2 Chronicles

Chapter 1

¹ And Solomon the son of David strengthened himself over his kingdom, and Yahweh his God was with him and made him exceedingly great. ² And Solomon said to all Israel, to the chiefs of thousands and of hundreds, and to the judges, and to every prince of all Israel, the heads of the fathers. ³ And Solomon went and all the assembly with him to the high place that was at Gibeon, for there was the tent of meeting of God, which Moses the servant of Yahweh, had made in the wilderness. ⁴ However, the Box of God David had brought up from Kiriath Jearim to where David prepared for it, for he pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem. ⁵ And the bronze altar which Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, made was there before the tabernacle of Yahweh; and Solomon and the assembly sought him. ^{[1] 6} And Solomon went up there to the bronze altar before Yahweh, which was at the tent of meeting, and he brought up on it 1,000 burnt offerings.

⁷ In that night, God appeared to Solomon, and he said to him, “Ask what I should give to you.” ⁸ And Solomon said to God, “You yourself did with David my father great covenant faithfulness and have made me king in his place. ⁹ Now, Yahweh God, may your word with David my father be confirmed, for you yourself have made me king over a people numerous as the dust of the earth. ¹⁰ Now wisdom and knowledge give to me, and I will go out before this people, and I will come in, for who can judge this great people of yours?” ¹¹ And God said to Solomon, “Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked for wealth, riches, or glory, or the life of those who hate you, and also many days you did not ask, but you have asked for yourself wisdom and knowledge with which you will judge my people, which I made you king over them, ¹² wisdom and knowledge are given to you, and wealth, and riches, and glory I will give to you which were not thus to the kings who were before you, and after you will not be thus.” ¹³ And Solomon came from the high place that was at Gibeon to Jerusalem, from before the tent of meeting; and he was king over Israel.

¹⁴ And Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen, and there was to him 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen, and he placed them in the chariot cities, and with the king in Jerusalem. ¹⁵ And the king made silver and gold in Jerusalem as the stones, and cedars he made as the sycamore trees that were in the lowlands in abundance. ¹⁶ And the source of the horses which were to Solomon was from Egypt and from Kue; the traders of the king, they would take at a price from Kue. ¹⁷ And they brought up and brought out from Egypt a chariot for 600 silver, and a horse for 150. And thus, according to all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Aram, by their hands, they brought out.

Chapter 2

¹ And Solomon said to build a house for the name of Yahweh and a house for his kingdom. ² And Solomon counted 70,000 men as burden bearers, and 80,000 men as stonemasons in the hills, and directors over them 3,600. ³ And Solomon sent to Hiram, the king of Tyre, saying, “Just as you did with David my father and sent to him cedars to build for himself a house to dwell in it. ⁴ Behold, I am building a house for the name of Yahweh my God, to consecrate to him, to sacrifice before him spiced incense and the regular display, and burnt offerings in the morning and in the evening, on the Sabbaths and on the new moons, and the appointed times of Yahweh our God. Forever, this is over Israel. ⁵ And the house that I am building will be great, for great is our God more than all gods. ⁶ But who can keep strength to build for him a house, since the heavens and the heavens of the heavens do not contain him? And who am I that I would build for him a house, except to sacrifice before him? ⁷ And now, send to me a wise man to work in gold, and in silver, and in bronze, and in iron, and in purple and crimson and violet, and one who knows how to engrave engravings; with the wise who are with me in Judah and in Jerusalem, whom David my father prepared. ⁸ And send to me trees of cedar, cypress, and algum from Lebanon, for I myself know that your servants know how to cut trees of Lebanon. And behold, my servants will be with your servants, ⁹ in order to prepare for me trees in abundance, for the house which I am building will be great and marvelous. ¹⁰ And behold, to the wood cutters, to the ones who cut the trees, I will give crushed wheat to your servants 20,000 cors, and barley 20,000 cors, and wine 20,000 baths, and oil 20,000 baths.” ^[1]

¹¹ And Hiram, the king of Tyre, said in a writing, and sent to Solomon: “Because Yahweh loves his people, he has placed you over them as king.” ¹² And Hiram said, “Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel, who made the heavens and the earth, who has given to David the king a son of wisdom, knowing insight and understanding, who will build a house for Yahweh and a house for his kingdom. ¹³ And now, I have sent a wise man, knowing understanding, Huram-Abi, ¹⁴ a son of a woman from the daughters of Dan, and his father a man of Tyre, knowing to work in gold, and in silver, in bronze, in iron, in stones, and in trees, in purple, in violet, and in fine linen, and in crimson, and to engrave any engraving and to devise any device, which is given to him with your wise ones and the wise ones of my lord, David, your father. ¹⁵ And now, the wheat and the barley, the oil and the wine, which my lord has said, let him send to his servants. ¹⁶ And we ourselves will cut trees from Lebanon, according to all your need, and we will bring them to you by rafts by sea to Joppa, and you yourself will bring them up to Jerusalem.”

¹⁷ And Solomon counted all the men, the foreigners who were in the land of Israel, after the census that David, his father, had counted them. And there were found 153,600. ¹⁸ And he made from them 70,000 burden bearers, 80,000 stonemasons in the hills, and 3,600 directors to cause the people to work.

Chapter 3

¹ And Solomon began to build the house of Yahweh in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where he had appeared to David his father, where David prepared in the place at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. ² And he began to build in the second month on the second, in the fourth year of his reign. ³ And these were the founding of Solomon to build the house of God, the length in cubits by the former measure, 60 cubits, and the width 20 cubits. ⁴ And the porch which is at the front, the length on the front of the width of the house, 20 cubits, and the height, 120. And he overlaid it from within with pure gold. ⁵ and the great house he overlaid with cypress wood, and he overlaid it with pure gold, and he brought up on it palm trees and chains. ⁶ And he overlaid the house with precious stones for beauty; and the gold was gold of Parvaim. ⁷ And he overlaid the house, the beams, the thresholds, and its walls, and its doors with gold; and he engraved cherubim on the walls.

⁸ And he made the house of the holy of holies; its length at the front of the width of the house, 20 cubits, and its width 20 cubits. And he overlaid it with pure gold, to 600 talents. ⁹ And the weight of the nails was 50 shekels of gold and the upper rooms he overlaid with gold.

¹⁰ And he made in the house of the holy of holies two cherubim, a work of casting; and he overlaid them with gold. ^{[1] 11} And the wings of the cherubim, their length was 20 cubits, one wing was five cubits, reaching to the wall of the house, and another wing five cubits, reaching to a wing of the other cherub. ¹² And the wing of the other cherub five cubits, reaching to the wall of the house; and the other wing five cubits, clinging to the wing of the other cherub. ¹³ The wings of these cherubim spread out 20 cubits. And they were standing on their feet, and their faces toward the house. ¹⁴ And he made the curtain of violet, and purple, and crimson and fine linen, and he brought up on it cherubim.

¹⁵ And he made before the house two pillars, 35 cubits in length; and the capital which was on its head, five cubits. ¹⁶ And he made chains in the inner sanctuary, and he placed on the head of the pillars; and he made 100 pomegranates and he placed on the chains. ¹⁷ And he set up the pillars on the face of the temple, one on the right hand, and one on the left. And he called the name of the right, Jakin, and the name of the left, Boaz.

Chapter 4

¹ And he made an altar of bronze, 20 cubits its length, and 20 cubits its width, and 10 cubits its height. ² And he made the Sea of cast metal, 10 by the cubit from its edge to its edge, round, all around, and 5 by the cubit its height; and a measuring string 30 by the cubit surrounding it all around. ³ And a likeness of oxen was under it all around; all around, surrounding it, 10 cubits, encircling the Sea all around; two rows of the oxen, cast in its cast metal. ⁴ Standing on 12 oxen, three turned to the north, and 3 turned to the west, and 3 turned to the south, and three turned to the east. And the Sea was on them above, and all their hindquarters to the house. ⁵ And its thickness was a span, and its edge like a work of an edge of a cup, a bud of a lily, taking hold, 3000 baths it could contain. ⁶ And he made 10 pots, and he placed five on the right and five on the left to wash in them; the work of the burnt offering, they will rinse in them. And the Sea for bathing for the priests in it.

⁷ And he made the 10 lampstands of gold according to their judgment, and he placed in the temple five on the right and five on the left. ⁸ And he made 10 tables, and he gave rest in the temple, five on the right, and five on the left. And he made 100 basins of gold. ⁹ And he made the courtyard of the priests, and the great court and the doors for the court and their doors he overlaid with bronze. ¹⁰ And the Sea he placed on the right side to the east, facing toward the south. ¹¹ And Huram made the tubs, and the shovels, and the basins.

And Huram finished making the work that he made for King Solomon in the house of God: ¹² the two pillars, and the bowls, and the capitals on the head of the two pillars, and the two trellises to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the head of the pillars, ¹³ and the 400 pomegranates for the two trellises, two rows of pomegranates for each trellis to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the face of the pillars. ¹⁴ And the stands he made, and the pots he made on the stands, ¹⁵ the one Sea, and the 12 oxen under it. ¹⁶ And the tubs, and the shovels, and the forks, and all items Huram-Abi made for King Solomon for the house of Yahweh of polished bronze. ^{[1] 17} In the vicinity of the Jordan the king cast them, in the thick ground between Succoth and between Zeredathah. ¹⁸ And Solomon made all these items in great abundance; indeed, the weight of the bronze was not sought out.

¹⁹ And Solomon made all the items that were in the house of God, and the altar of gold, and the tables and on them the bread of the presence; ²⁰ and the lampstands and their lamps for their burning according to the judgment before the inner sanctuary, fine gold; ²¹ and the buds, and the lamps, and the tongs of gold, it was perfection of gold. ²² and the lamp trimmers, and the basins, and the spoons, and the censers of fine gold. And the entrance of the house, its inner doors into the Holy of Holies and the doors of the house, for the temple, gold.

Chapter 5

¹ And all the work which Solomon did for the house of Yahweh was completed, and Solomon brought in the sacred things of David, his father; and the silver, and the gold, and all the items, he placed in the treasuries of the house of God.

² Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the fathers of the sons of Israel to Jerusalem, to bring up the Box of the covenant of Yahweh from the city of David, that is, Zion. ³ And all the men of Israel assembled to the king at the feast; it was the seventh month. ⁴ And all the elders of Israel came, and the Levites carried the Box. ⁵ And they brought up the Box, and the tent of meeting, and all the sacred items that were in the tent; the priests, the Levites, brought them up. ⁶ And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel were gathering to him before the Box, sacrificing sheep and oxen which was not counted, and it was not numbered because of the abundance. ⁷ And the priests brought in the Box of the covenant of Yahweh to its place, to the inner sanctuary of the house, to the holy of holies, to under the wings of the cherubim. ⁸ And the cherubim were spreading out wings over the place of the Box. And the cherubim covered over the Box and over its poles from above. ⁹ And the poles lengthened and the heads of the poles from the Box were seen at the front of the inner sanctuary, but they were not seen outside. And they are there until this day. ¹⁰ There was nothing in the Box except the two tablets that Moses had placed at Horeb, which Yahweh cut with the sons of Israel in their going out from Egypt.

¹¹ And it happened in the going out of the priests from the holy place that all the priests who were found consecrated themselves; there was no keeping to the divisions. ¹² And the Levites, the singers, all of them, Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and their sons and their brothers, clothed in fine linen, with cymbals, and with harps and lyres, were standing to the east of the altar. And with them, 120 priests sounding with trumpets. ¹³ And it happened, like one were the trumpeters and singers, to cause to hear one voice to praise and to give thanks to Yahweh. And when raising a voice with trumpets and with cymbals and with the items of the song, and when praising Yahweh: “For good, for forever is his covenant faithfulness.” And the house filled with a cloud, the house of Yahweh. ¹⁴ And the priests were not able to stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of Yahweh filled the house of God.

