New King James Version (NKJV)

Ahab’s Seventy Sons Killed

1 Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote and sent letters to Samaria, to the rulers of Jezreel, to the elders, and to those who reared Ahab’ssons,saying:

2 Now as soon as this letter comes to you, since your master’s sonsarewith you, and you have chariots and horses, a fortified city also, and weapons,

3 choose the best qualified of your master’s sons, sethimon his father’s throne, and fight for your master’s house.

4 But they were exceedingly afraid, and said, “Look,two kings could not stand up to him; how then can we stand?”

5 And he whowasin charge of the house, and he whowasin charge of the city, the elders also, and those who rearedthesons,sent to Jehu, saying, “Weareyour servants, we will do all you tell us; but we will not make anyone king. Dowhatisgood in your sight.”

6 Then he wrote a second letter to them, saying:

If youarefor me and will obey my voice, take the heads of the men, your master’s sons, and come to me at Jezreel by this time tomorrow.

Now the king’s sons, seventy persons,werewith the great men of the city,whowere rearing them.

7 So it was, when the letter came to them, that they took the king’s sons andslaughtered seventy persons, put their heads in baskets and sentthemto him at Jezreel.

8 Then a messenger came and told him, saying, “They have brought the heads of the king’s sons.”

And he said, “Lay them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until morning.”

9 So it was, in the morning, that he went out and stood, and said to all the people, “Youarerighteous. IndeedI conspired against my master and killed him; but who killed all these?

10 Know now that nothing shallfall to the earth of the word of theLordwhich theLordspoke concerning the house of Ahab; for theLordhas done what He spokeby His servant Elijah.”

11 So Jehu killed all who remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men and his close acquaintances and his priests, until he left him none remaining.

Ahaziah’s Forty-two Brothers Killed

12 And he arose and departed and went to Samaria. On the way, at Beth Eked of the Shepherds,

13 Jehu met with the brothers of Ahaziah king of Judah, and said, “Whoareyou?”

So they answered, “Wearethe brothers of Ahaziah; we have come down to greet the sons of the king and the sons of the queen mother.”

14 And he said, “Take them alive!” So they took them alive, andkilled them at the well of Beth Eked, forty-two men; and he left none of them.

The Rest of Ahab’s Family Killed

15 Now when he departed from there, he metJehonadab the son ofRechab,comingto meet him; and he greeted him and said to him, “Is your heart right, as my heartistoward your heart?”

And Jehonadab answered, “It is.”

# Jehusaid,“If it is,givemeyour hand.” So he gavehimhis hand, and he took him up to him into the chariot.

16 Then he said, “Come with me, and see myzeal for theLord.” So they had him ride in his chariot.

17 And when he came to Samaria,he killed all who remained to Ahab in Samaria, till he had destroyed them, according to the word of theLordwhich He spoke to Elijah.

Worshipers of Baal Killed

18 Then Jehu gathered all the people together, and said to them,“Ahab served Baal a little, Jehu will serve him much.

19 Now therefore, call to me all theprophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his priests. Let no one be missing, for I have a great sacrifice for Baal. Whoever is missing shall not live.” But Jehu acted deceptively, with the intent of destroying the worshipers of Baal.

20 And Jehu said, “Proclaim a solemn assembly for Baal.” So they proclaimedit.

21 Then Jehu sent throughout all Israel; and all the worshipers of Baal came, so that there was not a man left who did not come. So they came into the temple of Baal, and thetemple of Baal was full from one end to the other.

22 And he said to the one in charge of the wardrobe, “Bring out vestments for all the worshipers of Baal.” So he brought out vestments for them.

23 Then Jehu and Jehonadab the son of Rechab went into the temple of Baal, and said to the worshipers of Baal, “Search and see that no servants of theLordare here with you, but only the worshipers of Baal.”

24 So they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had appointed for himself eighty men on the outside, and had said, “Ifany of the men whom I have brought into your hands escapes,whoeverletshimescape, it shall behis life for the life of the other.”

25 Now it happened, as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, that Jehu said to the guard and to the captains, “Go inandkill them; let no one come out!” And they killed them with the edge of the sword; then the guards and the officers threwthemout, and went into the inner room of the temple of Baal.

26 And they brought thesacredpillars out of the temple of Baal and burned them.

27 Then they broke down thesacredpillar of Baal, and tore down the temple of Baal andmade it a refuse dump to this day.

28 Thus Jehu destroyed Baal from Israel.

29 However Jehu did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin,thatis,fromthe golden calves thatwereat Bethel and Dan.

30 And theLordsaid to Jehu, “Because you have done well in doingwhatisright in My sight,andhave done to the house of Ahab all thatwasin My heart,your sons shall sit on the throne of Israel to the fourthgeneration.”

31 But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of theLordGod of Israel with all his heart; for he did not depart fromthe sins of Jeroboam, who had made Israel sin.

