he becomes a priest of no-elohim!
10 As for us, Yahweh is our Elohim, and we have not forsaken Him; and the priests ministering to Yahweh are sons of Aaron, and the Levites are at their work,
11 making ascent offerings fume to Yahweh, morning by morning and evening by evening, as well as incense of spices; they set the array of bread on the clean table; they blaze up the golden lampstand and its lamps evening by evening. Indeed we are keeping the charge of Yahweh Elohim of our fathers, but you have forsaken Him.
12 Behold, with us at the head is the One, Elohim, and His priests have bugles to blast the shout of alarm against you. Sons of Israel, do not fight against Yahweh Elohim of your fathers, for you shall not prosper.
13 Now Jeroboam, he had sent the ambush around to come from behind them, so that they were before Judah, and the ambush was behind them.
14 Then Judah turned around, and behold, the battle against them was both at their face and back. Then they cried to Yahweh, and the priests were blowing the bugles,
15 and the men of Judah raised a shout of alarm. And it came about when the men of Judah raised a shout, then the One, Elohim Himself, struck Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah;
16 and the sons of Israel fled from before Judah, and Elohim delivered them into their hand.
17 Abijah and his people smote them with a great smiting; 500,000 chosen men from Israel fell slain.
18 The sons of Israel submitted at that time, while the sons of Judah were resolute because they leaned on Yahweh Elohim of their fathers.
19 Abijah pursued Jeroboam and took away from him the cities of Bethel and its outskirts, Jeshanah and its outskirts, and Ephron and its outskirts.
20 Jeroboam retained no further vigor in the days of Abijah. Yahweh struck him down and he died.
21 Abijah showed himself steadfast. He took up for himself fourteen wives and begot twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.
22 The rest of the affairs of Abijah, his ways and his matters are written in the inquiry of Iddo the prophet.
Chapter 14
1 Then Abijah lay down with his fathers; they entombed him in the city of David, and his son Asa reigned in his stead. In his days the land was quiet for ten years.
2 Asa did what was good and upright in the eyes of Yahweh his Elohim.
3 He took away the foreign altars and the high-places. He broke down the monuments and hewed down the Asherah poles.
4 Further, he ordered Judah to seek after Yahweh Elohim of their fathers and to observe the law and the instruction;
5 from all the cities of Judah he took away the high-places and the incense stands, and the kingdom was quiet before him.
6 He built fortified cities in Judah, since the land was quiet and there was no war against him during those years, for Yahweh had given him rest.
7 So he said to Judah, Let us rebuild these cities and surround them with walls and towers, double doors and bars, while we have the land before us, because we have sought after Yahweh our Elohim; we sought after Him, and He has given us rest all around. And so they built and prospered.
8 Asa came to have an army of 300,000 from Judah carrying large shields and lances and 280,000 from Benjamin carrying shields and positioning the bow. All these were valorous masters.
9 Zerah the Cushite marched forth against them with an army of a thousand thousand and 300 chariots and came as far as Mareshah.
10 Asa marched forth before him, and they arrayed for battle in the ravine of Zephathah at Mareshah.
11 Then Asa called to Yahweh his Elohim and said, O Yahweh, there is no one beside You to help the one without vigor against the multitude. Help us, O Yahweh our Elohim, for we lean on You, and in Your Name we have come against this throng. O Yahweh, You are our Elohim; do not let mortals restrain You.
12 So Yahweh struck the Cushites before Asa and before Judah. The Cushites fled,
13 and Asa and the people with him pursued them as far as Gerar. For those of the Cushites who fell there was no preservation of life, for they were broken before Yahweh and before His camp, who carried away very much loot.
14 They also smote all the cities around Gerar, for the awe of Yahweh came on them. They plundered all those cities, for much plunder was in them.
15 Moreover, they smote the tents of the cattlemen and captured flocks in abundance and camels; then they returned to Jerusalem.
Chapter 15
1 As for Azariah son of Oded, the spirit of Elohim came upon him,
2 and he went forth before Asa and said to him, Hear me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin! Yahweh is with you when you are with Him. If you seek after Him, He shall be found by you. Yet if you forsake Him, He shall forsake you.
3 Now for many days Israel was without the Elohim of truth, without a priest to direct them, and without the law.
4 But in their distress they returned to Yahweh Elohim of Israel; they sought Him, and He was found by them.
5 In those eras it was not peaceful to fare forth or to come in, for great discomfitures were on all dwellers of the lands;
6 and they were pounded down, nation against nation, and city against city, for Elohim, He discomfitted them with every distress.
7 As for you, be steadfast and do not let your hands relax, for there is reward for your efforts.
8 As soon as Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Azariah son of Oded the prophet, he showed himself steadfast and removed the abominations from all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and from the cities that he had seized from the hill country of Ephraim. Further, he renewed the altar of Yahweh that was before the portico of Yahweh.
9 Then he convened all Judah and Benjamin, as well as the sojourners dwelling with them from Ephraim, Manasseh and Simeon; for they had fallen to him from Israel in abundance when they saw that Yahweh his Elohim was with him.
10 They came together in Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign.
11 They sacrificed to Yahweh on that day from the loot which they had brought back, of the herd, 700 cattle, and of the flock, 7,000 sheep.
12 Then they entered into a covenant to seek after Yahweh Elohim of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul,
13 and that anyone who would not seek after Yahweh Elohim of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.
14 So they swore to Yahweh with a loud voice and with shouting, with bugles and with trumpets.
15 All Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they swore with all their heart and sought after Him with all their eagerness, so that He was found by them; and Yahweh gave them rest all around.
16 As for his grandmother Maacah, king Asa himself even made her withdraw from her rank of queen mother, because she had made an obscene idol for Asherah. Asa cut down her obscene idol, pulverized and burned it in Wadi Kidron.
17 Yet the high-places were not taken away from Israel. However, Asa’s heart was at peace all his days.
18 And he brought to the house of the One, Elohim, the holy things of his father and his own holy things, silver and gold and vessels.
19 There was no war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign.
Chapter 16
1 In the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign, Baasha king of Israel marched up against Judah and rebuilt Ramah so as to allow no one to go forth or come in to Asa king of Judah.
2 Now Asa brought forth silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of Yahweh and the house of the king, and he sent them to Ben-hadad king of Syria who dwelt in Damascus, saying,
3 There is a covenant between me and you, between my father and your father. Behold, I send you silver and gold; come, annul your covenant with Baasha king of Israel, so that he may go up away from me.
4 Ben-hadad hearkened to king Asa and sent the chiefs of the armies that he had, against the cities of Israel. They smote Ijon, Dan, Abel-maim and all the provision cities of Naphtali.
5 Now it came to pass as Baasha heard of it, that he left off from rebuilding Ramah and ceased his work.
6 As for king Asa, he took all of Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and the timbers of it with which Baasha had rebuilt it. With them Asa built up Geba and Mizpah.
7 At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, Because you leaned on the king of Syria and did not lean on Yahweh your Elohim, therefore the army of the king of Israel escaped out of your hand.
8 As for the Cushites and the Libyans, were they not a vast army with chariots and horsemen in very great abundance? Yet because you leaned on Yahweh, He gave them into your hand.
9 For, as regards Yahweh, His eyes go to and fro through all the earth to reinforce the heart of those who are at peace with Him. You were exceedingly unwise in this matter; so henceforth there will be wars against you.
10 Asa was vexed by the seer, and he gave him over to the house of stocks because he was irate at him about this. Asa also maltreated some of the people at that time.
11 Now the affairs of Asa, first and last, behold, they are written on the scroll of the kings of Judah and Israel.
12 In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was affected with gangrene in his feet until his illness became very severe. Yet even in his illness he did not seek after Yahweh, but resorted to healers.
13 Then Asa lay down with his fathers; he died in the year fortyone of his reign,
14 and they entombed him in his grand tomb that he had dug out for himself in the city of David. They laid him in the bed that was filled with aromatics, all sorts of ointments elaborately compounded. And they burned for him an exceedingly great funeral-fire.
Chapter 17
1 His son Jehoshaphat reigned in his stead and showed himself steadfast against Israel.
2 He posted armed units in all fortressed cities of Judah and put garrisons in the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim that his father Asa had seized.
3 And Yahweh was with Jehoshaphat because he walked in the former ways of his father and did not inquire of the Baalim,
4 but sought after the Elohim of his father and walked in His instructions and not according to the practice of Israel.
5 So Yahweh established the kingdom under his hand, while all Judah gave presents to Jehoshaphat. He came to have riches and glory in abundance.
6 His heart was elevated in the ways of Yahweh; furthermore he took away the high-places and the Asherah poles from Judah.
7 In the third year of his reign he sent for his chief officials and sons of valor, namely Obadiah and Zechariah and Nethanel and Micaiah to teach in the cities of Judah.
8 With them were the Levites Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah and Tob-adonijah the Levites; and with them were Elishama and Jehoram the priests.
9 They taught in Judah, and they had the scroll of the law of Yahweh with them. They went around through all the cities of Judah and taught the people.
10 The awe of Yahweh came to be upon all the kingdoms of the lands surrounding Judah, and they did not make war with Jehoshaphat.
11 Some of the Philistines were bringing presents and a load of silver to Jehoshaphat; the Arabians also were bringing flocks to him, 7,700 rams and 7,700 buck goats.
12 Jehoshaphat continued advancing and growing surpassingly great; he built fortified-places and provision cities in Judah
13 and engaged himself in numerous works in the cities of Judah. He had men of war, valorous masters, in Jerusalem,
14 and these were their rosters according to their fathers’ houses: From Judah: chiefs of thousands, Adnah the chief, with him 300,000 valorous masters;
15 and alongside him Jehohanan the chief, with him 280,000;
16 and alongside him Amasiah son of Zichri who volunteered for Yahweh, with him 200,000 valorous masters.
17 From Benjamin: the valorous master Eliada, with him 200,000 weaponed with bow and shield;
18 and alongside him Jehozabad, with him 180,000 troops outfitted for war.
19 These were the ones ministering to the king besides those whom the king had posted in the fortress cities throughout all Judah.