Chapter 6

¹ Then Solomon said, “Yahweh has said he would dwell in thick darkness, ² but I have built a lofty house for you and a place for you to dwell forever.” ³ And the king turned his face, and he blessed all the assembly of Israel, and all the assembly of Israel was standing.

⁴ And he said, “Blessed be Yahweh the God of Israel who spoke with his mouth to David my father, and with his hands he fulfilled, saying, ⁵ ‘From the day that I brought out my people from the land of Egypt, I did not choose a city from all the tribes of Israel to build a house, for my name to be there. And I did not choose a man to be leader over my people Israel. ⁶ But I have chosen Jerusalem, for my name to be there, and I have chosen David to be over my people Israel.’ ⁷ And it was with the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel. ⁸ And Yahweh said to David my father, ‘On account of what is with your heart to build a house for my name, you did well that it was with your heart. ⁹ Only you yourself must not build the house; instead, your son who comes from your loins, he himself will build the house for my name.’ ¹⁰ And Yahweh has established his word that he spoke, and I have risen instead of David my father, and I sit on the throne of Israel, just as Yahweh spoke. And I have built the house for the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel. ¹¹ And I set there the Box, in which there is the covenant of Yahweh, which he cut with the sons of Israel.”

¹² And he stood before the altar of Yahweh in front of all the assembly of Israel. And he spread out his hands, ¹³ for Solomon made a platform of bronze, and he placed it in the midst of the court, five cubits its length, and five cubits its width, and three cubits its height. And he stood on it, and he knelt down on his knees in front of all the assembly of Israel, and he spread out his hands to the heavens. ¹⁴ And he said, “Yahweh, God of Israel, there is not like you a god in the heavens or on the earth, one who keeps the covenant and covenant faithfulness to your servants, walking before you with all their heart; ¹⁵ who kept for your servant David my father that which he spoke to him. And you spoke with your mouth and by your hand you have fulfilled, like this day. ¹⁶ And now, Yahweh, God of Israel, keep for your servant David my father that which you spoke to him saying, ‘There will not be cut off for you a man from before me, sitting on the throne of Israel, only if your sons keep their ways to walk in my law, just as you walked before me.’ ¹⁷ And now, Yahweh, God of Israel, let your word be confirmed, which you spoke to your servant, to David.

¹⁸ But will God indeed dwell with mankind on the earth? Behold, the heavens and the heavens of the heavens do not contain you—how much less this house that I have built! ¹⁹ Yet turn to the prayer of your servant and to his supplication, Yahweh my God, to listen to the cry and to the prayer that your servant is praying before you, ²⁰ your eyes to be open to this house days and night, to the place where you said to put your name there, to listen to the prayer which your servant prays toward this place. ²¹ And listen to the supplications of your servant and your people Israel when they pray toward this place, and you yourself hear from the place of your dwelling from the heavens, and hear and forgive.

²² If a man sins against his neighbor and is made by him to swear an oath, and brings an oath before your altar in this house, ²³ then you yourself hear from the heavens, and act, and judge your servants, to bring back the wicked, to put his way on his head, and to make righteous the righteous, to give to him according to his righteousness.

²⁴ And if your people Israel are struck down before an enemy because they have sinned against you, and they return, and they confess your name, and they pray, and they seek favor before you in this house, ²⁵ then you yourself hear from the heavens and forgive the sin of your people Israel, and bring them back to the ground that you gave to them and to their fathers.

²⁶ When the heavens are restrained and there is no rain because they have sinned against you, and they pray toward this place, and they confess your name, from their sin they turn for you afflict them, ²⁷ then you yourself hear in the heavens and forgive the sin of your servants and your people Israel, for you teach them the good way in which they should walk in it. And give rain on your land, which you gave to your people for a possession.

²⁸ Famine, if there is, in the land pestilence, if there is blight or mildew, locust or grasshopper, if there is indeed they suffer distress from their enemies in the land at the gates, any plague or any sickness, ²⁹ any prayer, any supplication which is by any person or by all your people Israel which they know each his own plague and his own sorrow, and he spreads out his hands toward this house, ³⁰ then you yourself hear from the heavens, your dwelling place, and forgive, and give to each according to all his ways; because you know his heart, for you yourself, only you, know the heart of the sons of mankind, ³¹ in order that they may fear you, by walking in your ways all the days that they live on the face of the ground that you gave to our fathers.

³² And also to the foreigner who is not from your people Israel, and he comes from a distant land because of your great name, and your strong hand, and your outstretched arm, and they come and pray toward this house, ³³ and you yourself hear from the heavens, from your dwelling place, and do according to all that the foreigner calls to you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, like your people Israel, and to know that your name is called toward this house that I have built.

³⁴ When your people go out to battle against their enemies in the way which you send them, and they pray to you toward the way of this city that you have chosen it and the house that I have built for your name, ³⁵ then hear from the heavens their prayer, and their supplication, and do their judgment.

³⁶ When they sin against you—for there is no person who does not sin—and you are angry with them and give them before an enemy, and their captors take them captive, to a land, distant or near, ³⁷ and they turn back their heart in the land where they are captive there, and they turn and they seek favor from you in the land of their captivity, saying, ‘We have sinned; we have committed iniquity, and we have done evil,’ ³⁸ and they turn to you with all their heart and with all their being in the land of their captivity, where they took them captive, and they pray toward the way of their land which you gave to their fathers, and the city that you chose, and toward the house that I have built for your name, ³⁹ then hear from the heavens, from your dwelling place, their prayer and their supplication, and do their judgment, and forgive your people who sinned against you.

⁴⁰ Now, my God, please let your eyes be open, and your ears attentive to the prayer of this place. ⁴¹ And now arise, Yahweh God, to your resting place, you and the Box of your strength. Your priests, Yahweh God, may they be clothed in salvation, and your faithful ones rejoice in goodness. ⁴² Yahweh God, do not turn away the face of your anointed ones. Remember the covenant faithfulnesses of David your servant.”

Chapter 7

¹ And when Solomon finished praying, then the fire came down from the heavens and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of Yahweh filled the house. ² And the priests were not able to go into the house of Yahweh because the glory of Yahweh filled the house of Yahweh. ³ And all the sons of Israel were seeing the fire come down and the glory of Yahweh on the house, and they bowed down their faces to the ground on the stone pavement, and they worshiped and gave thanks to Yahweh, “Truly he is good; truly his covenant faithfulness is forever.”

⁴ And the king and all the people were offering sacrifice before Yahweh. ⁵ And King Solomon offered a sacrifice of 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. And the king and all the people dedicated the house of God. ⁶ And the priests at their posts were standing; and the Levites with instruments of song of Yahweh which David the king had made to give thanks to Yahweh, “For his covenant faithfulness is forever,” when David praised by the hand of them. And the priests were trumpeting in front of them, and all Israel was standing. ⁷ And Solomon consecrated the middle of the courtyard which is before the house of Yahweh. For he did there the burnt offerings and the fat of the peace offerings because the bronze altar which Solomon made was not able to contain the burnt offerings, and the grain offering, and the fats.

⁸ And Solomon did the feast at that time, seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great assembly, from Lebo Hamath to the brook of Egypt. ⁹ And they did on the eighth day an assembly, for the dedication of the altar they did, seven days, and the feast, seven days. ¹⁰ And on the 23rd day of the seventh month, he sent away the people to their tents joyful and good of heart on account of the goodness which Yahweh did for David, and for Solomon, and for Israel his people.

¹¹ And Solomon finished the house of Yahweh and the house of the king. And all that came into the heart of Solomon to do in the house of Yahweh and in his house, he succeeded. ¹² And Yahweh appeared to Solomon in the night, and he said to him, “I have heard your prayer, and I have chosen this place for myself for a house of sacrifice. ¹³ If I restrain the heavens and there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people, ¹⁴ and my people, whom my name is called over them, humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn back from their evil ways, then I myself will hear from the heavens, and I will forgive their sin, and I will heal their land. ¹⁵ Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer of this place. ¹⁶ And now I have chosen and I have consecrated this house for my name to be there until forever. And my eyes and my heart will be there all the days. ¹⁷ And you, if you walk before me just as David your father walked, and do according to all that I have commanded you, and my statutes and my judgments you keep, ¹⁸ then I will establish the throne of your kingdom, just as I cut with David your father, saying, ‘There will not be cut off from you a man ruling in Israel.’

¹⁹ But if you all turn yourselves, and forsake my statutes and my commandments which I placed before you all, and walk and serve other gods and worship them, ²⁰ then I will remove them from upon my ground which I gave to them. And this house which I consecrated for my name, I will cast out from before my face, and I will make it a proverb and a taunt among all the peoples. ²¹ And this house which was exalted to all who pass by it will be devastated, and they will say, ‘Why did Yahweh do thus to this land and to this house?’ ²² And they will say, ‘On account of which they forsook Yahweh, the God of their fathers who brought them out from the land of Egypt, and they laid hold of other gods and worshipped them and served them. On account of thus, he brought on them all this misery.’”

Chapter 8

¹ And it happened at the end of 20 years, in which Solomon built the house of Yahweh and his house, ² and the cities which Huram gave to Solomon, Solomon built them. And he caused to dwell there the sons of Israel.

³ And Solomon went to Hamathzobah and he prevailed over it. ⁴ And he built Tadmor in the wilderness and all the cities of stores which he built in Hamath. ⁵ And he built Beth Horon the Upper and Beth Horon the Lower, fortified cities with walls, doors, and a bar, ⁶ and Baalath and all the cities of stores which were to Solomon, and all the cities of the chariots and the cities of the horsemen, and all the desire of Solomon which he desired to build in Jerusalem, and in Lebanon, and in all the land of his kingdom.

⁷ All the people who were left from the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not from Israel, ⁸ from their sons who were left after them in the land, whom the sons of Israel had not brought to an end—and Solomon brought them up for forced laborers, until this day. ⁹ But, from the sons of Israel which Solomon did not make to be laborers for his work, rather, they were men of battle, and chiefs of his officers, and chiefs of his chariots and his horsemen. ¹⁰ and these, the chiefs of supervisors who were to King Solomon, 250 ruling over the people.

¹¹ And the daughter of Pharaoh Solomon brought up from the city of David to the house that he built for her, for he said, “My wife must not dwell in the house of David, the king of Israel, because sacred are the places where the Box of Yahweh has come into them.”

¹² Then Solomon brought up burnt offerings to Yahweh on the altar of Yahweh that he had built before the porch. ¹³ And by the matter day by day to bring up, according to the commandment of Moses, for the Sabbaths, and for the new moons, and for the appointed times three times in the year: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Booths.

¹⁴ And he appointed according to the judgment of David his father the divisions of the priests over their service, and the Levites over their charge to praise and to minister in front of the priests, for the matter of the day in its day, and the gatekeepers in their divisions for gate and gate, for thus was the commandment of David, the man of God. ¹⁵ And they did not turn from the commandment of the king regarding the priests and the Levites concerning any matter, or concerning the treasuries.

¹⁶ And all the work of Solomon was completed, from the day of the foundation of the house of Yahweh and until its completion. Complete was the house of Yahweh.

¹⁷ Then Solomon went to Ezion Geber and to Eloth on the edge of the sea, in the land of Edom. ¹⁸ And Huram sent to him by the hand of his servants ships, and servants who knew the sea. And they came with the servants of Solomon to Ophir. And they took from there 450 talents of gold, and they brought to King Solomon.