Death of Jehu

32 In those days theLordbegan to cut offpartsof Israel; andHazael conquered them in all the territory of Israel

33 from the Jordan eastward: all the land of Gilead—Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh—fromAroer, whichisby the River Arnon, includingGilead and Bashan.

34 Now the rest of the acts of Jehu, all that he did, and all his might,arethey not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

35 So Jehu rested with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria. ThenJehoahaz his son reigned in his place.

36 And the period that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samariawastwenty-eight years.

Athaliah Reigns in Judah

1 WhenAthaliahthe mother of Ahaziah saw that her son wasdead, she arose and destroyed all the royal heirs.

2 But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram, sister ofAhaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king’s sonswhowerebeing murdered; and they hid him and his nurse in the bedroom, from Athaliah, so that he was not killed.

3 So he was hidden with her in the house of theLordfor six years, while Athaliah reigned over the land.

Joash Crowned King of Judah

4 Inthe seventh year Jehoiada sent and brought the captains of hundreds—of the bodyguards and the escorts—and brought them into the house of theLordto him. And he made a covenant with them and took an oath from them in the house of theLord, and showed them the king’s son.

5 Then he commanded them, saying, “Thisiswhat you shall do: one-third of you who come on dutyon the Sabbath shall be keeping watch over the king’s house,

6 one-thirdshallbeat the gate of Sur, and one-third at the gate behind the escorts. You shall keep the watch of the house, lest it be broken down.

7 The two contingents of you who go off duty on the Sabbath shall keep the watch of the house of theLordfor the king.

8 But you shall surround the king on all sides, every man with his weapons in his hand; and whoever comes within range, let him be put to death. You are to be with the king as he goes out and as he comes in.”

9 So the captains of the hundreds did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded. Each of them took his men who were to be on duty on the Sabbath, with those who were going off duty on the Sabbath, and came to Jehoiada the priest.

10 And the priest gave the captains of hundreds the spears and shields whichhadbelongedto King David,that were in the temple of theLord.

11 Then the escorts stood, every man with his weapons in his hand, all around the king, from the right side of the temple to the left side of the temple, by the altar and the house.

12 And he brought out the king’s son, put the crown on him, andgavehimtheTestimony; they made him king and anointed him, and they clapped their hands and said,“Long live the king!”

Death of Athaliah

13 Now when Athaliah heard the noise of the escortsandthe people, she came to the peopleinthe temple of theLord.

14 When she looked, there was the king standing bya pillar according to custom; and the leaders and the trumpeters were by the king. All the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets. So Athaliah tore her clothes and cried out, “Treason! Treason!”

15 And Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains of the hundreds, the officers of the army, and said to them, “Take her outside under guard, and slay with the sword whoever follows her.” For the priest had said, “Do not let her be killed in the house of theLord.”

16 So they seized her; and she went by way of the horses’ entranceintothe king’s house, and there she was killed.

17 Then Jehoiadamade a covenant between theLord, the king, and the people, that they should be theLord’s people, andalsobetween the king and the people.

18 And all the people of the land went to thetemple of Baal, and tore it down. They thoroughlybroke in pieces its altars and images, andkilled Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. Andthe priest appointed officers over the house of theLord.

19 Then he took the captains of hundreds, the bodyguards, the escorts, and all the people of the land; and they brought the king down from the house of theLord, and went by way of the gate of the escorts to the king’s house. Then he sat on the throne of the kings.

20 So all the people of the land rejoiced; and the city was quiet, for they had slain Athaliah with the swordinthe king’s house.

21 Jehoashwasseven years old when he became king.

Jehoash Repairs the Temple

1 In the seventh year of Jehu,Jehoash became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s namewasZibiah of Beersheba.

2 Jehoash didwhatwasright in the sight of theLordall the days in whichJehoiada the priest instructed him.

3 Butthe high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.

4 And Jehoash said to the priests,“All the money of the dedicated gifts that are brought into the house of theLord—each man’scensus money, each man’sassessment money—andall the money that a manpurposes in his heart to bring into the house of theLord,

5 let the priests takeitthemselves, each from his constituency; and let them repair the damages of the temple, wherever any dilapidation is found.”

6 Now it was so, by the twenty-third year of King Jehoash,thatthe priests had not repaired the damages of the temple.

7 So King Jehoash called Jehoiada the priest and theotherpriests, and said to them, “Why have you not repaired the damages of the temple? Now therefore, do not takemoremoney from your constituency, but deliver it for repairing the damages of the temple.”

8 And the priests agreed that they would neither receivemoremoney from the people, nor repair the damages of the temple.

9 Then Jehoiada the priest tooka chest, bored a hole in its lid, and set it beside the altar, on the right side as one comes into the house of theLord; and the priests who kept the door putthere all the money brought into the house of theLord.