Chapter 18
1 Jehoshaphat came to have riches and glory in abundance, and he intermarried with the house of Ahab.
2 So years later he went down to Ahab in Samaria. Ahab slaughtered sheep of the flock and cattle of the herd in abundance for him and for the people with him; and he allured him to march up with him against Ramoth-gilead.
3 Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, Are you going with me to Ramoth-gilead? And he replied to him, I likewise, such as you; my people likewise, such as your people, with you in the war.
4 Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, I pray, inquire today for the word of Yahweh.
5 So the king of Israel convened the prophets, 400 men, and he said to them, Shall we go to war against Ramoth-gilead, or should I forbear? They replied, Go up; the One, Elohim, shall give it into the king’s hand.
6 Yet Jehoshaphat said, Is there no other prophet of Yahweh here that we may inquire through him?
7 The king of Israel replied to Jehoshaphat, There is one more man through whom to inquire of Yahweh; yet I hate him, for he is not prophesying good for me, but evil, all his days; he is Micaiah son of Imlah. Jehoshaphat answered, The king must not speak thus.
8 Then the king of Israel called a certain court official and said, Bring Micaiah son of Imlah quickly.
9 The king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah, being clothed in their royal-robes, were sitting each one on his throne, sitting at the threshing site by the portal of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets before them feigned themselves prophets.
10 Zedekiah son of Chenaanah made for himself horns of iron and said, Thus speaks Yahweh: With these you shall gore Syria unto their finish.
11 All the prophets were prophesying so, saying, March up to Ramoth-gilead and prosper. Yahweh will give it into the king’s hand.
12 The messenger who had gone to call Micaiah spoke to him, saying, Behold, the words of the prophets, with one mouth, are well pleasing to the king. I pray, let your word become like one word with them, and you will speak good things.
13 Yet Micaiah replied, As Yahweh lives, what my Elohim should say to me, this is it, that I shall speak.
14 When he came to the king then the king said to him, Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth-gilead, or should I forbear? He replied, March up and prosper. They shall be given into your hand.
15 Now the king said to him, How many times have I been adjuring you, that you should speak to me nothing but the truth in the Name of Yahweh?
16 Then he replied, I saw all Israel scattered over the mountains, like a flock of sheep that have no shepherd; and Yahweh said: These have no lord. Let each man return to his home in peace.
17 At this the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell you that at no time he prophesied good for me, but rather evil?
18 Micaiah replied, Not so! Hear the word of Yahweh: I saw Yahweh sitting on His throne and all the host of the heavens standing to His right and His left.
19 Yahweh said, Who shall entice Ahab king of Israel, so that he may march up and fall at Ramoth-gilead? Now this speaker said thus, and another was saying thus.
20 Then a spirit came forth, stood before Yahweh and said, I Myself shall entice him. Yahweh asked him, By what means?
21 He replied, I shall go forth, and I will become a false spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. Then He said, You shall entice, and, moreover, you shall prevail. Go forth and do so.
22 And now behold, Yahweh has bestowed a false spirit into the mouth of these prophets of yours, for Yahweh Himself has decreed evil concerning you.
23 Now Zedekiah son of Chenaanah came close, smote Micaiah on the cheek and said, Just where is the way that the spirit of Yahweh passed from me to speak with you?
24 Micaiah replied, Behold, you shall be seeing it on that day when you come to hide in the chamber inside a chamber.
25 Then the king of Israel said, Take Micaiah and turn him back to Amon chief of the city and to Joash son of the king.
26 And you will say, Thus said the king, Put this one in the house of detention, and feed him with bread of oppression and water of oppression until I get back in peace.
27 Micaiah replied, Should you return, yea return in peace, then Yahweh has not spoken through me. And he added, Hear, ye peoples, all of them!
28 The king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah marched up to Ramoth-gilead.
29 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, I will disguise myself and enter into the battle; yet you, put on my garments. So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they entered into the battle.
30 As for the king of Syria, he instructed the chief chariot officers that he had, saying, You shall not fight with the small or the great, but rather with the king of Israel, with him alone.
31 Then it came to be, as the chief chariot officers saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, He is the king of Israel. When they turned around to fight against him, Jehoshaphat cried out, and Yahweh, He helped him. Elohim allured them away from him;
32 so it came to be as the chief chariot officers saw he was not the king of Israel, that they turned back from following him.
33 Someone drew his bow at random and smote the king of Israel between the scale-armor and the body-armor, so that he said to his charioteer, Turn your hands around and bring me forth from the fighting force, for I have been wounded.
34 While the battle ascended in violence on that day, the king of Israel himself remained standing in the chariot over against the Syrians until the evening; then he died at sunset time.
Chapter 19
1 Jehoshaphat king of Judah returned in peace to his house in Jerusalem.
2 Jehu son of Hanani the vision seer now went out to face him and said to king Jehoshaphat, Do you love to help the wicked and those who are hating Yahweh, and by this bring wrath on you from the face of Yahweh?
3 However, there are good things that have been found with you, for you have taken out the Asherah poles from the land of Judah and have set your heart to seek after the One, Elohim.
4 Jehoshaphat had his residence in Jerusalem; but he went out again among the people from Beer-sheba to the hill country of Ephraim, and he brought them back to Yahweh, the Elohim of their fathers.
5 He also installed judges in the land in all the fortressed cities of Judah, city by city,
6 and he said to the judges, Consider what you are doing, for you are not judging for man but for Yahweh, and He shall be with you in matters of judgment.
7 And now let the awe of Yahweh be upon you. Be on guard and act with care, for with Yahweh our Elohim there is no iniquity or partiality or bribe taking.
8 In Jerusalem also, Jehoshaphat installed some of the Levites and priests and of the heads of the fathers’ houses of Israel for judgment in matters of Yahweh and for contested matters they dwelled in Jerusalem;
9 and he instructed them, saying: Thus should you act in the fear of Yahweh, with faithfulness and wholeheartedly.
10 In any contested matter which comes before you from your kinsmen dwelling in their cities, whether cases of blood against blood, or offenses against the law, the instructions, statutes or ordinances, you must warn them so that they do not incur guilt before Yahweh, and wrath come upon you and your brothers. Thus you must do; then you shall not incur guilt.
11 Behold, Amariah the head priest is over you in all matters of Yahweh, and Zebadiah son of Ishmael, the governor of the house of Judah, in all matters of the king. And the Levites will serve as clerks before you. Be steadfast and act, and Yahweh shall be with the good.
Chapter 20
1 It came about afterward when the sons of Moab and the sons of Ammon and with them some of the Meunim had set out against Jehoshaphat in war,
2 that people came and told Jehoshaphat, saying, A vast throng is setting out against you from across the Sea, from Syria. And behold, they are in Hazazon-tamar, that is, En-gedi.
3 Jehoshaphat became fearful and set his face to inquire of Yahweh, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah.
4 So those of Judah were brought together to appeal earnestly to Yahweh. Also they came in from all cities of Judah to seek after Yahweh.
5 Then Jehoshaphat stood up in the assembly of Judah in Jerusalem at the house of Yahweh before the new court.
6 He said: O Yahweh Elohim of our fathers, are You not the Elohim of the heavens? You are ruling over all the kingdoms of the nations; vigor and mastery are in Your hand, and no one is able to stand up against You.
7 Are not You our Elohim Who evicted the dwellers of this land from before Your people Israel? And You gave it for the eon to the seed of Abraham who loved You.
8 They settled in it, and in it they built for You a sanctuary for Your Name, saying,
9 If evil comes upon us, whether sword, judgment, plague or famine, let us stand before this house and before You, for Your Name is called in this house; and we shall cry out to You in our distress, and You shall hear and save us.
10 Now, behold the sons of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, into whose area You did not let Israel enter when they came from the land of Egypt, but they withdrew from them and did not exterminate them.
11 And now, behold, they are requiting us by coming in to drive us out from Your tenancy that You let us take over.
12 O Yahweh our Elohim, will You not judge them? For no vigor is there in us facing this vast throng that has set out against us, and we ourselves do not know what we should do; but our eyes are toward You.
13 All Judah were standing before Yahweh, as well as their little ones, their wives and their sons.
14 Then in the midst of the assembly the spirit of Yahweh came upon Jahaziel son of Zechariah son of Benaiah son of Jeiel son of Mattaniah the Levite, of the sons of Asaph.
15 He said, Pay attention, all Judah, dwellers of Jerusalem, and king Jehoshaphat, thus says Yahweh to you: Do not you fear, and do not you be dismayed because of this vast throng, for the battle is not yours, but Elohim’s.
16 Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they are ascending by the ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the rear of the wadi facing the wilderness of Jeruel.
17 You will not have to fight in this battle. Stand by; stand and see the salvation by Yahweh Who is with you. Judah and Jerusalem, do not fear, and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow march forth facing them, and Yahweh will be with you.
18 Jehoshaphat bowed his head low with his brow toward the earth, and all Judah and the dwellers of Jerusalem fell down before Yahweh, worshiping Yahweh.
19 Then the Levites of the sons of the Kohathites and of the sons of the Korahites rose up to praise Yahweh Elohim of Israel with a surpassingly loud voice.
20 They rose early in the morning and marched forth to the wilderness of Tekoa. As they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, Judah and dwellers of Jerusalem! Put faith in Yahweh your Elohim, and you shall be found faithful. Believe in His prophets, and prosper.
21 After consulting with the people, he recruited singers for Yahweh praising His holy effulgence, as they went forth before the vanguard, saying, Acclaim Yahweh, for His benignity is for the eon.
22 Now as they started off with jubilant song and praise, Yahweh set ambushers against the sons of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir who had set out against Judah, and they were struck down.
23 The sons of Ammon and Moab stood up against the dwellers from Mount Seir to doom and exterminate them. And as soon as they finished with the dwellers from Seir, they backed up their own massacre, each man against his associate.
24 When Judah came to the overlook in the wilderness, they viewed the throng, and behold, there they were, corpses fallen to the earth; there had been no deliverance.