Chapter 9

¹ And the queen of Sheba heard the report of Solomon, and she came to test Solomon with difficult questions in Jerusalem with very great wealth and camels carrying spices, and gold in abundance, and precious stone. And she came to Solomon and spoke with him about all that was in her heart. ² And Solomon declared to her all her matters; and a matter was not concealed from Solomon which he did not declare to her. ³ And the queen of Sheba saw the wisdom of Solomon and the house that he built, ⁴ and the food of his table, and the seating of his servants, and the standing of his ministers and their attire, and his cupbearers and their attire, and his burnt offering that he brought up to ^[1] the house of Yahweh, and there was not still breath in her. ⁵ And she said to the king, “True was the word that I heard in my land concerning your words and concerning your wisdom. ⁶ But I did not believe their words until when I came, and my eyes saw. And behold, it was not told to me half of the greatness of your wisdom you have added on to the report that I heard. ⁷ How blessed are your men! And how blessed are these servants of yours, who are standing before you continually and are hearing your wisdom. ^{[2] 8} Let Yahweh your God be blessed, who delighted in you to place you on his throne, to be king for Yahweh your God, because your God loved Israel to establish them forever. And he has placed you over them to be king, to do justice and righteousness!”

⁹ And she gave to the king 120 talents of gold and spices in great abundance and precious stone. And there was not like that spice which the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon. ¹⁰ And also the servants of Hiram and the servants of Solomon, who brought gold from Ophir, brought algum wood and precious stone. ¹¹ And the king made the algum wood into staircases for the house of Yahweh and for the house of the king, and lyres and harps for the singers. And there was not seen like them before in the land of Judah. ¹² And King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire which she asked besides that which she brought to the king. And she turned and went to her land, she and her servants.

¹³ And the weight of the gold that came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold, ¹⁴ besides from the traveling men and the traders who brought in; and all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the land were bringing gold and silver to Solomon. ¹⁵ And King Solomon made 200 large shields of beaten gold; 600 of beaten gold he brought up for one large shield. ¹⁶ And 300 shields of beaten gold; 300 gold he brought up for one shield. And the king placed them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon. ¹⁷ And the king made a great throne of ivory and overlaid it with pure gold. ¹⁸ And six steps to the throne, and a footstool with gold to the throne was fastened. And hands from this and from this on the place of the seat and two lions standing beside the hands. ¹⁹ And 12 lions were standing there on six steps, from this and from this; it had not been done thus for any kingdom. ²⁰ And all the vessels of drink of King Solomon were gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were refined gold. Nothing of silver; it was not thought in the days of Solomon for anything. ²¹ For the ships belonging to the king went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram. Once every three years the ships of Tarshish would come carrying gold and silver, ivories, and apes and baboons.

²² And King Solomon became greater than all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom. ²³ And all the kings of the earth were seeking the face of Solomon to hear his wisdom which God placed in his heart. ²⁴ And they were bringing each his gift, items of silver and items of gold, and garments, armor, and spices, and horses and mules, a matter of year by year. ²⁵ And there were to Solomon 4,000 stalls for horses and chariots, and 12,000 horsemen; and he placed them in chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. ²⁶ And it happened he was ruling over all the kings from the River and until the land of the Philistines, and until the border of Egypt. ²⁷ And the king made silver in Jerusalem as stones, and the cedars he made as sycamore trees that were in the lowlands, in abundance. ²⁸ And they were bringing out horses from Egypt to Solomon and from all the lands.

²⁹ And the remainder of the matters of Solomon, the first things and the last things, are they not written in the words of Nathan the Prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the Seer concerning Jeroboam the son of Nebat? ³⁰ And Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel 40 years. ³¹ And Solomon lied down with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David his father. And Rehoboam, his son, reigned in his place.

Chapter 10

¹ And Rehoboam went to Shechem, for to Shechem all Israel had come to make him king. ² And it happened when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard, for he was in Egypt where he had fled from the face of King Solomon. And Jeroboam returned from Egypt. ³ And they sent and they called to him, and Jeroboam and all Israel came. And they spoke to Rehoboam, saying, ⁴ “Your father hardened our yoke. But now, lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke which he gave to us, and we will serve you.” ⁵ And he said to them, “Yet three days and return to me.” And the people went.

⁶ And King Rehoboam consulted with the elders who had been standing before Solomon his father when he was alive, saying, “How do you all advise to bring back an answer to this people?” ⁷ And they spoke to him, saying, “If you are good to this people and are favorable to them, and speak to them good words, then they will be for you servants all the days.” ⁸ But he abandoned the advice of the elders who had advised him, and he consulted the young men who had grown with him, standing before him. ⁹ And he said to them, “What do you all advise, that we may bring back an answer to this people who spoke to me, saying, ‘Lighten from the yoke that your father gave us’?” ¹⁰ And the young men who had grown with him spoke, saying, “Thus you shall say to the people who spoke to you, saying ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you yourself lighten from on us.’ Thus you shall say to them, ‘My little finger is thicker than the loins of my father. ¹¹ So now, my father loaded on you all a heavy yoke, but I myself will add to your yoke. My father rebuked you all with whips, but I with scorpions.’”

¹² And Jeroboam came and all the people to Rehoboam on the third day, just as the king spoke saying, “Return to me on the third day.” ¹³ And the king answered them harshly. And King Rehoboam abandoned the advice of the elders. ¹⁴ And he spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, “I will make heavy your yoke, and I myself will add to it. My father rebuked you all with whips, but I with scorpions.”

¹⁵ And the king did not listen to the people, because it was a turn of affairs from God, in order that Yahweh would establish his word that he spoke by the hand of Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

¹⁶ And all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, and the people answered the king, saying, “What for us is a portion with David? And no inheritance with the son of Jesse. Each to your tents, Israel! Now, see your house, David.” And all Israel went to his tents. ¹⁷ But the sons of Israel dwelling in the cities of Judah, and Rehoboam reigned over them. ¹⁸ And King Rehoboam sent Hadoram, who was over the forced labor, but the sons of Israel stoned him with stones and he died. And King Rehoboam strengthened himself to go up in the chariot to flee to Jerusalem. ¹⁹ And Israel has rebelled against the house of David until this day.

Chapter 11

¹ And Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, and he assembled the house of Judah and Benjamin, 180,000 chosen who do battle, to fight against Israel, to bring back the kingdom to Rehoboam. ² But the word of Yahweh was to Shemaiah the man of God, saying, ³ “Say to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, saying, ⁴ ‘Thus says Yahweh, “Do not go up and do not fight with your brothers. Return, each to his house, for from with me, this thing is.”’” And they listened to the words of Yahweh and returned from going against Jeroboam.

⁵ And Rehoboam dwelled in Jerusalem, and he built cities for fortification in Judah. ⁶ And he built Bethlehem, and Etam, and Tekoa, ⁷ and Beth Zur, and Soko, and Adullam, ⁸ and Gath, and Mareshah, and Ziph, ⁹ and Adoraim, and Lachish, and Azekah, ¹⁰ and Zorah, and Aijalon, and Hebron, which were in Judah and in Benjamin, fortified cities. ¹¹ And he strengthened the fortifications. And he placed in them leaders and storehouses of food and oil and wine, ¹² and in each, city by city, large shields and spears, and he very much strengthened them greatly. And to him were Judah and Benjamin.

¹³ And the priests and the Levites who were in all Israel presented themselves to him from all their territories. ¹⁴ For the Levites left their open lands and their property. And they went to Judah and to Jerusalem, for Jeroboam and his sons rejected them from serving as priests to Yahweh. ¹⁵ And he established for himself priests for the high places and for the goats and for the calves which he had made. ¹⁶ And after them from all the tribes of Israel, the ones giving their heart to seek Yahweh, the God of Israel, came to Jerusalem to sacrifice to Yahweh, the God of their fathers. ¹⁷ And they strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and they made Rehoboam the son of Solomon strong for three years, for they walked in the way of David and Solomon for three years.

¹⁸ And Rehoboam took for himself a wife: Mahalath, the daughter of Jerimoth, the son of David, Abihail, the daughter of Eliab, the son of Jesse. ¹⁹ And she bore to him sons: Jeush, and Shemariah, and Zaham. ²⁰ And after her, he took Maacah, the daughter of Absalom; and she bore to him Abijah, and Attai, and Ziza, and Shelomith. ²¹ And Rehoboam loved Maacah, the daughter of Absalom, more than all his wives and his concubines, for he lifted 18 wives and 60 concubines, and he fathered 28 sons and 60 daughters. ²² And Rehoboam appointed to be head Abijah the son of Maacah, to be leader among his brothers; for he caused to make him king. ²³ And he dealt wisely, and he scattered all his sons to all the lands of Judah and Benjamin to all the fortified cities. And he gave to them provisions in abundance, and he asked for a multitude of wives.

Chapter 12

¹ And it happened when the reign of Rehoboam was established and when he had become strong, he abandoned the law of Yahweh—and all Israel with him. ² And it happened in the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak, the king of Egypt, came up against Jerusalem, because they were unfaithful to Yahweh. ³ With 1200 chariots, and 60,000 horsemen, and there was no number for the people who came with him from Egypt: Libyans, Sukkites, and Cushites. ⁴ And he captured the fortified cities that belonged to Judah, and he came to Jerusalem. ⁵ And Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and the chiefs of Judah who had gathered to Jerusalem because of Shishak. And he said to them, “Thus says Yahweh: You all yourselves have abandoned me, and I myself have also abandoned you all into the hand of Shishak.” ⁶ And the chiefs of Israel and the king humbled themselves. And they said, “Righteous is Yahweh.” ⁷ And when Yahweh saw that they had humbled themselves, the word of Yahweh was to Shemaiah, saying, “They have humbled themselves. I will not destroy them; and I will give to them like a little for escape, and my rage will not pour out on Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak. ⁸ Nevertheless, they will be to him for servants, and they will know my service and the service of the kingdoms of the lands.”

⁹ And Shishak, the king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem and took the treasures of the house of Yahweh and the treasures of the house of the king. Everything he took; and he took the shields of gold that Solomon had made. ¹⁰ And King Rehoboam made in their place shields of bronze, and he appointed over the hand of the chiefs of the runners, the keepers of the entrance of the house of the king. ¹¹ And it happened as often as the king came into the house of Yahweh, the runners came and carried them and brought them back to the chamber of the runners. ¹² And when he humbled himself, the anger of Yahweh turned from him, and did not destroy to completion. And also, in Judah there were good matters.

¹³ And King Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem, and he reigned. For a son of 41 years Rehoboam was in his reigning, and 17 years he reigned in Jerusalem, the city that Yahweh had chosen to put his name there from all the tribes of Israel. And the name of his mother, Naamah the Ammonitess. ¹⁴ And he did evil, for he did not establish his heart to seek Yahweh.

¹⁵ And the matters of Rehoboam, the first things and the last things, are they not written in the words of Shemaiah the prophet and Iddo the seer, according to genealogy? And there were wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days. ¹⁶ And Rehoboam lied down with his fathers, and he was buried in the city of David. And Abijah his son reigned in his place.

Chapter 13

¹ In the 18th year of King Jeroboam, then Abijah reigned over Judah. ² Three years he reigned in Jerusalem. And the name of his mother, Macaiah, the daughter of Uriel from Gibeah. And war was between Abijah and between Jeroboam. ³ And Abijah began the battle with an army of mighty ones of battle, 400,000 chosen men. And Jeroboam deployed against him in battle 800,000 chosen men, mighty ones of strength. ⁴ And Abijah rose on Mount Zemaraim, which is in the hills of Ephraim, and he said, “Hear me, Jeroboam and all Israel! ⁵ Is it not to you all to know that Yahweh, the God of Israel, gave the kingdom to David over Israel forever, to him and to his sons, a covenant of salt? ⁶ But Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon, the son of David, arose, and he rebelled against his lord. ⁷ And empty men, sons of wickedness, assembled about him, and they strenghtened themselves over Rehoboam, the son of Solomon. And Rehoboam was young and tender of heart, and he did not strengthen himself before them. ⁸ And now, you all are saying to strengthen self before the kingdom of Yahweh, by the hand of the sons of David, and you all are a great abundance, and with you all are calves of gold which Jeroboam made for you all for gods. ⁹ Did you all not drive out the priests of Yahweh, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and make for yourselves priests like the peoples of the lands? Any who comes to fill his hand with a young bull, a son of a herd, and seven rams, and he will be a priest of what are not gods. ¹⁰ But us, Yahweh is our God, and we have not abandoned him. And priests, are ministering to Yahweh, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, in the work. ¹¹ And they are making sacrifices to Yahweh, burnt offerings, morning by morning and evening by evening, and spiced incense, and a line of bread on the pure table, and the gold lampstand and its lamps to burn evening by evening. For we are keeping the charge of Yahweh, our God, but you all yourselves have abandoned him. ¹² And behold, with us, at our head, is God, and his priests and the trumpets of shouting to raise a shout against you all. Sons of Israel, do not fight against Yahweh, the God of your fathers, for you will not succeed.”

