And Solomon the son of David was strengthened in
his kingdom, and Jehovah his God was with him, and magnified him
exceedingly. And Solomon spake unto all Israel,
to the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and to the judges, and to
every prince in all Israel, the heads of the fathers' houses.
So Solomon, and all the assembly with him, went
to the high place that was at Gibeon; for there was the tent of meeting of
God, which Moses the servant of Jehovah had made in the wilderness.
But the ark of God had David brought up from
Kiriath-jearim to the place that David had prepared for it; for he
had pitched a tent for it at Jerusalem. Moreover
the brazen altar, that Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made,
was there before the tabernacle of Jehovah: and Solomon and the assembly
sought unto it. And Solomon went up thither to
the brazen altar before Jehovah, which was at the tent of meeting, and
offered a thousand burnt-offerings upon it.
In that night did God appear unto Solomon, and
said unto him, Ask what I shall give thee. And
Solomon said unto God, Thou hast showed great lovingkindness unto David my
father, and hast made me king in his stead. Now,
O Jehovah God, let thy promise unto David my father be established; for
thou hast made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in
multitude. Give me now wisdom and knowledge,
that I may go out and come in before this people; for who can judge this
thy people, that is so great? And God said to
Solomon, Because this was in thy heart, and thou hast not asked riches,
wealth, or honor, nor the life of them that hate thee, neither yet hast
asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that
thou mayest judge my people, over whom I have made thee king:
wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I
will give thee riches, and wealth, and honor, such as none of the kings
have had that have been before thee; neither shall there any after thee
have the like. So Solomon came from the high
place that was at Gibeon, from before the tent of meeting, unto Jerusalem;
and he reigned over Israel. And Solomon gathered
chariots and horsemen: and he had a thousand and four hundred chariots,
and twelve thousand horsemen, that he placed in the chariot cities, and
with the king at Jerusalem. And the king made
silver and gold to be in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars made he to be as
the sycomore-trees that are in the lowland, for abundance.
And the horses which Solomon had were brought
out of Egypt; the king's merchants received them in droves, each drove at
a price. And they fetched up and brought out of
Egypt a chariot for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for
a hundred and fifty: and so for all the kings of the Hittites, and the
kings of Syria, did they bring them out by their means.
Now Solomon purposed to build a house for the
name of Jehovah, and a house for his kingdom. And
Solomon counted out threescore and ten thousand men to bear burdens, and
fourscore thousand men that were hewers in the mountains, and three
thousand and six hundred to oversee them. And
Solomon sent to Huram the king of Tyre, saying, As thou didst deal with
David my father, and didst send him cedars to build him a house to dwell
therein, even so deal with me. Behold, I
am about to build a house for the name of Jehovah my God, to dedicate it
to him, and to burn before him incense of sweet spices, and for the
continual showbread, and for the burnt-offerings morning and evening, on
the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the set feasts of Jehovah our
God. This is an ordinance for ever to Israel.
And the house which I build is great; for great
is our God above all gods. But who is able to
build him a house, seeing heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain
him? who am I then, that I should build him a house, save only to burn
incense before him? Now therefore send me a man
skilful to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in iron, and in
purple, and crimson, and blue, and that knoweth how to grave all manner
of gravings, to be with the skilful men that are with me in
Judah and in Jerusalem, whom David my father did provide.
Send me also cedar-trees, fir-trees, and
algum-trees, out of Lebanon; for I know that thy servants know how to cut
timber in Lebanon: and, behold, my servants shall be with thy servants,
even to prepare me timber in abundance; for the
house which I am about to build shall be great and wonderful.
And, behold, I will give to thy servants, the
hewers that cut timber, twenty thousand measures of beaten wheat, and
twenty thousand measures of barley, and twenty thousand baths of wine, and
twenty thousand baths of oil. Then Huram the
king of Tyre answered in writing, which he sent to Solomon, Because
Jehovah loves his people, he hath made thee king over them.
Huram said moreover, Blessed be Jehovah, the God
of Israel, that made heaven and earth, who hath given to David the king a
wise son, endued with discretion and understanding, that should build a
house for Jehovah, and a house for his kingdom.
And now I have sent a skilful man, endued with
understanding, of Huram my father's, the son of
a woman of the daughters of Dan; and his father was a man of Tyre, skilful
to work in gold, and in silver, in brass, in iron, in stone, and in
timber, in purple, in blue, and in fine linen, and in crimson, also to
grave any manner of graving, and to devise any device; that there may be
a place appointed unto him with thy skilful men, and with the
skilful men of my lord David thy father. Now
therefore the wheat and the barley, the oil and the wine, which my lord
hath spoken of, let him send unto his servants:
and we will cut wood out of Lebanon, as much as
thou will need; and we will bring it to thee in floats by sea to Joppa;
and thou will carry it up to Jerusalem. And
Solomon numbered all the sojourners that were in the land of Israel, after
the numbering wherewith David his father had numbered them; and they were
found a hundred and fifty thousand and three thousand and six hundred.
And he set threescore and ten thousand of them
to bear burdens, and fourscore thousand that were hewers in the mountains,
and three thousand and six hundred overseers to set the people at work.
Then Solomon began to build the house of Jehovah
at Jerusalem on mount Moriah, where Jehovah appeared unto David his
father, which he made ready in the place that David had appointed, in the
threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite. And he
began to build in the second day of the second month, in the fourth
year of his reign. Now these are the foundations
which Solomon laid for the building of the house of God. The length by
cubits after the first measure was threescore cubits, and the breadth
twenty cubits. And the porch that was before
the house, the length of it, according to the breadth of the house,
was twenty cubits, and the height a hundred and twenty; and he overlaid it
within with pure gold. And the greater house he
ceiled with fir-wood, which he overlaid with fine gold, and wrought
thereon palm-trees and chains. And he garnished
the house with precious stones for beauty: and the gold was gold of
Parvaim. He overlaid also the house, the beams,
the thresholds, and the walls thereof, and the doors thereof, with gold;
and graved cherubim on the walls. And he made the
most holy house: the length thereof, according to the breadth of the
house, was twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof twenty cubits; and he
overlaid it with fine gold, amounting to six hundred talents.
And the weight of the nails was fifty shekels of
gold. And he overlaid the upper chambers with gold.
And in the most holy house he made two cherubim
of image work; and they overlaid them with gold.
And the wings of the cherubim were twenty cubits
long: the wing of the one cherub was five cubits, reaching to the
wall of the house; and the other wing was likewise five cubits,
reaching to the wing of the other cherub. And
the wing of the other cherub was five cubits, reaching to the wall of the
house; and the other wing was five cubits also, joining to the wing
of the other cherub. The wings of these cherubim
spread themselves forth twenty cubits: and they stood on their feet, and
their faces were toward the house. And he made
the veil of blue, and purple, and crimson, and fine linen, and wrought
cherubim thereon. Also he made before the house
two pillars of thirty and five cubits high, and the capital that was on
the top of each of them was five cubits. And he
made chains in the oracle, and put them on the tops of the pillars;
and he made a hundred pomegranates, and put them on the chains.
And he set up the pillars before the temple, one
on the right hand, and the other on the left; and called the name of that
on the right hand Jachin, and the name of that on the left Boaz.
Moreover he made an altar of brass, twenty cubits
the length thereof, and twenty cubits the breadth thereof, and ten cubits
the height thereof. Also he made the molten sea
of ten cubits from brim to brim, round in compass; and the height thereof
was five cubits; and a line of thirty cubits compassed it round about.
And under it was the likeness of oxen, which did
compass it round about, for ten cubits, compassing the sea round about.
The oxen were in two rows, cast when it was cast.
It stood upon twelve oxen, three looking toward
the north, and three looking toward the west, and three looking toward the
south, and three looking toward the east: and the sea was set upon them
above, and all their hinder parts were inward.
And it was a handbreadth thick; and the brim
thereof was wrought like the brim of a cup, like the flower of a lily: it
received and held three thousand baths. He made
also ten lavers, and put five on the right hand, and five on the left, to
wash in them; such things as belonged to the burnt-offering they washed in
them; but the sea was for the priests to wash in.
And he made the ten candlesticks of gold
according to the ordinance concerning them; and he set them in the temple,
five on the right hand, and five on the left. He
made also ten tables, and placed them in the temple, five on the right
side, and five on the left. And he made a hundred basins of gold.
Furthermore he made the court of the priests, and
the great court, and doors for the court, and overlaid the doors of them
with brass. And he set the sea on the right side
of the house eastward, toward the south.
And Huram made the pots, and the shovels, and
the basins. So Huram made an end of doing the work that he wrought for
king Solomon in the house of God: the two
pillars, and the bowls, and the two capitals which were on the top of the
pillars, and the two networks to cover the two bowls of the capitals that
were on the top of the pillars, and the four
hundred pomegranates for the two networks; two rows of pomegranates for
each network, to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were upon the
pillars. He made also the bases, and the lavers
made he upon the bases; one sea, and the twelve
oxen under it. The pots also, and the shovels,
and the flesh-hooks, and all the vessels thereof, did Huram his father
make for king Solomon for the house of Jehovah of bright brass.
In the plain of the Jordan did the king cast
them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zeredah.
Thus Solomon made all these vessels in great
abundance: for the weight of the brass could not be found out.
And Solomon made all the vessels that were in
the house of God, the golden altar also, and the tables whereon was the
showbread; and the candlesticks with their
lamps, to burn according to the ordinance before the oracle, of pure gold;
and the flowers, and the lamps, and the tongs,
of gold, and that perfect gold; and the
snuffers, and the basins, and the spoons, and the firepans, of pure gold:
and as for the entry of the house, the inner doors thereof for the most
holy place, and the doors of the house, to wit, of the temple, were
of gold.
Thus all the work that Solomon wrought for the
house of Jehovah was finished. And Solomon brought in the things that
David his father had dedicated, even the silver, and the gold, and all the
vessels, and put them in the treasuries of the house of God.
Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and
all the heads of the tribes, the princes of the fathers' houses of
the children of Israel, unto Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the
covenant of Jehovah out of the city of David, which is Zion.
nd all the men of Israel assembled themselves
unto the king at the feast, which was in the seventh month.
And all the elders of Israel came: and the
Levites took up the ark; and they brought up the
ark, and the tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the
Tent; these did the priests the Levites bring up.
And king Solomon and all the congregation of
Israel, that were assembled unto him, were before the ark, sacrificing
sheep and oxen, that could not be counted nor numbered for multitude.
And the priests brought in the ark of the
covenant of Jehovah unto its place, into the oracle of the house, to the
most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubim.
For the cherubim spread forth their wings over
the place of the ark, and the cherubim covered the ark and the staves
thereof above. And the staves were so long that
the ends of the staves were seen from the ark before the oracle; but they
were not seen without: and there it is unto this day.