25 So Jehoshaphat and his people came to plunder the loot on them. They found domestic beasts in abundance, as well as materiel and clothes and coveted articles. So they despoiled for themselves until they were no longer able to carry it away. For three days they were plundering the loot, for it was abundant.
26 And on the fourth day they assembled in the Vale of Beracah, for there they blessed Yahweh. Therefore they call the name of that place Vale of Beracah until today.
27 All the men of Judah and Jerusalem turned about with Jehoshaphat at their head, to return to Jerusalem with rejoicing, for Yahweh had made them rejoice over their enemies.
28 They entered Jerusalem with zithers and harps and bugles playing and went to the house of Yahweh.
29 Now the awe of Elohim came upon all the kingdoms of the lands when they heard that Yahweh had fought against the enemies of Israel.
30 So Jehoshaphat’s kingdom had quietness, for his Elohim had granted him rest round about.
31 Thus Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem; his mother’s name was Azubah daughter of Shilhi.
32 He walked in the way of his father Asa and did not withdraw from it, doing what was upright in the eyes of Yahweh.
33 However, they did not take away the high-places, and the people themselves had not yet prepared their heart for the Elohim of their fathers.
34 As for the rest of the affairs of Jehoshaphat, first and last, behold, they are written in the annals of Jehu son of Hanani that were entered in the scroll of the kings of Israel.
35 Afterward, king Jehoshaphat of Judah joined himself with Ahaziah king of Israel, who acted wickedly in what he did.
36 With him he made a partnership to build with him ships that could go to Tarshish. They built the ships at Ezion-geber.
37 Then Eliezer son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because you joined yourself with Ahaziah, Yahweh will breach your work. And so the ships were broken and did not steer to go to Tarshish.
Chapter 21
1 Jehoshaphat lay down with his fathers; he was entombed with his fathers in the city of David, and his son Jehoram reigned in his stead.
2 He had six brothers, sons of Jehoshaphat: Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariahu, Michael and Shephatiah. All of these were sons of Jehoshaphat king of Judah.
3 Their father gave them many gifts of silver and of gold and other costly gifts, as well as fortified cities in Judah. Yet he gave the kingdom to Jehoram since he was the firstborn.
4 When Jehoram rose up over the kingdom of his father, he reinforced his position and killed all his brothers with the sword, as well as some of the chief officials of Israel.
5 Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.
6 He walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done, for Ahab’s daughter had become his wife; so he did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh.
7 Yet Yahweh would not cause ruin to the house of David on account of the covenant that He contracted with David, just as He had promised him to give a lamp to him and his sons all the days.
8 In his days Edom transgressed from under the hand of Judah and raised a king to reign over them.
9 So Jehoram advanced into Edom with his chief officers and all the chariots with him. Now it came to pass that he arose by night and smote the Edomites who were surrounding him and the chariot chiefs.
10 Edom has been transgressing from under the hand of Judah until this day. Then Libnah transgressed at the same time from under his hand, for he had forsaken Yahweh Elohim of his fathers.
11 Moreover, he himself built high-places in the mountains of Judah, and he caused the dwellers of Jerusalem to commit prostitution and was driving Judah astray.
12 Then a document came to him from Elijah the prophet, saying: Thus says Yahweh Elohim of your father David: Whereas you do not walk in the ways of your father Jehoshaphat or in the ways of Asa king of Judah,
13 and whereas you have been walking in the way of the kings of Israel and have caused Judah and the dwellers of Jerusalem to commit prostitution, as the house of Ahab had caused the commission of prostitution, and you also killed your brothers of your father’s house, who were better than you,
14 behold, Yahweh will strike a great stroke against your people, against your sons, against your wives, against all your goods,
15 and against you with an evil illness, with an illness of your bowels, until, because of the illness, your bowels shall come forth, day by day.
16 Yahweh roused against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines and the Arabians who were by the side of the Cushites.
17 They marched up against Judah, broke through its defenses and captured all the goods that were found in the king’s house, as well as his sons and his wives; no son remained to him, only Jehoahaz, the youngest of his sons.
18 After all this, Yahweh struck him in his bowels with an illness for which there was no healing.
19 It continued for day after day, and as the time went forth, after the end of two years of days, his bowels came forth because of his illness; and he died in evil travail. But his people made no funeral-fire for him like the funeral-fires of his fathers.
20 He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. He departed as not desirable, and they entombed him in the city of David, though not in the tombs of the kings.
Chapter 22
1 The dwellers of Jerusalem made Ahaziah, his youngest son, king in his stead, for the raiding party that came with the Arabians to the camp had killed all the first ones; so Ahaziah son of Jehoram reigned as king of Judah.
2 Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem; his mother’s name was Athaliah granddaughter of Omri.
3 He too walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother became his counselor to act wickedly.
4 He did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh, like the house of Ahab, for after his father’s death they became his counselors, to his ruin.
5 Moreover, he followed their counsel and went with Joram son of king Ahab of Israel to the battle against Hazael king of Syria at Ramoth-gilead; yet the Syrians smote Joram.
6 So he returned to get healed at Jezreel from the smiting with which they smote him at Ramah when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. As for Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah, he went down to see Joram son of Ahab in Jezreel, for he was wounded.
7 It was from Elohim that the complete-ruin of Ahaziah came to pass by his coming to Joram. When he had come, he went forth with Joram to Jehu grandson of Nimshi whom Yahweh had anointed to cut off the house of Ahab.
8 So it came about while Jehu was bringing the house of Ahab to judgment, he found the chief officials of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah’s brothers ministering to Ahaziah, and he killed them.
9 He then sought out Ahaziah; they seized him while he was hiding in Samaria and brought him to Jehu, and he put him to death. They entombed him, for they said, He was the grandson of Jehoshaphat who sought after Yahweh with all his heart. So there was no one of the house of Ahaziah to retain vigor for the kingship.
10 As for Ahaziah’s mother Athaliah, when she saw that her son was dead, she set out and destroyed all the royal seed of the house of Judah.
11 Yet the king’s daughter Jehosheba took Joash son of Ahaziah and stole him away from the midst of the king’s sons who were to be put to death; and she put him and his wetnurse into the chamber of couches. Thus Jehosheba daughter of king Jehoram and wife of Jehoiada the priest, since she was Ahaziah’s sister, concealed him from the face of Athaliah so that she did not put him to death.
12 He stayed with them at the house of Elohim in hiding for six years, while Athaliah was reigning over the land.
Chapter 23
1 In the seventh year Jehoiada showed himself steadfast and took the chief officers of hundreds into a covenant with him, namely Azariah son of Jeroham, Ishmael son of Jehohanan, Azariah son of Obed, Maaseiah son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat son of Zichri.
2 They went around throughout Judah and gathered together the Levites from all the cities of Judah and the heads of the fathers’ houses of Israel who then came to Jerusalem.
3 The entire assembly contracted a covenant with the king at the house of Elohim. Then he said to them: Here is the king’s son! He shall reign just as Yahweh has promised concerning the sons of David.
4 This is the instruction of what you are to do: One third of you, priests and Levites, as you come on duty on this sabbath, shall be gatekeepers at the thresholds,
5 another third at the king’s house, and the other third at the Foundation Gateway. All of the people shall be in the courts of the house of Yahweh.
6 Let no one enter the house of Yahweh except the priests and the ministering Levites. They may enter because they are holy; as for all of the people, they should keep Yahweh’s charge.
7 The Levites will encompass round about the king, each man with his gear in his hand. Anyone entering the house shall be put to death. And stay with the king when he comes in and when he goes forth.
8 The Levites and all Judah did according to all that Jehoiada the priest had instructed. Each one took his men, those coming on duty in this sabbath with those going forth off duty this sabbath; for Jehoiada the priest had not released the outgoing apportionments from duty.
9 Then Jehoiada the priest gave the chief officers of hundreds the spears, the shields and the cuirasses that had been king David’s and that were now in the house of Elohim.
10 And he made the entire force stand, each man with his javelin in his hand, from the right flank of the house to the left flank of the house, by the altar and by the house, round about on behalf of the king.
11 Then they brought forth the king’s son; they put the insignia on him and gave him the testimony. They proclaimed him king, and Jehoiada and his sons anointed him and said, Long live the king!
12 When Athaliah heard the voice of the people and the runners praising the king, she came out to the people at the house of Yahweh.
13 Then she saw there the king standing by his column at the entry. The chiefs with the bugles were beside the king, and all the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing bugles, and the singers with instruments of song, knowledgeable in leading the praise. Athaliah tore her garments and shouted, Conspiracy, conspiracy!
14 Jehoiada the priest instructed the chief officials of hundreds, the officers of the armed unit, and said to them, Bring her forth, out from inside the ranks. Anyone coming after her shall be put to death with the sword. For the priest thought, You must not put her to death in the house of Yahweh.
15 So they laid hands on her when she came to the entry of the Horse Gate to the king’s house; and they put her to death there.
16 Then Jehoiada contracted a covenant between himself and all the people and the king that they would be Yahweh’s people.
17 Then all the people came to the house of Baal and tore it down. They broke his altars and his images; and they killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars.
18 Jehoiada posted supervisors over the house of Yahweh into the hand of the Levitical priests whom David had apportioned over the house of Yahweh to offer up ascent offerings to Yahweh, as written in the law of Moses, with rejoicing and with song by the hands of David.
19 He made the gatekeepers stand at the gateways of the house of Yahweh so that no one who was unclean in any way might enter.
20 He took the chief officers of hundreds, the nobles, and the rulers of the people and all the people of the land, and he brought the king down from the house of Yahweh. They came in through the Upper Gate to the king’s house; and they seated the king on the royal throne.
21 All the people of the land rejoiced; the city itself was quiet, since they had put Athaliah to death with the sword.
Chapter 24
1 Joash was seven years old when he became king. He reigned forty years in Jerusalem, and his mother’s name was Zibiah of Beer-sheba.
2 Joash did what was upright in the eyes of Yahweh all the days of Jehoiada the priest.
3 Jehoiada had him marry two wives, and he begot sons and daughters.
4 It was afterward that it lay on the heart of Joash to renew the house of Yahweh.
5 So he convened the priests and the Levites and said to them, Go forth to the cities of Judah and collect together from all Israel the money to repair the house of your Elohim from the year by year quota. And you should act quickly in the matter. Yet the Levites did not act quickly.