10 So it was, whenever they saw thattherewasmuch money in the chest, that the king’sscribe and the high priest came up and put it in bags, and counted the money that was found in the house of theLord.

11 Then they gave the money, which had been apportioned, into the hands of those who did the work, who had the oversight of the house of theLord; and they paid it out to the carpenters and builders who worked on the house of theLord,

12 and to masons and stonecutters, and for buying timber and hewn stone, torepair the damage of the house of theLord, and for all that was paid out to repair the temple.

13 Howeverthere were not made for the house of theLordbasins of silver, trimmers, sprinkling-bowls, trumpets, any articles of gold or articles of silver, from the money brought into the house of theLord.

14 But they gave that to the workmen, and they repaired the house of theLordwith it.

15 Moreoverthey did not require an account from the men into whose hand they delivered the money to be paid to workmen, for they dealt faithfully.

16 The money from the trespass offerings and the money from the sin offerings was not brought into the house of theLord.It belonged to the priests.

Hazael Threatens Jerusalem

17 Hazael king of Syria went up and fought against Gath, and took it; thenHazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem.

18 And Jehoash king of Judahtook all the sacred things that his fathers, Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and Ahaziah, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own sacred things, and all the gold found in the treasuries of the house of theLordand in the king’s house, and sentthemto Hazael king of Syria. Then he went away from Jerusalem.

Death of Joash

19 Now the rest of the acts of Joash, and all that he did,arethey not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

20 Andhis servants arose and formed a conspiracy, and killed Joash in the house of the Millo, which goes down to Silla.

21 For Jozachar the son of Shimeath and Jehozabad the son of Shomer, his servants, struck him. So he died, and they buried him with his fathers in the City of David. ThenAmaziah his son reigned in his place.

Jehoahaz Reigns in Israel

1 In the twenty-third year ofJoash the son of Ahaziah, king of Judah,Jehoahaz the son of Jehu became king over Israel in Samaria,andreignedseventeen years.

2 And he did evil in the sight of theLord, and followed thesins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin. He did not depart from them.

3 Thenthe anger of theLordwas aroused against Israel, and He delivered them into the hand ofHazael king of Syria, and into the hand ofBen-Hadad the son of Hazael, alltheirdays.

4 So Jehoahazpleaded with theLord, and theLordlistened to him; forHe saw the oppression of Israel, because the king of Syria oppressed them.

5 Then theLordgave Israel a deliverer, so that they escaped from under the hand of the Syrians; and the children of Israel dwelt in their tents as before.

6 Nevertheless they did not depart from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, who had made Israel sin,butwalked in them;and the wooden image also remained in Samaria.

7 For He left of the army of Jehoahaz only fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand foot soldiers; for the king of Syria had destroyed themand made themlike the dust at threshing.

8 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz, all that he did, and his might,arethey not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

9 So Jehoahaz rested with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria. Then Joash his son reigned in his place.

Jehoash Reigns in Israel

10 In the thirty-seventh year of Joash king of Judah, Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz became king over Israel in Samaria,andreignedsixteen years.

11 And he did evil in the sight of theLord. He did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin,butwalked in them.

12 Now the rest of the acts of Joash,all that he did, andhis might with which he fought against Amaziah king of Judah,arethey not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

13 So Joashrested with his fathers. Then Jeroboam sat on his throne. And Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.

Death of Elisha

14 Elisha had become sick with the illness of which he would die. Then Joash the king of Israel came down to him, and wept over his face, and said, “O my father, my father,the chariots of Israel and their horsemen!”

15 And Elisha said to him, “Take a bow and some arrows.” So he took himself a bow and some arrows.

16 Then he said to the king of Israel, “Put your hand on the bow.” So he put his handonit,and Elisha put his hands on the king’s hands.

17 And he said, “Open the east window”; and he openedit.Then Elisha said, “Shoot”; and he shot. And he said, “The arrow of theLord’s deliverance and the arrow of deliverance from Syria; for you must strike the Syrians atAphek till you have destroyedthem.”

18 Then he said, “Take the arrows”; so he tookthem.And he said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground”; so he struck three times, and stopped.

19 And the man of God was angry with him, and said, “You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck Syria till you had destroyedit!But now you will strike Syriaonlythree times.”

20 Then Elisha died, and they buried him. And theraidingbands from Moab invaded the land in the spring of the year.

21 So it was, as they were burying a man, that suddenly they spied a bandofraiders;and they put the man in the tomb of Elisha; and when the man was let down and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet.

Israel Recaptures Cities from Syria

22 AndHazael king of Syria oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz.

23 But theLordwasgracious to them, had compassion on them, andregarded them,because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not yet destroy them or cast them from His presence.

24 Now Hazael king of Syria died. Then Ben-Hadad his son reigned in his place.

25 And Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz recaptured from 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 Joash defeated him and recaptured the cities of Israel.

Amaziah Reigns in Judah

1 Inthe second year of Joash the son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel,Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, became king.

