6 At that time Rezin king of Syria acaptured 1Elath for Syria, and drove the men of Judah from Elath. Then the 2Edomites went to Elath, and dwell there to this day.

7 So Ahaz sent messengers to aTiglath-Pileser1 king of Assyria, saying, “I am your 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 Ahaz atook the silver and gold that was found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasuries of the king’s house, and sent it as a present to the king of Assyria.

9 So the king of Assyria heeded him; for the king of Assyria went up against aDamascus and btook it, carried its people captive to cKir, and killed Rezin.

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

11 Then aUrijah the priest built an altar according to all that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus. So Urijah the priest made it before King Ahaz came back from Damascus.

12 And when the king came back from Damascus, the king saw the altar; and athe 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 brought athe bronze altar which was before the LORD, from the front of the 1temple—from between the new altar and the house of the LORD—and put it on the north side of the new altar.

15 Then King Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying, “On the great new altar burn athe 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 inquire by.

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

17 aAnd King Ahaz cut off bthe panels of the carts, and removed the lavers from them; and he took down cthe Sea from the bronze oxen that were under 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 the LORD, on account of the king of Assyria.

19 Now 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?

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

Hoshea Reigns in Israel

17

1 In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, aHoshea the son of Elah became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned nine years.

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

3 aShalmaneser king of Assyria came up against him; and Hoshea bbecame 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, as he had done year by year. Therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in prison.

Israel Carried Captive to Assyria

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

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

7 For aso it was that the children of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and they had bfeared other gods,

8 and ahad walked in the statutes of the nations whom the LORD had 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 the LORD their God things that were not right, and they built for themselves 1high places in all their cities, afrom watchtower to fortified city.

10 aThey set up for themselves sacred pillars and bwooden images1 con every high hill and under every green tree.

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

12 for they served idols, aof which the LORD had said to them, b“You shall not do this thing.”

13 Yet the LORD testified against Israel and against Judah, by all of His aprophets, bevery seer, saying, c“Turn from your evil ways, and keep My commandments and My 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, but astiffened their necks, like the necks of their fathers, who bdid not believe in the LORD their God.

15 And they arejected His statutes band His covenant that He had made with their fathers, and His testimonies which He had testified against them; they followed cidols, dbecame idolaters, and went after the nations who were all around them, concerning whom the LORD had charged them that they should enot do like them.

16 So they left all the commandments of the LORD their God, amade for themselves a molded image and two calves, bmade a wooden image and worshiped all the chost of heaven, dand served Baal.

17 aAnd they caused their sons and daughters to pass through the fire, bpracticed witchcraft and soothsaying, and csold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger.

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

19 Also aJudah did not keep the commandments of the LORD their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made.

20 And the LORD rejected all the descendants of Israel, afflicted them, and adelivered them into the hand of plunderers, until He had cast them from His bsight.

21 For aHe tore Israel from the house of David, and bthey made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king. Then Jeroboam drove Israel from following the LORD, 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 the LORD removed Israel out of His sight, aas He had said by all His servants the prophets. bSo Israel was carried away from their own land to Assyria, as it is to this day.

Assyria Resettles Samaria

24 aThen the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, bAva, Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in 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, that they did not fear the LORD; therefore the LORD sent lions among them, which killed some of 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 the LORD.

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

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

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

32 So they feared the LORD, aand from every class they appointed for themselves priests of the 1high places, who sacrificed for them in the shrines of the high places.

33 aThey feared the LORD, 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 the LORD, nor do they follow their statutes or their ordinances, or the law and commandment which the LORD had commanded the children of Jacob, awhom He named Israel,

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

36 “but the LORD, who abrought you up from the land of Egypt with great *power and ban outstretched arm, cHim 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, ayou shall be careful to observe forever; you shall not fear other gods.

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

39 “But the LORD your 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 aSo these nations feared the LORD, 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

18

1 Now it came to pass in the third year of aHoshea the son of Elah, king of Israel, that bHezekiah 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 name was aAbi1 the daughter of Zechariah.

3 And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father David had done.

4 aHe removed the 1high* places and broke the sacred pillars, cut down the 2wooden image and broke in pieces the bbronze serpent that Moses had made; for until those days the children of Israel burned incense to it, and called it 3Nehushtan.

5 He atrusted in the LORD God of Israel, bso that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor who were before him.

6 For he aheld fast to the LORD; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the LORD had commanded Moses.

7 The LORD awas with him; he bprospered wherever he went. And he crebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him.

8 aHe 1subdued the Philistines, as far as Gaza and its territory, bfrom watchtower to fortified city.

9 Now ait came to pass in the fourth year of King Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea the son of Elah, king of Israel, that Shalmaneser 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, that is, athe ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was taken.

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

12 because they adid not obey the voice of the LORD their God, but transgressed His covenant and all that Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded; and they would neither hear nor do them.

13 And ain 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 Hezekiah agave him all the silver that was found in the house of the LORD and in the treasuries of the king’s house.

16 At that time Hezekiah stripped the gold from the doors of the *temple of the LORD, and from the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave 1it to the king of Assyria.

Sennacherib Boasts Against the LORD

17 Then the king of Assyria sent the 1Tartan, the 2Rabsaris, and the 3Rabshakeh 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 the aaqueduct from the upper pool, bwhich was on the highway to the Fuller’s Field.

18 And when they had called to the king, aEliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, Shebna the 1scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came out to them.

19 Then the Rabshakeh said to them, “Say now to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: a“What confidence is this in which you trust?

20 “You speak of having plans and power for war; but they are 1mere words. And in whom do you trust, that you rebel against me?

21 a“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. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him.

22 “But if you say to me, ‘We trust in the LORD our God,’ is it not He awhose 1high 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 the LORD against this place to destroy it? The LORD said to me, ‘Go up against this land, and destroy it.’ ”

26 aThen Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, Shebna, and Joah said to the Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in bAramaic, for we understand it; and do not speak to us in 1Hebrew in the hearing of the people who are on the wall.”

27 But the Rabshakeh 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 Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out with a loud voice in 1Hebrew, and spoke, saying, “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria!

29 “Thus says the king: a‘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 the LORD, saying, “The LORD will 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: ‘Make peace with me 1by a present and come out to me; and every one of you eat from his own avine 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, aa 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, “The LORD will deliver us.”

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

34 ‘Where are the gods of aHamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim and Hena and bIvah? Indeed, have they delivered Samaria from my hand?

35 ‘Who among all the gods of the lands have delivered their countries from my hand, athat the LORD should 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, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah awith their clothes torn, and told him the words of the Rabshakeh.

Isaiah Assures Deliverance

19

1 And aso it was, when King Hezekiah heard it, that he tore his clothes, covered himself with bsackcloth, and went into the house of the LORD.

2 Then he sent Eliakim, who was over 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 day is a day of trouble, and rebuke, and blasphemy; for the children have come to birth, but there is no strength to 1bring them forth.