6 So the king called Jehoiada the head priest and said to him, For what reason have you not required the Levites to bring in from Judah and from Jerusalem the tax imposed by Moses the servant of Yahweh and by the assembly of Israel for the tent of the testimony?
7 For Athaliah was a wicked woman, and her sons themselves had breached the house of Elohim and had even used all the holy things of the house of Yahweh for the Baalim.
8 Now the king ordered that they prepare one coffer and place it outside the gateway of the house of Yahweh.
9 Then they issued a proclamation in Judah and in Jerusalem to bring to Yahweh the tax imposed on Israel in the wilderness by Moses the servant of Elohim.
10 All the chiefs and all the people paid up; they brought it and dropped it into the coffer until it was full.
11 Now it came about at the proper time, one had the coffer brought in to the king’s supervisor by the hand of the Levites, and when they saw that there was abundant money, then the king’s scribe and the head priest’s supervisor came and emptied out the coffer, lifted it up and returned it to its place. Thus they did day by day, so that they gathered money in abundance.
12 The king and Jehoiada the priest gave it to those overseeing the work of servicing the house of Yahweh; they were hiring stone hewers and craftsmen in wood to renew the house of Yahweh, as well as craftsmen in iron and bronze to repair the house of Yahweh.
13 The overseers did their work; under their hand the repairwork progressed, and they made the house of Elohim stand in its original state and made it structurally strong.
14 When they had finished, they brought the remaining money before the king and Jehoiada, from which one made utensils for the house of Yahweh, utensils for the ministry and for the ascent offerings, spoons, golden and silver utensils. They were offering up ascent approaches in the house of Yahweh continually all the days of Jehoiada.
15 Now Jehoiada was old and satisfied with days, and he died; he was a hundred and thirty years old at his death.
16 They entombed him with the kings in the city of David, because he had done good in Israel, and on behalf of the One, Elohim, and His house.
17 After the death of Jehoiada the chief officials of Judah came and bowed down to the king; from then on the king hearkened to them.
18 When they forsook the house of Yahweh, the Elohim of their fathers, and served the Asherah poles and the fetishes, then there was wrath upon Judah and Jerusalem for this guilt of theirs.
19 So He sent prophets among them to bring them back to Yahweh; they testified against them, yet they did not listen.
20 The spirit of Elohim was put on Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest; he stood above the people and said to them, Thus says the One, Elohim: Why are you trespassing the instructions of Yahweh so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken Yahweh, He is forsaking you.
21 But they conspired against him, and by instruction from the king they pelted him with stones in the court of the house of Yahweh.
22 King Joash did not remember the kindness that his father Jehoiada had shown to him, and he killed his son. As he was dying, he said, Yahweh is seeing and is inquiring.
23 It came about at the revolution of the year that the army of Syria marched up against him; they came to Judah and Jerusalem and massacred all the chief officers of the force from among the people; they sent all their loot to the king of Damascus.
24 Though the army of Syria had come with only an insignificant number of men, Yahweh, He delivered a much larger army into their hands, for they had forsaken Yahweh Elohim of their fathers. Therefore they executed judgment against Joash.
25 When they departed from him, for they left him with many wounds, his courtiers conspired against him because of the bloodguilt over the son of Jehoiada the priest; they killed him on his couch. He died, and they entombed him in the city of David; yet they did not entomb him in the tombs of the kings.
26 Those conspiring against him were Zabad son of Shimeath the Ammonitess, and Jehozabad son of Shimrith the Moabitess.
27 As for his sons, and the abundance of the oracle against him, and the refounding of the house of Elohim, behold, they are written in the exposition of the scroll of the kings. His son Amaziah reigned in his stead.
Chapter 25
1 Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem.
2 He did what was upright in the eyes of Yahweh, but not wholeheartedly.
3 It came to pass just as the kingship under him was held fast that he killed his courtiers who had smitten the king his father.
4 Yet their sons he did not put to death, according to what is written in the scroll of the law of Moses in which Yahweh gave instruction, saying, Fathers shall not be put to death on account of their sons’ sins, nor shall sons be put to death on account of their fathers’ sins, but rather shall each man be put to death for his own sin.
5 Amaziah brought the house of Judah together and had them stand, according to the fathers’ houses, under chief officers of thousands and chief officers of hundreds for all Judah and Benjamin. He mustered them from twenty years old and upward, and he found them to be 300,000 choice men going forth for enlistment, holding lance and large shield.
6 He also hired from Israel 100,000 masterful soldiers for a hundred talents of silver.
7 Then a man of the One, Elohim, came to him, saying, O king, let not the Israelite troops come with you, for Yahweh is not with Israel, with all the sons of Ephraim.
8 But rather set out by yourself and do it; have courage for battle, or the One, Elohim, shall make you falter before the enemy. For there is vigor with Elohim to help you or to make you falter.
9 At this Amaziah asked the man of Elohim, What am I to do about the one hundred talents that I gave for the Israelite troops? The man of Elohim replied, Yahweh has more to give you than this.
10 So Amaziah separated them out and let the troops that had come to him from Ephraim go to their own place. Their anger against Judah was exceedingly hot, and they returned to their place in hot anger.
11 As for Amaziah, he showed himself steadfast; he led his force and marched to the salt ravine. He smote 10,000 of the sons of Seir.
12 The sons of Judah captured 10,000 alive and brought them to the top of the crag. They flung them down from the top of the crag, and all of them were mangled.
13 As for the men of the troops whom Amaziah had turned back from going with him to war, they ransacked the cities of Judah from Samaria unto Beth-horon. They smote 3,000 of them and plundered much plunder.
14 It occurred after Amaziah had come back from smiting the Edomites that he brought along the elohim of the sons of Seir and made them stand as elohim for himself. He worshiped before them and fumed incense to them.
15 At that Yahweh’s anger grew hot against Amaziah, and He sent a prophet to him who said to him, Why do you seek after the elohim of the people which could not rescue their people from your hand?
16 And it came to pass while he spoke to him that Amaziah said to him, Have we appointed you a counselor to the king? Leave off for your own sake! Why should they smite you? So the prophet left off; but first he said, I know that Elohim has counseled to ruin you, since you act this way and do not hearken to my counsel.
17 Then Amaziah king of Judah took counsel and sent word to Jehoash son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu king of Israel, saying, Come, let us stare each other in the face.
18 Yet Jehoash king of Israel sent word to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, The thistle that was in Lebanon, it sent word to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, Do give your daughter to my son as a wife. But an animal of the field that was in Lebanon, passed by and tramped down the thistle.
19 You thought that you smote Edom, and your heart has lifted you up to be glorified. Now do stay in your own house. Why should you stir yourself up for evil, so that you will fall, you and Judah with you?
20 Yet Amaziah did not hearken; for it was from the One, Elohim, in order to give them into the hand of Jehoash, because they had sought after the elohim of Edom.
21 So Jehoash king of Israel marched up; and they stared each other in the face, he and Amaziah king of Judah, at Beth-shemesh in Judah.
22 And Judah was stricken before Israel, so that they fled, each man to his tent.
23 It was Amaziah king of Judah son of Joash son of Jehoahaz whom Jehoash king of Israel apprehended at Beth-shemesh. Then he brought him to Jerusalem and made a breach of four hundred cubits in the wall of Jerusalem, from the Ephraim Gateway unto the Corner Gateway.
24 He took all the gold and the silver, all the vessels found in the house of Elohim in charge of Obed-edom, and in the treasures of the house of the king, and the hostages. Then he returned to Samaria.
25 Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah lived fifteen years after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel.
26 As for the rest of the affairs of Amaziah, first and last, behold, are they not written on the scroll of the kings of Judah and Israel?
27 From the time that Amaziah withdrew from following Yahweh, they conspired against him in a conspiracy in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish. But they sent in pursuit of him to Lachish, and they put him to death there.
28 Then they carried him back on horses and entombed him with his fathers in the city of David.
Chapter 26
1 Now all the people of Judah took Uzziah ( he was sixteen years old), and they proclaimed him king in place of his father Amaziah.
2 It was he who rebuilt Elath and restored it to Judah after the king lay down with his fathers.
3 Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem; his mother’s name was Jecoliah of Jerusalem.
4 He did what was upright in the eyes of Yahweh, according to all that his father Amaziah had done.
5 He came to seek after Elohim in the days of Zechariah who gave him understanding in the fear of Elohim; and during the days he sought after Yahweh, the One, Elohim, prospered him.
6 He marched forth and made war against the Philistines; he breached the wall of Gath and the wall of Jabneh and the wall of Ashdod; then he built cities around Ashdod and elsewhere among the Philistines.
7 The One, Elohim, helped him against the Philistines and against the Arabians who were dwelling in Gur-baal, and the Meunim.
8 The Ammonim brought an approach present to Uzziah, and his name spread as far as the entrance of Egypt, for he became surpassingly steadfast.
9 Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem on the Corner Gateway and on the Ravine Gateway and on the Angle-Corner, and he reinforced them.
10 He also built towers in the wilderness and hewed out many cisterns, for much cattle became his both in the low foothills and on the tableland, and farmworkers and vinedressers in the hills and on the crop land, since he was a lover of the ground.
11 Uzziah came to have an army engaging in war, a military host marching forth by troops as they were noted in number by the hand of Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the militia clerk at the side of Hananiah, one of the king’s chief officers.
12 The entire number of the heads of the fathers’ houses over the valorous masters was 2,600;
13 and under their hand was the army host of 307,500 men engaging in war with vigor and ability to help the king against the enemy.
14 Uzziah provided for them, for the entire host, shields and lances, helmets and body-armor, bows and sling stones.
15 He made machines in Jerusalem, devices of an engineer to be set on the towers and on the corners for shooting arrows and large stones. His name spread forth unto a far distance; for he was marvelously helped until he became steadfast.
16 Yet as soon as he was steadfast, his heart became haughty, and he even acted corruptly; he offended Yahweh his Elohim when he entered the temple of Yahweh to fume incense on the incense altar.