2 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem.

3 And he didwhatwasright in the sight of theLord, yet not like his father David; he did everythingas his father Joash had done.

4 However the high places were not taken away, and the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.

5 Now it happened, as soon as the kingdom was established in his hand, that he executed his servantswho had murdered his father the king.

6 But the children of the murderers he did not execute, according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, in which theLordcommanded, saying,“Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor shall children be put to death for their fathers; but a person shall be put to death for his own sin.”

7 He killed ten thousand Edomites inthe Valley of Salt, and took Sela by war,and called its name Joktheel to this day.

8 Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, “Come, let us face one anotherinbattle.”

9 And Jehoash king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying,“The thistle thatwasin Lebanon sent to thecedar thatwasin Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son as wife’; and a wild beast thatwasin Lebanon passed by and trampled the thistle.

10 You have indeed defeated Edom, andyour heart has lifted you up. Gloryinthat,and stay at home; for why should you meddle with trouble so that you fall—you and Judah with you?”

11 But Amaziah would not heed. Therefore Jehoash king of Israel went out; so he and Amaziah king of Judah faced one another atBeth Shemesh, whichbelongsto Judah.

12 And Judah was defeated by Israel, and every man fled to his tent.

13 Then Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash, the son of Ahaziah, at Beth Shemesh; and he went to Jerusalem, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem fromthe Gate of Ephraim tothe Corner Gate—four hundred cubits.

14 And he took allthe gold and silver, all the articles that were found in the house of theLordand in the treasuries of the king’s house, and hostages, and returned to Samaria.

15 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoash which he did—his might, and how he fought with Amaziah king of Judah—arethey not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

16 So Jehoash rested with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. Then Jeroboam his son reigned in his place.

17 Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, lived fifteen years after the death of Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel.

18 Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah,arethey not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

19 Andthey formed a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem, and he fled toLachish; but they sent after him to Lachish and killed him there.

20 Then they brought him on horses, and he was buried at Jerusalem with his fathers in the City of David.

21 And all the people of Judah tookAzariah, whowassixteen years old, and made him king instead of his father Amaziah.

22 He builtElath and restored it to Judah, after the king rested with his fathers.

Jeroboam II Reigns in Israel

23 In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, became king in Samaria,andreignedforty-one years.

24 And he did evil in the sight of theLord; he did not depart from all thesins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin.

25 Herestored the territory of Israelfrom the entrance of Hamath tothe Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of theLordGod of Israel, which He had spoken through His servantJonah the son of Amittai, the prophet whowasfromGath Hepher.

26 For theLordsawthatthe affliction of Israelwasvery bitter; and whether bond or free,there was no helper for Israel.

27 And theLorddid not say 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.

28 Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, and all that he did—his might, how he made war, and how he recaptured for Israel, fromDamascus and Hamath,whathadbelongedto Judah—arethey not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

29 So Jeroboam rested with his fathers, the kings of Israel. ThenZechariah his son reigned in his place.

Azariah Reigns in Judah

1 In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel,Azariah the son of Amaziah, king of Judah,became king.

2 He was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s namewasJecholiah of Jerusalem.

3 And he didwhatwasright in the sight of theLord, according to all that his father Amaziah had done,

4 except that the high places were not removed; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.

5 Then theLordstruck the king, so that he was a leper until the day of hisdeath; so hedwelt in an isolated house. And Jotham the king’s sonwasover theroyalhouse, judging the people of the land.

6 Now the rest of the acts of Azariah, and all that he did,arethey not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

7 So Azariah rested with his fathers, andthey buried him with his fathers in the City of David. Then Jotham his son reigned in his place.

Zechariah Reigns in Israel

8 In the thirty-eighth year of Azariah king of Judah,Zechariah the son of Jeroboam reigned over Israel in Samaria six months.

9 And he did evil in the sight of theLord,as his fathers had done; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin.

10 Then Shallum the son of Jabesh conspired against him, andstruck and killed him in front of the people; and he reigned in his place.

11 Now the rest of the acts of Zechariah, indeed theyarewritten in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.

12 Thiswasthe word of theLordwhich He spoke to Jehu, saying,“Your sons shall sit on the throne of Israel to the fourthgeneration.” And so it was.

Shallum Reigns in Israel

13 Shallum the son of Jabesh became king in the thirty-ninth year of Uzziah king of Judah; and he reigned a full month in Samaria.

14 For Menahem the son of Gadi went up fromTirzah, came to Samaria, and struck Shallum the son of Jabesh in Samaria and killed him; and he reigned in his place.

15 Now the rest of the acts of Shallum, and the conspiracy which he led, indeed theyarewritten in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.

16 Then from Tirzah, Menahem attackedTiphsah, all whowerethere, and its territory. Because they did not surrender, therefore he attackedit.Allthe women there who were with child he ripped open.