There was nothing in the ark save the two tables
which Moses put there at Horeb, when Jehovah made a covenant with
the children of Israel, when they came out of Egypt.
And it came to pass, when the priests were come
out of the holy place, (for all the priests that were present had
sanctified themselves, and did not keep their courses;
also the Levites who were the singers, all of
them, even Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and their sons and their brethren,
arrayed in fine linen, with cymbals and psalteries and harps, stood at the
east end of the altar, and with them a hundred and twenty priests sounding
with trumpets;) it came to pass, when the
trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in
praising and thanking Jehovah; and when they lifted up their voice with
the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised Jehovah,
saying, For he is good; for his lovingkindness endureth for
ever; that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of
Jehovah, so that the priests could not stand to
minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of Jehovah filled the house
of God.
Then spake Solomon, Jehovah hath said that he
would dwell in the thick darkness. But I have
built thee a house of habitation, and a place for thee to dwell in for
ever. And the king turned his face, and blessed
all the assembly of Israel: and all the assembly of Israel stood.
And he said, Blessed be Jehovah, the God of
Israel, who spake with his mouth unto David my father, and hath with his
hands fulfilled it, saying, Since the day that I
brought forth my people out of the land of Egypt, I chose no city out of
all the tribes of Israel to build a house in, that my name might be there;
neither chose I any man to be prince over my people Israel:
but I have chosen Jerusalem, that my name might
be there; and have chosen David to be over my people Israel.
Now it was in the heart of David my father to
build a house for the name of Jehovah, the God of Israel.
But Jehovah said unto David my father, Whereas it
was in thy heart to build a house for my name, thou didst well that it was
in thy heart: nevertheless thou will not build
the house; but thy son that shall come forth out of thy loins, he shall
build the house for my name. And Jehovah hath
performed his word that he spake; for I am risen up in the room of David
my father, and sit on the throne of Israel, as Jehovah promised, and have
built the house for the name of Jehovah, the God of Israel.
And there have I set the ark, wherein is the
covenant of Jehovah, which he made with the children of Israel.
And he stood before the altar of Jehovah in the
presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread forth his hands
(for Solomon had made a brazen scaffold, five
cubits long, and five cubits broad, and three cubits high, and had set it
in the midst of the court; and upon it he stood, and kneeled down upon his
knees before all the assembly of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward
heaven;) and he said, O Jehovah, the God of
Israel, there is no God like thee, in heaven, or on earth; who keepest
covenant and lovingkindness with thy servants, that walk before thee with
all their heart; who hast kept with thy servant
David my father that which thou didst promise him: yea, thou spakest with
thy mouth, and hast fulfilled it with thy hand, as it is this day.
Now therefore, O Jehovah, the God of Israel,
keep with thy servant David my father that which thou hast promised him,
saying, There shall not fail thee a man in my sight to sit on the throne
of Israel, if only thy children take heed to their way, to walk in my law
as thou hast walked before me. Now therefore, O
Jehovah, the God of Israel, let thy word be verified, which thou spakest
unto thy servant David. But will God in very
deed dwell with men on the earth? behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens
cannot contain thee; how much less this house which I have builded!
Yet have thou respect unto the prayer of thy
servant, and to his supplication, O Jehovah my God, to hearken unto the
cry and to the prayer which thy servant prayeth before thee;
that thine eyes may be open toward this house
day and night, even toward the place whereof thou hast said that thou
wouldest put thy name there; to hearken unto the prayer which thy servant
shall pray toward this place. And hearken thou
to the supplications of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, when they
shall pray toward this place: yea, hear thou from thy dwelling-place, even
from heaven; and when thou hearest forgive. If a
man sin against his neighbor, and an oath be laid upon him to cause him to
swear, and he come and swear before thine altar in this house;
then hear thou from heaven, and do, and judge
thy servants, requiting the wicked, to bring his way upon his own head;
and justifying the righteous, to give him according to his righteousness.
And if thy people Israel be smitten down before
the enemy, because they have sinned against thee, and shall turn again and
confess thy name, and pray and make supplication before thee in this
house; then hear thou from heaven, and forgive
the sin of thy people Israel, and bring them again unto the land which
thou gavest to them and to their fathers. When
the heavens are shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned
against thee; if they pray toward this place, and confess thy name, and
turn from their sin, when thou dost afflict them:
then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of
thy servants, and of thy people Israel, when thou teachest them the good
way wherein they should walk; and send rain upon thy land, which thou hast
given to thy people for an inheritance. If there
be in the land famine, if there be pestilence, if there be blasting or
mildew, locust or caterpillar; if their enemies besiege them in the land
of their cities; whatsoever plague or whatsoever sickness there be;
what prayer and supplication soever be made by
any man, or by all thy people Israel, who shall know every man his own
plague and his own sorrow, and shall spread forth his hands toward this
house: then hear thou from heaven thy
dwelling-place and forgive, and render unto every man according to all his
ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, even thou only, knowest the
hearts of the children of men;) that they may
fear thee, to walk in thy ways, so long as they live in the land which
thou gavest unto our fathers. Moreover
concerning the foreigner, that is not of thy people Israel, when he shall
come from a far country for thy great name's sake, and thy mighty hand,
and thine outstretched arm; when they shall come and pray toward this
house: then hear thou from heaven, even from thy
dwelling-place, and do according to all that the foreigner calleth to thee
for; that all the peoples of the earth may know thy name, and fear thee,
as doth thy people Israel, and that they may know that this house which I
have built is called by thy name. If thy people
go out to battle against their enemies, by whatsoever way thou will send
them, and they pray unto thee toward this city which thou hast chosen, and
the house which I have built for thy name; then
hear thou from heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain
their cause. If they sin against thee (for there
is no man that sinneth not), and thou be angry with them, and deliver them
to the enemy, so that they carry them away captive unto a land far off or
near; yet if they shall bethink themselves in
the land whither they are carried captive, and turn again, and make
supplication unto thee in the land of their captivity, saying, We have
sinned, we have done perversely, and have dealt wickedly;
if they return unto thee with all their heart
and with all their soul in the land of their captivity, whither they have
carried them captive, and pray toward their land, which thou gavest unto
their fathers, and the city which thou hast chosen, and toward the house
which I have built for thy name: then hear thou
from heaven, even from thy dwelling-place, their prayer and their
supplications, and maintain their cause, and forgive thy people who have
sinned against thee. Now, O my God, let, I
beseech thee, thine eyes be open, and let thine ears be attent, unto the
prayer that is made in this place. Now therefore
arise, O Jehovah God, into thy resting-place, thou, and the ark of thy
strength: let thy priests, O Jehovah God, be clothed with salvation, and
let thy saints rejoice in goodness. O Jehovah
God, turn not away the face of thine anointed: remember thy
lovingkindnesses to David thy servant.
Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the
fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt-offering and the
sacrifices; and the glory of Jehovah filled the house.
And the priests could not enter into the house of
Jehovah, because the glory of Jehovah filled Jehovah's house.
And all the children of Israel looked on, when
the fire came down, and the glory of Jehovah was upon the house; and they
bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and
worshipped, and gave thanks unto Jehovah, saying, For he is good;
for his lovingkindness endureth for ever.
Then the king and all the people offered
sacrifice before Jehovah. And king Solomon
offered a sacrifice of twenty and two thousand oxen, and a hundred and
twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the people dedicated the house
of God. And the priests stood, according to their
offices; the Levites also with instruments of music of Jehovah, which
David the king had made to give thanks unto Jehovah, (for his
lovingkindness endureth for ever,) when David praised by their
ministry: and the priests sounded trumpets before them; and all Israel
stood. Moreover Solomon hallowed the middle of
the court that was before the house of Jehovah; for there he offered the
burnt-offerings, and the fat of the peace-offerings, because the brazen
altar which Solomon had made was not able to receive the burnt-offering,
and the meal-offering, and the fat. So Solomon
held the feast at that time seven days, and all Israel with him, a very
great assembly, from the entrance of Hamath unto the brook of Egypt.
And on the eighth day they held a solemn
assembly: for they kept the dedication of the altar seven days, and the
feast seven days. And on the three and twentieth
day of the seventh month he sent the people away unto their tents, joyful
and glad of heart for the goodness that Jehovah had showed unto David, and
to Solomon, and to Israel his people. Thus
Solomon finished the house of Jehovah, and the king's house: and all that
came into Solomon's heart to make in the house of Jehovah, and in his own
house, he prosperously effected. And Jehovah
appeared to Solomon by night, and said unto him, I have heard thy prayer,
and have chosen this place to myself for a house of sacrifice.
If I shut up the heavens so that there is no
rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send
pestilence among my people; if my people, who
are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my
face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and
will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears
attent, unto the prayer that is made in this place.
For now have I chosen and hallowed this house,
that my name may be there for ever; and mine eyes and my heart shall be
there perpetually. And as for thee, if thou wilt
walk before me as David thy father walked, and do according to all that I
have commanded thee, and wilt keep my statutes and mine ordinances;
then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom,
according as I covenanted with David thy father, saying, There shall not
fail thee a man to be ruler in Israel. But if ye
turn away, and forsake my statutes and my commandments which I have set
before you, and shall go and serve other gods, and worship them;
then will I pluck them up by the roots out of my
land which I have given them; and this house, which I have hallowed for my
name, will I cast out of my sight, and I will make it a proverb and a
byword among all peoples. And this house, which
is so high, every one that passeth by it shall be astonished, and shall
say, Why hath Jehovah done thus unto this land, and to this house?
And they shall answer, Because they forsook
Jehovah, the God of their fathers, who brought them forth out of the land
of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods, and worshipped them, and served
them: therefore hath he brought all this evil upon them.
And it came to pass at the end of twenty years,
wherein Solomon had built the house of Jehovah, and his own house,
that the cities which Huram had given to Solomon,
Solomon built them, and caused the children of Israel to dwell there.
And Solomon went to Hamath-zobah, and prevailed
against it. And he built Tadmor in the
wilderness, and all the store-cities, which he built in Hamath.
Also he built Beth-horon the upper, and
Beth-horon the nether, fortified cities, with walls, gates, and bars;
and Baalath, and all the store-cities that
Solomon had, and all the cities for his chariots, and the cities for his
horsemen, and all that Solomon desired to build for his pleasure in
Jerusalem, and in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion.