17 At that Azariah the priest came in after him, and with him eighty priests of Yahweh, sons of valor.
18 They stood up against king Uzziah and said to him, It is not for you, Uzziah, to fume incense to Yahweh, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron who are hallowed to fume incense. Forth with you from the sanctuary; for you have offended, and there will be no glory in it for you from Yahweh Elohim.
19 Now Uzziah became irate while the censer for fuming incense was in his hand. But during his ire at the priests a leprous disease flashed up on his forehead in the presence of the priests in the house of Yahweh beside the incense altar.
20 When Azariah the head priest and all the priests turned toward him, behold, he was leprous on his forehead; so they hustled him from there; and he too pressed on to go forth, for Yahweh had touched him.
21 King Uzziah remained leprous until the day of his death. He dwelt in another house divested of his duties, being leprous, for he was severed from the house of Yahweh, while his son Jotham was over the royal house, judging the people of the land.
22 As for the rest of the affairs of Uzziah, first and last, Isaiah son of Amoz, the prophet, has written.
23 Then Uzziah lay down with his fathers, and they entombed him with his fathers, in the entombment field of the kings, for they said, he was leprous; his son Jotham reigned in his stead.
Chapter 27
1 Jotham was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years; his mother’s name was Jerushah daughter of Zadok.
2 He did what was upright in the eyes of Yahweh, according to all that his father Uzziah had done; but he did not invade the temple of Yahweh; yet the people still acted corruptly.
3 It was he who rebuilt the Upper Gateway of the house of Yahweh, and he greatly built up on the wall of Ophel.
4 He also built cities in the hill country of Judah, and in the woodland he built fortified-places and towers.
5 He fought against the king of the sons of Ammon and conquered them; the sons of Ammon gave him that year a hundred talents of silver and 10,000 cors of wheat and another 10,000 of barley. This was what the sons of Ammon rendered to him, also in the second year and the third.
6 Jotham showed himself steadfast, for he established his ways before Yahweh his Elohim.
7 As for the rest of the affairs of Jotham and all his wars and his ways, behold, they are written on the scroll of the kings of Israel and Judah.
8 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years.
9 Then Jotham lay down with his fathers. They entombed him in the city of David, and his son Ahaz reigned in his stead.
Chapter 28
1 Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. Yet he did not do what was upright in the eyes of Yahweh like his father David.
2 He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel; he even made molten images for the Baalim.
3 It was he who fumed incense in the ravine of the son of Hinnom and caused his sons to be consumed by fire, according to the abhorrences of the nations whom Yahweh had evicted before the sons of Israel.
4 He sacrificed and fumed incense on the high-places, on the hills and under every flourishing tree.
5 So Yahweh his Elohim gave him into the hand of the king of Syria; they smote him and captured a great many captives from him, and brought them to Damascus. And also into the hand of the king of Israel was he given who smote him with a great smiting.
6 Pekah son of Remaliah, king of Israel, killed in Judah 120,000 in one day, all sons of valor, because they had forsaken Yahweh Elohim of their fathers.
7 Zichri, a master of war from Ephraim, killed Maaseiah the king’s son, and Azrikam governor of the royal house, and Elkanah, the second to the king.
8 The sons of Israel captured from their kinsmen 200,000 women, sons and daughters. They also plundered much loot from them and brought the loot to Samaria.
9 But a prophet of Yahweh was there; Oded was his name. He went forth, facing the military host that came back to Samaria, and he said to them, Behold, it was because of the fury of Yahweh Elohim of your fathers against Judah that He gave them into your hand, and you killed among them with an ire that has towered up unto the heavens.
10 And now you are thinking to subdue the sons of Judah and Jerusalem as menservants and maidservants for yourselves. But are there not with you yourselves guilty acts against Yahweh your Elohim?
11 Now then, hearken to me and return the captives whom you captured from your kinsmen, for the anger of Yahweh is burning hot against you.
12 At that Azariah son of Jehohanan, Berechiah son of Meshillemoth and Jehizkiah son of Shallum and Amasa son of Hadlai, men of the heads of the sons of Ephraim, rose up against those coming from the military host
13 and said to them, You must not bring the captives hither to us, since it is guilt before Yahweh on our part. You are thinking to add to our sins and our guilty acts, for abundant is the guilt we have, and burning hot is the anger of Yahweh against Israel.
14 So the outfit left the captives and the plunder before the chief officials and all the assembly.
15 Then the men who were specified by name rose up and aided the captives. From the loot they clothed all the naked among them; they gave them clothes, and they gave them sandals; they gave them to eat, and they gave them to drink; they rubbed them with oil; they conducted the unsteady, all of them, on donkeys, and they brought them to Jericho, the city of palm trees, beside their kinsmen. Then they returned to Samaria.
16 At that time, king Ahaz sent to the king of Assyria to help him.
17 Again the Edomites came and smote Judah and captured captives,
18 while the Philistines ransacked the cities of the low foothills and the Negeb of Judah; they seized Beth-shemesh and Aijalon and Gederoth, and Soco with its outskirts, and Timnah with its outskirts, and Gimzo with its outskirts; and they settled there.
19 Thus Yahweh caused Judah to submit on account of Ahaz king of Judah, for he caused unrestraint in Judah and offended Yahweh by his offense.
20 Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria set out against him, but he distressed him and did not aid him.
21 For Ahaz took portions of treasures from the house of Yahweh, from the house of the king, and from the chief officials and gave them to the king of Assyria; but it was no help to him.
22 In the time of his distress, this king Ahaz continued to offend Yahweh.
23 He sacrificed to the elohim of Damascus which had smitten him, for he thought, Since the elohim of the kings of Syria are those helping them, I shall sacrifice to them, so that they may help me. But they became a stumbling block to him and to all Israel.
24 Ahaz gathered together the furnishings of the house of Elohim, and he cut away the furnishings of the house of Elohim. He locked the doors of the house of Yahweh and made himself altars at every corner in Jerusalem.
25 And in every city, each city of Judah, he made high-places to fume incense to other elohim; thus he provoked Yahweh Elohim of his fathers to vexation.
26 As for the rest of his affairs and all his ways, first and last, behold, they are written on the scroll of the kings of Judah and Israel.
27 Then Ahaz lay down with his fathers, and they entombed him in the city, in Jerusalem, for they did not bring him to the tombs of the kings of Israel; his son Hezekiah reigned in his stead.
Chapter 29
1 Hezekiah, he became king at the age of twenty-five years, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years; his mother’s name was Abijah daughter of Zechariah.
2 He did what was upright in the eyes of Yahweh according to all that his father David had done.
3 And it came to pass as he was established in his kingdom, in the first year of his reign, in the first month, that he opened the doors of the house of Yahweh and repaired them.
4 He brought in the priests and the Levites and gathered them together in the east square
5 and said to them: Hearken to me, Levites! Now sanctify yourselves and hallow the house of Yahweh Elohim of your fathers. Bring forth the impurity from the sanctuary.
6 For our fathers had offended and done evil in the eyes of Yahweh our Elohim, since they forsook Him and turned about their faces from the tabernacle of Yahweh, and they were giving Him the scruff.
7 They even locked the doors of the portico and quenched the lamps; they fumed no incense and offered up no ascent offering in the sanctuary of the Elohim of Israel.
8 Therefore the wrath of Yahweh came over Judah and Jerusalem; He made them a stirring horror, an appalling object and a hissing, as you are seeing with your own eyes.
9 Hence it is that our fathers fell by the sword, and our sons, our daughters and our wives are in captivity in a land not theirs. On this account,
10 it is now in my heart to contract a covenant with Yahweh Elohim of Israel, so that His hot anger may turn back from us.
11 My sons, now you must not be at ease, for Yahweh has chosen you to stand before Him, to minister to Him, and to continue in His ministry and the fuming of incense.
12 So the Levites set to work: Mahath son of Amasai and Joel son of Azariah from the sons of the Kohathite; from the sons of Merari, Kish son of Abdi and Azariah son of Jehallelel; from the Gershonite, Joah son of Zimmah and Eden son of Joah;
13 from the sons of Elizaphan, Shimri and Jeiel; from the sons of Asaph, Zechariah and Mattaniah;
14 from the sons of Heman, Jehiel and Shimei; and from the sons of Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel.
15 They gathered together their kinsmen and sanctified themselves; then they came to cleanse the house of Yahweh, according to the instruction of the king by the words of Yahweh.
16 The priests now came inside the house of Yahweh to cleanse it; they brought forth all the uncleanness they found in the temple of Yahweh out into the court of the house of Yahweh; and the Levites received it to carry it forth outside to Wadi Kidron.
17 They started off with hallowing on day one of the first month, and by the eighth day of the month they came to the portico of Yahweh. They hallowed the house of Yahweh for eight days, and on the sixteenth day of the first month they finished.
18 Then they came inside to king Hezekiah and reported, We have cleansed all the house of Yahweh, the altar of ascent offering with all its furnishings, and the table for the bread in array with all its furnishings.
19 We have also prepared and hallowed all the furnishings that king Ahaz in his offense had cast off during his reign; there they are before the altar of Yahweh.
20 King Hezekiah rose early, gathered together the chief officials of the city and went up to the house of Yahweh.
21 They brought seven young bulls, seven rams, seven he-lambs and seven he-goats of the goats as a sin offering for the kingdom and for the sanctuary and for Judah. He told the sons of Aaron, the priests, to offer them up on the altar of Yahweh.
22 So they slew the oxen, and the priests received the blood and sprinkled it toward the altar, they slew the rams and sprinkled the blood toward the altar, and they slew the he-lambs and sprinkled the blood toward the altar.
23 Then they brought the hairy goats of the sin offering close before the king and the assembly, who supported their hands on them.
24 The priests slew them and made a sin offering with their blood toward the altar, to make a propitiatory shelter over all Israel; for the king had ordered an ascent offering and a sin offering for all Israel.
25 He made the Levites stand in the house of Yahweh with cymbals, zithers and harps in accordance with the instruction of David, Gad the king’s vision seer, and Nathan the prophet, for such was the instruction by the hand of Yahweh by means of His prophets.
