14Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he was to die; and Joash the king of Israel came down unto him, and wept over him, and said: 'My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and the horsemen thereof!' "And Elisha said unto him: 'Take bow and arrows'; and he took unto him bow and arrows. 16And he said to the king of Israel: 'Put thy hand upon the bow'; and he put his hand upon it. And Elisha laid his hands upon the king's hands. l7And he said: ' Open the window east- ward7; and he opened it. Then Elisha said: 'Shoot'; and he shot. And he said: 'The LORD'S arrow of victory, even the arrow of victory against Aram; for thou sfralt smite the Arameans in Aphek, till thou have consumed them/ 18And he said: 'Take the arrows'; and he took them. And he said unto the king of Israel: 'Smite upon the ground'; and he smote thrice, and stayed. "And the man of God was wroth with him, and said: 'Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times; then hadst thou smitteA Aram till thou hadst con- sumed it; whereas now thou shalt smite Aram but thrice/ 20And Elisha died, and they buried him. Now the bands of the Moabites used to invade the land at the coming in of the year. ^And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, be- hold, they spied a band; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha; and as soon as the man touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet.
Hazael king of Aram op- SECOND KINGS pressed Israel all the days of Jeho- ahaz. **But the LORD was gracious unto them, and had compassion on them, and had respect unto them, because of His covenant with Abra- ham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not destroy them,t neither hath He cast them from His presence until now. MAnd Hazael king of Aram died; and Ben-hadad his son reigned in his stead. ^And Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz took again out of the hand of Ben- hadad the son of Hazael the cities which he had taken out of the hand of Jehoahaz his father by war. Three times did Joash smite him, and re- covered the cities of Israel. ~i A In the second year of Joash son •*• •* of Joahaz king of Israel ^began Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah to reign. 2He 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. ^ 3And he did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, yet not like David his father; he did according to all that Joash his father had done. 4Howbeit the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and offered in the high places. 6And it came to pass, as soon as the kingdom was established in his hand, that he slew his servants who^had slain the king his father; 6but the children of the murderers he put not to death; ac- cording to that which is written in the book of the law of Moses, as the LORD commanded, saying: ' The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, nor the children be put to death for the fathers; but every man shall be put to death for his own sin.' 7He slew of Edom in the Valley of Salt ten thou- sand, and took Sela by war, and called the name of it Joktheel, unto this day.
8Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying: 'Come, let us look one another in the face.' 9And Jehoash the king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saving: '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 the wild beasts that were in Lebanon, and trod down the thistle. 10Thou hast indeed smitten Edom, and will thy heart hf t thee up? glory therein, and re- main at home; for why shouldest thou meddle with evil, that thou shouldest fall, even thou, and Judah with thee?' uBut Amaziah would not hear. So Jehoash 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. 12And Judah was put to the worse before Israel; and they fled every man to his tent. ^And Jehoash king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash the son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh, and came to Jeru- salem, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim unto the corner gate, four hundred cubits^ 14And he took all the gold and silver, and all the vessels that were found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasures of the king's house, the hostages also, and returned to Samaria.
15Now the rest of the acts of Jehoash which he did, and his might, and how he fought with Amaziah long of Judah, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 16And Jehoash slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel; and Jeroboam his son reigned in his stead.
17And Amaziah the son of Joash SECOND KINGS king of Judah lived after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel fifteen years. 18Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? "And they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem; and he fled to Lachish; but they sent after him to Lachish, and slew him there. 20And they brought him upon horses; and he was buried at Jerusalem with his fathers in the city of David. 21And all the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the room of his father Amaziah. ^He built Elath, and re- stored it to Judah, after that the king slept with his fathers.
^In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah Jero- boam the son of Joash king of Israel began to reign in Samaria, and reigned forty and one years. MAnd he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD; he departed not from all the sins of ^ Jeroboam the son of Nebat, wherewith he made Israel to sin. ^He restored the border of Israel from the entrance of Hamath unto the sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the LORD, the God of Israel, which He spoke by the hand of His servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was of Gath-hepher. 26For the LORD saw the affliction of Israel, that it was very bitter; for there was none shut up nor left at large, neither was there any helper for Israel. 27And the LORD said not that He would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven; but He saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.