¹³ But Jeroboam had caused to circle around an ambush to come from behind them; and they were before Judah, and the ambush from behind them. ¹⁴ And Judah turned, and behold, to them was the battle before them and behind. And they cried out to Yahweh, and the priests were blowing trumpets. ¹⁵ And the men of Judah raised a shout; and it happened when the men of Judah raised a shout, then God struck Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. ¹⁶ And the sons of Israel fled from before Judah, and God gave them into their hand. ¹⁷ And Abijah and his people struck them a great striking, and they fell slain from Israel, 500,000 chosen men. ¹⁸ And the sons of Israel were humbled at that time, and the sons of Judah were strong because they relied on Yahweh, the God of their fathers. ¹⁹ And Abijah pursued after Jeroboam; and he captured from him cities: Bethel and its daughters, and Jeshanah and its daughters, and Ephron and its daughters. ²⁰ And the strength of Jeroboam did not hold again in the days of Abijah; and Yahweh struck him down, and he died. ²¹ And Abijah strengthened himself; and he lifted to himself 14 wives, and he fatherered 22 sons and 16 daughters. ²² And the remainder of the matters of Abijah, and his ways, and his words are written in the writing of the prophet Iddo.

Chapter 14

¹ And Abijah lied down with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David. And Asa, his son, reigned in his place. In his days the land was quiet ten years. ² And Asa did the good and the right in the eyes of Yahweh his God. ³ And he took away the foreign altars and the high places, and he shattered the pillars, and he cut to pieces the Asherim. ⁴ And he said to Judah to seek Yahweh, the God of their fathers, and to do the law and the commandment. ⁵ And he took away from all the cities of Judah the high places and the incense altars. And the kingdom was quiet before him. ⁶ And he built fortified cities in Judah, for the land was quiet. And there was not with him war in these years, because Yahweh had given rest to him. ⁷ And he said to Judah, “Let us build these cities and let us surround with a wall, and towers, doors, and bars; still the land is before us because we have sought Yahweh our God. We have sought, and he has given rest to us all around.” And they built, and they succeeded. ⁸ And there was to Asa an army carrying large shield and spear; from Judah, 300,000. And from Benjamin, ones carrying shield and drawing bow, 280,000. All these were mighty ones of strength.

⁹ And Zerah the Cushite came out against them with an army of 1,000 thousands and 300 chariots; and he came to Mareshah. ¹⁰ And Asa went out before him, and they deployed for battle in the Valley of Zephathah at Mareshah. ¹¹ And Asa called to Yahweh his God and said, “Yahweh, it is nothing for you to help between many and one without strength. Help us, Yahweh our God, for on you we rely, and in your name we have come against this multitude. Yahweh, our God you are; do not let man prevail against you.” ¹² And Yahweh struck down the Cushites before Asa and before Judah; and the Cushites fled. ¹³ And Asa and the people who were with him pursued them until Gerar. And there fell from the Cushites so that there was none to them something living; for they were broken before Yahweh and before his camp. And they carried away very much plunder. ¹⁴ And they struck all the cities around Gerar, for the dread of Yahweh was on them. And they plundered all the cities, for great spoils was in them. ¹⁵ And also the tents of cattle they struck; and they took captive sheep in abundance, and camels, and they returned to Jerusalem.

Chapter 15

¹ And Azariah the son of Oded, on him came the Spirit of God. ² And he went out before Asa, and he said to him, “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: Yahweh is with you all, when you all are with him. And if you all seek him, he will be found by you all; but if you all abandon him, he will abandon you all. ³ And many days were to Israel without the true God, and without a priest teaching, and without the law. ⁴ But they turned in their distress to Yahweh, the God of Israel, and they sought him, and he was found by them. ⁵ And in those times there was no peace for one going out, nor for one coming in; for great dismay was upon all the inhabitants of the lands. ⁶ And they were beaten down, nation by nation, and city by city, for God confused them in all distress. ⁷ But you all, be strong, and do not let your hands grow slack, for there is reward for your work.”

⁸ And when Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he strengthened himself and caused to pass away the abhorrences from all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and from the cities that he had captured from the hill country of Ephraim. And he restored the altar of Yahweh which was before the porch of Yahweh. ⁹ And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and the sojourners with them from Ephraim and Manasseh, and from Simeon; for they fell on him from Israel in abundance when they saw that Yahweh his God was with him. ¹⁰ And they gathered at Jerusalem in the third month, in the 15th year of the reign of Asa. ¹¹ And they sacrificed to Yahweh in that day from the plunder they brought: 700 oxen and 7,000 sheep. ¹² And they entered into a covenant to seek Yahweh, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their being. ¹³ And any who does not seek Yahweh, the God of Israel, will be killed, whether small or great, whether man or woman. ¹⁴ And they swore to Yahweh with a great voice, and with a shout, and with trumpets and with horns. ¹⁵ And all Judah rejoiced about the oath, for with all their heart they swore, and with all their will they sought him, and he was found by them. And Yahweh gave rest to them all around.

¹⁶ And also Maacah, the mother of King Asa, he took her away from being queen, because she made to Asherah an abominable image. And Asa cut down her abominable image, and crushed and burned at the brook Kidron. ¹⁷ But the high places they did not take away from Israel. Nevertheless, the heart of Asa was undivided all his days. ¹⁸ And he brought the sacred things of his father and his sacred things into the house of God, silver and gold and items. ¹⁹ And war was not until the 35th year of the reign of Asa.

Chapter 16

¹ In the 36th year of the reign of Asa, Baasha, the king of Israel, went up against Judah and built Ramah, so as to not allow one to go out or come in to Asa, the king of Judah. ² And Asa brought silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of Yahweh and the house of the king. And he sent to Ben Hadad, the king of Aram, who was dwelling in Damascus, saying, ³ “A covenant between me and between you, and between my father and between your father. Behold, I have sent to you silver and gold. Go, break your covenant with Baasha, the king of Israel, and he will go up from against me.” ⁴ And Ben Hadad listened to King Asa and he sent the chiefs of the armies which belonged to him against the cities of Israel. And they struck Ijon, and Dan, and Abel Maim ^[1] , and all the stores of the cities of Naphtali. ⁵ And it happened when Baasha heard, then he ceased building Ramah, and he stopped his work. ⁶ And King Asa took all Judah. And they carried away the stones of Ramah and its wood with which Baasha had been building, and he built with them Geba and Mizpah.

⁷ And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa, the king of Judah, and he said to him, “Because you relied on the king of Aram, and you did not rely on Yahweh your God, therefore the army of the king of Aram escaped from your hand. ⁸ Were not the Cushites and the Lubites an abundant army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet, because you relied on Yahweh, he gave them into your hand. ⁹ For Yahweh, his eyes, are going quickly in all the earth to strengthen himself with their heart undivided to him. You have acted foolishly regarding this. For from now, there will be with you wars.” ¹⁰ And Asa was angry at the seer; and he put him in the house of the stocks, for in rage with him regarding this. And Asa oppressed some of the people at that time.

¹¹ And behold, the matters of Asa, the first things and the last things, behold, they are written on the scroll of the kings of Judah and Israel. ¹² And Asa became sick in the 39th year of his reign, in his feet, until increasing his sickness. And yet, in his sickness, he did not seek Yahweh, but among the healers. ¹³ And Asa lied down with his fathers, and he died in the 41st year of his reign. ¹⁴ And they buried him in his graves, which he hollowed out for himself in the city of David. And they laid him on a bed which he filled with spices and kinds of mixtures with an ointment mixture of a work. And they burned for him a great burning until abundance.

Chapter 17

¹ And Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place, and he strengthened himself against Israel. ² And he placed a force in all the unassailable cities of Judah, and he placed garrisons in the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim, which Asa his father had captured. ³ And Yahweh was with Jehoshaphat because he walked in the first ways of David his father, and he did not seek the Baals. ^{[1] 4} Instead, the God of his father he sought, and in his commandments he walked and not according to the work of Israel. ⁵ And Yahweh established the kingdom in his hand, and all Judah gave tribute to Jehoshaphat. And there was to him wealth and glory in abundance. ⁶ And his heart was high in the ways of Yahweh. And also, he took away the high places and the Asherim from Judah.

⁷ And in the third year of his reign he sent his chiefs, Ben-Hail, and Obadiah, and Zechariah, and Nethanel, and Micaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah. ⁸ And with them the Levites: Shemaiah, and Nethaniah, and Zebadiah, and Asahel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehonathan, and Adonijah, and Tobijah, and Tob-Adonijah, the Levites; and with them, Elishama and Jehoram, the priests. ⁹ And they taught in Judah, and with them, the scroll of the law of Yahweh. And they went around in all the cities of Judah, and they taught among the people.

¹⁰ And the dread of Yahweh was on all the kingdoms of the lands that were around Judah, and they did not fight with Jehoshaphat. ¹¹ And some of the Philistines were bringing to Jehoshaphat tribute, and a silver load. Also, the Arabians were bringing to him flocks, 7,700 rams and 7,700 goats. ¹² And it happened Jehoshaphat was walking and becoming increasingly great. And he built in Judah palaces and cities of stores. ¹³ And much work was to him in the cities of Judah, and men of battle, mighty ones of strength in Jerusalem. ¹⁴ And these were their mustering according to the house of their fathers: for Judah, chiefs of thousands, Adnah the chief, and with him mighty ones of strength, 300,000; ¹⁵ and on his hand, Jehohanan the chief and with him 280,000; ¹⁶ and on his hand Amasiah the son of Zichri, who freely offered himself to Yahweh, and with him 200,000 mighty ones of strength. ¹⁷ And from Benjamin: a mighty one of strength, Eliada, and with him, ones armed with bow and shield, 200,000; ¹⁸ and on his hand, Jehozabad and with him 180,000 equipped for war. ¹⁹ These ministered to the king, besides those whom the king placed in the cities of fortification in all Judah.

Chapter 18

¹ And it was to Jehoshaphat wealth and glory in abundance; and he became son-in-law to Ahab. ² And he went down at the end of years to Ahab in Samaria, and Ahab sacrificed for him sheep and oxen in abundance and for the people who were with him. And he incited him to go up against Ramoth Gilead. ³ And Ahab, the king of Israel, said to Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, “Will you go with me to Ramoth Gilead?” And he said to him, “Like me, like you, and like your people, my people, and with you in battle.”

⁴ And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Please seek as the day the word of Yahweh.” ⁵ And the king of Israel gathered the prophets, 400 men. And he said to them, “Should we go against Ramoth Gilead in battle, or should I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, and God will give into the hand of the king.” ⁶ And Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not here another prophet of Yahweh, that we might seek from him?” ⁷ And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Still one man to seek Yahweh from him. But I myself hate him for nothing does he prophesy about me that is good, but all his days evil. He is Micaiah the son of Imlah.” And Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say thus.” ⁸ And the king of Israel called to one officer, and he said, “Hasten Micaiah the son of Imlah.” ⁹ And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting, each on his throne, clothed with robes. And they were sitting at a threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying before them. ¹⁰ And Zedekiah the son of Kenaanah made for himself horns of iron, and he said, “Thus says Yahweh: With these you will gore Aram until they are finished.” ¹¹ And all the prophets were prophesying thus, saying, “Go up to Ramoth Gilead and succeed. And Yahweh will give into the hand of the king.”