26 When the Levites stood ready with the instruments of David, and the priests with the bugles,
27 Hezekiah ordered to offer up the ascent offering on the altar. And now, as the ascent offering started, the song of Yahweh and the bugles also started, along with the instruments of king David of Israel.
28 All the assembly was worshiping, while the song was sung and the bugles were blown; all this continued until the ascent offering was finished.
29 At the end of the offering up, the king and all those found with him bowed and prostrated themselves.
30 Then king Hezekiah and the chief officials ordered the Levites to praise Yahweh in the words of David and Asaph the vision seer; so they gave praise with rejoicing, and they bowed and prostrated themselves.
31 Hezekiah responded and said, Now you have consecrated yourselves to Yahweh. Come close and bring sacrifices and acclamation offerings to the house of Yahweh. So the assembly brought sacrifices and acclamation offerings to the house of Yahweh, and all willing of heart brought ascent offerings.
32 And the number of ascent offerings that the assembly brought was seventy oxen, a hundred rams, two hundred he-lambs all these for ascent offerings to Yahweh;
33 and the holy offerings were six hundred oxen and three thousand flocklings.
34 But the priests were too few and could not flay all the ascent offerings. So their kinsmen, the Levites, aided them until the work was finished and until other priests had hallowed themselves; for the Levites were more upright of heart in hallowing themselves than the priests.
35 For besides ascent offerings in abundance, there were the fat pieces of the peace offerings and the libations for the ascent offerings; so the service of the house of Yahweh was prepared.
36 Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced over the preparation that the One, Elohim, had made for the people, for the thing had come about so suddenly.
Chapter 30
1 Hezekiah sent word to all Israel and Judah; he also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh to come to the house of Yahweh in Jerusalem to celebrate the passover to Yahweh Elohim of Israel.
2 The king and his chief officials and all the assembly in Jerusalem had taken counsel to celebrate the passover in the second month.
3 For they had been unable to celebrate it at its time since the priests had not hallowed themselves in sufficient numbers, and the people had not gathered themselves at Jerusalem.
4 The plan seemed upright in the eyes of the king and in the eyes of all the assembly.
5 So they affirmed the plan to let the proclamation pass through all Israel from Beer-sheba unto Dan, to come and celebrate the passover to Yahweh Elohim of Israel in Jerusalem, for in such multitude they had not celebrated it according to what was written.
6 So the couriers went out with the letters from the hand of the king and his chief officials through all Israel and Judah, according to the instruction of the king, saying: Sons of Israel! Return to Yahweh Elohim of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, and He shall return to the remnant of you who were delivered from the palm of the kings of Assyria.
7 Do not be like your fathers and like your brothers who offended Yahweh Elohim of their fathers, so He gave them up to desolation, as you see.
8 Now do not stiffen your scruff like your fathers; give acclamation to Yahweh your Elohim and come to His sanctuary, which He has sanctified for the eon, and serve Yahweh your Elohim, and He shall turn back from you His hot anger.
9 For if you return to Yahweh, your brothers and your sons will win compassion before all their captors and return to this land; for Yahweh your Elohim is gracious and compassionate; He shall not withdraw His face from you if you return to Him.
10 So the couriers continued on, passing along from city to city in the land of Ephraim and Manasseh as far as Zebulun; but they were ridiculing them and deriding them.
11 Nevertheless some men from Asher and Manasseh and from Zebulun were submissive and came to Jerusalem.
12 Furthermore, the hand of Elohim was on Judah to give them one heart to do the instruction of the king and the chief officials, by the word of Yahweh.
13 Many people gathered at Jerusalem to celebrate the festival of unleavened bread in the second month, a very numerous assembly.
14 They rose up and took away the altars that were in Jerusalem, and they took off all the incense stands and flung them into Wadi Kidron.
15 They slew the passover on the fourteenth of the second month; the priests and the Levites were mortified, and they hallowed themselves and brought ascent offerings to the house of Yahweh.
16 They stood at their position as was their custom according to the law of Moses, the man of Elohim. The priests were sprinkling the blood received from the hand of the Levites.
17 Since there were many in the assembly who had not hallowed themselves, the Levites were in charge of slaying the passover lambs so as to sanctify them to Yahweh for everyone who was not cleansed.
18 For most of the people many from Ephraim and Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun had not cleansed themselves; so they ate the passover, yet not according to what is written. Hence Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, Yahweh is good; may He make a propitiatory shelter about
19 everyone who has set his heart to seek after the One, Elohim, Yahweh Elohim of his fathers, though not according to the cleansing rules of the sanctuary.
20 Yahweh hearkened to Hezekiah and healed the people.
21 The sons of Israel who had converged in Jerusalem celebrated the festival of unleavened bread seven days with great rejoicing, while the Levites and the priests were praising Yahweh day by day with powerful instruments for Yahweh.
22 Hezekiah spoke to the heart of all the Levites who had proceeded effectively and with good insight concerning Yahweh. They ate the appointed feast for seven days, sacrificing sacrifices of peace offerings and acclaiming Yahweh Elohim of their fathers.
23 Then all the assembly took counsel to celebrate another seven days; and so they celebrated seven more days with rejoicing.
24 For Hezekiah king of Judah himself donated for the assembly 1,000 young bulls and 7,000 flocklings, and the chief officials donated for the assembly 1,000 young bulls and 10,000 flocklings; and priests hallowed themselves in abundance.
25 All the assembly of Judah rejoiced, also the priests and the Levites, along with all the assembly coming from Israel and the sojourners coming from the land of Israel and those dwelling in Judah.
26 There was great rejoicing in Jerusalem, for since the days of David’s son Solomon king of Israel, nothing like this had occurred in Jerusalem.
27 The Levitical priests rose up and blessed the people; Yahweh heard their voice, and their prayer advanced to His holy habitation, to the heavens.
Chapter 31
1 When all this was finished, all Israel who had converged went out to the cities of Judah and broke down the monuments, hacked down the Asherah poles, tore down the high-places and the altars from all Judah and Benjamin, also in Ephraim and Manasseh, until they had finished. Then all sons of Israel returned to their own cities, each man to his holding.
2 Hezekiah assigned the apportionments of the priests and the Levites to officiate according to their apportionments, each one of the priests and the Levites corresponding to his service, for ascent offerings and for peace offerings, to minister and to acclaim and to praise in the gates of the camps of Yahweh;
3 and the king’s assigned contribution from his goods was for ascent offerings: for the morning and the evening ascent offerings, and the ascent offerings for sabbaths, and for new moons, and for appointed festivals, according to what is written in the law of Yahweh.
4 He ordered the people, the dwellers of Jerusalem, to give the assigned contribution for the priests and the Levites, so that they might be steadfast in the law of Yahweh.
5 As soon as the word breached forth, the sons of Israel brought in abundance the firstfruit of grain, grape juice, clarified oil, honey and all the harvest yield of the field; they brought in the tithe of everything in abundance.
6 As for the sons of Israel and Judah who dwelt in the cities of Judah, they also brought in the tithe of the herd and the flock and the tithe of the holy offerings hallowed to Yahweh their Elohim; they brought them and put in grain-pile by grain-pile.
7 In the third month they started off with laying the foundation of the grain-piles, and in the seventh month they finished.
8 When Hezekiah and the chief officials came and saw the grain-piles, they blessed Yahweh and His people Israel.
9 Hezekiah inquired of the priests and the Levites concerning the grain-piles.
10 Azariah the head priest, of the house of Zadok, replied to him; he said, Since they started off with bringing the heave offering to the house of Yahweh, we have eaten and drunk; we are satisfied and have still surplus in abundance, for Yahweh has blessed His people; and what has been left over is this superabundance.
11 Hezekiah then ordered to prepare storerooms in the house of Yahweh; thus they prepared them.
12 And they were bringing there the heave offering and the tithe and the holy offerings in faithfulness. The chief officer in charge of them was Conaniah the Levite, and his brother Shimei was second in rank.
13 Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismakiah, Mahath and Benaiah and his sons were supervisors under the hand of Conaniah and his brother Shimei, by appointment of Hezekiah the king and Azariah who was the chief officer of the house of Elohim.
14 Kore son of Imnah the Levite, the keeper of the East Gate, was in charge of the voluntary offerings to the One, Elohim, distributing the heave offering to Yahweh, and the holy donations of holy offerings.
15 By his hand were Eden, Miniamim, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah and Shecaniah in the cities of the priests, in faithfulness distributing: to their kinsmen by apportionments, to great and small alike;
16 to males from three years old and above, aside from their genealogical registration; to all who came to the house of Yahweh for duty day by day for their service in their charges by their apportionments.
17 The priests were registered by their fathers’ houses, the Levites from twenty years old and above by their charges in their apportionments.
18 They were registered with all their little ones, their wives, their sons and their daughters, for the whole assembly, for in their faithfulness they hallowed themselves in holiness.
19 As for the priests, the sons of Aaron, living in the fields of common pasture land around their cities, there were men in any city by city who were specified by names to distribute assigned rations to every male among the priests and to all registered Levites.
20 This is what Hezekiah did in all of Judah; he was doing what was good and upright and faithful before Yahweh his Elohim.
21 In every work that he started in the service of the house of Elohim and in obedience to the law and in the instruction to seek after his Elohim, he did so with all his heart; and he prospered.
Chapter 32
1 After these events and this faithfulness Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah. He encamped against the fortressed cities and thought to get them for himself by breaking through their defenses.
2 When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come with his face set for war against Jerusalem,
3 then he took counsel with his chief officials and his masters of war about stopping up the waters of the springs that were outside the city; and they helped him.
4 Thus many people gathered together and stopped up all the waters of the springs, and the wadi that was overflowing through the midst of the land, saying, Why should the kings of Assyria come and find abundant waters?
5 Hezekiah showed himself steadfast and rebuilt the whole breached wall and set up towers on it. And outside it he built another wall and reinforced the Millo bulwark of the city of David. Furthermore he made javelins in abundance and shields.