4 a‘It may be that the LORD your God will hear all the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to breproach the living God, and will crebuke the words which the LORD your God has heard. Therefore lift up your *prayer for the remnant that is left.’ ”

5 So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah.

6 aAnd Isaiah said to them, “Thus you shall say to your master, ‘Thus says the LORD: “Do not be bafraid of the words which you have heard, with which the cservants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me.

7 “Surely I will send aa 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 Then the Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah, for he heard that he had departed afrom Lachish.

9 And athe 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 God ain 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 a‘Have the gods of the nations delivered those whom my fathers have destroyed, Gozan and Haran and Rezeph, and the people of bEden who were in Telassar?

13 a‘Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah?’ ”

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

15 Then Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and said: “O LORD God of Israel, the One awho dwells between the cherubim, bYou are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.

16 a“Incline Your ear, O LORD, and hear; bopen Your eyes, O LORD, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, cwhich 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 they were anot gods, but bthe work of men’s hands—wood and stone. Therefore they destroyed them.

19 “Now therefore, O LORD our God, I pray, save us from his hand, athat all the kingdoms of the earth may bknow that You are the LORD God, You alone.”

The Word of the LORD Concerning Sennacherib

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

21 “This is the word which the LORD has spoken concerning him:

‘The *virgin, athe daughter of Zion,

Has despised you, laughed you to scorn;

The daughter of Jerusalem

bHas shaken her head behind your back!

22 ‘Whom have you reproached and blasphemed?

Against whom have you raised your voice,

And lifted up your eyes on high?

Against athe Holy One of Israel.

23 aBy your messengers you have reproached the Lord,

And said: b“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

And its choice cypress trees;

I will enter the extremity of its borders,

To its fruitful forest.

24 I have dug and drunk strange water,

And with the soles of my feet I have adried up

All the brooks of defense.”

25 ‘Did you not hear long ago

How aI made it,

From ancient times that I formed it?

Now I have brought it to pass,

That byou should be

For crushing fortified cities into heaps of ruins.

26 Therefore their inhabitants had little power;

They were dismayed and confounded;

They were as the grass of the field

And the green herb,

As athe grass on the housetops

And grain blighted before it is grown.

27 ‘But aI 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,

Therefore aI will put My hook in your nose

And My bridle in your lips,

And I will turn you back

bBy the way which you came.

29 ‘This shall be a asign to you:

You shall eat this year such as grows 1of 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 aAnd 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.

aThe zeal of the LORD 1of hosts will do this.’

32 “Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the king of Assyria:

‘He shall anot 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 the LORD.

34 ‘For aI will bdefend this city, to save it

For My own sake and cfor My servant David’s sake.’ ”

Sennacherib’s Defeat and Death

35 And ait came to pass on a certain night that the 1angel of the LORD went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses—all dead.

36 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went away, returned home, and remained at aNineveh.

37 Now it came to pass, as he was worshiping in the temple of Nisroch his god, that his sons aAdrammelech and Sharezer bstruck him down with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. Then cEsarhaddon his son reigned in his place.

Hezekiah’s Life Extended

20

1 In athose days Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die, and not live.’ ”

2 Then he turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the LORD, saying,

3 a“Remember now, O LORD, I pray, how I have walked before You in truth and with a loyal heart, and have done what was good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

4 And it happened, before Isaiah had gone out into the middle court, that the word of the LORD came to him, saying,

5 “Return and tell Hezekiah athe leader of My people, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: b“I have heard your prayer, I have seen cyour tears; surely I will *heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the LORD.

6 “And I will add to your days fifteen years. I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; and aI will defend this city for My own sake, and for the sake of My servant David.” ’ ”

7 Then aIsaiah said, “Take a lump of figs.” So they took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered.

8 And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, a“What is the sign that the LORD will heal me, and that I shall go up to the house of the LORD the third day?”

9 Then Isaiah said, a“This is the sign to you from the LORD, that the LORD will do the thing which He has spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten *degrees or go backward ten degrees?”

10 And Hezekiah answered, “It is an easy thing for the shadow to go down ten 1degrees; no, but let the shadow go backward ten degrees.”

11 So Isaiah the prophet cried out to the LORD, and aHe brought the shadow ten 1degrees backward, by which it had gone down on the sundial of Ahaz.

The Babylonian Envoys

12 aAt that time 1Berodach-Baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that Hezekiah had been sick.

13 And aHezekiah was attentive to them, and showed them all the house of his treasures—the silver and gold, the spices and precious ointment, and 1all 2his armory—all that was found among his treasures. There was nothing in his house or in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them.

14 Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah, and said to him, “What did these men say, and from where did they come to you?” So Hezekiah said, “They came from a far country, from Babylon.”

15 And he said, “What have they seen in your house?” So Hezekiah answered, a“They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shown them.”

16 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the LORD:

17 ‘Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and what your fathers have accumulated until this day, ashall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left,’ says the LORD.

18 ‘And athey shall take away some of your sons who will 1descend from you, whom you will beget; band they shall be ceunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.’ ”

19 So Hezekiah said to Isaiah, a“The word of the LORD which you have spoken is good!” For he said, “Will there not be peace and truth at least in my days?”

Death of Hezekiah

20 aNow the rest of the acts of Hezekiah—all his might, and how he bmade a cpool and a 1tunnel and dbrought water into the city—are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

21 So aHezekiah 1rested with his fathers. Then Manasseh his son reigned in his place.

Manasseh Reigns in Judah

21

1 Manasseh awas twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hephzibah.

2 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, aaccording to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel.

3 For he rebuilt the 1high places awhich Hezekiah his father had destroyed; he raised up altars for Baal, and made a 2wooden image, bas Ahab king of Israel had done; and he cworshiped all 3the host of heaven and served them.

4 aHe also built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, b“In Jerusalem I will put My name.”

5 And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the atwo courts of the house of the LORD.

6 aAlso he made his son pass through the fire, practiced bsoothsaying, used witchcraft, and consulted spiritists and mediums. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger.

7 He even set a carved image of 1Asherah that he had made, in the 2house of which the LORD had said to David and to Solomon his son, a“In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put My name forever;

8 a“and I will not make the feet of Israel wander anymore from the land which I gave their fathers—only if they are careful to do according to all that I have commanded them, and according to all the law that My servant Moses commanded them.”

9 But they paid no attention, and Manasseh aseduced them to do more evil than the nations whom the LORD had destroyed before the children of Israel.

10 And the LORD spoke aby His servants the prophets, saying,

11 a“Because Manasseh king of Judah has done these abominations (bhe has acted more wickedly than all the cAmorites who were before him, and dhas also made Judah sin with his idols),

12 “therefore thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘Behold, I am bringing such calamity upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whoever hears of it, both ahis ears will tingle.

13 ‘And I will stretch over Jerusalem athe measuring line of Samaria and the plummet of the house of Ahab; bI will wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down.