28Now the rest of the acts of Jero- boam, and all that he did, and big might, how he warred, and how he recovered Damascus, and Hamath, for Judah in Israel, are they not writ- ten in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 29And Jeroboam slept with his fathers, even with the kings of Israel; and Zechariah his son reigned in his stead.
In the twenty and seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel be- gan aAzariah son of Amaziah king of Judah to reign. 2Sixteen years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned two and fifty years in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Jecoliah of Jerusalem. 3And he did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah had done. 4Howbeit the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and offered in the high places. 5And the LORD smote the long, so that he was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a house set apart. And Jotham the king's son was over the household, judging the people of the land. 6Now the rest of the acts of Azariah, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chron- icles of the kings of Judah? 7And Azariah slept with his fathers; and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David; and Jotham his son reigned in his stead.
8In the thirty and eighth year of Azariah king of Judah did Zechariah the son of Jeroboam reign over Israel in Samaria six months. 9And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, as his fathers had done; he departed not from the sins of Jero- boam the son of Nebat, wherewith he made Israel to sin. 10And Shallum the son of Jabesh conspired against him, and smote him before the peo- ple, and slew him, and reigned in his stead. uNow the rest of the acts of Zechariah, behold, they are written SECOND KINGS in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel. 12This was the word of the LORD which He spoke unto Jehu, saying: 'Thy sons to the fourth generation shall sit upon the throne of Israel.' And so it came to pass.
^Shallum the son of Jabesh began to reign in the nine and thirtieth year of Uzziah king of Judah; and he reigned the space of a month in Sa- maria. 14And Menahem the son of Gadi went up from Tirzah, and came to Samaria, and smote Shallum the son of Jabesh in Samaria, and slew him, and reigned in his stead. 15Now the rest of the acts of Shallum, and his conspiracy which he made, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel. 18Then Menahem smote Tiphsah, and all that were therein, and the borders thereof, from Tirzah; because they opened not to him, therefore he smote it; and all the women therein that were with child he ripped up.
17In the nine and thirtieth year of Azariah king of Judah began Mena- hem the son of Gadi to reign over Israel, and reigned ten years in Sa- maria. 18And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD; he de- parted not aU his days from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, where- with he made Israel to sin. 19There came against the land Pul the king of Assyria; and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver, that his hand might be with him to confirm the kingdom in his hand 20And Men- ahem exacted the money of Israel, even of all the mighty men of ^ wealth, of each man fifty shekels of silver, to give to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria turned back, and stayed not there in the land. 21Now the rest of the acts of Menahem, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 22And Menahem slept with his fathers; and Pekahiah his son reigned in his stead.
^In the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah Pekahiah the son of Menahem began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned two years. 24And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD; he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, wherewith he made Israel to sin. 26And Pekah the son of Rem- aliah, his captain, conspired against him, and smote him in Samaria, in the castle of the king's house, by Argob and by Arieh; and with him were fifty men of the Gileadites; and he slew him, and reigned in his stead. 26Now the rest of the acts of Pekahiah, and all that he did, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.
27In the two and fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah Pekah the son of Remaliah began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned twenty years. 28And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD; he de- parted not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, wherewith he made Israel to sin. 29In the days of Pekah king of Israel came Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, and took Ijon, and Abel-beth-maacah, and Janoah, and Kedesh, and Hazor, and Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali; and he carried them captive to Assyria. 30And Hoshea the son of Elah made a conspiracy against Pekah the son of Remahah, and smote him, and slew him, and reigned in his stead, in the twentieth year of Jotham the son of Uzziah. 31Now the rest of the acts of Pekah, and all that he did, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.