Menahem Reigns in Israel

17 In the thirty-ninth year of Azariah king of Judah, Menahem the son of Gadi became king over Israel,andreignedten years in Samaria.

18 And he did evil in the sight of theLord; he did not depart all his days from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin.

19 Pul king of Assyria came against the land; and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver, that his hand might be with him tostrengthen the kingdom under his control.

20 And Menahemexacted the money from Israel, from all the very wealthy, from each man fifty shekels of silver, to give to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria turned back, and did not stay there in the land.

21 Now the rest of the acts of Menahem, and all that he did,arethey not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

22 So Menahem rested with his fathers. Then Pekahiah his son reigned in his place.

Pekahiah Reigns in Israel

23 In the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekahiah the son of Menahem became king over Israel in Samaria,andreignedtwo years.

24 And he did evil in the sight of theLord; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin.

25 Then Pekah the son of Remaliah, an officer of his, conspired against him and killed him in Samaria, in thecitadel of the king’s house, along with Argob and Arieh; and with him were fifty men of Gilead. He killed him and reigned in his place.

26 Now the rest of the acts of Pekahiah, and all that he did, indeed theyarewritten in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.

Pekah Reigns in Israel

27 In the fifty-second year of Azariah king of Judah,Pekah the son of Remaliah became king over Israel in Samaria,andreignedtwenty years.

28 And he did evil in the sight of theLord; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin.

29 In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyriacame and tookIjon, Abel Beth Maachah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali; and hecarried them captive to Assyria.

30 Then Hoshea the son of Elah led a conspiracy against Pekah the son of Remaliah, and struck and killed him; so hereigned in his place in the twentieth year of Jotham the son of Uzziah.

31 Now the rest of the acts of Pekah, and all that he did, indeed theyarewritten in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.

Jotham Reigns in Judah

32 In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel,Jotham the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, began to reign.

33 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother’s namewasJerusha the daughter of Zadok.

34 And he didwhatwasright in the sight of theLord; he didaccording to all that his father Uzziah had done.

35 However the high places were not removed; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.He built the Upper Gate of the house of theLord.

36 Now the rest of the acts of Jotham, and all that he did,arethey not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

37 In those days theLordbegan to sendRezin king of Syria andPekah the son of Remaliah against Judah.

38 So Jotham rested with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the City of David his father. Then Ahaz his son reigned in his place.

Ahaz Reigns in Judah

1 In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, Ahaz the son of Jotham, king of Judah, began to reign.

2 Ahazwastwenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and he did not dowhatwasright in the sight of theLordhis God, as his father Davidhaddone.

3 But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel; indeedhe made his son pass through the fire, according to theabominations of the nations whom theLordhad cast out from before the children of Israel.

4 And he sacrificed and burned incense on thehigh places,on the hills, and under every green tree.

5 Then Rezin king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, came up to Jerusalem tomakewar; and they besieged Ahaz but could not overcomehim.

6 At that time Rezin king of Syriacaptured Elath for Syria, and drove the men of Judah from Elath. Then the Edomites went to Elath, and dwell there to this day.

7 So Ahaz sent messengers toTiglath-Pileser king of Assyria, saying, “Iamyour servant and your son. Come up and save me from the hand of the king of Syria and from the hand of the king of Israel, who rise up against me.”

8 And Ahaztook the silver and gold that was found in the house of theLord, and in the treasuries of the king’s house, and sentitasa present to the king of Assyria.

9 So the king of Assyria heeded him; for the king of Assyria went up againstDamascus andtook it, carrieditspeoplecaptive toKir, and killed Rezin.

10 Now King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria, and saw an altar thatwasat Damascus; and King Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the design of the altar and its pattern, according to all its workmanship.

11 ThenUrijah the priest built an altar according to all that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus. So Urijah the priest madeitbefore King Ahaz came back from Damascus.

12 And when the king came back from Damascus, the king saw the altar; andthe king approached the altar and made offerings on it.

13 So he burned his burnt offering and his grain offering; and he poured his drink offering and sprinkled the blood of his peace offerings on the altar.

14 He also broughtthe bronze altar whichwasbefore theLord, from the front of the temple—from between thenewaltar and the house of theLord—and put it on the north side of thenewaltar.

15 Then King Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying, “On the greatnewaltar burnthe morning burnt offering, the evening grain offering, the king’s burnt sacrifice, and his grain offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land, their grain offering, and their drink offerings; and sprinkle on it all the blood of the burnt offering and all the blood of the sacrifice. And the bronze altar shall be for me to inquireby.”

16 Thus did Urijah the priest, according to all that King Ahaz commanded.

17 And King Ahaz cut offthe panels of the carts, and removed the lavers from them; and he took downthe Sea from the bronze oxen thatwereunder it, and put it on a pavement of stones.

18 Also he removed the Sabbath pavilion which they had built in the temple, and he removed the king’s outer entrance from the house of theLord, on account of the king of Assyria.