As for all the people that were left of the
Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the
Jebusites, that were not of Israel; of their
children that were left after them in the land, whom the children of
Israel consumed not, of them did Solomon raise a levy of
bondservants unto this day. But of the
children of Israel did Solomon make no servants for his work; but they
were men of war, and chief of his captains, and rulers of his chariots and
of his horsemen. And these were the chief
officers of king Solomon, even two hundred and fifty, that bare rule over
the people. And Solomon brought up the daughter
of Pharaoh out of the city of David unto the house that he had built for
her; for he said, My wife shall not dwell in the house of David king of
Israel, because the places are holy, whereunto the ark of Jehovah hath
come. Then Solomon offered burnt-offerings unto
Jehovah on the altar of Jehovah, which he had built before the porch,
even as the duty of every day required, offering
according to the commandment of Moses, on the sabbaths, and on the new
moons, and on the set feasts, three times in the year, even in the
feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of
tabernacles. And he appointed, according to the
ordinance of David his father, the courses of the priests to their
service, and the Levites to their offices, to praise, and to minister
before the priests, as the duty of every day required; the doorkeepers
also by their courses at every gate: for so had David the man of God
commanded. And they departed not from the
commandment of the king unto the priests and Levites concerning any
matter, or concerning the treasures. Now all the
work of Solomon was prepared unto the day of the foundation of the house
of Jehovah, and until it was finished. So the house of Jehovah was
completed. Then went Solomon to Ezion-geber, and
to Eloth, on the seashore in the land of Edom.
And Huram sent him by the hands of his servants
ships, and servants that had knowledge of the sea; and they came with the
servants of Solomon to Ophir, and fetched from thence four hundred and
fifty talents of gold, and brought them to king Solomon.
And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of
Solomon, she came to prove Solomon with hard questions at Jerusalem, with
a very great train, and camels that bare spices, and gold in abundance,
and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with
him of all that was in her heart. And Solomon
told her all her questions; and there was not anything hid from Solomon
which he told her not. And when the queen of
Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he had built,
and the food of his table, and the sitting of his
servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, his
cupbearers also, and their apparel, and his ascent by which he went up
unto the house of Jehovah; there was no more spirit in her.
And she said to the king, It was a true report
that I heard in mine own land of thine acts, and of thy wisdom.
Howbeit I believed not their words, until I came,
and mine eyes had seen it; and, behold, the half of the greatness of thy
wisdom was not told me: thou exceedest the fame that I heard.
Happy are thy men, and happy are these thy
servants, that stand continually before thee, and hear thy wisdom.
Blessed be Jehovah thy God, who delighted in
thee, to set thee on his throne, to be king for Jehovah thy God: because
thy God loved Israel, to establish them for ever, therefore made he thee
king over them, to do justice and righteousness.
And she gave the king a hundred and twenty
talents of gold, and spices in great abundance, and precious stones:
neither was there any such spice as the queen of Sheba gave to king
Solomon. And the servants also of Huram, and the
servants of Solomon, that brought gold from Ophir, brought algum-trees and
precious stones. And the king made of the
algum-trees terraces for the house of Jehovah, and for the king's house,
and harps and psalteries for the singers: and there were none such seen
before in the land of Judah. And king Solomon
gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, besides
that which she had brought unto the king. So she turned, and went to her
own land, she and her servants. Now the weight
of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred and threescore
and six talents of gold, besides that which the
traders and merchants brought: and all the kings of Arabia and the
governors of the country brought gold and silver to Solomon.
And king Solomon made two hundred bucklers of
beaten gold; six hundred shekels of beaten gold went to one
buckler. And he made three hundred
shields of beaten gold; three hundred shekels of gold went to one
shield: and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.
Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory,
and overlaid it with pure gold. nd there were
six steps to the throne, with a footstool of gold, which were fastened to
the throne, and stays on either side by the place of the seat, and two
lions standing beside the stays. And twelve
lions stood there on the one side and on the other upon the six steps:
there was not the like made in any kingdom. And
all king Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of
the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold: silver was nothing
accounted of in the days of Solomon. For the
king had ships that went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram; once
every three years came the ships of Tarshish, bringing gold, and silver,
ivory, and apes, and peacocks. So king Solomon
exceeded all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.
And all the kings of the earth sought the
presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart.
And they brought every man his tribute, vessels
of silver, and vessels of gold, and raiment, armor, and spices, horses,
and mules, a rate year by year. And Solomon had
four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand
horsemen, that he bestowed in the chariot cities, and with the king at
Jerusalem. And he ruled over all the kings from
the River even unto the land of the Philistines, and to the border of
Egypt. And the king made silver to be in
Jerusalem as stones, and cedars made he to be as the sycomore-trees that
are in the lowland, for abundance. And they
brought horses for Solomon out of Egypt, and out of all lands.
Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, first and
last, are they not written in the history of Nathan the prophet, and in
the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer
concerning Jeroboam the son of Nebat? And
Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years.
And Solomon slept with his fathers, and he was
buried in the city of David his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned in
his stead.
And Rehoboam went to Shechem; for all Israel
were come to Shechem to make him king. And it
came to pass, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it, (for he was in
Egypt, whither he had fled from the presence of king Solomon,) that
Jeroboam returned out of Egypt. And they sent
and called him; and Jeroboam and all Israel came, and they spake to
Rehoboam, saying, Thy father made our yoke
grievous: now therefore make thou the grievous service of thy father, and
his heavy yoke which he put upon us, lighter, and we will serve thee.
And he said unto them, Come again unto me after
three days. And the people departed. And king
Rehoboam took counsel with the old men, that had stood before Solomon his
father while he yet lived, saying, What counsel give ye me to return
answer to this people? And they spake unto him,
saying, If thou be kind to this people, and please them, and speak good
words to them, then they will be thy servants for ever.
But he forsook the counsel of the old men which
they had given him, and took counsel with the young men that were grown up
with him, that stood before him. And he said
unto them, What counsel give ye, that we may return answer to this people,
who have spoken to me, saying, Make the yoke that thy father did put upon
us lighter? And the young men that were grown
up with him spake unto him, saying, Thus will thou say unto the people
that spake unto thee, saying, Thy father made our yoke heavy, but make
thou it lighter unto us; thus will thou say unto them, My little finger
is thicker than my father's loins. And now
whereas my father did lade you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke:
my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with
scorpions. So Jeroboam and all the people came
to Rehoboam the third day, as the king bade, saying, Come to me again the
third day. And the king answered them roughly;
and king Rehoboam forsook the counsel of the old men,
and spake to them after the counsel of the
young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add thereto:
my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with
scorpions. So the king hearkened not unto the
people; for it was brought about of God, that Jehovah might establish his
word, which he spake by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
And when all Israel saw that the king hearkened
not unto them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we
in David? neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: every man to
your tents, O Israel: now see to thine own house, David. So all Israel
departed unto their tents. But as for the
children of Israel that dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned
over them. Then king Rehoboam sent Hadoram, who
was over the men subject to taskwork; and the children of Israel stoned
him to death with stones. And king Rehoboam made speed to get him up to
his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem. So Israel
rebelled against the house of David unto this day.
And when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he
assembled the house of Judah and Benjamin, a hundred and fourscore
thousand chosen men, that were warriors, to fight against Israel, to bring
the kingdom again to Rehoboam. But the word of
Jehovah came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying,
Speak unto Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of
Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, saying,
Thus says Jehovah, Ye shall not go up, nor
fight against your brethren: return every man to his house; for this thing
is of me. So they hearkened unto the words of Jehovah, and returned from
going against Jeroboam. And Rehoboam dwelt in
Jerusalem, and built cities for defence in Judah.
He built Beth-lehem, and Etam, and Tekoa,
And Beth-zur, and Soco, and Adullam,
and Gath, and Mareshah, and Ziph,
and Adoraim, and Lachish, and Azekah,
and Zorah, and Aijalon, and Hebron, which are
in Judah and in Benjamin, fortified cities. And
he fortified the strongholds, and put captains in them, and stores of
victuals, and oil and wine. And in every city
he put shields and spears, and made them exceeding strong. And
Judah and Benjamin belonged to him. And the
priests and the Levites that were in all Israel resorted to him out of all
their border. For the Levites left their
suburbs and their possession, and came to Judah and Jerusalem: for
Jeroboam and his sons cast them off, that they should not execute the
priest's office unto Jehovah; and he appointed
him priests for the high places, and for the he-goats, and for the calves
which he had made. And after them, out of all
the tribes of Israel, such as set their hearts to seek Jehovah, the God of
Israel, came to Jerusalem to sacrifice unto Jehovah, the God of their
fathers. So they strengthened the kingdom of
Judah, and made Rehoboam the son of Solomon strong, three years; for they
walked three years in the way of David and Solomon.
And Rehoboam took him a wife, Mahalath the
daughter of Jerimoth the son of David, and of Abihail the daughter
of Eliab the son of Jesse; and she bare him
sons: Jeush, and Shemariah, and Zaham. And
after her he took Maacah the daughter of Absalom; and she bare him Abijah,
and Attai, and Ziza, and Shelomith. And
Rehoboam loved Maacah the daughter of Absalom above all his wives and his
concubines: (for he took eighteen wives, and threescore concubines, and
begat twenty and eight sons and threescore daughters.)
And Rehoboam appointed Abijah the son of Maacah
to be chief, even the prince among his brethren; for he was
minded to make him king. And he dealt
wisely, and dispersed of all his sons throughout all the lands of Judah
and Benjamin, unto every fortified city: and he gave them victuals in
abundance. And he sought for them many wives.
And it came to pass, when the kingdom of
Rehoboam was established, and he was strong, that he forsook the law of
Jehovah, and all Israel with him. And it came to
pass in the fifth year of king Rehoboam, that Shishak king of Egypt came
up against Jerusalem, because they had trespassed against Jehovah,
with twelve hundred chariots, and threescore
thousand horsemen. And the people were without number that came with him
out of Egypt: the Lubim, the Sukkiim, and the Ethiopians.
And he took the fortified cities which pertained
to Judah, and came unto Jerusalem. Now Shemaiah
the prophet came to Rehoboam, and to the princes of Judah, that were
gathered together to Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said unto them,
Thus says Jehovah, Ye have forsaken me, therefore have I also left you in
the hand of Shishak. Then the princes of Israel
and the king humbled themselves; and they said, Jehovah is righteous.
And when Jehovah saw that they humbled
themselves, the word of Jehovah came to Shemaiah, saying, They have
humbled themselves: I will not destroy them; but I will grant them some
deliverance, and my wrath shall not be poured out upon Jerusalem by the
hand of Shishak. Nevertheless they shall be his
servants, that they may know my service, and the service of the kingdoms
of the countries. So Shishak king of Egypt came
up against Jerusalem, and took away the treasures of the house of Jehovah,
and the treasures of the king's house: he took all away: he took away also
the shields of gold which Solomon had made. And
king Rehoboam made in their stead shields of brass, and committed them to
the hands of the captains of the guard, that kept the door of the king's
house. And it was so, that, as oft as the king
entered into the house of Jehovah, the guard came and bare them, and
brought them back into the guard-chamber. And
when he humbled himself, the wrath of Jehovah turned from him, so as not
to destroy him altogether: and moreover in Judah there were good things
found. So king Rehoboam strengthened
himself in Jerusalem, and reigned: for Rehoboam was forty and one years
old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem,
the city which Jehovah had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put
his name there: and his mother's name was Naamah the Ammonitess.