SECOND KINGS SECOND KINGS 32In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah king of Israel began Jotham the son of Uzziah king of Judah to reign. ^Five and twenty years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Jerusha the daughter of Zadok. MAnd he did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD; he did according to all that his father Uzziah had done. 35Howbeit the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and offered in the places. He days the LORD ^ Judah Rezin the built the upper gate of the house of the LORD. 36Now the rest of the acts of Jotham, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chron- icles of the kings of Judah? 37In those m to send against ing of Aram, and Pekah the son of Remaliah. 38And Jotham slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father; and Ahaz his son reigned in his stead. 1 £ In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah Ahaz the son of Jotham king of Judah began to reign. 2Twenty years old was Ahaz when he began to reign; and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and he did not that which was right in the eyes of the LORD his God, like David his father. 3But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, yea, and made his son to pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel. 4And he sacri- ficed and offered in the high places, and on the leafy tree.
hills, and under every Rezin king of Aj-am and Pe- kah son of Remaliah king of Israel came up to Jerusalem to war; and they besieged Ahaz, but could not overcome him. 6At that time Rezin king of Aram recovered Elath to Aram, and drove the Jews from *Elath; and the Edomites came to Elath, and dwelt there, unto this day.
7So Ahaz sent messengers to Tig- lath-pileser king of Assyria, saying: 'I am thy servant and thy son; come up, and save me out of the hand of the king of Aram, and out of the hand of the king of Israel, who rise up against me/ 8And Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasures of the king's house, and sent it for a present to the king of Assyria. 9And the king of Assyria hearkened unto him; and the king of Assyria went up against Damascus, and took it, and carried the people of it captive to Kir, and slew Rezin.
10And king Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, and saw the altar that was at Damas- cus; and king Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the fashion of the altar, and the pattern of it, according to all the work- manship thereof. nAnd Urijah the priest built an altar; according to all that king Ahaz had sent from Damas- cus, so did Urijah the priest make it against the Damascus.
of king Ahaz from when the king was * Heb. Elotii.
come from Damascus, the king saw the altar; and the king drew near unto the altar, and offered thereon. 13And tie offered his burnt-offering and his meal-offering, and poured his drink- offering, and dashed the blood of his peace-offerings against the altar. L4And the brazen, altar, which was Before the LORD, he brought from the forefront of the house, from between his altar and the house of the LORD, and put it on the north side of his altar. 16And Mng Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying: 'Upon the SECOND KINGS SECOND KINGS great altar offer the morning burnt- offering, and the evening meal-offering, and the king's burnt-offering, and his meal-offering, with the burnt-offering of all the people of the land, and their meal-offering, a-nd their drink- offerings; and dash against it all the blood of the burnt- offering, and all the blood of the sacrifice; but the brazen altar shall be for me to look to.' 16Thus did Urijah the priest, according to all that king Ahaz commanded.
17And king Ahaz cut off the borders of the bases, and removed the laver from off them; and took down the sea from off the brazen oxen that were under it, and put it upon a pavement of stone. 18And the covered place for the sabbath that they had built in the house, and the king's entry without, turned he unto the house of the LORD, because of the king of Assyria. 19Now the rest of the acts of Ahaz which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 20And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and was buried with his "fathers in the city of David; and Hezekiah his son reigned in his stead.