19 Now the rest of the acts of Ahaz which he did,arethey not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

20 So Ahaz rested with his fathers, andwas buried with his fathers in the City of David. Then Hezekiah his son reigned in his place.

Hoshea Reigns in Israel

1 In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah,Hoshea the son of Elah became king of Israel in Samaria,andhereignednine years.

2 And he did evil in the sight of theLord, but not as the kings of Israel who were before him.

3 Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against him; and Hosheabecame his vassal, and paid him tribute money.

4 And the king of Assyria uncovered a conspiracy by Hoshea; for he had sent messengers to So, king of Egypt, and brought no tribute to the king of Assyria, ashehaddoneyear by year. Therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in prison.

Israel Carried Captive to Assyria

5 Nowthe king of Assyria went throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria and besieged it for three years.

6 In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria took Samaria andcarried Israel away to Assyria,and placed them in Halah and by the Habor, the River of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.

7 Forso it was that the children of Israel had sinned against theLordtheir God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and they hadfeared other gods,

8 andhad walked in the statutes of the nations whom theLordhad cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made.

9 Also the children of Israel secretly did against theLordtheir God things thatwerenot right, and they built for themselves high places in all their cities,from watchtower to fortified city.

10 They set up for themselvessacredpillars andwooden imageson every high hill and under every green tree.

11 There they burned incense on all the high places, like the nations whom theLordhad carried away before them; and they did wicked things to provoke theLordto anger,

12 for they served idols,of which theLordhad said to them,“You shall not do this thing.”

13 Yet theLordtestified against Israel and against Judah, by all of Hisprophets,every seer, saying,“Turn from your evil ways, and keep My commandmentsandMy statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by My servants the prophets.”

14 Nevertheless they would not hear, butstiffened their necks, like the necks of their fathers, whodid not believe in theLordtheir God.

15 And theyrejected His statutesand His covenant that He had made with their fathers, and His testimonies which He had testified against them; they followedidols,became idolaters, andwentafter the nations whowereall around them,concerningwhom theLordhad charged them that they shouldnot do like them.

16 So they left all the commandments of theLordtheir God,made for themselves a molded imageandtwo calves,made a wooden image and worshiped all thehost of heaven,and served Baal.

17 And they caused their sons and daughters to pass through the fire,practiced witchcraft and soothsaying, andsold themselves to do evil in the sight of theLord, to provoke Him to anger.

18 Therefore theLordwas very angry with Israel, and removed them from His sight; there was none leftbut the tribe of Judah alone.

19 AlsoJudah did not keep the commandments of theLordtheir God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made.

20 And theLordrejected all the descendants of Israel, afflicted them, anddelivered them into the hand of plunderers, until He had cast them from Hissight.

21 ForHe tore Israel from the house of David, andthey made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king. Then Jeroboam drove Israel from following theLord, and made them commit a great sin.

22 For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they did not depart from them,

23 until theLordremoved Israel out of His sight,as He had said by all His servants the prophets.So Israel was carried away from their own land to Assyria,asitisto this day.

Assyria Resettles Samaria

24 Then the king of Assyria broughtpeoplefrom Babylon, Cuthah,Ava, Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placedthemin the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel; and they took possession of Samaria and dwelt in its cities.

25 And it was so, at the beginning of their dwelling there,thatthey did not fear theLord; therefore theLordsent lions among them, which killedsomeof them.

26 So they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, “The nations whom you have removed and placed in the cities of Samaria do not know the rituals of the God of the land; therefore He has sent lions among them, and indeed, they are killing them because they do not know the rituals of the God of the land.”

27 Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, “Send there one of the priests whom you brought from there; let him go and dwell there, and let him teach them the rituals of the God of the land.”

28 Then one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and dwelt in Bethel, and taught them how they should fear theLord.

29 However every nation continued to make gods of its own, and putthemin the shrines on the high places which the Samaritans had made,everynation in the cities where they dwelt.

30 The men ofBabylon made Succoth Benoth, the men of Cuth made Nergal, the men of Hamath made Ashima,

31 and the Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the Sepharvitesburned their children in fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.

32 So they feared theLord,and from every class they appointed for themselves priests of the high places, who sacrificed for them in the shrines of the high places.

33 They feared theLord, yet served their own gods—according to the rituals of the nations from among whom they were carried away.

34 To this day they continue practicing the former rituals; they do not fear theLord, nor do they follow their statutes or their ordinances, or the law and commandment which theLordhad commanded the children of Jacob,whom He named Israel,

35 with whom theLordhad made a covenant and charged them, saying:“You shall not fear other gods, norbow down to them nor serve them nor sacrifice to them;

36 but theLord, whobrought you up from the land of Egypt with great power andan outstretched arm,Him you shall fear, Him you shall worship, and to Him you shall offer sacrifice.