6 He appointed military chiefs over the people and gathered them together before him in the square of the city gate; he spoke to their heart, saying,
7 Be steadfast and be resolute; do not fear and do not be dismayed because of the king of Assyria and because of the presence of all the throng that is with him, for with us is more than with him.
8 With him is an arm of flesh, but with us is Yahweh our Elohim to help us and to fight our battles. And the people were supported by the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.
9 After this, Sennacherib king of Assyria, while he was at Lachish and all his chief rulers with him, sent his officials to Jerusalem to Hezekiah king of Judah and to all of Judah in Jerusalem, saying,
10 Thus speaks Sennacherib king of Assyria: On what are you trusting that you remain in Jerusalem under siege?
11 Is not Hezekiah alluring you to let you die by famine and by thirst, saying, Yahweh our Elohim shall rescue us from the palm of the king of Assyria?
12 Is it not Hezekiah himself who took away His high-places and His altars and said to Judah and to the dwellers of Jerusalem, saying, Before one altar shall you worship, and on it shall you fume incense?
13 Do you not know what I myself and my fathers have done to all the peoples of the lands? Could, yea could the elohim of the nations of the lands rescue their land from my hand?
14 Who of all the elohim of these nations that my father doomed, was able to rescue his people from my hand? How could your elohim rescue you from my hand?
15 Now let not Hezekiah lure you; let him not allure you like this; do not believe him. For no eloah at all of any nation or kingdom was able to rescue his people from my hand and from the hand of my fathers. How much less then would your elohim rescue you from my hand?
16 His servants spoke still further against Yahweh the One Elohim and against Hezekiah His servant;
17 he also wrote letters to reproach Yahweh Elohim of Israel and to talk against Him, saying, Just as the elohim of the nations of the lands did not rescue their people from my hand, so the Elohim of Hezekiah shall not rescue his people from my hand.
18 They called with a loud voice in Judean to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall to intimidate them and to fill them with panic so that they might seize the city.
19 They spoke about the Elohim of Jerusalem as they did about the elohim of the other peoples of the earth, the products of human hands.
20 Then Hezekiah the king and Isaiah son of Amoz the prophet prayed over this and cried out to the heavens.
21 Yahweh sent a messenger who suppressed every masterful soldier and chief officer and chief in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his land; when he entered the house of his elohim, some of the offspring of his bowels fell him there with the sword.
22 Thus Yahweh saved Hezekiah and the dwellers of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib king of Assyria, and from the hand of everyone; He granted them rest from those round about.
23 Many were bringing an approach present for Yahweh to Jerusalem, and costly gifts for Hezekiah king of Judah; thereafter he was lifted up in the eyes of all the nations.
24 In those days Hezekiah was ill to death. He prayed to Yahweh Who answered him and gave him a miraculous sign.
25 But for the well-dealing done to him Hezekiah made no return, for his heart became haughty; so wrath came on him and on Judah and Jerusalem.
26 Then Hezekiah was submissive in the haughtiness of his heart, he and the dwellers of Jerusalem, and no wrath of Yahweh came on them in the days of Hezekiah.
27 Hezekiah came to have riches and glory in very great abundance; and he made for himself treasuries for silver, for gold and for precious stones, also for aromatics, for shields and for all coveted articles;
28 and provision cities for the harvest yield of grain, grape juice and clarified oil, and stalls for every kind of domestic beast and droves in stalls.
29 He acquired cities for himself, and also livestock of the flock and the herd in abundance, for Elohim gave him very many goods.
30 It was the same Hezekiah who stopped up the upper flowing well of the waters of Gihon and unleashed them downward to the west of the city of David; Hezekiah prospered in his every work.
31 So too with the intermediaries of the chiefs of Babylon who sent to him to inquire about the miraculous sign that had occurred in the land, when the One, Elohim, forsook him in order to probe him, to know all that was in his heart.
32 As for the rest of the affairs of Hezekiah, and his kindness, behold, they are written in the vision of Isaiah son of Amoz, the prophet, and on the scroll of the kings of Judah and Israel.
33 Then Hezekiah lay down with his fathers; they entombed him in the ascent of the tombs of the sons of David; all of Judah and the dwellers of Jerusalem showed him honor in his death; his son Manasseh reigned in his stead.
Chapter 33
1 Twelve years old was Manasseh when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem.
2 He did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh, according to the abhorrences of the nations which Yahweh had evicted from before the sons of Israel.
3 So he rebuilt again the high-places that his father Hezekiah had torn down; he set up altars for the Baalim and made Asherah poles. He bowed himself down to all the host of the heavens and served them.
4 He built altars for them in the house of Yahweh of which Yahweh had said, My Name shall be in Jerusalem for the eon.
5 He built altars to all the host of the heavens in the two courts of the house of Yahweh.
6 He also caused his sons to pass through fire in the ravine of the son of Hinnom; he consulted clouds, practiced augury, practiced enchantment and dealt with mediums and wizards. He performed much more to do what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh to provoke Him to vexation.
7 The carved figure that he had made, he placed in the house of the One, Elohim, of which Elohim had said to David and to Solomon his son: In this house and in Jerusalem which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel, I shall place My Name for the eon.
8 And I shall not again cause the foot of Israel to withdraw from the ground that I affirmed to your fathers, but only if they observe to do all that I instructed them, according to the whole law and statutes and ordinances by the hand of Moses.
9 Yet Manasseh led Judah and the dwellers of Jerusalem astray to do greater evil than the nations which Yahweh had exterminated from before the sons of Israel.
10 So Yahweh spoke to Manasseh and to his people, but they paid no attention.
11 Hence Yahweh brought against them the chiefs of the military host of the king of Assyria; they seized Manasseh with gaffs, bound him with two bronze fetters, and led him off to Babylon.
12 As soon as he was in travail, he besought the face of Yahweh his Elohim and was exceedingly submissive before the Elohim of his fathers.
13 He prayed to Him, and He let Himself be entreated by him; He hearkened to his supplication, and He restored him to his kingdom in Jerusalem. Then Manasseh knew that Yahweh, He alone, was the One Elohim.
14 Afterward he rebuilt the wall outside the city of David west of Gihon in the wadi to the entrance of the Fish Gate, and it surrounded Ophel; he made it very lofty. He also placed army chiefs in all the fortressed cities in Judah.
15 He put away the foreign elohim and the figure from the house of Yahweh and all the altars that he had built on the mount of the house of Yahweh and in Jerusalem and had them flung outside the city.
16 He rebuilt the altar of Yahweh and sacrificed on it peace offerings and acclamation sacrifices; moreover he ordered Judah to serve Yahweh Elohim of Israel.
17 Nevertheless the people were still sacrificing at the high-places, though only to Yahweh their Elohim.
18 As for the rest of the affairs of Manasseh, and his prayer to his Elohim, and the words of the vision seers who spoke to him in the Name of Yahweh Elohim of Israel, behold, they are written in the annals of the kings of Israel.
19 As for his prayer, how Yahweh let Himself be entreated by him, and all his sin and his offense, and the places in which he built high-places and installed the Asherah poles and the carvings before he was submissive, behold, they are written in the annals of Hozai.
20 Then Manasseh lay down with his fathers; they entombed him in the garden of his house; and his son Amon reigned in his stead.
21 Twenty-two years old was Amon when he became king; he reigned two years in Jerusalem.
22 He did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh, just as his father Manasseh had done. Amon sacrificed to all the carvings that his father Manasseh had made and served them.
23 He was not submissive before Yahweh, as his father Manasseh had been submissive; instead, he, Amon, increased his guilt.
24 Finally his courtiers conspired against him and put him to death in his own house.
25 But the people of the land smote all who had conspired against king Amon; and the people of the land proclaimed his son Josiah king in his stead.
Chapter 34
1 Eight years old was Josiah when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem.
2 He did what was upright in the eyes of Yahweh and walked in the ways of his father David; he did not withdraw to the right or left.
3 In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still a lad, he started to seek after the Elohim of his father David, and in the twelfth year he started to cleanse Judah and Jerusalem from the high-places, the Asherah poles, the carvings and the molten images.
4 In his presence, they tore down the altars of the Baalim, and he had the incense stands that were upward above them hewn down; he had the Asherah poles, the carvings and the molten images broken down, pulverized and sprinkled on the surface of the tombs of those who had sacrificed to them.
5 He burned the bones of priests on their altars and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem.
6 In the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim and Simeon, as far as Naphtali, he blazed up their houses all around.
7 Thus he was tearing down the altars and the Asherah poles, pounding the carvings to pieces so as to pulverize them, and hewing down all the incense stands throughout the land of Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem.
8 In the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had cleansed the land and the house, he sent Shaphan son of Azaliah, Maaseiah the chief of the city, and Joah son of Joahaz the recorder to repair the house of Yahweh his Elohim.
9 When they came to Hilkiah the great priest, they delivered the silver brought into the house of Elohim, that the Levites, the keepers of the threshold, had gathered from the hand of Manasseh and Ephraim and from all the remnant of Israel, as well as from all of Judah and Benjamin and the dwellers of Jerusalem.
10 They put it into the hands of those overseeing the work who had been given supervision in the house of Yahweh, that they may deliver it to those doing the work who are working in the house of Yahweh to fill the gaps and to repair the house.
11 So they gave it to the craftsmen and the builders to buy hewn stones and timbers for the clamps, and to lay rafters for the buildings that had been brought to ruin by the kings of Judah.
12 The men were performing the work in faithfulness; over them supervision had been given to the Levites, Jahath and Obadiah, of the sons of Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam, of the sons of the Kohathites, to oversee, while other Levites, all proficient with the instruments of song,
13 were over the burden carriers as overseers of all doing the work, service by service; some of the Levites were scribes and clerks and gatekeepers.
14 While they were bringing forth the silver that had been brought to the house of Yahweh, Hilkiah the priest found a scroll of the law of Yahweh given by means of Moses.
15 Hilkiah responded and said to Shaphan the scribe, A scroll of the law have I found in the house of Yahweh. And Hilkiah gave the scroll to Shaphan.
16 Then Shaphan brought the scroll to the king and furthermore rendered a report to the king, saying, All that was put in the hand of your officials, they are doing.