And he did that which was evil, because he set
not his heart to seek Jehovah. Now the acts of
Rehoboam, first and last, are they not written in the histories of
Shemaiah the prophet and of Iddo the seer, after the manner of
genealogies? And there were wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam
continually. And Rehoboam slept with his
fathers, and was buried in the city of David: and Abijah his son reigned
in his stead.
In the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam began
Abijah to reign over Judah. Three years reigned
he in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Micaiah the daughter of Uriel
of Gibeah. And there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.
And Abijah joined battle with an army of valiant
men of war, even four hundred thousand chosen men: and Jeroboam set the
battle in array against him with eight hundred thousand chosen men, who
were mighty men of valor. And Abijah stood up
upon mount Zemaraim, which is in the hill-country of Ephraim, and said,
Hear me, O Jeroboam and all Israel: Ought ye not
to know that Jehovah, the God of Israel, gave the kingdom over Israel to
David for ever, even to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt?
Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of
Solomon the son of David, rose up, and rebelled against his lord.
And there were gathered unto him worthless men,
base fellows, that strengthened themselves against Rehoboam the son of
Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and tender-hearted, and could not
withstand them. And now ye think to withstand
the kingdom of Jehovah in the hand of the sons of David; and ye are a
great multitude, and there are with you the golden calves which Jeroboam
made you for gods. Have ye not driven out the
priests of Jehovah, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and made you
priests after the manner of the peoples of other lands? so that
whosoever cometh to consecrate himself with a young bullock and seven
rams, the same may be a priest of them that are no gods.
But as for us, Jehovah is our God, and we have
not forsaken him; and we have priests ministering unto Jehovah, the
sons of Aaron, and the Levites in their work:
and they burn unto Jehovah every morning and
every evening burnt-offerings and sweet incense: the showbread also set
they in order upon the pure table; and the candlestick of gold with
the lamps thereof, to burn every evening: for we keep the charge of
Jehovah our God; but ye have forsaken him. And,
behold, God is with us at our head, and his priests with the trumpets of
alarm to sound an alarm against you. O children of Israel, fight ye not
against Jehovah, the God of your fathers; for ye shall not prosper.
But Jeroboam caused an ambushment to come about
behind them: so they were before Judah, and the ambushment was behind
them. And when Judah looked back, behold, the
battle was before and behind them; and they cried unto Jehovah, and the
priests sounded with the trumpets. Then the men
of Judah gave a shout: and as the men of Judah shouted, it came to pass,
that God smote Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.
And the children of Israel fled before Judah;
and God delivered them into their hand. And
Abijah and his people slew them with a great slaughter: so there fell down
slain of Israel five hundred thousand chosen men.
Thus the children of Israel were brought under
at that time, and the children of Judah prevailed, because they relied
upon Jehovah, the God of their fathers. And
Abijah pursued after Jeroboam, and took cities from him, Beth-el with the
towns thereof, and Jeshanah with the towns thereof, and Ephron with the
towns thereof. Neither did Jeroboam recover
strength again in the days of Abijah: and Jehovah smote him, and he died.
But Abijah waxed mighty, and took unto himself
fourteen wives, and begat twenty and two sons, and sixteen daughters.
And the rest of the acts of Abijah, and his
ways, and his sayings, are written in the commentary of the prophet Iddo.
So Abijah slept with his fathers, and they
buried him in the city of David; and Asa his son reigned in his stead. In
his days the land was quiet ten years. And Asa
did that which was good and right in the eyes of Jehovah his God:
for he took away the foreign altars, and the
high places, and brake down the pillars, and hewed down the Asherim,
and commanded Judah to seek Jehovah, the God of
their fathers, and to do the law and the commandment.
Also he took away out of all the cities of Judah
the high places and the sun-images: and the kingdom was quiet before him.
And he built fortified cities in Judah; for the
land was quiet, and he had no war in those years, because Jehovah had
given him rest. For he said unto Judah, Let us
build these cities, and make about them walls, and towers, gates, and
bars; the land is yet before us, because we have sought Jehovah our God;
we have sought him, and he hath given us rest on every side. So they built
and prospered. And Asa had an army that bare
bucklers and spears, out of Judah three hundred thousand; and out of
Benjamin, that bare shields and drew bows, two hundred and fourscore
thousand: all these were mighty men of valor.
And there came out against them Zerah the
Ethiopian with an army of a thousand thousand, and three hundred chariots;
and he came unto Mareshah. Then Asa went out to
meet him, and they set the battle in array in the valley of Zephathah at
Mareshah. And Asa cried unto Jehovah his God,
and said, Jehovah, there is none besides thee to help, between the mighty
and him that hath no strength: help us, O Jehovah our God; for we rely on
thee, and in thy name are we come against this multitude. O Jehovah, thou
art our God; let not man prevail against thee.
So Jehovah smote the Ethiopians before Asa, and
before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled. And Asa
and the people that were with him pursued them unto Gerar: and there fell
of the Ethiopians so many that they could not recover themselves; for they
were destroyed before Jehovah, and before his host; and they carried away
very much booty. And they smote all the cities
round about Gerar; for the fear of Jehovah came upon them: and they
despoiled all the cities; for there was much spoil in them.
They smote also the tents of cattle, and
carried away sheep in abundance, and camels, and returned to Jerusalem.
And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son
of Oded: and he went out to meet Asa, and said
unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: Jehovah is with
you, while ye are with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you;
but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you. Now
for a long season Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching
priest, and without law: But when in their
distress they turned unto Jehovah, the God of Israel, and sought him, he
was found of them. And in those times there was
no peace to him that went out, nor to him that came in; but great
vexations were upon all the inhabitants of the lands.
And they were broken in pieces, nation against
nation, and city against city; for God did vex them with all adversity.
But be ye strong, and let not your hands be
slack; for your work shall be rewarded. And when
Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took
courage, and put away the abominations out of all the land of Judah and
Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from the hill-country
of Ephraim; and he renewed the altar of Jehovah, that was before the porch
of Jehovah. And he gathered all Judah and
Benjamin, and them that sojourned with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh,
and out of Simeon: for they fell to him out of Israel in abundance, when
they saw that Jehovah his God was with him. So
they gathered themselves together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the
fifteenth year of the reign of Asa. And they
sacrificed unto Jehovah in that day, of the spoil which they had brought,
seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep.
And they entered into the covenant to seek
Jehovah, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their
soul; and that whosoever would not seek
Jehovah, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether small or
great, whether man or woman. And they sware
unto Jehovah with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with trumpets, and
with cornets. And all Judah rejoiced at the
oath; for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their
whole desire; and he was found of them: and Jehovah gave them rest round
about. And also Maacah, the mother of Asa the
king, he removed from being queen, because she had made an abominable
image for an Asherah; and Asa cut down her image, and made dust of it, and
burnt it at the brook Kidron. But the high
places were not taken away out of Israel: nevertheless the heart of Asa
was perfect all his days. And he brought into
the house of God the things that his father had dedicated, and that he
himself had dedicated, silver, and gold, and vessels.
And there was no more war unto the five and
thirtieth year of the reign of Asa.
In the six and thirtieth year of the reign of
Asa, Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah, and built Ramah, that he
might not suffer any one to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah.
Then Asa brought out silver and gold out of the
treasures of the house of Jehovah and of the king's house, and sent to
Ben-hadad king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus, saying,
There is a league between me and thee, as
there was between my father and thy father: behold, I have sent
thee silver and gold; go, break thy league with Baasha king of Israel,
that he may depart from me. And Ben-hadad
hearkened unto king Asa, and sent the captains of his armies against the
cities of Israel; and they smote Ijon, and Dan, and Abel-maim, and all the
store-cities of Naphtali. And it came to pass,
when Baasha heard thereof, that he left off building Ramah, and let his
work cease. Then Asa the king took all Judah;
and they carried away the stones of Ramah, and the timber thereof,
wherewith Baasha had builded; and he built therewith Geba and Mizpah.
And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa
king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of
Syria, and hast not relied on Jehovah thy God, therefore is the host of
the king of Syria escaped out of thy hand. Were
not the Ethiopians and the Lubim a huge host, with chariots and horsemen
exceeding many? yet, because thou didst rely on Jehovah, he delivered them
into thy hand. For the eyes of Jehovah run to
and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf
of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done
foolishly; for from henceforth thou will have wars.
Then Asa was wroth with the seer, and put him
in the prison-house; for he was in a rage with him because of this thing.
And Asa oppressed some of the people at the same time.
And, behold, the acts of Asa, first and last,
lo, they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.
And in the thirty and ninth year of his reign
Asa was diseased in his feet; his disease was exceeding great: yet in his
disease he sought not to Jehovah, but to the physicians.
And Asa slept with his fathers, and died in the
one and fortieth year of his reign. And they
buried him in his own sepulchres, which he had hewn out for himself in the
city of David, and laid him in the bed which was filled with sweet odors
and divers kinds of spices prepared by the perfumers' art: and they
made a very great burning for him.
And Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his stead,
and strengthened himself against Israel. And he
placed forces in all the fortified cities of Judah, and set garrisons in
the land of Judah, and in the cities of Ephraim, which Asa his father had
taken. And Jehovah was with Jehoshaphat, because
he walked in the first ways of his father David, and sought not unto the
Baalim, but sought to the God of his father, and
walked in his commandments, and not after the doings of Israel.
Therefore Jehovah established the kingdom in his
hand; and all Judah brought to Jehoshaphat tribute; and he had riches and
honor in abundance. And his heart was lifted up
in the ways of Jehovah: and furthermore he took away the high places and
the Asherim out of Judah. Also in the third year
of his reign he sent his princes, even Ben-hail, and Obadiah, and
Zechariah, and Nethanel, and Micaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah;
and with them the Levites, even Shemaiah, and
Nethaniah, and Zebadiah, and Asahel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehonathan, and
Adonijah, and Tobijah, and Tob-adonijah, the Levites; and with them
Elishama and Jehoram, the priests. And they
taught in Judah, having the book of the law of Jehovah with them; and they
went about throughout all the cities of Judah, and taught among the
people. And the fear of Jehovah fell upon all
the kingdoms of the lands that were round about Judah, so that they made
no war against Jehoshaphat. And some of the
Philistines brought Jehoshaphat presents, and silver for tribute; the
Arabians also brought him flocks, seven thousand and seven hundred rams,
and seven thousand and seven hundred he-goats.