37 And the statutes, the ordinances, the law, and the commandment which He wrote for you,you shall be careful to observe forever; you shall not fear other gods.

38 And the covenant that I have made with you,you shall not forget, nor shall you fear other gods.

39 But theLordyour God you shall fear; and He will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.”

40 However they did not obey, but they followed their former rituals.

41 So these nations feared theLord, yet served their carved images; also their children and their children’s children have continued doing as their fathers did, even to this day.

Hezekiah Reigns in Judah

1 Now it came to pass in the third year ofHoshea the son of Elah, king of Israel,thatHezekiah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign.

2 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s namewasAbi the daughter of Zechariah.

3 And he didwhatwasright in the sight of theLord, according to all that his father David had done.

4 He removed the high places and broke thesacredpillars, cut down the wooden image and broke in pieces thebronze serpent that Moses had made; for until those days the children of Israel burned incense to it, and called it Nehushtan.

5 Hetrusted in theLordGod of Israel,so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor who were before him.

6 For heheld fast to theLord; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments, which theLordhad commanded Moses.

7 TheLordwas with him; heprospered wherever he went. And herebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him.

8 He subdued the Philistines, as far as Gaza and its territory,from watchtower to fortified city.

9 Nowit came to pass in the fourth year of King Hezekiah, whichwasthe seventh year of Hoshea the son of Elah, king of Israel,thatShalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria and besieged it.

10 And at the end of three years they took it. In the sixth year of Hezekiah, thatis,the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was taken.

11 Then the king of Assyria carried Israel away captive to Assyria, and put themin Halah and by the Habor, the River of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes,

12 because theydid not obey the voice of theLordtheir God, but transgressed His covenantandall that Moses the servant of theLordhad commanded; and they would neither hear nor dothem.

13 Andin the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them.

14 Then Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, “I have done wrong; turn away from me; whatever you impose on me I will pay.” And the king of Assyria assessed Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.

15 So Hezekiahgavehimall the silver that was found in the house of theLordand in the treasuries of the king’s house.

16 At that time Hezekiah strippedthegoldfromthe doors of the temple of theLord, andfromthe pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria.

Sennacherib Boasts Against the Lord

17 Then the king of Assyria senttheTartan,theRabsaris,and theRabshakeh from Lachish, with a great army against Jerusalem, to King Hezekiah. And they went up and came to Jerusalem. When they had come up, they went and stood by theaqueduct from the upper pool,whichwason the highway to the Fuller’s Field.

18 And when they had called to the king,Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, whowasover the household, Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came out to them.

19 ThentheRabshakeh said to them, “Say now to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria:“What confidenceisthis in which you trust?

20 You speak ofhavingplans and power for war; buttheyaremere words. And in whom do you trust, that you rebel against me?

21 Now look! You are trusting in the staff of this broken reed, Egypt, on which if a man leans, it will go into his hand and pierce it. SoisPharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him.

22 But if you say to me, ‘We trust in theLordour God,’isit not Hewhose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away, and said to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem’?” ’

23 Now therefore, I urge you, give a pledge to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses—if you are able on your part to put riders on them!

24 How then will you repel one captain of the least of my master’s servants, and put your trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen?

25 Have I now come up without theLordagainst this place to destroy it? TheLordsaid to me, ‘Go up against this land, and destroy it.’ ”

26 Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, Shebna, and Joah said totheRabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants inAramaic, for we understandit;and do not speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people whoareon the wall.”

27 ButtheRabshakeh said to them, “Has my master sent me to your master and to you to speak these words, and not to the men who sit on the wall, who will eat and drink their own waste with you?”

28 ThentheRabshakeh stood and called out with a loud voice in Hebrew, and spoke, saying, “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria!

29 Thus says the king:‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he shall not be able to deliver you from his hand;

30 nor let Hezekiah make you trust in theLord, saying, “TheLordwill surely deliver us; this city shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.” ’

31 Do not listen to Hezekiah; for thus says the king of Assyria: ‘Makepeacewith me by a present and come out to me; and every one of you eat from his ownvine and every one from his own fig tree, and every one of you drink the waters of his own cistern;

32 until I come and take you away to a land like your own land,a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive groves and honey, that you may live and not die. But do not listen to Hezekiah, lest he persuade you, saying, “TheLordwill deliver us.”

33 Has any of the gods of the nations at all delivered its land from the hand of the king of Assyria?

34 Wherearethe gods ofHamath and Arpad? Wherearethe gods of Sepharvaim and Hena andIvah? Indeed, have they delivered Samaria from my hand?

35 Who among all the gods of the lands have delivered their countries from my hand,that theLordshould deliver Jerusalem from my hand?’ ”

36 But the people held their peace and answered him not a word; for the king’s commandment was, “Do not answer him.”

37 Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, whowasover the household, Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiahwiththeirclothes torn, and told him the words oftheRabshakeh.