17 They have poured forth the silver that was found in the house of Yahweh; and they put it into the hands of the supervisors and into the hands of those doing the work.
18 Then Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, There is a scroll that Hilkiah the priest has given to me. And Shaphan read from it before the king.
19 It came to pass as the king heard the words of the law, he tore his garments.
20 Then the king instructed Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Abdon son of Micah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king’s attendant, saying,
21 Go, inquire of Yahweh about me and about the remnant in Israel and in Judah concerning the words of the scroll that has been found; for great is the fury of Yahweh which is poured forth on us because our fathers did not observe the word of Yahweh and do according to all that is written in this scroll.
22 So Hilkiah and those whom the king had instructed, went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum son of Tokhath son of Hasrah, the keeper of the garments. She was dwelling in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter; and they spoke to her about this.
23 She replied to them, Thus speaks Yahweh Elohim of Israel. Say to the man who sent you to me,
24 Thus speaks Yahweh: Behold, I am bringing evil on this place and on its dwellers, all the execrations written on the scroll that they read before the king of Judah,
25 insomuch as they have forsaken Me and fumed incense to other elohim that they might provoke Me to vexation with all the deeds of their hands, My fury shall be poured forth on this place and it shall not be quenched.
26 Regarding the king of Judah who is sending you to inquire of Yahweh, thus you shall say to him, Thus speaks Yahweh Elohim of Israel: As for the words that you have heard,
27 because your heart was tender, and you were submissive before Elohim when you heard His words against this place and against its dwellers, and you were submissive before Me and tore your garments and wept before Me, I for My part have heard you too; this is the averring of Yahweh.
28 Behold, I shall gather you to your fathers, and you will be gathered to your tombs in peace. Your eyes shall not see all the evil which I am bringing on this place and on its dwellers. So they brought back this decree to the king.
29 Then the king sent word and gathered all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem.
30 The king went up to the house of Yahweh, and every man of Judah and the dwellers of Jerusalem, also the priests, the Levites and all the people from the great unto the small. Then he read into their ears all the words of the scroll of the covenant that had been found in the house of Yahweh.
31 The king stood at his position and contracted the covenant before Yahweh: to walk after Yahweh, to keep His instructions, His testimonies and His statutes with all his heart and with all his soul, and to perform the words of the covenant as they were written on this scroll.
32 He made all those who had converged in Jerusalem and Benjamin ratify it; and the dwellers of Jerusalem acted according to the covenant of Elohim, the Elohim of their fathers.
33 Josiah took away all the abhorrences from all the areas that belonged to the sons of Israel, and he had all those who had converged in Israel take up service to serve Yahweh their Elohim. All his days they did not withdraw from following Yahweh Elohim of their fathers.
Chapter 35
1 Josiah observed the Passover for Yahweh in Jerusalem; they slew the passover on the fourteenth of the first month.
2 He assigned the priests to officiate in their terms of duty and encouraged them in the service of the house of Yahweh.
3 He said to the Levites who taught all Israel understanding and were holy to Yahweh: Put the holy coffer in the house that Solomon son of David, king of Israel, built; it is no longer carried on your shoulders. Now serve Yahweh your Elohim and His people Israel.
4 Prepare yourselves by your fathers’ houses according to your apportionments and the written decree of David king of Israel and the document of Solomon his son;
5 and stand ready in the sanctuary, by the distributions of your fathers’ houses, for your kinsmen, the sons of the people, so that there be Levites for each apportionment of a father’s house.
6 Slay the passover lambs and sanctify yourselves and prepare it for your kinsmen to observe it according to the word of Yahweh given by means of Moses.
7 Josiah donated to the sons of the people small cattle, helambs and young goats all as passover offerings to all who had converged to the number of 30,000, and large cattle, 3,000; these were from the king’s own goods.
8 As for his chief officials, they donated a voluntary offering to the people, to the priests and to the Levites; Hilkiah and Zechariah and Jehiel who were the chief officers of the house of Elohim, gave to the priest as passover offerings 2,600 small cattle, he-lambs and young goats, and 300 large cattle.
9 Conaniah, Benaiah, Shemaiah and Nethanel his brothers, and Hashabiah, Jeiel and Jozabad, who were chief officials of the Levites, donated as passover offerings to the Levites 5,000 small cattle and 500 large cattle.
10 The service was prepared; the priests stood at their positions and the Levites in their apportionments, according to the king’s instruction.
11 They slew the passover lambs, and the priests received the blood from their hand and sprinkled it, while the Levites did the flaying.
12 They took away the ascent offerings to give them for distribution to the fathers’ houses, to the sons of the people, that they might offer them to Yahweh, according to what is written in the scroll of Moses; and thus also with the large cattle.
13 They cooked the passover offerings with fire according to the custom, while the holy offerings they cooked in pots, in cauldrons and in pans, and brought them rapidly to all the sons of the people.
14 And afterward they made preparations for themselves and for the priests, since the priests, the sons of Aaron, were offering up the ascent offering and the fat portions until night; and the Levites, for their part, made preparations for themselves and for the priests, the sons of Aaron.
15 The singers, the sons of Asaph, were at their standing ground, according to the instruction of David and Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun, the vision seer of the king; and the gatekeepers were at each and every gate. There was no need for them to withdraw from their service since their kinsmen the Levites made the preparations for them.
16 So all the service of Yahweh was prepared that day to observe the Passover and to offer up ascent offerings on the altar of Yahweh according to the instruction of king Josiah.
17 The sons of Israel who had converged, observed the Passover at that time, and the festival of unleavened bread for seven days.
18 Indeed no Passover like it had been observed in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet; none of all the kings of Israel had observed such a Passover as Josiah did, with the priests and the Levites and all Judah and Israel who had converged with the dwellers of Jerusalem.
19 This Passover was observed in the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah.
20 After all this, when Josiah had provided for the house, Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt went up to fight at Carchemish on the Euphrates, and Josiah marched forth to meet him.
21 But Neco sent messengers to him, saying, What is there between me and you, king of Judah? It is not against you that I am coming hither today, but against the house with which I am at war. And Elohim Himself ordered me to speed up. Forbear for your own sake from interfering with Elohim Who is with me, so He does not ruin you.
22 Yet Josiah would not be deflected from facing him; instead, he disguised himself to fight him. He would not hearken to Neco’s words from the mouth of Elohim; and he came to fight in the valley of Megiddo.
23 Shooters shot king Josiah; then the king said to his servants, Pass me along for I am intensely wounded.
24 So his servants passed him along from the chariot and had him ride in the second chariot that he had and conducted him to Jerusalem where he died and was entombed in the tombs of his fathers. All Judah and Jerusalem were mourning over Josiah;
25 and Jeremiah composed a dirge for Josiah. All the male singers and the female singers lamented for Josiah in their dirges until today; they made them a tradition in Israel, and they are now written up in the dirges.
26 As for the rest of the affairs of Josiah, and his loyalties according to what is written in the law of Yahweh,
27 his affairs, first and last, behold, they are written on the scroll of the kings of Israel and Judah.
Chapter 36
1 The people of the land took Josiah’s son Jehoahaz and proclaimed him king instead of his father in Jerusalem.
2 Joahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king; and he reigned three months in Jerusalem.
3 The king of Egypt deposed him in Jerusalem and fined the land a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold.
4 Then the king of Egypt made his brother Eliakim king over Judah and Jerusalem and turned his name around to Jehoiakim. Pharaoh Neco took his brother Joahaz and brought him to Egypt; and there he died.
5 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king; and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. He did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh his Elohim.
6 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against him; he bound him with two bronze fetters to lead him off to Babylon.
7 Nebuchadnezzar also brought some of the vessels of the house of Yahweh to Babylon and put them in his temple at Babylon.
8 As for the rest of the affairs of Jehoiakim, and his abhorrences which he committed, and what was found against him, behold, they are written on the scroll of the kings of Israel and Judah. Then Jehoiakim lay down with his fathers and was entombed in the garden of Uzza with his fathers. His son Jehoiachin reigned in his stead.
9 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king; and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem. He did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh.
10 At the return of the year king Nebuchadnezzar sent and brought him to Babylon with the coveted furnishings of the house of Yahweh; he made his kinsman Zedekiah king over Judah and Jerusalem.
11 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king; and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem.
12 He did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh his Elohim; and he was not submissive before Jeremiah the prophet at the word from the mouth of Yahweh.
13 Furthermore he revolted against king Nebuchadnezzar who had made him swear fealty by Elohim; he stiffened his scruff and made his heart resolute rather than turn about to Yahweh Elohim of Israel.
14 Moreover all the chief officials of Judah and the priests and the people of the land offended with increasing offense according to all the abhorrences of the nations. They defiled the house of Yahweh that He had sanctified in Jerusalem.
15 Yahweh Elohim of their fathers sent word to them early, by means of His messengers, and He sent it again; for He took pity on His people and on His habitation.
16 But they continued to sneer at the messengers of Elohim, despising His words and flouting at His prophets until the fury of Yahweh against His people grew up, until there was no remedy.
17 So He brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their choice young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary; he did not spare choice youth or virgin, elder or hoary headed; He gave them all into his hand.
18 All the vessels of the house of Elohim, large and small, also the treasures of the house of Yahweh and the treasures of the king and his chief officials, all of them he brought to Babylon.
19 They burned the house of Elohim and tore down the wall of Jerusalem, burned all its mansions with fire, and wrecked all its coveted furnishings.
20 He deported those remaining from the sword to Babylon, and they became slaves to him and to his sons until the royalty of Persia began to reign,
21 to fulfill the word of Yahweh by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had accepted its sabbaths; all the days of its desolation it kept sabbath to fulfill seventy years.
22 In year one of Cyrus king of Persia, to conclude the word of Yahweh by the mouth of Jeremiah, Yahweh aroused the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia so that he had a proclamation passed throughout his kingdom, and also in writing, saying,
23 Thus speaks Cyrus king of Persia: Yahweh Elohim of the heavens has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and He Himself has committed to me to build for Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Anyone among you of all His people, Yahweh his Elohim be with him. Let him go up.