14 ‘So I will forsake the aremnant of My inheritance and deliver them into the hand of their enemies; and they shall become victims of plunder to all their enemies,

15 ‘because they have done evil in My sight, and have provoked Me to anger since the day their fathers came out of Egypt, even to this day.’ ”

16 aMoreover Manasseh shed very much innocent blood, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another, besides his sin by which he made Judah sin, in doing evil in the sight of the LORD.

17 Now athe rest of the acts of bManasseh—all that he did, and the sin that he committed—are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

18 So aManasseh 1rested with his fathers, and was buried in the garden of his own house, in the garden of Uzza. Then his son Amon reigned in his place.

Amon’s Reign and Death

19 aAmon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Meshullemeth the daughter of Haruz of Jotbah.

20 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, aas his father Manasseh had done.

21 So he walked in all the ways that his father had walked; and he served the idols that his father had served, and worshiped them.

22 He aforsook the LORD God of his fathers, and did not walk in the way of the LORD.

23 aThen the servants of Amon bconspired against him, and killed the king in his own house.

24 But the people of the land aexecuted all those who had conspired against King Amon. Then the people of the land made his son Josiah king in his place.

25 Now the rest of the acts of Amon which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

26 And he was buried in his tomb in the garden of Uzza. Then Josiah his son reigned in his place.

Josiah Reigns in Judah

22

1 Josiah awas eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah of bBozkath.

2 And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in all the ways of his father David; he adid not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.

Hilkiah Finds the Book of the Law

3 aNow it came to pass, in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, that the king sent Shaphan the scribe, the son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, to the house of the LORD, saying:

4 “Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, that he may count the money which has been abrought into the house of the LORD, which bthe doorkeepers have gathered from the people.

5 “And let them adeliver it into the hand of those doing the work, who are the overseers in the house of the LORD; let them give it to those who are in the house of the LORD doing the work, to repair the damages of the house—

6 “to carpenters and builders and masons—and to buy timber and hewn stone to repair the house.

7 “However athere need be no accounting made with them of the money delivered into their hand, because they deal faithfully.”

8 Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, a“I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the LORD.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it.

9 So Shaphan the scribe went to the king, bringing the king word, saying, “Your servants have 1gathered the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of those who do the work, who oversee the house of the LORD.”

10 Then Shaphan the scribe showed the king, saying, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read it before the king.

11 Now it happened, when the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, that he tore his clothes.

12 Then the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, aAhikam the son of Shaphan, 1Achbor the son of Michaiah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah a servant of the king, saying,

13 “Go, inquire of the LORD for me, for the people and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that has been found; for great is athe wrath of the LORD that is aroused against us, because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us.”

14 So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of aTikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe. (She dwelt in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter.) And they spoke with her.

15 Then she said to them, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel, ‘Tell the man who sent you to Me,

16 “Thus says the LORD: ‘Behold, aI will bring calamity on this place and on its inhabitants—all the words of the book which the king of Judah has read—

17 a‘because they have forsaken Me and burned incense to other gods, that they might provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands. Therefore My wrath shall be aroused against this place and shall not be quenched.’ ” ’

18 “But as for athe king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the LORD, in this manner you shall speak to him, ‘Thus says the LORD God of Israel: “Concerning the words which you have heard—

19 “because your aheart was tender, and you bhumbled yourself before the LORD when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants, that they would become ca desolation and da curse, and you tore your clothes and wept before Me, I also have heard you,” says the LORD.

20 “Surely, therefore, I will 1gather you to your fathers, and you ashall 2be gathered to your grave in peace; and your eyes shall not see all the calamity which I will bring on this place.” ’ ” So they brought back word to the king.

Josiah Restores True Worship

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1 Now athe king sent them to gather all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem to him.

2 The king went up to the house of the LORD with all the men of Judah, and with him all the inhabitants of Jerusalem—the priests and the prophets and all the people, both small and great. And he aread in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant bwhich had been found in the house of the LORD.

3 Then the king astood by a pillar and made a bcovenant before the LORD, to follow the LORD and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes, with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people took a stand for the covenant.

4 And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, the apriests of the second order, and the doorkeepers, to bring bout of the temple of the LORD all the articles that were made for Baal, for 1Asherah, and for all 2the host of heaven; and he burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and carried their ashes to Bethel.

5 Then he removed the idolatrous priests whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense on the high places in the cities of Judah and in the places all around Jerusalem, and those who burned incense to Baal, to the sun, to the moon, to the 1constellations, and to aall the host of heaven.

6 And he brought out the awooden1 image from the house of the LORD, to the Brook Kidron outside Jerusalem, burned it at the Brook Kidron and ground it to bashes, and threw its ashes on cthe graves of the common people.

7 Then he tore down the ritual 1booths aof the 2perverted persons that were in the house of the LORD, bwhere the cwomen wove hangings for the wooden image.

8 And he brought all the priests from the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had burned incense, from aGeba to Beersheba; also he broke down the high places at the gates which were at the entrance of the Gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which were to the left of the city gate.

9 aNevertheless the priests of the high places did not come up to the altar of the LORD in Jerusalem, bbut they ate unleavened bread among their brethren.

10 And he defiled aTopheth, which is in bthe Valley of the 1Son of Hinnom, cthat no man might make his son or his daughter dpass through the fire to Molech.

11 Then he removed the horses that the kings of Judah had 1dedicated to the sun, at the entrance to the house of the LORD, by the chamber of Nathan-Melech, the officer who was in the court; and he burned the chariots of the sun with fire.

12 The altars that were aon the roof, the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars which bManasseh had made in the two courts of the house of the LORD, the king broke down and pulverized there, and threw their dust into the Brook Kidron.

13 Then the king defiled the 1high places that were east of Jerusalem, which were on the 2south of 3the Mount of Corruption, which aSolomon king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians, for Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, and for Milcom the abomination of the people of Ammon.

14 And he abroke in pieces the sacred pillars and cut down the wooden images, and filled their places with the bones of men.

15 Moreover the altar that was at Bethel, and the 1high place awhich Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin, had made, both that altar and the high place he broke down; and he burned the high place and crushed it to powder, and burned the wooden image.

16 As Josiah turned, he saw the tombs that were there on the mountain. And he sent and took the bones out of the tombs and burned them on the altar, and defiled it according to the aword of the LORD which the man of God proclaimed, who proclaimed these words.

17 Then he said, “What gravestone is this that I see?” So the men of the city told him, “It is athe tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and proclaimed these things which you have done against the altar of Bethel.”

18 And he said, “Let him alone; let no one move his bones.” So they let his bones alone, with the bones of athe prophet who came from Samaria.

19 Now Josiah also took away all the 1shrines of the 2high places that were ain the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made to provoke 3the LORD to anger; and he did to them according to all the deeds he had done in Bethel.

20 aHe bexecuted all the priests of the 1high places who were there, on the altars, and cburned men’s bones on them; and he returned to Jerusalem.