Isaiah Assures Deliverance

1 Andso it was, when King Hezekiah heardit,that he tore his clothes, covered himself withsackcloth, and went into the house of theLord.

2 Then he sent Eliakim, whowasover the household, Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz.

3 And they said to him, “Thus says Hezekiah: ‘This dayisa day of trouble, and rebuke, and blasphemy; for the children have come to birth, butthereisno strength to bring them forth.

4 It may be that theLordyour God will hear all the words oftheRabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent toreproach the living God, and willrebuke the words which theLordyour God has heard. Therefore lift upyourprayer for the remnant that is left.’ ”

5 So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah.

6 And Isaiah said to them, “Thus you shall say to your master, ‘Thus says theLord: “Do not beafraid of the words which you have heard, with which theservants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me.

7 Surely I will senda spirit upon him, and he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.” ’ ”

Sennacherib’s Threat and Hezekiah’s Prayer

8 ThentheRabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah, for he heard that he had departedfrom Lachish.

9 Andthe king heard concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, “Look, he has come out to make war with you.” So he again sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying,

10 “Thus you shall speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying: ‘Do not let your Godin whom you trust deceive you, saying, “Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.”

11 Look! You have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands by utterly destroying them; and shall you be delivered?

12 Have the gods of the nations delivered those whom my fathers have destroyed, Gozan and Haran and Rezeph, and the people ofEden whowerein Telassar?

13 Whereisthe king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah?’ ”

14 And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of theLord, and spread it before theLord.

15 Then Hezekiah prayed before theLord, and said: “OLordGod of Israel,theOnewho dwellsbetweenthe cherubim,You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.

16 Incline Your ear, OLord, and hear;open Your eyes, OLord, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib,which he has sent to reproach the living God.

17 Truly,Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands,

18 and have cast their gods into the fire; for theywerenot gods, butthe work of men’s hands—wood and stone. Therefore they destroyed them.

19 Now therefore, OLordour God, I pray, save us from his hand,that all the kingdoms of the earth mayknow that YouaretheLordGod, You alone.”

The Word of the Lord Concerning Sennacherib

20 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says theLordGod of Israel:‘Because you have prayed to Me against Sennacherib king of Assyria,I have heard.’

21 Thisisthe word which theLordhas spoken concerning him:

# ‘The virgin,the daughter of Zion,

Has despised you, laughed you to scorn;

The daughter of Jerusalem

# Has shakenherhead behind your back!

22 ‘Whom have you reproached and blasphemed?

Against whom have you raisedyourvoice,

And lifted up your eyes on high?

# Againstthe HolyOneof Israel.

23 By your messengers you have reproached the Lord,

# And said:“By the multitude of my chariots

I have come up to the height of the mountains,

To the limits of Lebanon;

I will cut down its tall cedars

Andits choice cypress trees;

I will enter the extremity of its borders,

Toits fruitful forest.

24 I have dug and drunk strange water,

# And with the soles of my feet I havedried up

All the brooks of defense.”

25 ‘Did you not hear long ago

# HowI made it,

From ancient times that I formed it?

Now I have brought it to pass,

# Thatyou should be

For crushing fortified citiesintoheaps of ruins.

26 Therefore their inhabitants had little power;

They were dismayed and confounded;

They wereasthe grass of the field

And the green herb,

# Asthe grass on the housetops

Andgrainblighted before it is grown.

27 ‘ButI know your dwelling place,

Your going out and your coming in,

And your rage against Me.

28 Because your rage against Me and your tumult

Have come up to My ears,

# ThereforeI will put My hook in your nose

And My bridle in your lips,

And I will turn you back

# By the way which you came.

29 ‘Thisshallbeasign to you:

You shall eat this year such as grows of itself,

And in the second year what springs from the same;

Also in the third year sow and reap,

Plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them.

30 And the remnant who have escaped of the house of Judah

Shall again take root downward,

And bear fruit upward.

31 For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant,

And those who escape from Mount Zion.

# The zeal of theLordof hosts will do this.’

32 “Therefore thus says theLordconcerning the king of Assyria:

# ‘He shallnot come into this city,

Nor shoot an arrow there,

Nor come before it with shield,

Nor build a siege mound against it.

33 By the way that he came,

By the same shall he return;

And he shall not come into this city,’

Says theLord.

34 ‘ForI willdefend this city, to save it

# For My own sake andfor My servant David’s sake.’ ”

Sennacherib’s Defeat and Death

35 Andit came to pass on a certain night that the angel of theLordwent out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and whenpeoplearose early in the morning, there were the corpses—all dead.

36 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went away, returnedhome,and remained atNineveh.

37 Now it came to pass, as he was worshiping in the temple of Nisroch his god, that his sonsAdrammelech and Sharezerstruck him down with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. ThenEsarhaddon his son reigned in his place.