And Jehoshaphat waxed great exceedingly; and he
built in Judah castles and cities of store. And
he had many works in the cities of Judah; and men of war, mighty men of
valor, in Jerusalem. And this was the numbering
of them according to their fathers' houses: Of Judah, the captains of
thousands: Adnah the captain, and with him mighty men of valor three
hundred thousand; and next to him Jehohanan the
captain, and with him two hundred and fourscore thousand;
and next to him Amasiah the son of Zichri, who
willingly offered himself unto Jehovah; and with him two hundred thousand
mighty men of valor. And of Benjamin: Eliada a
mighty man of valor, and with him two hundred thousand armed with bow and
shield; and next to him Jehozabad and with him
a hundred and fourscore thousand ready prepared for war.
These were they that waited on the king,
besides those whom the king put in the fortified cities throughout all
Judah.
Now Jehoshaphat had riches and honor in
abundance; and he joined affinity with Ahab. And
after certain years he went down to Ahab to Samaria. And Ahab killed sheep
and oxen for him in abundance, and for the people that were with him, and
moved him to go up with him to Ramoth-gilead.
And Ahab king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat
king of Judah, Wilt thou go with me to Ramoth-gilead? And he answered him,
I am as thou art, and my people as thy people; and we will be with
thee in the war. And Jehoshaphat said unto the
king of Israel, Inquire first, I pray thee, for the word of Jehovah.
Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets
together, four hundred men, and said unto them, Shall we go to
Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up; for God
will deliver it into the hand of the king. But
Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of Jehovah besides, that we
may inquire of him? And the king of Israel said
unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of Jehovah:
but I hate him; for he never prophesieth good concerning me, but always
evil: the same is Micaiah the son of Imla. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not
the king say so. Then the king of Israel called
an officer, and said, Fetch quickly Micaiah the son of Imla.
Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king
of Judah sat each on his throne, arrayed in their robes, and they were
sitting in an open place at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all
the prophets were prophesying before them. And
Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made him horns of iron, and said, Thus says
Jehovah, With these will thou push the Syrians, until they be consumed.
And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go
up to Ramoth-gilead, and prosper; for Jehovah will deliver it into the
hand of the king. And the messenger that went
to call Micaiah spake to him, saying, Behold, the words of the prophets
declare good to the king with one mouth: let thy word therefore, I
pray thee, be like one of theirs, and speak thou good.
And Micaiah said, As Jehovah liveth, what my
God says, that will I speak. And when he was
come to the king, the king said unto him, Micaiah, shall we go to
Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And he said, Go ye up, and
prosper; and they shall be delivered into your hand.
And the king said to him, How many times shall
I adjure thee that thou speak unto me nothing but the truth in the name of
Jehovah? And he said, I saw all Israel
scattered upon the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd: and Jehovah
said, These have no master; let them return every man to his house in
peace. And the king of Israel said to
Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee that he would not prophesy good
concerning me, but evil? And Micaiah
said, Therefore hear ye the word of Jehovah: I saw Jehovah sitting upon
his throne, and all the host of heaven standing on his right hand and on
his left. And Jehovah said, Who shall entice
Ahab king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead? And one
spake saying after this manner, and another saying after that manner.
And there came forth a spirit, and stood before
Jehovah, and said, I will entice him. And Jehovah said unto him,
Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and
will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou
will entice him, and will prevail also: go forth, and do so.
Now therefore, behold, Jehovah hath put a lying
spirit in the mouth of these thy prophets; and Jehovah hath spoken evil
concerning thee. Then Zedekiah the son of
Chenaanah came near, and smote Micaiah upon the cheek, and said, Which way
went the Spirit of Jehovah from me to speak unto thee?
And Micaiah said, Behold, thou will see on
that day, when thou will go into an inner chamber to hide thyself.
And the king of Israel said, Take ye Micaiah,
and carry him back unto Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the
king's son; and say, Thus says the king, Put
this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with
water of affliction, until I return in peace.
And Micaiah said, If thou return at all in
peace, Jehovah hath not spoken by me. And he said, Hear, ye peoples, all
of you. So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat
the king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead. And
the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, I will disguise myself, and go
into the battle; but put thou on thy robes. So the king of Israel
disguised himself; and they went into the battle.
Now the king of Syria had commanded the
captains of his chariots, saying, Fight neither with small nor great, save
only with the king of Israel. And it came to
pass, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said,
It is the king of Israel. Therefore they turned about to fight against
him: but Jehoshaphat cried out, and Jehovah helped him; and God moved them
to depart from him. And it came to pass,
when the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel,
that they turned back from pursuing him. And a
certain man drew his bow at a venture, and smote the king of Israel
between the joints of the armor: wherefore he said to the driver of the
chariot, Turn thy hand, and carry me out of the host; for I am sore
wounded. And the battle increased that day:
howbeit the king of Israel stayed himself up in his chariot against the
Syrians until the even; and about the time of the going down of the sun he
died.
And Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned to
his house in peace to Jerusalem. And Jehu the
son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat,
Shouldest thou help the wicked, and love them that hate Jehovah? for this
thing wrath is upon thee from before Jehovah.
Nevertheless there are good things found in
thee, in that thou hast put away the Asheroth out of the land, and hast
set thy heart to seek God. And Jehoshaphat dwelt
at Jerusalem: and he went out again among the people from Beer-sheba to
the hill-country of Ephraim, and brought them back unto Jehovah, the God
of their fathers. And he set judges in the land
throughout all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city,
and said to the judges, Consider what ye do: for
ye judge not for man, but for Jehovah; and he is with you in the
judgment. Now therefore let the fear of Jehovah
be upon you; take heed and do it: for there is no iniquity with Jehovah
our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of bribes.
Moreover in Jerusalem did Jehoshaphat set of the
Levites and the priests, and of the heads of the fathers' houses of
Israel, for the judgment of Jehovah, and for controversies. And they
returned to Jerusalem. And he charged them,
saying, Thus shall ye do in the fear of Jehovah, faithfully, and with a
perfect heart. And whensoever any controversy
shall come to you from your brethren that dwell in their cities, between
blood and blood, between law and commandment, statutes and ordinances, ye
shall warn them, that they be not guilty towards Jehovah, and so wrath
come upon you and upon your brethren: this do, and ye shall not be guilty.
And, behold, Amariah the chief priest is over
you in all matters of Jehovah; and Zebadiah the son of Ishmael, the ruler
of the house of Judah, in all the king's matters: also the Levites shall
be officers before you. Deal courageously, and Jehovah be with the good.
And it came to pass after this, that the
children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them some of the
Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle.
Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat,
saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea
from Syria; and, behold, they are in Hazazon-tamar (the same is En-gedi).
And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek
unto Jehovah; and he proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.
And Judah gathered themselves together, to seek
help of Jehovah: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to
seek Jehovah. And Jehoshaphat stood in the
assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of Jehovah, before the new
court; and he said, O Jehovah, the God of our
fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and art not thou ruler over all the
kingdoms of the nations? and in thy hand is power and might, so that none
is able to withstand thee. Didst not thou, O our
God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and
give it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever?
And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a
sanctuary therein for thy name, saying, If evil
come upon us, the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand
before this house, and before thee, (for thy name is in this house,) and
cry unto thee in our affliction, and thou wilt hear and save.
And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab
and mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came
out of the land of Egypt, but they turned aside from them, and destroyed
them not; behold, how they reward us, to come
to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit.
O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we
have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither
know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.
And all Judah stood before Jehovah, with their
little ones, their wives, and their children.
Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the
son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, the Levite, of the
sons of Asaph, came the Spirit of Jehovah in the midst of the assembly;
and he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye
inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat: Thus says Jehovah
unto you, Fear not ye, neither be dismayed by reason of this great
multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's.
To-morrow go ye down against them: behold, they
come up by the ascent of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the
valley, before the wilderness of Jeruel. Ye
shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye
still, and see the salvation of Jehovah with you, O Judah and Jerusalem;
fear not, nor be dismayed: to-morrow go out against them: for Jehovah is
with you. And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with
his face to the ground; and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem
fell down before Jehovah, worshipping Jehovah.
And the Levites, of the children of the
Kohathites and of the children of the Korahites, stood up to praise
Jehovah, the God of Israel, with an exceeding loud voice.
And they rose early in the morning, and went
forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat
stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem: believe
in Jehovah your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so
shall ye prosper. And when he had taken counsel
with the people, he appointed them that should sing unto Jehovah, and give
praise in holy array, as they went out before the army, and say, Give
thanks unto Jehovah; for his lovingkindness endureth for ever.
And when they began to sing and to praise,
Jehovah set liers-in-wait against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount
Seir, that were come against Judah; and they were smitten.
For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up
against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them:
and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped
to destroy another. And when Judah came to the
watch-tower of the wilderness, they looked upon the multitude; and,
behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and there were none
that escaped. And when Jehoshaphat and his
people came to take the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance
both riches and dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off
for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days
in taking the spoil, it was so much. And on the
fourth day they assembled themselves in the valley of Beracah; for there
they blessed Jehovah: therefore the name of that place was called The
valley of Beracah unto this day. Then they
returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat in the
forefront of them, to go again to Jerusalem with joy; for Jehovah had made
them to rejoice over their enemies. And they
came to Jerusalem with psalteries and harps and trumpets unto the house of
Jehovah. And the fear of God was on all the
kingdoms of the countries, when they heard that Jehovah fought against the
enemies of Israel. So the realm of Jehoshaphat
was quiet; for his God gave him rest round about.
And Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah: he was
thirty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty
and five years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Azubah the daughter
of Shilhi. And he walked in the way of Asa his
father, and turned not aside from it, doing that which was right in the
eyes of Jehovah. Howbeit the high places were
not taken away; neither as yet had the people set their hearts unto the
God of their fathers. Now the rest of the acts
of Jehoshaphat, first and last, behold, they are written in the history of
Jehu the son of Hanani, which is inserted in the book of the kings of
Israel. And after this did Jehoshaphat king of
Judah join himself with Ahaziah king of Israel; the same did very
wickedly: and he joined himself with him to
make ships to go to Tarshish; and they made the ships in Ezion-geber.
Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah
prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because thou hast joined thyself
with Ahaziah, Jehovah hath destroyed thy works. And the ships were broken,
so that they were not able to go to Tarshish.
And Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers, and was
buried with his fathers in the city of David: and Jehoram his son reigned
in his stead. And he had brethren, the sons of
Jehoshaphat: Azariah, and Jehiel, and Zechariah, and Azariah, and Michael,
and Shephatiah; all these were the sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel.
And their father gave them great gifts, of
silver, and of gold, and of precious things, with fortified cities in
Judah: but the kingdom gave he to Jehoram, because he was the first-born.
Now when Jehoram was risen up over the kingdom
of his father, and had strengthened himself, he slew all his brethren with
the sword, and divers also of the princes of Israel.
Jehoram was thirty and two years old when he
began to reign; and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.