21 Then the king commanded all the people, saying, a“Keep the Passover to the LORD your God, bas it is written in this Book of the Covenant.”

22 aSuch a Passover surely had never been held since the days of the judges who *judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah.

23 But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah this Passover was held before the LORD in Jerusalem.

24 Moreover Josiah put away those who consulted mediums and spiritists, the household gods and idols, all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, that he might perform the words of athe law which were written in the book bthat Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the LORD.

25 aNow before him there was no king like him, who turned to the LORD with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses; nor after him did any arise like him.

Impending Judgment on Judah

26 Nevertheless the LORD did not turn from the fierceness of His great wrath, with which His anger was aroused against Judah, abecause of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked Him.

27 And the LORD said, “I will also remove Judah from My sight, as aI have removed Israel, and will cast off this city Jerusalem which I have chosen, and the house of which I said, b‘My name shall be there.’ ”

Josiah Dies in Battle

28 Now the rest of the acts of Josiah, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

29 aIn his days Pharaoh Necho king of Egypt went 1to the aid of the king of Assyria, to the River Euphrates; and King Josiah went against him. And Pharaoh Necho killed him at bMegiddo when he cconfronted him.

30 aThen his servants moved his body in a chariot from Megiddo, brought him to Jerusalem, and buried him in his own tomb. And bthe people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, anointed him, and made him king in his father’s place.

The Reign and Captivity of Jehoahaz

31 aJehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was bHamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.

32 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his fathers had done.

33 Now Pharaoh Necho put him in prison aat Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem; and he imposed on the land a tribute of one hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold.

34 Then aPharaoh Necho made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in place of his father Josiah, and bchanged his name to cJehoiakim. And Pharaoh took Jehoahaz dand went to Egypt, and 1he died there.

Jehoiakim Reigns in Judah

35 So Jehoiakim gave athe silver and gold to Pharaoh; but he taxed the land to give money according to the command of Pharaoh; he exacted the silver and gold from the people of the land, from every one according to his assessment, to give it to Pharaoh Necho.

36 aJehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zebudah the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah.

37 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his fathers had done.

Judah Overrun by Enemies

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1 In ahis days Nebuchadnezzar king of bBabylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his vassal for three years. Then he turned and rebelled against him.

2 aAnd the LORD sent against him raiding 1bands of Chaldeans, bands of Syrians, bands of Moabites, and bands of the people of Ammon; He sent them against Judah to destroy it, baccording to the word of the LORD which He had spoken by His servants the prophets.

3 Surely at the commandment of the LORD this came upon Judah, to remove them from His sight abecause of the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done,

4 aand also because of the innocent blood that he had shed; for he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, which the LORD would not pardon.

5 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

6 aSo Jehoiakim rested with his fathers. Then Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place.

7 And athe king of Egypt did not come out of his land anymore, for bthe king of Babylon had taken all that belonged to the king of Egypt from the Brook of Egypt to the River Euphrates.

The Reign and Captivity of Jehoiachin

8 aJehoiachin1 was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. His mother’s name was Nehushta the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem.

9 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father had done.

10 aAt that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jerusalem, and the city 1was besieged.

11 And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came against the city, as his servants were besieging it.

12 aThen Jehoiachin king of Judah, his mother, his servants, his princes, and his officers went out to the king of Babylon; and the king of Babylon, bin the eighth year of his reign, took him prisoner.

The Captivity of Jerusalem

13 aAnd he carried out from there all the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king’s house, and he bcut in pieces all the articles of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the LORD, cas the LORD had said.

14 Also ahe carried into captivity all Jerusalem: all the captains and all the mighty men of valor, bten thousand captives, and call the craftsmen and smiths. None remained except dthe poorest people of the land.

15 And ahe carried Jehoiachin captive to Babylon. The king’s mother, the king’s wives, his officers, and the mighty of the land he carried into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon.

16 aAll the valiant men, seven thousand, and craftsmen and smiths, one thousand, all who were strong and fit for war, these the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon.

Zedekiah Reigns in Judah

17 Then athe king of Babylon made Mattaniah, bJehoiachin’s1 uncle, king in his place, and cchanged his name to Zedekiah.

18 aZedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was bHamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.

19 aHe also did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.

20 For because of the anger of the LORD this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, that He finally cast them out from His presence. aThen Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

The Fall and Captivity of Judah

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1 Now it came to pass ain the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem and encamped against it; and they built a siege wall against it all around.

2 So the city was besieged until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.

3 By the ninth day of the afourth month the famine had become so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land.

4 Then athe city wall was broken through, and all the men of war fled at night by way of the gate between two walls, which was by the king’s garden, even though the Chaldeans were still encamped all around against the city. And bthe king1 went by way of the 2plain.

5 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king, and they overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All his army was scattered from him.

6 So they took the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon aat Riblah, and they pronounced judgment on him.

7 Then they killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, aput1 out the eyes of Zedekiah, bound him with bronze fetters, and took him to Babylon.

8 And in the fifth month, aon the seventh day of the month (which was bthe nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), cNebuzaradan the captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem.

9 aHe burned the house of the LORD band the king’s house; all the houses of Jerusalem, that is, all the houses of the great, che burned with fire.

10 And all the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard abroke down the walls of Jerusalem all around.

11 Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive athe rest of the people who remained in the city and the defectors who had deserted to the king of Babylon, with the rest of the multitude.

12 But the captain of the guard aleft some of the poor of the land as vinedressers and farmers.

13 aThe bronze bpillars that were in the house of the LORD, and cthe carts and dthe bronze Sea that were in the house of the LORD, the Chaldeans broke in pieces, and ecarried their bronze to Babylon.

14 They also took away athe pots, the shovels, the trimmers, the spoons, and all the bronze utensils with which the priests ministered.

15 The firepans and the basins, the things of solid gold and solid silver, the captain of the guard took away.

16 The two pillars, one Sea, and the carts, which Solomon had made for the house of the LORD, athe bronze of all these articles was beyond measure.

17 aThe height of one pillar was 1eighteen cubits, and the capital on it was of bronze. The height of the capital was three cubits, and the network and pomegranates all around the capital were all of bronze. The second pillar was the same, with a network.

18 aAnd the captain of the guard took bSeraiah the chief priest, cZephaniah the second priest, and the three doorkeepers.

19 He also took out of the city an officer who had charge of the men of war, afive men of 1the king’s close associates who were found in the city, the chief recruiting officer of the army, who mustered the people of the land, and sixty men of the people of the land who were found in the city.

20 So Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, took these and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah.

21 Then the king of Babylon struck them and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. aThus Judah was carried away captive from its own land.

Gedaliah Made Governor of Judah

22 Then he made Gedaliah the son of aAhikam, the son of Shaphan, governor over bthe people who remained in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left.

23 Now when all the acaptains of the armies, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah—Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, Johanan the son of Careah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and 1Jaazaniah the son of a Maachathite, they and their men.