¹² And the messenger who went to call Micaiah spoke to him, saying, “Behold, the words of the prophets, one mouth, good to the king. And please let your word be as one from them, and speak good.” ¹³ And Micaiah said, “As Yahweh lives, surely that which my God says, it I will speak.” ¹⁴ And he came to the king, and the king said to him, “Micaiah, should we go against Ramoth Gilead for battle, or should I refrain?” And he said, “Go up and succeed. And they will be given into your hand.” ¹⁵ And the king said to him, “How many times must I myself make you swear that you will speak not to me, only truth in the name of Yahweh?” ¹⁶ And he said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the hills, like sheep which do not have to them one who shepherds. And Yahweh said, ‘No master to these; they will turn, each to his house in peace.’” ¹⁷ And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not say to you, he will not prophesy about me good, but only evil?” ¹⁸ And he said, “Therefore, hear the word of Yahweh: I saw Yahweh sitting on his throne and all the host of heaven standing on his right and his left. ¹⁹ And Yahweh said, ‘Who will entice Ahab, the king of Israel, so he will go up, and he will fall at Ramoth Gilead?’ And this speaker said thus, and this speaker thus. ²⁰ And the spirit went out, and he stood before Yahweh. And he said, ‘I myself will entice him.’ And Yahweh said to him, ‘With what?’ ²¹ And he said, ‘I will go out and I will become a spirit of deception in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And he said, ‘You will entice, and also you will be able. Go out and do thus.’ ²² And now, behold, Yahweh placed a spirit of deception in the mouth of these your prophets, and Yahweh, he has spoken against you disaster.”

²³ And Zedekiah the son of Kenaanah, drew near, and he struck Micaiah on the cheek. And he said, “Where is this, the way the Spirit of Yahweh passed over from me to speak with you?” ²⁴ And Micaiah said, “Behold, you will see on that day, when you go chamber by chamber to hide yourself.” ²⁵ And the king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah and return him to Amon, the chief of the city, and to Joash, the son of the king, ²⁶ and say, ‘Thus says the king: Put this in the house of imprisonment and feed him bread of oppression and water of oppression, until my returning in peace.’” ²⁷ And Micaiah said, “If you certainly return in peace, Yahweh did not speak with me.” And he said, “Hear, O peoples, all of them!”

²⁸ And the king of Israel went up, and Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, against Ramoth Gilead. ²⁹ And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into the battle, and now put on your garments.” And the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into the battle. ³⁰ And the king of Aram had commanded the chiefs of the chariots which were to him, saying, “Do not fight the small or the great, but with the king of Israel alone.” ³¹ And it happened when the chiefs of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, and they said, “It is the king of Israel.” And they turned against him to fight. And Jehoshaphat cried out, and Yahweh helped him, and God incited them from him. ³² And it happened when the chiefs of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, and they turned back from after him. ³³ And a man drew the bow in his innocence and struck the king of Israel between the joinings and between the armor. And he said to the charioteer, “Turn your hand and bring me out from the camp, for I have been seriously wounded.” ³⁴ And the battle went up that day, and the king of Israel was set up in the chariot opposite Aram until the evening. And he died at the time of the going of the sun.

Chapter 19

¹ And Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned to his house in peace, to Jerusalem. ² But Jehu, the son of Hanani the seer, went out to his face, and he said to King Jehoshaphat, “Should the wicked you help and the ones who hate Yahweh you love? And because of this, upon you is wrath from before Yahweh. ³ However, good things have been found with you, for you removed the Asherah from the land, and you established your heart to seek God.”

⁴ And Jehoshaphat dwelt in Jerusalem. And he turned and he went out among the people from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim. And he brought them back to Yahweh, the God of their fathers. ⁵ And he appointed judges in the land in all the fortified cities of Judah, for city and city. ⁶ And he said to the judges, “See what you all are doing. For not for man do you all judge but for Yahweh; and with you all in the matter of judgment. ⁷ And now, let the dread of Yahweh be upon you all. Watch and act for there is not with Yahweh our God injustice or lifting of faces or taking a bribe.”

⁸ And also in Jerusalem Jehoshaphat appointed from the Levites and the priests, and from the heads of fathers for Israel, for the judgment of Yahweh, and for dispute. And they returned to Jerusalem. ⁹ And he commanded them, saying, “Thus you will do in the fear of Yahweh in trustworthiness and with a complete heart. ¹⁰ And any dispute that comes to you all from your brothers, the ones dwelling in their cities, between blood to blood, between law to command, to statutes, and to judgments, and you all must caution them, so they will not be guilty to Yahweh, and there will be wrath on you all and on your brothers. Thus you will do, and you all will not be guilty. ¹¹ And behold, Amariah the head priest is over you all for any matter of Yahweh. And Zebadiah, the son of Ishmael, is the leader of the house of Judah for any matter of the king. And officials of the Levites are before you all. Be strong and act! And let Yahweh be with the good!”

Chapter 20

¹ And it happened after this, the sons of Moab and the sons of Ammon, and with them some Meunites came against Jehoshaphat for battle. ^{[1] 2} And they came and told Jehoshaphat, saying, “A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea, from Aram. And behold, they are in Hazezon Tamar,” that is, Engedi. ^{[2] 3} And he feared, and Jehoshaphat set his face to seek Yahweh. And he proclaimed a fast over all Judah. ⁴ And Judah gathered to seek from Yahweh; also from all the cities of Judah, they came to seek Yahweh.

⁵ And Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of Yahweh, before the new court. ⁶ And he said, “Yahweh, the God of our fathers, are you not he, the God in the heavens? And you rule in all the kingdoms of the nations. And in your hand are power and might and none stands himself with you. ⁷ Did you yourself our God not drive out the inhabitants of this land from before your people Israel, and give it to the seed of Abraham, the one who loved you, forever? ⁸ And they have dwelled in it, and they built for you in it a sanctuary for your name, saying, ⁹ ‘If disaster comes on us—the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine—we will stand before this house, and before you for your name is in this house. And we will cry to you from our distress, and you will hear and deliver.’ ^{[3] 10} And now behold the sons of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir whom you did not give to Israel to enter against them when they were coming from the land of Egypt, for they turned from against them, and they did not destroy them. ¹¹ And behold they are repaying us, to come to drive us out from your posession which you caused us to possess. ¹² Our God, will you not judge them, for there is not in us strength before this great multitude coming against us. And we ourselves do not know what we should do, but on you are our eyes.” ¹³ And all Judah was standing before Yahweh, even their children, their wives, and their sons.

¹⁴ And Jahaziel, the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, the Levite from the sons of Asaph, the Spirit of Yahweh was on him in the midst of the assembly. ¹⁵ And he said, “Give attention, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat. Thus says Yahweh to you all, ‘You yourselves, do not fear; and do not be dismayed from before this great multitude, for not to you all is the battle but to God. ¹⁶ Tomorrow, go down against them. Behold, they are coming up by the Ascent of Ziz. And you will find them at the end of the valley, before the wilderness of Jeruel. ¹⁷ Not to you all is it to fight in this. Station yourselves, stand and see the deliverance of Yahweh with you all, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not fear and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow, go out before them, and Yahweh is with you all.’” ¹⁸ And Jehoshaphat bowed down, face to the earth. And all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before Yahweh to worship Yahweh. ¹⁹ And the Levites, from the sons of the Kohathites and from the sons of the Korahites, stood up to praise Yahweh, the God of Israel, with a great voice upwards.

²⁰ And they rose early in the morning, and they went out to the wilderness of Tekoa. And when they went, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. Believe in Yahweh your God, and be confirmed. Believe in his prophets and succeed.” ²¹ And he consulted with the people, and he appointed ones who sing to Yahweh and ones who praise the holy majesty as they went out before the equipped. And they were saying, “Give thanks to Yahweh, for his covenant faithfulness is forever.” ²² And at the time they began in cry of jubilation and praise, Yahweh placed ambushers against the sons of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir who were coming to Judah. And they were struck. ²³ And the sons of Ammon and Moab stood against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, to devote to destruction and to destroy. And when they finished with the inhabitants of Seir, they helped a man against his neighbor for destruction.

²⁴ And Judah came to the watchtower of the wilderness, and they turned toward the multitude. And behold, corpses fallen to the earth! And there none who escaped. ²⁵ And Jehoshaphat and his people came to plunder the spoils, and they found among them in abundance goods, and corpses, and precious items. And they took for themselves, so there was no carrying away. And there were three days of plundering the spoils, for it was great. ^{[4] 26} And on the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Berakah. For there they blessed Yahweh. Therefore they called the name of that place “Valley of Berakah” until today. ²⁷ And they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem and Jehoshaphat at their head, to return to Jerusalem with joy, for Yahweh had made them rejoice over their enemies. ²⁸ And they came to Jerusalem with harps and with lyres and with trumpets to the house of Yahweh. ²⁹ And the dread of God was on all the kingdoms of the lands when they heard that Yahweh had fought with the enemies of Israel. ³⁰ And the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was quiet, and his God gave rest to him all around.

³¹ And Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah. The son of 35 years when he became king, and 25 years he reigned in Jerusalem. And the name of his mother, Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi. ³² And he walked in the way of his father Asa, and he did not turn aside from it, doing what was right in the eyes of Yahweh. ³³ However, the high places did not turn aside. And still the people did not establish their heart to the God of their fathers. ³⁴ And the remainder of the matters of Jehoshaphat, the first things and the last things, behold, they are written in the words of Jehu the son of Hanani, which is taken up on the scroll of the kings of Israel.

³⁵ And after this Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, allied himself with Ahaziah, the king of Israel; he made himself guilty in so doing. ³⁶ And he allied himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish. And they made ships at Ezion Geber. ³⁷ And Eliezer the son of Dodavahu from Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, “When you allied yourself with Ahaziah, Yahweh broke through your works.” And the ships were broken, and they were not able to go to Tarshish.

Chapter 21

¹ And Jehoshaphat laid down with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David. And Jehoram, his son, reigned in his place. ² And to him brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat: Azariah, and Jehiel, and Zechariah, and Azariahu, and Michael, and Shephatiah. All these, the sons of Jehoshaphat, the king of Israel. ³ And their father gave to them many gifts of silver and of gold and of precious things with fortified cities in Judah. And the kingdom he gave to Jehoram for he was the firstborn. ⁴ And Jehoram rose over the kingdom of his father and he strengthened himself. And he killed all his brothers with the sword, and also some of the chiefs of Israel. ⁵ A son of 32 years Jehoram was when he became king, and eight years he reigned in Jerusalem. ⁶ And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab did, for the daughter of Ahab was to him a wife, and he did evil in the eyes of Yahweh. ⁷ But Yahweh was not willing to destroy the house of David on account of the covenant which he had cut with David; and just as he said to give to him a lamp and to his sons all the days.

⁸ In his days, Edom rebelled from under the hand of Judah, and they caused to reign over themselves a king. ⁹ And Jehoram passed over with his chiefs and all his chariots with him. And it happened he rose at night and he struck Edom surrounding him and the chiefs of the chariots. ¹⁰ And Edom rebelled from under the hand of Judah until this day. Then Libnah rebelled at that time from under his hand, for he abandoned Yahweh, the God of his fathers.

¹¹ Also, he himself made the high places in the hills of Judah, and he caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to commit adultery, and he drove Judah away. ¹² And a writing came to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, “Thus says Yahweh, the God of David your father: ‘Because you did not walk in the ways of Jehoshaphat your father and in the ways of Asa, the king of Judah, ¹³ but you walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and he caused Judah to commit adultery and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, like the house of Ahab committed adultery, and also your brothers, the house of your father, the ones better than you, you have killed. ¹⁴ Behold, Yahweh is striking a great striking among your people, and among your sons, and among your wives, and among all your goods, ¹⁵ and you with many sicknesses, with a disease of your intestines, until your intestines come out from the sickness, days upon days.”