And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel,
as did the house of Ahab; for he had the daughter of Ahab to wife: and he
did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah.
Howbeit Jehovah would not destroy the house of
David, because of the covenant that he had made with David, and as he
promised to give a lamp to him and to his children alway.
In his days Edom revolted from under the hand of
Judah, and made a king over themselves. Then
Jehoram passed over with his captains, and all his chariots with him: and
he rose up by night, and smote the Edomites that compassed him about, and
the captains of the chariots. So Edom revolted
from under the hand of Judah unto this day: then did Libnah revolt at the
same time from under his hand, because he had forsaken Jehovah, the God of
his fathers. Moreover he made high places in
the mountains of Judah, and made the inhabitants of Jerusalem to play the
harlot, and led Judah astray. And there came a
writing to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, Thus says Jehovah, the
God of David thy father, Because thou hast not walked in the ways of
Jehoshaphat thy father, nor in the ways of Asa king of Judah,
but hast walked in the way of the kings of
Israel, and hast made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to play the
harlot, like as the house of Ahab did, and also hast slain thy brethren of
thy father's house, who were better than thyself:
behold, Jehovah will smite with a great plague
thy people, and thy children, and thy wives, and all thy substance;
and thou will have great sickness by disease
of thy bowels, until thy bowels fall out by reason of the sickness, day by
day. And Jehovah stirred up against Jehoram the
spirit of the Philistines, and of the Arabians that are beside the
Ethiopians: and they came up against Judah, and
brake into it, and carried away all the substance that was found in the
king's house, and his sons also, and his wives; so that there was never a
son left him, save Jehoahaz, the youngest of his sons.
And after all this Jehovah smote him in his
bowels with an incurable disease. And it came
to pass, in process of time, at the end of two years, that his bowels fell
out by reason of his sickness, and he died of sore diseases. And his
people made no burning for him, like the burning of his fathers.
Thirty and two years old was he when he began
to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years: and he departed without
being desired; and they buried him in the city of David, but not in the
sepulchres of the kings.
And the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah
his youngest son king in his stead; for the band of men that came with the
Arabians to the camp had slain all the eldest. So Ahaziah the son of
Jehoram king of Judah reigned. Forty and two
years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign; and he reigned one year in
Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Athaliah the daughter of Omri.
He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab;
for his mother was his counsellor to do wickedly.
And he did that which was evil in the sight of
Jehovah, as did the house of Ahab; for they were his counsellors after the
death of his father, to his destruction. He
walked also after their counsel, and went with Jehoram the son of Ahab
king of Israel to war against Hazael king of Syria at Ramoth-gilead: and
the Syrians wounded Joram. And he returned to be
healed in Jezreel of the wounds which they had given him at Ramah, when he
fought against Hazael king of Syria. And Azariah the son of Jehoram king
of Judah went down to see Jehoram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he
was sick. Now the destruction of Ahaziah was of
God, in that he went unto Joram: for when he was come, he went out with
Jehoram against Jehu the son of Nimshi, whom Jehovah had anointed to cut
off the house of Ahab. And it came to pass, when
Jehu was executing judgment upon the house of Ahab, that he found the
princes of Judah, and the sons of the brethren of Ahaziah, ministering to
Ahaziah, and slew them. And he sought Ahaziah,
and they caught him (now he was hiding in Samaria), and they brought him
to Jehu, and slew him; and they buried him, for they said, He is the son
of Jehoshaphat, who sought Jehovah with all his heart. And the house of
Ahaziah had no power to hold the kingdom. Now
when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose
and destroyed all the seed royal of the house of Judah.
But Jehoshabeath, the daughter of the king,
took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king's
sons that were slain, and put him and his nurse in the bedchamber. So
Jehoshabeath, the daughter of king Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the
priest (for she was the sister of Ahaziah), hid him from Athaliah, so that
she slew him not. And he was with them hid in
the house of God six years: and Athaliah reigned over the land.
And in the seventh year Jehoiada strengthened
himself, and took the captains of hundreds, Azariah the son of Jeroham,
and Ishmael the son of Jehohanan, and Azariah the son of Obed, and
Maaseiah the son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat the son of Zichri, into
covenant with him. And they went about in Judah,
and gathered the Levites out of all the cities of Judah, and the heads of
fathers' houses of Israel, and they came to Jerusalem.
And all the assembly made a covenant with the
king in the house of God. And he said unto them, Behold, the king's son
shall reign, as Jehovah hath spoken concerning the sons of David.
This is the thing that ye shall do: a third part
of you, that come in on the sabbath, of the priests and of the Levites,
shall be porters of the thresholds; and a third
part shall be at the king's house; and a third part at the gate of the
foundation: and all the people shall be in the courts of the house of
Jehovah. But let none come into the house of
Jehovah, save the priests, and they that minister of the Levites; they
shall come in, for they are holy: but all the people shall keep the charge
of Jehovah. And the Levites shall compass the
king round about, every man with his weapons in his hand; and whosoever
cometh into the house, let him be slain: and be ye with the king when he
cometh in, and when he goeth out. So the Levites
and all Judah did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded: and
they took every man his men, those that were to come in on the sabbath;
with those that were to go out on the sabbath; for Jehoiada the priest
dismissed not the courses. And Jehoiada the
priest delivered to the captains of hundreds the spears, and bucklers, and
shields, that had been king David's, which were in the house of God.
And he set all the people, every man with his
weapon in his hand, from the right side of the house to the left side of
the house, along by the altar and the house, by the king round about.
Then they brought out the king's son, and put
the crown upon him, and gave him the testimony, and made him king:
and Jehoiada and his sons anointed him; and they said, Long live
the king. And when Athaliah heard the noise of
the people running and praising the king, she came to the people into the
house of Jehovah: and she looked, and, behold,
the king stood by his pillar at the entrance, and the captains and the
trumpets by the king; and all the people of the land rejoiced, and blew
trumpets; the singers also played on instruments of music, and led
the singing of praise. Then Athaliah rent her clothes, and said, Treason!
treason! And Jehoiada the priest brought out
the captains of hundreds that were set over the host, and said unto them,
Have her forth between the ranks; and whoso follows her, let him be
slain with the sword: for the priest said, Slay her not in the house of
Jehovah. So they made way for her; and she went
to the entrance of the horse gate to the king's house: and they slew her
there. And Jehoiada made a covenant between
himself, and all the people, and the king, that they should be Jehovah's
people. And all the people went to the house of
Baal, and brake it down, and brake his altars and his images in pieces,
and slew Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars.
And Jehoiada appointed the officers of the
house of Jehovah under the hand of the priests the Levites, whom David had
distributed in the house of Jehovah, to offer the burnt-offerings of
Jehovah, as it is written in the law of Moses, with rejoicing and with
singing, according to the order of David. And
he set the porters at the gates of the house of Jehovah, that none that
was unclean in anything should enter in. And he
took the captains of hundreds, and the nobles, and the governors of the
people, and all the people of the land, and brought down the king from the
house of Jehovah: and they came through the upper gate unto the king's
house, and set the king upon the throne of the kingdom.
So all the people of the land rejoiced, and the
city was quiet. And Athaliah they had slain with the sword.
Joash was seven years old when he began to
reign; and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was
Zibiah, of Beer-sheba. And Joash did that which
was right in the eyes of Jehovah all the days of Jehoiada the priest.
And Jehoiada took for him two wives; and he
begat sons and daughters. And it came to pass
after this, that Joash was minded to restore the house of Jehovah.
And he gathered together the priests and the
Levites, and said to them, Go out unto the cities of Judah, and gather of
all Israel money to repair the house of your God from year to year; and
see that ye hasten the matter. Howbeit the Levites hastened it not.
And the king called for Jehoiada the chief, and
said unto him, Why hast thou not required of the Levites to bring in out
of Judah and out of Jerusalem the tax of Moses the servant of Jehovah, and
of the assembly of Israel, for the tent of the testimony?
For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had
broken up the house of God; and also all the dedicated things of the house
of Jehovah did they bestow upon the Baalim. So
the king commanded, and they made a chest, and set it without at the gate
of the house of Jehovah. And they made a
proclamation through Judah and Jerusalem, to bring in for Jehovah the tax
that Moses the servant of God laid upon Israel in the wilderness.
And all the princes and all the people
rejoiced, and brought in, and cast into the chest, until they had made an
end. And it was so, that, at what time the
chest was brought unto the king's officers by the hand of the Levites, and
when they saw that there was much money, the king's scribe and the chief
priest's officer came and emptied the chest, and took it, and carried it
to its place again. Thus they did day by day, and gathered money in
abundance. And the king and Jehoiada gave it to
such as did the work of the service of the house of Jehovah; and they
hired masons and carpenters to restore the house of Jehovah, and also such
as wrought iron and brass to repair the house of Jehovah.
So the workmen wrought, and the work of
repairing went forward in their hands, and they set up the house of God in
its state, and strengthened it. And when they
had made an end, they brought the rest of the money before the king and
Jehoiada, whereof were made vessels for the house of Jehovah, even vessels
wherewith to minister and to offer, and spoons, and vessels of gold and
silver. And they offered burnt-offerings in the house of Jehovah
continually all the days of Jehoiada. But
Jehoiada waxed old and was full of days, and he died; a hundred and thirty
years old was he when he died. And they buried
him in the city of David among the kings, because he had done good in
Israel, and toward God and his house. Now after
the death of Jehoiada came the princes of Judah, and made obeisance to the
king. Then the king hearkened unto them. And
they forsook the house of Jehovah, the God of their fathers, and served
the Asherim and the idols: and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for
this their guiltiness. Yet he sent prophets to
them, to bring them again unto Jehovah; and they testified against them:
but they would not give ear. And the Spirit of
God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest; and he stood above
the people, and said unto them, Thus says God, Why transgress ye the
commandments of Jehovah, so that ye cannot prosper? because ye have
forsaken Jehovah, he hath also forsaken you.
And they conspired against him, and stoned him
with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the house of
Jehovah. Thus Joash the king remembered not the
kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but slew his son. And
when he died, he said, Jehovah look upon it, and require it.
And it came to pass at the end of the year,
that the army of the Syrians came up against him: and they came to Judah
and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the princes of the people from among the
people, and sent all the spoil of them unto the king of Damascus.
For the army of the Syrians came with a small
company of men; and Jehovah delivered a very great host into their hand,
because they had forsaken Jehovah, the God of their fathers. So they
executed judgment upon Joash. And when they
were departed for him (for they left him very sick), his own servants
conspired against him for the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest,
and slew him on his bed, and he died; and they buried him in the city of
David, but they buried him not in the sepulchres of the kings.