24 And Gedaliah took an oath before them and their men, and said to them, “Do not be afraid of the servants of the Chaldeans. Dwell in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.”

25 But ait happened in the seventh month that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal family, came with ten men and struck and killed Gedaliah, the Jews, as well as the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah.

26 And all the people, small and great, and the captains of the armies, arose aand went to Egypt; for they were afraid of the Chaldeans.

Jehoiachin Released from Prison

27 aNow it came to pass in the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, that 1Evil-Merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, breleased Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison.

28 He spoke kindly to him, and gave him a more prominent seat than those of the kings who were with him in Babylon.

29 So Jehoiachin changed from his prison garments, and he aate 1bread regularly before the king all the days of his life.

30 And as for his 1provisions, there was a 2regular ration given him by the king, a portion for each day, all the days of his life.

1:1, 2 2 Kin. picks up where 1 Kin. leaves off, since they were originally one scroll. Ahaziah was the eighth ruler in the northern kingdom of Israel. He had fallen through the lattice, a wooden privacy fence around his upper balcony or room, and sustained a severe injury. Ahaziah, as evil and idolatrous as his father Ahab and his mother Jezebel, attempted to consult Baal-Zebub, the local god of Ekron, concerning his injury.

1:3–17 Elijah, last mentioned in 1 Kin. 21, now appears to confront Ahaziah with his sin. He sent Ahaziah’s delegation back and ridiculed him for his idolatry. When Ahaziah attempted to have him seized, Elijah miraculously called down fire to destroy his would-be captors. The penalty for Ahaziah’s sin was that he would not recover from his injury. Some have taken exception to Elijah’s action here, citing Luke 9:51–56. However, in Luke, the action of the disciples was offensive, while Elijah’s action was defensive and an act of God’s judgment.

1:17 Both Jehoshaphat and Ahab had sons named Jehoram. These men were brothers-in-law (see note on 1 Kin. 22:1–4).

2:1 Gilgal is not the well-known site in the Jordan Valley, but one about 8 miles north of Bethel in the hill country.

2:2–6 Somehow Elisha had learned that Elijah would soon be departing this Earth, and he was determined to follow him until the end. Elijah had called Elisha to take up his office (see note on 1 Kin. 19:19). Elisha was determined to follow him since a dying person would often pronounce blessings on others (see Gen. 49), and Elisha did not want to miss his moment of opportunity. Elisha’s commitment was tested three times by Elijah. Sons of the prophets here implies that they were members of a prophetic order, not that they were physical descendants of prophets.

2:2 See section 5 of Truth-In-Action at the end of 2 Kin.

2:4 See section 5 of Truth-In-Action at the end of 2 Kin.

2:6 See section 5 of Truth-In-Action at the end of 2 Kin.

2:8 The dividing of the Jordan was Elijah’s last prophetic sign.

2:9 See section 5 of Truth-In-Action at the end of 2 Kin.

2:9–16 Elisha requests of Elijah one last thing, a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. Since the double portion was the privilege of the firstborn (see Deut. 21:17), it has been suggested that Elisha is asking to be Elijah’s successor. Yet this is more than just a petition to be Elijah’s successor, because that had already been established (see 1 Kin. 19:16–21). Elisha realized that he did not have the capability to fulfill the awesome responsibility of carrying on Elijah’s work. As Elijah’s successor, Elisha applies the principle of the firstborn to ask for a spiritual inheritance. This is described as the spirit of Elijah (vv. 9, 15), and is either an indirect or direct reference to the Holy Spirit. The Hebrew word for “spirit” has a wide range of meaning (it can refer to the human spirit, the Holy Spirit, an evil spirit, a prophetic gift, or even the wind). Here it probably refers to the energizing power of the prophetic spirit that characterized the life of Elijah. The Holy Spirit is the author of Elijah’s prophetic gift (see 1 Sam. 10:6, 10; 19:20, 23) and the energizing power of his ministry (see the text and notes of 1 Kin. 18:12 and 18:46). For more on the Holy Spirit, see Introduction to 2 Kings: The Holy Spirit at Work.

2:10 See section 5 of Truth-In-Action at the end of 2 Kin.

2:11 According to the biblical record, only Enoch (Gen. 5:24) and Elijah went directly to the Lord without having to die.

2:12 Tearing clothing symbolized mourning; Elisha and the people of God had just lost one of their spiritual heroes.

2:13 The prophet’s mantle was a symbol of the authority he had been given by God.

2:14–22 Elisha duplicated the dividing of the Jordan and now he purified the water at a city believed to be Jericho.

2:16 Spirit: See note on 1 Kin. 18:12.

2:23, 24 On the surface, these verses seem to portray Elisha as ruthless. However, on the basis of the language and culture of that day, the word youths implies that they were probably idolatrous young men and not innocent boys. Further, their mocking Go up is likely a reference to the translation of Elijah. In effect, they were expressing contempt against the God of Elijah and Elisha and were promptly judged.

3:1–5 After Jehoram (1:17) began to reign as Israel’s ninth king, Mesha king of Moab refused to pay him tribute. Moab was a son of Lot (Gen. 19:37), and his descendants became neighbors of Israel and lived on the eastern border of the Dead Sea. These people had been subjugated by Omri and were paying tribute to the kings of Israel.

3:6–25 Jehoram mustered the help of Jehoshaphat king of Judah and the king of Edom to subdue Mesha, but they marched into a barren area with no water. Through the assistance of Elisha, the Lord miraculously provided water and gave them victory over the Moabites.3:11, 12 See section 5 of Truth-In-Action at the end of 2 Kin.

3:15 The phrase the hand of the LORD was a formula referring to the divine inspiration of the prophets (see Ezek. 1:3). The Spirit of God was the One who enabled the prophets to prophesy (1 Sam. 10:6, 10; 19:20, 23; 2 Chr. 12:18; 15:1; 20:14; 24:20). See Introduction to 2 Kings: The Holy Spirit at Work.

3:26, 27 To Mesha, the defeat in battle was a sign that his god Chemosh was angry with Moab. As a result, Mesha offered his own son in a sacrifice to please his god. Great indignation against Israel may mean that Mesha’s action was so repulsive that the Israelites broke off their attack, or that the battle suddenly went against Israel. Another possibility is that the Israelites ceased their assault because God was displeased with them in some way.

4:1–37 See section 4 of Truth-In-Action at the end of 2 Kin.

4:1 Jewish historian Josephus explains that this needy woman was the widow of the prophet Obadiah.

4:2 The jar of oil was likely olive oil, used for cooking and for fuel.

4:3–7 In the ancient Near East, women were regarded as inferior. But this miracle by Elisha demonstrates God’s faithful care and provision for the vulnerable and outcast. The provision was in proportion to the woman’s faith and ability to receive.