¹⁶ And Yahweh stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines and the Arabians who were at the hand of the Cushites. ¹⁷ And they came up against Judah, and they broke it up. And they captured all the goods that were found in the house of the king, and also his sons and his wives, and there was not left to him a son except Jehoahaz, the youngest of his sons.

¹⁸ And after all this, Yahweh struck him in his intestines with a sickness for which there is no cure. ¹⁹ And it happened from days to days, and at the time of the going out for the end of days, two, his intestines came out with his sickness, and he died with evil diseases. And his people did not make for him a burning like the burning of his fathers. ²⁰ A son of 32 he was when he became king; and eight years he reigned in Jerusalem, and he went with no delight. And they buried him in the city of David, but not in the grave of the kings.

Chapter 22

¹ And the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah, his youngest son, king in his place, for all the older the band had killed coming with the Arabians to the camp. And Ahaziah the son of Jehoram, the king of Judah, reigned. ² A son of 42 years was Ahaziah when he became king, and one year he reigned in Jerusalem. And the name of his mother was Athaliah, the daughter of Omri. ³ Also he himself walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother was his advisor to do wickedly. ⁴ And he did evil in the eyes of Yahweh, like the house of Ahab, for they themselves were to him advisors after the death of his father, for destruction to him. ⁵ Also, with their counsel he walked, and he went with Jehoram the son of Ahab, the king of Israel, for battle against Hazael, the king of Aram, at Ramoth Gilead. And the Arameans struck Joram. ⁶ And he returned to get healed in Jezreel because of the strikings that they struck him at Ramah when he fought Hazael, the king of Aram. And Ahaziah the son of Jehoram, the king of Judah, went down to see Jehoram, the son of Ahab, in Jezreel because he was wounded.

⁷ And from God was the downfall of Ahaziah for going to Joram. And when he came, he went out with Jehoram against Jehu the son of Nimshi, whom Yahweh anointed him to cut off the house of Ahab. ⁸ And it happened when Jehu was judging on the house of Ahab, and he found the chiefs of Judah and the sons of the brothers of Ahaziah, ones ministering to Ahaziah, and he killed them. ⁹ And he sought Ahaziah; and they captured him, and he was hiding himself in Samaria. And they brought him to Jehu, and they killed him. And they buried him, for they said, “The son of Jehoshaphat is he, who sought Yahweh with all his heart.” And there was none belonging to the house of Ahaziah to retain power for the kingdom.

¹⁰ And Athaliah, the mother of Ahaziah, saw that her son died, and she arose, and she destroyed all the seed of the kingdom of the house of Judah. ¹¹ But Jehoshabeath, ^[1] the daughter of the king, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and she stole him from the midst of the sons of the king who were being killed, and she placed him and his nurse in the room of beds. And Jehoshabeath the daughter of the king Jehoram, the wife of Jehoida the priest (for she was the sister of Ahaziah) hid him from the face of Athaliah, and she did not kill him. ¹² And he was with them in the house of God, hiding himself six years. And Athaliah was reigning over the land.

Chapter 23

¹ And in the seventh year, Jehoiada strengthened himself and took the chiefs of hundreds, Azariah the son of Jeroham, and Ishmael the son of Jehohanan, and Azariah the son of Obed, and Maaseiah the son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat the son of Zichri with him into the covenant. ² And they went around in Judah, and they gathered the Levites from all the cities of Judah and the heads of the fathers of Israel. And they came to Jerusalem. ³ And all the assembly cut a covenant in the house of God with the king. And he said to them, “Behold, the son of the king will reign, just as Yahweh spoke concerning the sons of David. ⁴ This is the thing that you must do: A third from you all who come in on the Sabbath, of the priests and of the Levites, will be gatekeepers at the threshold. ⁵ And a third at the house of the king, and a third at the Gate of the Foundation. And all the people will be in the courts of the house of Yahweh. ⁶ And do not let one enter the house of Yahweh, except the priests and the ministering ones from the Levites; they are entering for sacred are they. And all the people must keep the charge of Yahweh. ⁷ And the Levites will surround the king all around, each and his weapon in his hand. And the one going into the house will be killed. And they will be with the king in his coming in and his going out.”

⁸ And the Levites and all Judah did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded. And each took his men, those coming in on the Sabbath, with those going out on the Sabbath, for Jehoiada the priest did not release the divisions. ⁹ And Jehoiada the priest gave to the chiefs of the hundreds the spears and the shields and the large shields which belonged to King David which were in the house of God. ¹⁰ And he stationed all the people, and each, his weapon in his hand, from the right side of the house to the left side of the house, at the altar and at the house, about the king all around. ¹¹ And they brought out the son of the king, and they placed on him the crown and the testimony. And they made him king. And Jehoiada and his sons anointed him. And they said, “May the king live!”

¹² And Athaliah heard the sound of the people running and praising the king, and she came to the people at the house of Yahweh. ¹³ And she looked, and, behold, the king was standing by his pillar at the entrance, and the chiefs and the trumpets were by the king. And all the people of the land were joyful and blowing trumpets, and the singers with the articles of the song and leading the praising. And Athaliah ripped to pieces her clothes, and she said, “Conspiracy! Conspiracy!” ¹⁴ And Jehoiada the priest brought out the chiefs of the hundreds who were appointed over the army, and he said to them, “Bring her out to before the house of the ranks; and the one who goes after her, let him be killed with the sword.” For the priest had said, “Do not kill her in the house of Yahweh.” ¹⁵ And they laid hands on her, and she went into the entrance of the Horse Gate of the house of the king. And they put her to death there.

¹⁶ And Jehoiada cut a covenant between himself, and between all the people, and between the king, to become a people for Yahweh. ¹⁷ And all the people entered the house of Baal, and they tore it down, and its altars and its images they smashed, and Mattan, the priest of Baal, they killed before the altars. ¹⁸ And Jehoiada set the musterings of the house of Yahweh by the hand of the priests, the Levites whom David assigned over the house of Yahweh, to offer the burnt offerings of Yahweh, as is written in the law of Moses, with joy and with song, by the hands of David. ¹⁹ And he stationed gatekeepers at the gates of the house of Yahweh, and unclean in any way did not enter. ²⁰ And he took the chiefs of the hundreds, and the majestic ones, and the rulers among the people, and all the people of the land. And he brought down the king from the house of Yahweh; and they came into the midst of the Upper Gate of the house of the king, and they sat the king on the throne of the kingdom. ^{[1] 21} And all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet. And Athaliah they put to death with the sword.

Chapter 24

¹ A son of seven years was Joash when he became king; and 40 years he reigned in Jerusalem. And the name of his mother was Zibiah from Beersheba. ² And Joash did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh all the days of Jehoiada the priest. ³ And Jehoiada lifted up for him two wives, and he fathered sons and daughters.

⁴ And it happened after this, there was with the heart of Joash to restore the house of Yahweh. ⁵ And he gathered the priests and the Levites, and he said to them, “Go out to the cities of Judah and gather from all Israel enough money to make strong the house of your God year by year. And you all yourselves, hasten to the matter.” But the Levites did not hasten. ⁶ And the king called for Jehoiada the head, and he said to him, “Why did you not seek after the Levites to bring in from Judah and from Jerusalem the tribute of Moses, the servant of Yahweh, and of the assembly of Israel for the tent of the testimony?” ⁷ For wicked Athaliah, her sons had broken into the house of God and also, all the sacred things of the house of Yahweh, they used for the Baals.

⁸ And the king commanded, and they made one chest. And they placed it by the gate of the house of Yahweh outside. ⁹ And they gave voice in Judah and in Jerusalem to bring in to Yahweh the tribute of Moses, the servant of God, over Israel in the wilderness. ¹⁰ And all the chiefs and all the people rejoiced. And they brought in and they threw into the chest until completed. ¹¹ And it happened at the time one brings in the chest to the oversight of the king by the hand of the Levites, and when they saw that there was an abundance of money, then a scribe of the king would come, and the officer of the head priest. And they would empty the chest, and they would carry it, and they would return it to its place. Thus they did day by day, and they gathered money in abundance. ¹² And the king and Jehoiada gave it to the ones doing the work of the service of the house of Yahweh. And they were hiring stonemasons and craftsmen to restore the house of Yahweh, and also for craftsmen of iron and bronze to make strong the house of Yahweh. ¹³ And the doers of the work did, and the restoration of the work went up by their hand. And they made stand the house of God according to its measurement, and they strengthened it. ¹⁴ And when they finished, they brought in before the king and Jehoiada the remainder of the money. And they made items for the house of Yahweh, items of ministry and of burnt offerings and pans and items of gold and silver. And they were offering up burnt offerings at the house of Yahweh regularly all the days of Jehoiada.

¹⁵ And Jehoiada grew old and was full of days, and he died, a son of 130 years at his death. ¹⁶ And they buried him in the city of David with the kings, because he did good in Israel and toward God and his house. ¹⁷ And after the death of Jehoiada, the chiefs of Judah came and bowed down to the king. Then the king listened to them. ¹⁸ And they abandoned the house of Yahweh, the God of their fathers, and they served the Asherim and the idols. And there was wrath on Judah and Jerusalem on account of this, their guilt. ¹⁹ And he sent among them prophets to bring them back to Yahweh. And they testified against them, but they did not listen.

²⁰ And the Spirit of God clothed Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest. And he stood above the people, and he said to them, “Thus says God: Why are you passing over the commands of Yahweh, and you do not prosper? Because you all abandoned Yahweh, then he has abandoned you all.” ²¹ But they conspired against him, and they stoned him with stones by the command of the king in the court of the house of Yahweh. ²² And King Joash did not remember the covenant faithfulness that Jehoiada, his father did with him, and he killed his son. And when he died, he said, “May Yahweh see and seek.”

²³ And it happened at the turn of the year, the army of Aram came up against him, and they came to Judah and Jerusalem. And they destroyed all the chiefs of the people from the people. And all the plunder they sent to the king of Damascus. ²⁴ Indeed with a small amount of men the army of Aram came, yet Yahweh gave into their hand a very large army because they abandoned Yahweh, the God of their fathers. And they did judgment on Joash.

²⁵ And when they went from him, for they left him with many wounds, his servants conspired against him on account of the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest. And they killed him on his bed, and he died. And they buried him in the city of David, but they did not bury him in the graves of the kings. ²⁶ And these were the ones who conspired against him: Zabad the son of Shimeath, the Ammonitess, and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith, the Moabitess. ²⁷ And his sons, and many oracles against him, and the establishing of the house of God, behold, they are written in the exposition of the scroll of the Kings. And Amaziah his son became king in his place.

Chapter 25

¹ A son of 25 years, Amaziah became king. And 29 years he reigned in Jerusalem. And the name of his mother was Jehoaddan from Jerusalem. ² And he did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh, only not with a complete heart. ³ And it happended when the kingdom was strong upon him, then he killed his servants, the ones who struck down the king, his father. ⁴ But their sons he did not put to death for as it is written in the law, in the scoll of Moses, whom Yahweh commanded saying, “Fathers must not die on account of their sons, and sons must not die on account of their fathers, but each for his sin, they must die.”