And these are they that conspired against him:
Zabad the son of Shimeath the Ammonitess, and Jehozabad the son of
Shimrith the Moabitess. Now concerning his
sons, and the greatness of the burdens laid upon him, and the
rebuilding of the house of God, behold, they are written in the commentary
of the book of the kings. And Amaziah his son reigned in his stead.
Amaziah was twenty and five years old when he
began to reign; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem: and his
mother's name was Jehoaddan, of Jerusalem. And
he did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, but not with a perfect
heart. Now it came to pass, when the kingdom was
established unto him, that he slew his servants that had killed the king
his father. But he put not their children to
death, but did according to that which is written in the law in the book
of Moses, as Jehovah commanded, saying, The fathers shall not die for the
children, neither shall the children die for the fathers; but every man
shall die for his own sin. Moreover Amaziah
gathered Judah together, and ordered them according to their fathers'
houses, under captains of thousands and captains of hundreds, even all
Judah and Benjamin: and he numbered them from twenty years old and upward,
and found them three hundred thousand chosen men, able to go forth to war,
that could handle spear and shield. He hired
also a hundred thousand mighty men of valor out of Israel for a hundred
talents of silver. But there came a man of God
to him, saying, O king, let not the army of Israel go with thee; for
Jehovah is not with Israel, to wit, with all the children of
Ephraim. But if thou wilt go, do
valiantly, be strong for the battle: God will cast thee down before
the enemy; for God hath power to help, and to cast down.
And Amaziah said to the man of God, But what
shall we do for the hundred talents which I have given to the army of
Israel? And the man of God answered, Jehovah is able to give thee much
more than this. Then Amaziah separated them,
to wit, the army that was come to him out of Ephraim, to go home
again: wherefore their anger was greatly kindled against Judah, and they
returned home in fierce anger. And Amaziah took
courage, and led forth his people, and went to the Valley of Salt, and
smote of the children of Seir ten thousand. And
other ten thousand did the children of Judah carry away alive, and
brought them unto the top of the rock, and cast them down from the top of
the rock, so that they all were broken in pieces.
But the men of the army whom Amaziah sent back,
that they should not go with him to battle, fell upon the cities of Judah,
from Samaria even unto Beth-horon, and smote of them three thousand, and
took much spoil. Now it came to pass, after
that Amaziah was come from the slaughter of the Edomites, that he brought
the gods of the children of Seir, and set them up to be his gods, and
bowed down himself before them, and burned incense unto them.
Wherefore the anger of Jehovah was kindled
against Amaziah, and he sent unto him a prophet, who said unto him, Why
hast thou sought after the gods of the people, which have not delivered
their own people out of thy hand? And it came
to pass, as he talked with him, that the king said unto him, Have
we made thee of the king's counsel? forbear; why shouldest thou be
smitten? Then the prophet forbare, and said, I know that God hath
determined to destroy thee, because thou hast done this, and hast not
hearkened unto my counsel. Then Amaziah king of
Judah took advice, and sent to Joash, the son of Jehoahaz the son of Jehu,
king of Israel, saying, Come, let us look one another in the face.
And Joash king of Israel sent to Amaziah king
of Judah, saying, The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that
was in Lebanon, saying, Give thy daughter to my son to wife: and there
passed by a wild beast that was in Lebanon, and trod down the thistle.
Thou sayest, Lo, thou hast smitten Edom; and
thy heart lifteth thee up to boast: abide now at home; why shouldest thou
meddle to thy hurt, that thou shouldest fall, even thou, and Judah
with thee? But Amaziah would not hear; for it
was of God, that he might deliver them into the hand of their
enemies, because they had sought after the gods of Edom.
So Joash king of Israel went up; and he and
Amaziah king of Judah looked one another in the face at Beth-shemesh,
which belongeth to Judah. And Judah was put to
the worse before Israel; and they fled every man to his tent.
And Joash king of Israel took Amaziah king of
Judah, the son of Joash the son of Jehoahaz, at Beth-shemesh, and brought
him to Jerusalem, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of
Ephraim unto the corner gate, four hundred cubits.
And he took all the gold and silver, and
all the vessels that were found in the house of God with Obed-edom, and
the treasures of the king's house, the hostages also, and returned to
Samaria. And Amaziah the son of Joash king of
Judah lived after the death of Joash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel
fifteen years. Now the rest of the acts of
Amaziah, first and last, behold, are they not written in the book of the
kings of Judah and Israel? Now from the time
that Amaziah did turn away from following Jehovah they made a conspiracy
against him in Jerusalem; and he fled to Lachish: but they sent after him
to Lachish, and slew him there. And they
brought him upon horses, and buried him with his fathers in the city of
Judah.
And all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was
sixteen years old, and made him king in the room of his father Amaziah.
He built Eloth, and restored it to Judah, after
that the king slept with his fathers. Sixteen
years old was Uzziah when he began to reign; and he reigned fifty and two
years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Jechiliah, of Jerusalem.
And he did that which was right in the eyes of
Jehovah, according to all that his father Amaziah had done.
And he set himself to seek God in the days of
Zechariah, who had understanding in the vision of God: and as long as he
sought Jehovah, God made him to prosper. And he
went forth and warred against the Philistines, and brake down the wall of
Gath, and the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod; and he built cities
in the country of Ashdod, and among the Philistines.
And God helped him against the Philistines, and
against the Arabians that dwelt in Gur-baal, and the Meunim.
And the Ammonites gave tribute to Uzziah: and
his name spread abroad even to the entrance of Egypt; for he waxed
exceeding strong. Moreover Uzziah built towers
in Jerusalem at the corner gate, and at the valley gate, and at the
turning of the wall, and fortified them.
And he built towers in the wilderness, and
hewed out many cisterns, for he had much cattle; in the lowland also, and
in the plain: and he had husbandmen and vinedressers in the
mountains and in the fruitful fields; for he loved husbandry.
Moreover Uzziah had an army of fighting men,
that went out to war by bands, according to the number of their reckoning
made by Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the officer, under the hand of
Hananiah, one of the king's captains. The whole
number of the heads of fathers' houses, even the mighty men of
valor, was two thousand and six hundred. And
under their hand was an army, three hundred thousand and seven thousand
and five hundred, that made war with mighty power, to help the king
against the enemy. And Uzziah prepared for
them, even for all the host, shields, and spears, and helmets, and coats
of mail, and bows, and stones for slinging. And
he made in Jerusalem engines, invented by skilful men, to be on the towers
and upon the battlements, wherewith to shoot arrows and great stones. And
his name spread far abroad; for he was marvellously helped, till he was
strong. But when he was strong, his heart was
lifted up, so that he did corruptly, and he trespassed against Jehovah his
God; for he went into the temple of Jehovah to burn incense upon the altar
of incense. And Azariah the priest went in
after him, and with him fourscore priests of Jehovah, that were valiant
men: and they withstood Uzziah the king, and
said unto him, It pertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto
Jehovah, but to the priests the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to
burn incense: go out of the sanctuary; for thou hast trespassed; neither
shall it be for thine honor from Jehovah God.
Then Uzziah was wroth; and he had a censer in
his hand to burn incense; and while he was wroth with the priests, the
leprosy brake forth in his forehead before the priests in the house of
Jehovah, beside the altar of incense. And
Azariah the chief priest, and all the priests, looked upon him, and,
behold, he was leprous in his forehead, and they thrust him out quickly
from thence; yea, himself hasted also to go out, because Jehovah had
smitten him. And Uzziah the king was a leper
unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a separate house, being a leper;
for he was cut off from the house of Jehovah: and Jotham his son was over
the king's house, judging the people of the land.
Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, first and
last, did Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, write.
So Uzziah slept with his fathers; and they
buried him with his fathers in the field of burial which belonged to the
kings; for they said, He is a leper: and Jotham his son reigned in his
stead.
Jotham was twenty and five years old when he
began to reign; and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: and his
mother's name was Jerushah the daughter of Zadok.
And he did that which was right in the eyes of
Jehovah, according to all that his father Uzziah had done: howbeit he
entered not into the temple of Jehovah. And the people did yet corruptly.
He built the upper gate of the house of Jehovah,
and on the wall of Ophel he built much. Moreover
he built cities in the hill-country of Judah, and in the forests he built
castles and towers. He fought also with the king
of the children of Ammon, and prevailed against them. And the children of
Ammon gave him the same year a hundred talents of silver, and ten thousand
measures of wheat, and ten thousand of barley. So much did the children of
Ammon render unto him, in the second year also, and in the third.
So Jotham became mighty, because he ordered his
ways before Jehovah his God. Now the rest of the
acts of Jotham, and all his wars, and his ways, behold, they are written
in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. He
was five and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned sixteen
years in Jerusalem. And Jotham slept with his
fathers, and they buried him in the city of David: and Ahaz his son
reigned in his stead.
Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to
reign; and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: and he did not that
which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, like David his father;
but he walked in the ways of the kings of
Israel, and made also molten images for the Baalim.
Moreover he burnt incense in the valley of the
son of Hinnom, and burnt his children in the fire, according to the
abominations of the nations whom Jehovah cast out before the children of
Israel. And he sacrificed and burnt incense in
the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree.
Wherefore Jehovah his God delivered him into the
hand of the king of Syria; and they smote him, and carried away of his a
great multitude of captives, and brought them to Damascus. And he was also
delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who smote him with a great
slaughter. For Pekah the son of Remaliah slew in
Judah a hundred and twenty thousand in one day, all of them valiant men;
because they had forsaken Jehovah, the God of their fathers.
And Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, slew
Maaseiah the king's son, and Azrikam the ruler of the house, and Elkanah
that was next to the king. And the children of
Israel carried away captive of their brethren two hundred thousand, women,
sons, and daughters, and took also away much spoil from them, and brought
the spoil to Samaria. But a prophet of Jehovah
was there, whose name was Oded: and he went out to meet the host that came
to Samaria, and said unto them, Behold, because Jehovah, the God of your
fathers, was wroth with Judah, he hath delivered them into your hand, and
ye have slain them in a rage which hath reached up to heaven.
And now ye purpose to keep under the children
of Judah and Jerusalem for bondmen and bondwomen unto you: but are
there not even with you trespasses of your own against Jehovah your God?
Now hear me therefore, and send back the
captives, that ye have taken captive of your brethren; for the fierce
wrath of Jehovah is upon you. Then certain of
the heads of the children of Ephraim, Azariah the son of Johanan,
Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, and Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and
Amasa the son of Hadlai, stood up against them that came from the war,
and said unto them, Ye shall not bring in the
captives hither: for ye purpose that which will bring upon us a trespass
against Jehovah, to add unto our sins and to our trespass; for our
trespass is great, and there is fierce wrath against Israel.
So the armed men left the captives and the
spoil before the princes and all the assembly.