4:8, 9 In his travels Elisha frequently passed through Shunem, which was located near Jezreel. In contrast to Obadiah’s poor widow (vv. 1–7), this Shunammite was a notable woman (implying she was very affluent), and she had a husband.

4:10–17 As God had provided children for Sarah, Rachel, and Hannah, so He miraculously enabled this hospitable woman and her husband to have a son.

4:18, 19 It is believed that the Shunammite’s son died from inflammation of the brain produced by a sunstroke.

4:24–37 The actions of both Elisha and the Shunammite woman in this incident provide illustrations of the importance of faith and persistence.

4:40 Death in the pot: The gourds used to make the stew (v. 39) were harmless in small amounts, but in larger dosages they were fatal. Elisha demonstrated the same care for the daily provisions of people as he had witnessed in Elijah (1 Kin. 17:4–6).

4:42–44 This miracle by Elisha is similar to Jesus’ miracle of multiplying the loaves and fish.

5:1 Apparently the Syrians did not quarantine lepers.

5:2, 3 The young girl here provides a poignant picture of the importance of overcoming the fear of people and pointing others to the Lord.

5:7 Jehoram became alarmed at the request of Naaman and the letter from Ben-Hadad, for it appeared that the Syrians were provoking a fight.

5:8–14 The story of Naaman provides a parallel to what happens to those who come to Jesus for salvation.

5:9–15 See section 4 of Truth-In-Action at the end of 2 Kin.

5:18 Rimmon, thought to be a god of rain and thunder, was the local deity of Damascus. Though it was Naaman’s responsibility to assist Ben-Hadad in the idolatry of Syria, he sought God’s pardon because he recognized that only the Lord was truly God.

5:20–27 In contrast to Naaman’s liberality, Kings records the greed of Gehazi.

6:8 The king of Syria was probably Ben-Hadad II (about 860–841 B.C.).

6:9–14 Through his prophetic enablement, Elisha would inform Jehoram of Ben-Hadad’s strategy. Therefore, Ben-Hadad sent a great army to capture Elisha. That the army came by night betrays that the Syrians did not really believe in Elisha’s power to anticipate their moves. That Ben-Hadad sent a great army indicates that the Syrians were not going to take any chances.

6:15–17 These verses have been a great source of comfort and assurance to believers of all ages. As Rom. 8:31 says, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”

6:21–23 Such treatment of the enemy demonstrates Israel’s confidence in God as their protector and was a move toward establishing peaceful relations between Israel and Syria.

6:24–33 As Israel persisted in their sinfulness, God raised up Ben-Hadad (see note on 1 Kin. 15:18 on the three Ben-Hadads in Scripture) as an adversary to drive them to Himself. The famine that resulted from Ben-Hadad’s siege was so severe that Israel resorted to cannibalism, and Jehoram blamed Elisha for their difficulty.

7:1 At the height of the famine described in ch. 6, Elisha prophesied that the Lord would soon end the famine.

7:2, 17 The actions of Jehoram’s assistant are a powerful illustration of God’s attitude toward unbelief.

8:7–9 It was a common practice to consult another’s god concerning one’s fate. See Ahaziah’s request in 1:1, 2. So this is not an indication that Ben-Hadad had turned to the Lord.

8:15 Ben-Hadad was suffocated by Hazael.

8:16–24 Kings now shifts back to the events in the southern kingdom of Judah. During the reign of Jehoram in Israel, another Jehoram (see note on 3:1–5) had become king of Judah. He was Judah’s fifth ruler and, in contrast to his father Jehoshaphat, Jehoram was a wicked king. Jehoram was greatly influenced by his evil wife Athaliah, the daughter of Jezebel and Ahab.

8:25–29 The sixth king in Judah was Ahaziah who is not to be confused with the eighth king in Israel. See 1 Kin. 22:512 Kin. 1:18. He was also a wicked ruler and, like his father Jehoram, received idolatrous input from Athaliah (see 2 Chr. 22:3).

9:1–6 Kings turns northward and relates how Elisha commanded that Jehu was to be anointed as tenth king over … Israel.

9:7–9 As the Lord had destroyed the dynasties of Jeroboam (1 Kin. 14:10), of Baasha (1 Kin. 16:3), and of Zimri (1 Kin. 16:16), so now He would do away with the fourth dynasty of Israel by ending the house of Ahab.

9:10–20 Jehu’s hasty behavior is understandable when we realize that his anointing and acclamation as king amounted to treason. Therefore it was crucial that he get to Jehoram before the news of the rebellion did. Ramoth Gilead (v. 14) was about 50 miles from Jezreel (v. 16). The exact location is disputed, but the best evidence seems to point to Tell er-Ramith.

9:10 Jezebel was still alive at this time and was likely the dominant force behind the idolatry in the reigns of Ahaziah and Jehoram.

9:21–37 Jehu proceeded to initiate the task the Lord had assigned him (vv. 7–10) by executing Jehoram and Jezebel. This fulfilled part of the prophecy that he and his captain Bidkar had heard from Elijah in 1 Kin. 21:17–26. At this time Jehu also executed Ahaziah the king of Judah (vv. 27–29).

10:1–26 Jehu promptly set out to accomplish God’s directive to do away with the house of Ahab (9:7). He executed Ahab’s seventy sons (his descendants in Samaria), then he killed Ahaziah’s forty-two brothers (relatives), and finally he exterminated the rest of Ahab’s family in Samaria (v. 17). All of this was to avenge the evil done by the fourth dynasty (9:7) and to fulfill Elijah’s prophecy. Compare v. 10 with 1 Kin. 21:17–26. Jehu’s final strategy was to destroy Baal worship in Israel by trapping and executing the worshipers of Baal and burning their temple (vv. 18–28). His helper Jehonadab (vv. 15, 23) is noted in Jer. 35:6.

10:29–36 Jehu is to be commended for purging Israel of the house of Ahab and its Baal worship. For this, his dynasty would last four generations. Indeed, this fifth dynasty was the longest and most stable of all of Israel’s dynasties. However, because Jehu was not fully devoted to the Lord, God disciplined him with territorial losses to Hazael of Syria.

11:1 Kings turns once again to the events in Judah. At the death of her son Ahaziah (10:25–29), Athaliah usurped the throne of Judah and attempted to protect her position by destroying the royal heirs. Among Judah’s rulers, she was the only reigning queen and the strongest proponent of Baal worship.

11:2–20 In God’s providence, Joash had been concealed from the treachery of Athaliah. Through the skillful and quick organization of the priest Jehoiada, Joash was made Judah’s eighth ruler and Athaliah was put to death.

11:21 Jehoash is a variant spelling for Joash (v. 2).

12:1–16 In the years that Jehoash was a youth (11:21 says he was only seven years old when he began to reign), it is apparent that Jehoiada the priest served as regent. Under the influence of Jehoiada, a great religious revival ensued and the temple was repaired.