⁵ And Amaziah gathered Judah, and he appointed them according to the house of the fathers, for chiefs of thousands and for chiefs of hundreds for all of Judah and Benjamin. And he mustered them from a son of 20 years and upward. And he found them, 300,000 chosen, going out to war grasping spear and large shield. ⁶ And he hired from Israel 100,000 mighty ones of strength for 100 talents of silver. ⁷ But a man of God came to him, saying, “O King, do not let the army of Israel go with you, for Yahweh is not with Israel, all the sons of Ephraim. ⁸ But if you go, act, be strong in battle; God will cause you to fall before the enemy, for there is power in God to help and to cause to fall.” ⁹ And Amaziah said to the man of God, “And what will we do with the 100 talents that I have given to the troop of Israel?” And the man of God said, “There is to Yahweh to give to you much more than this.” ¹⁰ And Amaziah separated them, the troop that had come to him from Ephraim to go to their place. And their anger burned greatly against Judah, and they returned to their place in the burning of anger. ¹¹ And Amaziah, he strengthened himself, and he led out his people. And he went to the Valley of Salt. And he struck down the sons of Seir, 10,000. ¹² And 10,000 alive the sons of Judah took captive. And they brought them to the head of the cliff, and they threw them from the head of the cliff. And all of them were dashed to pieces. ¹³ But the sons of the troop that Amaziah sent back from going with him to battle, and they raided against the cities of Judah from Samaria and until Beth Horon. And they struck down from them 3,000 and they plundered much plunder.

¹⁴ And it happened after Amaziah had come from striking the Edomites, and he brought the gods of the sons of Seir, and set them up for himself to be gods. And before them he bowed down and to them he made sacrifices. ¹⁵ And the anger of Yahweh burned against Amaziah. And he sent to him a prophet, and he said to him, “Why do you seek the gods of the people who did not deliver their people from your hand?” ¹⁶ And it happened when he was speaking with him, and he said to him, “For a counselor to the king have we placed you? Stop yourself! Why should they strike you down?” And the prophet stopped. And he said, “I know that God has counselled to destroy you because you have done this and you did not listen to my counsel.”

¹⁷ And Amaziah, the king of Judah, took counsel and sent to Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, the king of Israel, saying, “Come, let us meet each other face to face.” ¹⁸ And Joash the king of Israel sent to Amaziah, the king of Judah, saying, “A bramble that was in Lebanon sent to a cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son for a wife,’ but an animal passed over the field that was in Lebanon and trampled the bramble. ¹⁹ You have said, Behold, you have struck down Edom, and your heart has lifted you to boast. Now, sit in your house. Why excite yourself in evil and fall, you and Judah with you?”

²⁰ But Amaziah did not listen, because from God it was, in order to give them into the hand because they sought the gods of Edom. ²¹ And Joash, the king of Israel, went up, and he and Amaziah, the king of Judah, looked at each other face to face at Beth Shemesh, which belonged to Judah. ²² And Judah was struck down before Israel, and each fled to his tent. ²³ And Amaziah, the king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, Joash, the king of Israel, seized at Beth Shemesh. And he brought him to Jerusalem, and he broke through the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim until the gate of the Corner, 400 cubits. ²⁴ And with all the gold and the silver and all the items that were found in the house of God with Obed Edom, and the treasures in the house of the king, and the sons of the hostages, he returned to Samaria.

²⁵ And Amaziah the son of Joash, the king of Judah, lived after the death of Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, the king of Israel, 15 years. ²⁶ And the remainder of the matters of Amaziah, the first things and the last things, behold, are they not written on the scroll of the kings of Judah and Israel? ²⁷ And from the time that Amaziah turned from after Yahweh, and they bound against him a conspiracy in Jerusalem. And he fled to Lachish. And they sent after him to Lachish, and they put him to death there. ²⁸ And they carried him on horses, and they buried him with his fathers in a city of Judah.

Chapter 26

¹ And all the people of Judah took Uzziah, and he was a son of 16 years. And they made him king in the place of his father Amaziah. ² He himself built Eloth, and he restored it to Judah after the lying down of the king with his fathers. ³ A son of 16 years was Uzziah when he became king. And 52 years he reigned in Jerusalem. And the name of his mother was Jekoliah from Jerusalem. ⁴ And he did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh, according to all that Amaziah his father had done. ⁵ And he was seeking God in the days of Zechariah, the one instructing to see God ^[1] . And in the days of his seeking Yahweh, God caused him to prosper.

⁶ And he went out, and he fought against the Philistines. And he broke through the wall of Gath, and the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod. And he built cities in Ashdod and among the Philistines. ⁷ And God helped him against the Philistines, and against the Arabians who dwelled in Gurbaal, and the Meunites. ⁸ And the Ammonites gave tribute to Uzziah. And his name went as far as the border of Egypt because he was becoming strong increasingly. ⁹ And Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, and at the Valley Gate, and at the Angle, and he made them strong. ¹⁰ And he built towers in the wilderness, and he dug out many cisterns, for much cattle was to him, both in the lowlands and in the plains, and plowmen and vinedressers in the hills and in Carmel, for a lover of the ground he was. ¹¹ And there was to Uzziah an army of doers of battle who went out for war according to the troop by the numbering of the mustering by the hand of Jeiel, the scribe, and Maaseiah, the official, under the hand of Hananiah, from the chiefs of the king. ¹² All the number of the heads of the fathers according to the mighty ones of strength, 2,600. ¹³ And under their hand, an army of war 307,500 doers of battle with strength of power to help the king against the enemy. ¹⁴ And Uzziah prepared for them—for all the army—shields, and spears, and helmets, and armor, and bows, and stones of slings. ¹⁵ And he made in Jerusalem war machines, invention of an inventor, to be on the towers and on the corners to shoot arrows and great stones. And his name went out as far as a distance, for he did wondrously to be helped until when he was strong.

¹⁶ But at his strength, his heart was high until destroying, and he acted unfaithfully against Yahweh, his God, and he went into the temple of Yahweh to sacrifice on the altar of incense. ¹⁷ And Azariah, the priest, went in after him, and with him the priests of Yahweh, 80 sons of strength. ¹⁸ And they stood against Uzziah the king, and they said to him, “Not for you, Uzziah, to sacrifice to Yahweh, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron, the ones consecrated to sacrifice. Go out from the sanctuary, for you acted unfaithfully, and not for you for honor from Yahweh God.” ¹⁹ And Uzziah raged, and in his hand was a censer to sacrifice. And when he raged against the priests, and the leprosy, it appeared on his forehead before the priests in the house of Yahweh from beside the altar of incense. ²⁰ And Azariah the head priest turned to him, and all the priests, and, behold, he was leprous on his forehead. And they hastened him from there. And also, he himself hastened to go out, for Yahweh afflicted him. ²¹ And Uzziah the king was leprous until the day of his death. And he dwelled in the house of separation, being leprous, for he was cut off from the house of Yahweh. And Jotham his son was over the house of the king, judging the people of the land. ²² And the remainder of the matters of Uzziah, the first things and the last things, Isaiah, the son of Amoz, the prophet wrote. ²³ And Uzziah laid down with his fathers. And they buried him with his fathers in the field of the grave that belonged to the kings, for they said, “Leprous is he.” And Jotham his son became king in his place.

Chapter 27

¹ A son of 25 years was Jotham when he became king. And 16 years he reigned in Jerusalem. And the name of his mother was Jerushah, the daughter of Zadok. ² And he did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh, according to all that Uzziah his father did, except he did not go into the temple of Yahweh. And yet the people were acting corruptly. ³ He himself built the upper gate of the house of Yahweh, and on the wall of Ophel he built in abundance. ⁴ And cities he built in the hill country of Judah, and in the forests he built fortresses and towers. ⁵ And he himself fought with the king of the sons of Ammon, and he was strong over them. And the sons of Ammon gave to him in that year 100 talents of silver, 10,000 kors of wheat, and 10,000 barley. This the sons of Ammon brought back to him, and in the second year and the third. ⁶ And Jotham strengthened himself for he established his ways before Yahweh his God. ⁷ And the remainder of the matters of Jotham, and all his battles and his ways, behold, they are written on the scroll of the king of Israel and Judah. ⁸ A son of 25 years he was when he became king; and 16 years he reigned in Jerusalem. ⁹ And Jotham laid down with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David. And Ahaz his son reigned in his place.

Chapter 28

¹ A son of 20 years was Ahaz when he became king, and 16 years he reigned in Jerusalem. And he did not do what was right in the eyes of Yahweh, like David his father. ² And he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel; and also metal images he made for the Baals. ³ And he himself offered incense in the Valley of Ben Hinnom. And he caused his sons to burn in fire, according to the abominations of the nations that Yahweh drove away from before the sons of Israel. ⁴ And he sacrificed and offered incense at the high places and on the hills and under every leafy tree.

⁵ And Yahweh his God gave him into the hand of the king of Aram. And he struck him, and they took captive from him many captives. And they brought to Damascus. And also into the hand of the king of Israel he gave, and he struck him a great striking. ⁶ And Pekah the son of Remaliah killed in Judah 120,000 in one day, all sons of strength, when they abandoned Yahweh the God of their fathers. ⁷ And Zicri, a mighty one of Ephraim, killed Maaseiah, the son of the king, and Azrikam, the leader of the house, and Elkanah, the second of the king. ⁸ And the sons of Israel took captive from their brothers 200,000 wives, sons, and daughters. And also much plunder they plundered from them. And they brought the plunder back to Samaria. ⁹ And there, a prophet of Yahweh was, Oded his name. And he went out before the army coming to Samaria. And he said to them, “Behold, in wrath, Yahweh, the God of your fathers was against Judah; he gave them into your hand. But you all killed them in rage; up to the heavens it reached. ¹⁰ And now the sons of Judah and Jerusalem you all are saying to subjugate as male slaves and as female slaves for yourselves. Are you surely not with wrongdoings of your own against Yahweh your God? ¹¹ And now, hear me and bring back the captives whom you all took captive from your brothers. For the burning anger of Yahweh is upon you all.” ¹² And men rose from the heads of the sons of Ephraim—Azariah the son of Jehohanan, Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, and Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai—against the ones coming from the army. ¹³ And they said to them, “Do not bring the captives here, for wrongdoing of Yahweh against us you all are saying to add upon our sins and upon our wrongdoings. For much is the guilt to us and the burning anger upon Israel.” ¹⁴ And the armed ones released the captives and the spoils before the chiefs and all the assembly. ¹⁵ And the men who were marked by names rose and they grasped among the captives, and all their naked persons they clothed from the plunder. And they clothed them, and they gave them sandals. And they fed them, and they gave them drink. And they poured on them, and they led them on donkeys all who stumble. And they brought them to Jericho, the City of Palms, near their brothers. And they returned to Samaria.

¹⁶ At that time, King Ahaz sent to the kings of Assyria to help him. ¹⁷ And again the Edomites had come, and they struck Judah. And they took captive captives. ¹⁸ And the Philistines had raided among the cities of the lowlands and the Negev of Judah. And they captured Beth Shemesh, and Aijalon, and Gederoth, and Soko and its daughters, and Timnah and its daughters, and Gimzo and its daughters. And they dwelled there. ¹⁹ For Yahweh humbled Judah because of Ahaz, the king of Israel; for he caused to break loose in Judah and to act faithlessly in faithlessness against Yahweh. ²⁰ And Tiglath-Pileser, the king of Assyria, came against him. And he harassed him, and he did not strengthen him. ²¹ For Ahaz divided up the house of Yahweh and the house of the king and the chiefs. And he gave to the king of Assyria, but it was not a help to him.

²² And in the time of his harassment, and he added to act faithlessly against Yahweh, this King Ahaz. ²³ And he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus, those striking him, and he said, “Because the gods of the kings of Aram, they were helping them, to them I will sacrifice, and they will help me.” But they themselves were to him a cause to fall and to all Israel. ²⁴ And Ahaz gathered the items of the house of God and cut up the items of the house of God. And he shut the doors of the house of Yahweh. And he made for himself altars in every corner in Jerusalem. ²⁵ And in every city and city of Judah he made high places to make sacrifices to other gods. And he provoked to anger Yahweh, the God of his fathers. ²⁶ And the remainder of his matters and all his ways, the first things and the last things, behold, they are written on the scroll of the kings of Judah and Israel. ²⁷ And Ahaz laid down with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, in Jerusalem, but they did not bring him to the graves of the kings of Israel. And Hezekiah his son reigned in his place.