And the men that have been mentioned by name
rose up, and took the captives, and with the spoil clothed all that were
naked among them, and arrayed them, and shod them, and gave them to eat
and to drink, and anointed them, and carried all the feeble of them upon
asses, and brought them to Jericho, the city of palm-trees, unto their
brethren: then they returned to Samaria. At
that time did king Ahaz send unto the kings of Assyria to help him.
For again the Edomites had come and smitten
Judah, and carried away captives. The
Philistines also had invaded the cities of the lowland, and of the South
of Judah, and had taken Beth-shemesh, and Aijalon, and Gederoth, and Soco
with the towns thereof, and Timnah with the towns thereof, Gimzo also and
the towns thereof: and they dwelt there. For
Jehovah brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel; for he had dealt
wantonly in Judah, and trespassed sore against Jehovah.
And Tilgath-pilneser king of Assyria came unto
him, and distressed him, but strengthened him not.
For Ahaz took away a portion out of the house
of Jehovah, and out of the house of the king and of the princes, and gave
it unto the king of Assyria: but it helped him not.
And in the time of his distress did he trespass
yet more against Jehovah, this same king Ahaz.
For he sacrificed unto the gods of Damascus,
which smote him; and he said, Because the gods of the kings of Syria
helped them, therefore will I sacrifice to them, that they may help
me. But they were the ruin of him, and of all Israel.
And Ahaz gathered together the vessels of the
house of God, and cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God, and shut
up the doors of the house of Jehovah; and he made him altars in every
corner of Jerusalem. And in every city of Judah
he made high places to burn incense unto other gods, and provoked to anger
Jehovah, the God of his fathers. Now the rest
of his acts, and all his ways, first and last, behold, they are written in
the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. And
Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, even in
Jerusalem; for they brought him not into the sepulchres of the kings of
Israel: and Hezekiah his son reigned in his stead.
Hezekiah began to reign when he was five and
twenty years old; and he reigned nine and twenty years in Jerusalem: and
his mother's name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah.
And he did that which was right in the eyes of
Jehovah, according to all that David his father had done.
He in the first year of his reign, in the first
month, opened the doors of the house of Jehovah, and repaired them.
And he brought in the priests and the Levites,
and gathered them together into the broad place on the east,
and said unto them, Hear me, ye Levites; now
sanctify yourselves, and sanctify the house of Jehovah, the God of your
fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place.
For our fathers have trespassed, and done that
which was evil in the sight of Jehovah our God, and have forsaken him, and
have turned away their faces from the habitation of Jehovah, and turned
their backs. Also they have shut up the doors of
the porch, and put out the lamps, and have not burned incense nor offered
burnt-offerings in the holy place unto the God of Israel.
Wherefore the wrath of Jehovah was upon Judah
and Jerusalem, and he hath delivered them to be tossed to and fro, to be
an astonishment, and a hissing, as ye see with your eyes.
For, lo, our fathers have fallen by the sword,
and our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity for this.
Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with
Jehovah, the God of Israel, that his fierce anger may turn away from us.
My sons, be not now negligent; for Jehovah hath
chosen you to stand before him, to minister unto him, and that ye should
be his ministers, and burn incense. Then the
Levites arose, Mahath, the son of Amasai, and Joel the son of Azariah, of
the sons of the Kohathites; and of the sons of Merari, Kish the son of
Abdi, and Azariah the son of Jehallelel; and of the Gershonites, Joah the
son of Zimmah, and Eden the son of Joah; and of
the sons of Elizaphan, Shimri and Jeuel; and of the sons of Asaph,
Zechariah and Mattaniah; and of the sons of
Heman, Jehuel and Shimei; and of the sons of Jeduthun, Shemaiah and
Uzziel. And they gathered their brethren, and
sanctified themselves, and went in, according to the commandment of the
king by the words of Jehovah, to cleanse the house of Jehovah.
And the priests went in unto the inner part of
the house of Jehovah, to cleanse it, and brought out all the uncleanness
that they found in the temple of Jehovah into the court of the house of
Jehovah. And the Levites took it, to carry it out abroad to the brook
Kidron. Now they began on the first day
of the first month to sanctify, and on the eighth day of the month came
they to the porch of Jehovah; and they sanctified the house of Jehovah in
eight days: and on the sixteenth day of the first month they made an end.
Then they went in to Hezekiah the king within
the palace, and said, We have cleansed all the house of Jehovah,
and the altar of burnt-offering, with all the vessels thereof, and the
table of showbread, with all the vessels thereof.
Moreover all the vessels, which king Ahaz in
his reign did cast away when he trespassed, have we prepared and
sanctified; and, behold, they are before the altar of Jehovah.
Then Hezekiah the king arose early, and
gathered the princes of the city, and went up to the house of Jehovah.
And they brought seven bullocks, and seven
rams, and seven lambs, and seven he-goats, for a sin-offering for the
kingdom and for the sanctuary and for Judah. And he commanded the priests
the sons of Aaron to offer them on the altar of Jehovah.
So they killed the bullocks, and the priests
received the blood, and sprinkled it on the altar: and they killed the
rams, and sprinkled the blood upon the altar: they killed also the lambs,
and sprinkled the blood upon the altar. And
they brought near the he-goats for the sin-offering before the king and
the assembly; and they laid their hands upon them:
and the priests killed them, and they made a
sin-offering with their blood upon the altar, to make atonement for all
Israel; for the king commanded that the burnt-offering and the
sin-offering should be made for all Israel.
And he set the Levites in the house of Jehovah
with cymbals, with psalteries, and with harps, according to the
commandment of David, and of Gad the king's seer, and Nathan the prophet;
for the commandment was of Jehovah by his prophets.
And the Levites stood with the instruments of
David, and the priests with the trumpets. And
Hezekiah commanded to offer the burnt-offering upon the altar. And when
the burnt-offering began, the song of Jehovah began also, and the
trumpets, together with the instruments of David king of Israel.
And all the assembly worshipped, and the
singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded; all this continued until
the burnt-offering was finished. And when they
had made an end of offering, the king and all that were present with him
bowed themselves and worshipped. Moreover
Hezekiah the king and the princes commanded the Levites to sing praises
unto Jehovah with the words of David, and of Asaph the seer. And they sang
praises with gladness, and they bowed their heads and worshipped.
Then Hezekiah answered and said, Now ye have
consecrated yourselves unto Jehovah; come near and bring sacrifices and
thank-offerings into the house of Jehovah. And the assembly brought in
sacrifices and thank-offerings; and as many as were of a willing heart
brought burnt-offerings. And the number
of the burnt-offerings which the assembly brought was threescore and ten
bullocks, a hundred rams, and two hundred lambs: all these were for a
burnt-offering to Jehovah. And the consecrated
things were six hundred oxen and three thousand sheep.
But the priests were too few, so that they
could not flay all the burnt-offerings: wherefore their brethren the
Levites did help them, till the work was ended, and until the priests had
sanctified themselves; for the Levites were more upright in heart to
sanctify themselves than the priests. And also
the burnt-offerings were in abundance, with the fat of the
peace-offerings, and with the drink-offerings for every burnt-offering. So
the service of the house of Jehovah was set in order.
And Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people,
because of that which God had prepared for the people: for the thing was
done suddenly.
And Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and
wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the
house of Jehovah at Jerusalem, to keep the passover unto Jehovah, the God
of Israel. For the king had taken counsel, and
his princes, and all the assembly in Jerusalem, to keep the passover in
the second month. For they could not keep it at
that time, because the priests had not sanctified themselves in sufficient
number, neither had the people gathered themselves together to Jerusalem.
And the thing was right in the eyes of the king
and of all the assembly. So they established a
decree to make proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beer-sheba even to
Dan, that they should come to keep the passover unto Jehovah, the God of
Israel, at Jerusalem: for they had not kept it in great numbers in such
sort as it is written. So the posts went with
the letters from the king and his princes throughout all Israel and Judah,
and according to the commandment of the king, saying, Ye children of
Israel, turn again unto Jehovah, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel,
that he may return to the remnant that are escaped of you out of the hand
of the kings of Assyria. And be not ye like your
fathers, and like your brethren, who trespassed against Jehovah, the God
of their fathers, so that he gave them up to desolation, as ye see.
Now be ye not stiffnecked, as your fathers were;
but yield yourselves unto Jehovah, and enter into his sanctuary, which he
hath sanctified for ever, and serve Jehovah your God, that his fierce
anger may turn away from you. For if ye turn
again unto Jehovah, your brethren and your children shall find compassion
before them that led them captive, and shall come again into this land:
for Jehovah your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his
face from you, if ye return unto him. So the
posts passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and
Manasseh, even unto Zebulun: but they laughed them to scorn, and mocked
them. Nevertheless certain men of Asher and
Manasseh and of Zebulun humbled themselves, and came to Jerusalem.
Also upon Judah came the hand of God to give
them one heart, to do the commandment of the king and of the princes by
the word of Jehovah. And there assembled at
Jerusalem much people to keep the feast of unleavened bread in the second
month, a very great assembly. And they arose
and took away the altars that were in Jerusalem, and all the altars for
incense took they away, and cast them into the brook Kidron.
Then they killed the passover on the fourteenth
day of the second month: and the priests and the Levites were
ashamed, and sanctified themselves, and brought burnt-offerings into the
house of Jehovah. And they stood in their place
after their order, according to the law of Moses the man of God: the
priests sprinkled the blood which they received of the hand of the
Levites. For there were many in the assembly
that had not sanctified themselves: therefore the Levites had the charge
of killing the passovers for every one that was not clean, to sanctify
them unto Jehovah. For a multitude of the
people, even many of Ephraim and Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun, had not
cleansed themselves, yet did they eat the passover otherwise than it is
written. For Hezekiah had prayed for them, saying, The good Jehovah pardon
every one that setteth his heart to seek God,
Jehovah, the God of his fathers, though he be not cleansed
according to the purification of the sanctuary.
And Jehovah hearkened to Hezekiah, and healed
the people. And the children of Israel that
were present at Jerusalem kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days
with great gladness; and the Levites and the priests praised Jehovah day
by day, singing with loud instruments unto Jehovah.
And Hezekiah spake comfortably unto all the
Levites that had good understanding in the service of Jehovah. So
they did eat throughout the feast for the seven days, offering sacrifices
of peace-offerings, and making confession to Jehovah, the God of their
fathers. And the whole assembly took counsel to
keep other seven days; and they kept other seven days with
gladness. For Hezekiah king of Judah did give
to the assembly for offerings a thousand bullocks and seven thousand
sheep; and the princes gave to the assembly a thousand bullocks and ten
thousand sheep: and a great number of priests sanctified themselves.
And all the assembly of Judah, with the priests
and the Levites, and all the assembly that came out of Israel, and the
sojourners that came out of the land of Israel, and that dwelt in Judah,
rejoiced. So there was great joy in Jerusalem;
for since the time of Solomon the son of David king of Israel t