12:2, 3 After the death of Jehoiada, Jehoash drifted from the Lord and even allowed idolatry in Judah (2 Chr. 24). Jehoash followed the advice of certain Judean officials, and as a result he turned from the Lord (2 Chr. 24:17, 18). God sent prophets to warn the nation. When Zechariah (son of the high priest Jehoiada) echoed the prophetic warning, Jehoash had him stoned to death in the temple courtyard (2 Chr. 24:20–22).

12:17, 18 Because of the failure in Jehoash’s later years, God permitted Hazael’s forces to assault Jerusalem (see 2 Chr. 24:23, 24). Tragically, Jehoash gave some of the temple treasuries and valuables to pay Hazael for withdrawing his forces.

12:20, 21 There are discrepancies between this verse and the parallel account in 2 Chr. 24:25, 26. The first conspirator here is identified as Jozachar, whereas in 2 Chr. 24:26 he is named Zabad. The name in 2 Chr. should be Zachar, the abbreviated name for Jozachar (as Joash is for Jehoash), but was miscopied as Zabad. This would be easy to do since the Hebrew letters in those names closely resemble each other.

Another discrepancy is that the parent of Jehozabad is recorded here as Shomer, but as Shimrith in 2 Chr. 24:26. Apparently a copyist incorrectly recorded the name Shimrith, which is the feminine counterpart to the masculine name Shomer.

A third slight variation in these two accounts is that here they killed Joash in the house of the Millo, whereas in 2 Chr. 24:25 it states they killed him on his bed. In this case, the account of 2 Chr. 24 serves as a supplement to this one, clarifying that Joash was murdered while sleeping in the house of the Millo. A final discrepancy is that here Joash is buried with his fathers in the City of David, whereas 2 Chr. 24:25 says that they did not bury him in the tombs of the kings. The account in 2 Chr. 24 again supplements this one to clarify that even though he was buried with his fathers, Joash was not buried in the tombs of the kings.

13:1–9 The scenery shifts again to Israel where, following the death of Jehu, his son Jehoahaz had become king. He was the eleventh of 19 evil kings in the northern kingdom. Jehoahaz permitted idolatry to flourish, so that the Lord allowed Hazael and later Ben-Hadad III of Syria to oppress Israel. Under the oppression, Jehoahaz temporarily repented, but Israel went right back to idolatry.

13:5 The deliverer God raised up was Assyria, which threatened Syria so that they broke off their oppression of Israel in order to protect their own interests.

13:9–13 Jehoahaz was succeeded by his son Jehoash (or Joash). He was the twelfth king in Israel and is not to be confused with the eighth king of Judah with the same name.

13:14–21 It is ironic that Elisha, the great giant of faith who had done so many miracles in his lifetime (and even one after his death, see vv. 21, 22), would die from illness. There is an element of mystery in the ministry of the miraculous. See note on 2 Tim. 4:20. Before he died, Elisha extended to King Jehoahaz an opportunity to participate in an enacted prophecy that symbolized his future victories over the Syrians. Jehoahaz would not be victorious as he could have been, because he lacked faith and was unwilling to do enthusiastically something that may have seemed foolish to him.

13:18, 19 See section 4 of Truth-In-Action at the end of 2 Kin.

13:25 As Elisha had prophesied (v. 19), three times Jehoahaz was victorious over Syria.

14:1–9 Kings now returns to the events in Judah. After the death of Jehoash, his son Amaziah became the ninth ruler of the southern kingdom. He was one of Judah’s more aggressive rulers and restored some of its prestige. He executed the ones who had murdered his father (vv. 5, 6) and won a memorable battle against Edom (v. 7). The Valley of Salt is a plain at the south end of the Dead Sea. Sela, renamed Joktheel, is the famous Petra. A stronghold carved out of sheer rock, it served as Edom’s capital city. In later years Amaziah became overconfident and instigated a war with Israel in which he was defeated (vv. 8–19).

14:23–29 Shifting back to Israel, Kings now explains that the successor of Jehoram was his son Jeroboam II. As Israel’s thirteenth regent, Jeroboam II was a capable ruler but a poor religious reformer because of his immorality and idolatry.

14:25 Jonah: This is the same prophet Jonah who traveled to the city of Nineveh (Jon. 1:1, 2), and who had a prophetic ministry during the reign of Jeroboam II.

15:1–7 Kings returns to the southern kingdom, describing how Azariah had become the tenth ruler in Judah’s history. He was one of Judah’s more stable kings, beginning his rule at age 16 and reigning 52 years. Azariah is remembered as the “leper-king,” because the Lord punished him with leprosy for his toleration of idolatry. He was also known as Uzziah. At Uzziah’s death the prophet Isaiah was given a special revelation of God (Is. 6:1).

15:8–16 Shifting back to Israel, Kings records the reign of Zechariah. He was the son of Jeroboam II, and served as Israel’s fourteenth king. King Zechariah persisted in calf worship, and after he had ruled only six months he was assassinated by Shallum. This marked the end of Jehu’s dynasty. This fifth of Israel’s dynasties was the longest, spanning more than a century and involving five kings.

15:13–16 Zechariah’s murderer, Shallum, reigned as Israel’s fifteenth king for just one month, and then he was executed by Menahem. Shallum’s death marked the end of Israel’s sixth dynasty.

15:17–22 Menahem, the sixteenth king of Israel, ruled for 10 years. He was dominated by Pul (Tiglath-Pileser III), one of Assyria’s greatest monarchs. Pul imposed burdensome tributes, forcing Menahem to increase Israel’s taxes oppressively.

15:23–26 The son of Menahem, Pekahiah, came to the throne as Israel’s seventeenth ruler. After he reigned two years, he was murdered by his successor Pekah, thus ending the seventh dynasty in Israel.

15:27–31 As the eighteenth regent in the north, Pekah … did evil, and Israel was therefore invaded by Tiglath-Pileser III of Assyria. This was the beginning of the end for Israel, as Assyria annexed certain of Israel’s territories and took many of its people captive.

15:32–38 In Judah, Jotham had ascended to the throne as Judah’s eleventh monarch. He was a good king and is noteworthy because he rebuilt the northern gate of the temple. Pekah’s demise marked the end of Israel’s eighth dynasty.

16:1–20 Ahaz became the twelfth ruler in Judah. In contrast to his father Jotham and his grandfather Azariah (or Uzziah), Ahaz turned from the Lord to pursue idols and false gods. Consequently, the Lord permitted Rezin king of Syria and Pekah of Israel to place Jerusalem under siege. Ahaz attempted to bribe the Assyrian king Tiglath-Pileser III to help him by giving him treasures from the temple. While in Damascus for a meeting with Tiglath-Pileser, he saw an altar, which he proceeded to have copied with the help of Urijah the priest. Tragically, he took other items from the temple to use as material for this new altar. It is believed he built this to replace Solomon’s altar.

16:3 This is likely a reference to the sacrifice of children in the worship of Molech. See note on 1 Kin. 11:5–7.