1 rr In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah began Hoshea the son of Elah to reign in Samaria over Israel, and reigned nine years. 2And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, yet not as^the kings of Israel that were before him. 3Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria; and Hoshea became his serv- ant, and brought him presents. 4And the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea; for he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and offered no present to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year; therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in prison. ^Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years. 6In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away unto Assyria, and placed them in Halah, and in Habor, on the river of Gozan. and in the cities of the Medes. 7And it was so, because the children of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods, 8and walked in the statutes of the nations, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they practised; 9and the children of Israel did impute things that were not right unto the LORD their God, and they built them high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watch- men to the fortified city; 10and they set them up pillars and Asherim upon every high hill, and under every leafy tree; nand there they offered in all the high places, as did the nations whom the LORD carried away before them; and wrought wicked things to provoke the LORD; ^and they served idols, whereof the LORD had said unto them: 'Ye shall not do this thing'; 13yet the LORD forewarned Israel, and Judah. by the hand of every prophet, and of every seer, saying: 'Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep My com- mandments and My statutes, accord- ing to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by the hand of My servants the prophets'; Notwithstanding they would ^not hear, but hardened their neck, like to the neck of their fathers, who believed not in the LORD their God; 15and they rejected His statutes, and His covenant that He made with their fathers, and His testimonies SECOND KINGS wherewith He testified against them; and they went after things of nought, and became nought, and after the nations that were round about them, concerning whom the LORD had charged them that they should not do like them; 16and they forsook all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made an Asherah, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served JBaal; 17and they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and gave them- selves over to do that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him; 18that the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of His sight; there was none left but the tribe of Judah only. 19Also Judah kept not the commandments of the LORD their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they practised. 20And the LORD rejected all the seed of Israel, and afflicted them, and de- livered them into the hand of spoilers, until He had cast them out of His sight. 21For He rent Israel from the house of David; and they made Jero- boam the son of Nebat king; and Jeroboam drew Israel away from fol- lowing the LORD, and made them sin a great sin. 22And the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they departed not from them; 23until the LORD removed Israel out of His sight, as He spoke by the hand of all His servants the prophets. So Israel was carried away out of their own land to Assyria, unto this day.
^And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Avya, and from Hamath and Sepharvaun, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the I children of Israel; and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities there- of. ^And so it was, at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they feared not the LORD; therefore the LORD sent lions among them, which killed some of them. 2*Wheref ore they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying: 'The nations which thou hast carried away, and placed in the cities of Samaria, know not the manner of the God of the land; therefore He hath sent lions among them, and, behold, they slay them, because they know not the manner of the God of the land.'
27Thentheking of Assyria command- ed, saying: 'Carry thither one of the priests whom ye brought from thence; and let them go and dwell there, and let him teach them the manner of the God of the land.' 28So one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and dwelt in Beth-el, and taught them how they should fear the LORD. 29Howbeit every nation made gods of then* own, and put them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities wherein they dwelt. 80And the men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima, 31and the Awites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burnt their children in the fire to Adram- melech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim. ^So they feared the LORD, and made unto them from among themselves priests of the high places, who sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places. ^They feared the LORD, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations from among whom they had been carried away.
'"Unto this day they do after the 16 SECOND KINGS former manners* they fear not the LORD, neither do they after their statutes, or after their ordinances, or after the law or after the command- ment which the LORD commanded the children of Jacob, whom He named Israel; 35with whom the LORD had made a covenant, and charged them, saying: 'Ye shall not fear other gods, nor bow down to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them; 36but the LORD, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great power and with an outstretched arm, Him shall ye fear, and Him shall ye worship, and to Him shall ye sacrifice; 37and the statutes and the ordinances, and £he law and the commandment, which He wrote for you, ye shall observe to do for evermore; and ye shall not fear other gods; 38and the covenant that I have made with you ye shall not for- get; neither shall ye fear other gods; 39but the LORD your God shall ye fear; and He will deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies.' 40How- beit they did not hearken, but they did after their former manner. **So these nations feared the LORD, and served their graven images; their children likewise, and then* children's children, as did their fathers, so do they unto this day. •J Q Now it came to pass in the third ° year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. ^Twenty and five years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah. ^ 3And he did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that David his father had done. 4He re- moved the high places, and broke! the pillars, and cut down the Asherah; and he broke in pieces the brazen serpent that Moses had made; for unto those days the children of Israel did offer to it; and it was called aNe- hushtan. 5He trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor among them that were before him. 6For he cleaved to the LORD, he departed not from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the LORD commanded.Moses. 7 And the LORD was with him: whith- ersoever he went forth he prospered; and he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and served him not. 8He smote the Philistines unto Gaza and the borders thereof, from the tower of the watchmen to the fortified city. 9And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria, and besieged it. 10And at the end of three years they took it; even in the sixth year of Hezekiah, which was the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was taken. llAnd the king of Assyria carried Israel away unto Assyria, and put them in Halah, and in Habor, on the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes; ^because they hearkened not to the voice of the LORD their God, but transgressed His