16:17 Sea: See note on 1 Kin. 7:23–26.

17:1 Kings now returns to Israel to record its last king. Hoshea was the last of Israel’s rulers. He represented the ninth and final dynasty. In its relatively brief history (a little over 200 years), the northern kingdom of Israel had 19 kings with 9 dynasties; and all of its rulers were wicked.

17:6 The Assyrian monarch Shalmaneser (727–722 B.C.) initiated the fall of Samaria, but it is believed that his successor Sargon II (722–705 B.C.) actually seized Samaria and captured its people. Thus, the northern kingdom of Israel ended in approximately 722 B.C. and was taken captive by Assyria.

17:7–23 Here, with glaring clarity, Kings gives the reason for Israel’s fall and captivity. It was the inevitable consequence of their sin. According to the prophet Hosea, Israel’s captivity has never ended (Hos. 1:6, 9).

17:13, 14 See section 3 of Truth-In-Action at the end of 2 Kin.

17:24–41 To prevent resistance, the Assyrians deported the tribes of Israel and mixed them with other minority groups. The intermarriage of Israel with these foreigners resulted in the people known as the Samaritans (v. 29). The Samaritans were hated by the people of Judah from the time of Ezra, as also by the Jews during the time of Jesus. See Luke 10:30; John 4:5. The Assyrians allowed Israelite priests to teach the worship of Yahweh. But instead of converting others and securing the Israelites, the attempts of the priests only resulted in syncretism (the merging of different beliefs and practices). Although there were some representatives of Israel who returned to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel, there was never any systematic return of these 10 tribes.

18:1–8 See section 1 of Truth-In-Action at the end of 2 Kin.

18:1–8 With Israel now out of the picture, Kings turns to record the decline and fall of Judah. Hezekiah has succeeded Ahaz as Judah’s thirteenth ruler. He swept into power instigating spiritual reforms on a wide scale. Hezekiah purged Judah of idolatry, as well as restoring and rededicating the temple.

18:1, 13 The comparison of these verses presents a difficult chronological problem. Hezekiah began to reign the third year of Hoshea (v. 1). Since Hoshea began to reign about 732 B.C., that would mean Hezekiah began to rule in 729 B.C. It would follow then that the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah (v. 13) would be about 710 B.C. However, the invasion of Sennacherib (v. 13) can be accurately dated at 701 B.C. The simplest solution to this knotty problem is that Hezekiah was a coregent with his father Ahaz from 729 to 715 B.C. Therefore, Hezekiah began the coregency “in the third year of Hoshea” (v. 1) at 729 B.C., but became sole monarch in 715 B.C. Fourteen years later (701 B.C.), Sennacherib invaded Judah.

18:13–37 Sennacherib assumed the Assyrian throne after Sargon II. He promptly attacked and pillaged Judah and imposed a weighty tribute on Hezekiah. Following the poor example of his father Ahaz (16:8), Hezekiah took treasures from the temple to give to the king of Assyria.

18:26 Apparently Hezekiah’s ambassadors knew the Aramaic language, though this was not the common language of the Jews. However, by the time of Christ, Aramaic was widely used by the Jewish people in Palestine.

19:1 Hezekiah’s response to the invasion of Sennacherib was to turn wholeheartedly to the Lord. The tearing of clothes symbolized great grief. Sackcloth was coarse clothing made of goat’s hair and was a symbol of despair.

19:2–5 The great prophet Isaiah ministered during these dark days when Jerusalem was under siege. It is also probable that Micah served and wrote his book at about this time.

19:6, 7 The actions of the Assyrians were directed, not only against Judah, but against her God. Therefore, Isaiah prophesies of a divine intervention that will bring deliverance to Judah.

19:8–19 Hezekiah is an excellent illustration of what a believer should do when threatened by an enemy. Hezekiah does not react to the threats of Sennacherib, but cries out to the Lord for help.

19:35, 36 The deliverance prophesied by Isaiah came in the form of a death angel who killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers.

19:37 Sennacherib was murdered as he worshiped Nisroch, an Assyrian god who was depicted on Assyrian monuments as part man and part eagle.

20:1–7 Hezekiah’s illness and recovery is a powerful picture of how God responds to the urgent cry of His servants. Persistent prayer and simple obedience resulted in Hezekiah’s restoration.

20:8–11 A most unusual and miraculous sign was given to Hezekiah to assure him of his recovery. A stairway, which acted as a sundial, had been constructed during the reign of Ahaz. As evidence that Hezekiah would be healed, God caused the shadow on this sundial to go backward ten degrees (10 steps). Some have suggested that this miracle somehow compensated for Joshua’s long day (Josh. 10:12–14).

20:12–19 When the Babylonians came on a goodwill visit to Hezekiah, he unwisely showed them all of his treasures. This prompted Isaiah to foretell the coming captivity of Judah by the Babylonians.

20:20 Two crews dug this tunnel through solid rock. One group started from the pool of Siloam, the other at the spring of Gihon. The tunnel was a remarkable feat of engineering and can be seen in modern Israel today.

21:1–18 As Judah’s fourteenth regent, Hezekiah’s son Manasseh was its most wicked king. He revived idol worship and desecrated the sacred things of the Lord. He sacrificed his son to Molech (v. 6) and practiced soothsaying (divination or foretelling the future). He even went so far as to put an idol of Asherah in the temple (v. 7). Being such an evil monarch, it was unfortunate that Manasseh’s reign was the longest of all of Judah’s rulers (55 years).

21:9 See section 3 of Truth-In-Action at the end of 2 Kin.

21:19–26 Amon was the fifteenth ruler of Judah. He was wicked like his father Manasseh; and after reigning only two years, he was murdered by his servants.

22:1, 2 See section 1 of Truth-In-Action at the end of 2 Kin.

22:1, 2 Judah was blessed with a last great revival under its sixteenth ruler, Josiah.

22:3–7 There are some interesting parallels between Josiah and Jehoash, Judah’s eighth king. Josiah, like Jehoash, assumed the throne at a young age (eight years old), and proceeded to establish a plan to restore the temple. Like Jehoash, who had the help of the priest Jehoiada, Josiah had the assistance of the priest Hilkiah.

22:8–10 In the process of repairing the temple, Hilkiah discovered the Book of the Law, and Shaphan the scribe read it before King Josiah. From the reforms of Josiah, it is evident that this book contained much of the contents of the Book of Deuteronomy.

22:11–20 Josiah’s reaction to the reading of the Book of the Law was to repent immediately and seek the Lord’s will for direction. He was assisted in this pursuit by the prophetess Huldah. Because of Josiah’s humble response, God would give the nation peace during the reign of Josiah. Yet the nation of Judah would still experience God’s judgment for their prolonged apostasy (see 23:26, 27).

22:14 The prophets Jeremiah (Jer. 1:2), Zephaniah (Zeph. 1:1), and perhaps Nahum and Habakkuk, were ministering in and around Jerusalem at this time.