Chapter 29

¹ Hezekiah became king as a son of 25 years, and 29 years he reigned in Jerusalem. And the name of his mother was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. ² And he did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh, like all that David his father did. ³ He, in the first year of his reigning, in the first month, himself opened the doors of the house of Yahweh, and he made them strong. ⁴ And he brought in the priests and the Levites, and he gathered them into the plaza to the east. ⁵ And he said to them, “Hear me, Levites! Now, consecrate yourselves and consecrate the house of Yahweh, the God of your fathers, and bring out the defilement from the holy place. ⁶ For our fathers acted unfaithfully, and they did evil in the eyes of Yahweh our God. And they have abandoned him. And they turned their faces from the tabernacle of Yahweh, and they turned the back. ⁷ Also, they shut the doors of the porch. And they extinguished the lamps, and incense they did not offer and burnt offerings they did not offer in the holy place of the God of Israel. ⁸ And the wrath of Yahweh was on Judah and Jerusalem. And he gave them to be a terror, to be a horror, and to be a hissing, just as you all are seeing with your eyes. ⁹ And behold, our fathers fell by the sword, and our sons, and our daughters, and our wives are in captivity on account of this. ¹⁰ Now with my heart to cut a covenant with Yahweh, the God of Israel, so that his burning anger may turn from us. ¹¹ My sons, now, do not be negligent for you all Yahweh has chosen to stand before him, to minister to him, and to be to him ones ministering and ones offering sacrifices.”

¹² And the Levites arose: Mahath the son of Amasai, and Joel the son of Azariah, from the sons of the Kohathites; and from the sons of Merari, Kish the son of Abdi, and Azariah the son of Jehallelel; and from the Gershonites, Joah the son of Zimmah, and Eden the son of Joah; ¹³ and from the sons of Elizaphan, Shimri and Jeuel; and from the sons of Asaph, Zechariah and Mattaniah; ¹⁴ and from the sons of Heman, Jehuel and Shimei; and from the sons of Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel. ¹⁵ And they gathered their brothers, and they consecrated themselves, and they entered, according to the commandment of the king with the words of Yahweh, to cleanse the house of Yahweh. ¹⁶ And the priests entered the inner part of the house of Yahweh to cleanse; and they brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of Yahweh to the court of the house of Yahweh. And the Levites took to bring out to the brook Kidron outside. ¹⁷ And they began on the first of the first month to consecrate. And on the eighth day of the month they came to the porch of Yahweh, and they consecrated the house of Yahweh for eight days. And on the 16th day of the first month they finished. ¹⁸ And they came within to Hezekiah, the king, and they said, “We have cleansed all the house of Yahweh, the altar of burnt offerings and all its items, and the table of the arrangement and all its items, ¹⁹ and all the items which King Ahaz rejected in his reign in his unfaithfulness. We have prepared, and we have consecrated, and, behold, they are before the altar of Yahweh.”

²⁰ And Hezekiah the king rose early and gathered the chiefs of the city. And he went up to the house of Yahweh. ²¹ And they brought seven bulls, and seven rams, and seven lambs, and seven male goats of female goats for a sin offering for the kingdom, and for the sanctuary, and for Judah. And he said to the sons of Aaron, the priests, to cause to go up to the altar of Yahweh. ²² And they slaughtered the cattle, and the priests took the blood, and they scattered on the altar. And they slaughtered the rams, and they scattered the blood on the altar. And they slaughtered the lambs, and they scattered the blood on the altar. ²³ And they brought near the goats of the sin offering before the king and the assembly, and they laid their hands on them. ²⁴ And the priests slaughtered them, and they made a sin offering with their blood on the altar to atone for all Israel, because “For all Israel,” the king said, “are the burnt offering and the sin offering.”

²⁵ And he stationed the Levites in the house of Yahweh with cymbals, with harps, and with lyres, according to the commandment of David and Gad, the seer of the king, and Nathan the prophet, for by the hand of Yahweh was the commandment by the hand of his prophets. ²⁶ And the Levites stood with the instruments of David and the priests with the trumpets. ²⁷ And Hezekiah said to offer the burnt offering on the altar. And at the time the burnt offering began, the song of Yahweh began and the trumpets, and by the hands of the instruments of David, the king of Israel. ²⁸ And the whole assembly was worshipping, and the song was singing, and the trumpets were sounding, all until the burnt offering was finished.

²⁹ And when the burnt offering was finished, the king bowed down and all who were found with him, and they worshiped. ³⁰ And King Hezekiah said, and the chiefs, to the Levites to praise Yahweh according to the words of David and Asaph the seer. And they praised with joy, and they bowed down, and they worshiped.

³¹ And Hezekiah answered, and he said, “You yourselves have filled your hand to Yahweh. Come near and bring in sacrifices and thanksgivings to the house of Yahweh.” And the assembly brought in sacrifices and thanksgivings, and all inclined of heart, burnt offerings. ³² And the number of the burnt offering that the assembly brought in was 70 bulls, 100 rams, 200 lambs, for the burnt offering to Yahweh was all these. ³³ And the consecrated were 600 bulls and 3,000 sheep. ³⁴ Except the priests were too few and they were not able to skin all the burnt offerings, so their brothers, the Levites, made them strong until the work was finished, and until the priests consecrated themselves, for the Levites were right of heart to consecrate themselves more than the priests. ³⁵ And also, there were burnt offerings in abundance with the fat of the peace offerings and with the drink offerings for the burnt offering. And the service of the house of Yahweh was established. ³⁶ And Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people, over God having prepared for the people, for in suddenness the matter happened.

Chapter 30

¹ And Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and also letters he wrote to Ephraim and Manasseh to come to the house of Yahweh in Jerusalem to do a Passover to Yahweh, the God of Israel. ² And the king consulted, and his chiefs, and all the assembly in Jerusalem, to do the Passover in the second month. ³ for they were not able to do it at that time because the priests had not consecrated themselves sufficiently, and the people had not assembled to Jerusalem. ⁴ And the matter was right in the eyes of the king and in the eyes of all the assembly. ⁵ And they caused to stand a word to cause a voice to pass over among all Israel, from Beersheba and to Dan to come to do a Passover to Yahweh, the God of Israel, in Jerusalem; for they had not in abundance done as was written. ⁶ And runners went with letters from the hand of the king and his chiefs among all Israel and Judah and according to the command of the king, saying, “Sons of Israel, return to Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and he will return to the escaped remaining of you all from the palm of the kings of Assyria. ⁷ And do not be like your fathers and your brothers, who acted unfaithfully against Yahweh, the God of their fathers. And he made them to be a horror, just as you all are seeing. ⁸ Now, do not harden your neck like your fathers; give hand to Yahweh and come to his sanctuary which he has consecrated forever, and serve Yahweh your God, that he may turn from you all his burning anger. ⁹ For in your turning back to Yahweh, your brothers and your sons will have mercies before their captors and return this land. For gracious and compassionate is Yahweh your God, and he will not turn away his face from you all, if you return to him.”

¹⁰ And the runners were passing from city to city in the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, and until Zebulun, but they were mocking them and ridiculing them. ¹¹ However, men from Asher and Manasseh and from Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. ¹² Also on Judah was the hand of God to give them one heart to do the command of the king and the chiefs by the word of Yahweh.

¹³ And many people gathered in Jerusalem to do the Feast of the Unleavened Bread in the second month, a very abundant assembly. ¹⁴ And they rose, and they took away the altars that were in Jerusalem, and all the incense altars they took away, and they threw into the brook Kidron. ¹⁵ And they slaughtered the Passover lambs on the 14th of the second month. And the priests and the Levites were ashamed, and they consecrated themselves, and they brought in the burnt offerings to the house of Yahweh. ¹⁶ And they stood at their stations according to their judgment, according to the law of Moses, the man of God. The priests were scattering the blood from the hand of the Levites, ¹⁷ for many were in the assembly who had not consecrated themselves. And the Levites were over the slaughtering of the Passover lambs for all were not clean to consecrate to Yahweh. ¹⁸ For a multitude of the people, many from Ephraim and Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun, had not purified themselves, but they ate the Passover, against what is written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May Yahweh who is good atone for ¹⁹ everyone who prepares his heart to seek God, Yahweh, the God of his fathers, but not according to the purifying of the holy place.” ²⁰ And Yahweh listened to Hezekiah, and he healed the people. ²¹ And the sons of Israel who were found in Jerusalem did the Feast of the Unleavened Bread seven days with great joy. And the Levites and the priests were praising Yahweh day by day, with instruments of might to Yahweh. ²² And Hezekiah spoke to the heart of all the Levites, who were insightful with good insight of Yahweh. And they ate the appointed seven days, sacrificing sacrifices of peace offerings and confessing to Yahweh, the God of their fathers.

²³ And all the assembly consulted to do seven days after them, and they did seven days joyfully. ²⁴ For Hezekiah the king of Judah contributed to the assembly 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep; and the chiefs contributed to the assembly 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep. And many priests consecrated themselves. ²⁵ And they rejoiced, all the assembly of Judah and the priests and the Levites, and all the assembly who came from Israel, and the sojourners who came from the land of Israel and the inhabitants of Judah. ²⁶ And there was great joy in Jerusalem, for from the days of Solomon the son of David, the king of Israel, there was not like this in Jerusalem. ²⁷ And the priests, the Levites, rose, and they blessed the people. And their voice was heard, and their prayer came to his holy dwelling in the heavens.

Chapter 31

¹ And when all this was finished, all Israel who were to be found went out to the cities of Judah, and they shattered the pillars. And they cut to pieces the Asherim, and they tore down the high places and the altars from all Judah and Benjamin, and in Ephraim and Manasseh, until finished. And all the sons of Israel returned, each to his possession, to their cities.

² And Hezekiah appointed the divisions of the priests and the Levites according to their divisions, each according to the mouth of his service, for the priests and for the Levites for burnt offering and for peace offerings, to minister, and to give thanks, and to praise at the gates of the camp of Yahweh. ³ And the portion of the king was from his property for burnt offerings, for the burnt offerings of the morning and the evening and the burnt offerings for the Sabbaths and for the new moons and for the appointed times, as is written in the law of Yahweh. ⁴ And he said to the people, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem to give the portion of the priests and the Levites, in order that they might be strong in the law of Yahweh. ⁵ And when the word broke through, the sons of Israel gave in abundance firstfruits of grain, new wine, and oil, and honey, and all the produce of the field. And the tithe of all the abundance they brought in. ⁶ And the sons of Israel and Judah, the inhabitants in the cities of Judah, also they, the tithe of cattle and sheep, and the tithe of sacred things consecrated to Yahweh their God, they brought in, and they gave heaps, heaps. ⁷ In the third month, they began the heaps to establish, and in the seventh month they finished. ⁸ And Hezekiah and the chiefs came, and they saw the heaps. And they blessed Yahweh and his people Israel. ⁹ And Hezekiah sought the priests and the Levites about the heaps. ¹⁰ And Azariah, the head priest, of the house of Zadok, said to him, and he said, “From the beginning of the bringing of the contribution to the house of Yahweh we ate, and were full and had left over in abundance, for Yahweh has blessed his people, and this abundance is left.”

¹¹ And Hezekiah said to prepare the chambers in the house of Yahweh, and they prepared. ¹² And they brought in the contribution and the tithe and the sacred things in faithfulness. And over them as a leader was Konaniah the Levite, and Shimei his brother, second. ¹³ And Jehiel, and Azaziah, and Nahath, and Asahel, and Jerimoth, and Jozabad, and Eliel, and Ismakiah, and Mahath, and Benaiah were overseers under the hand of Konaniah and Shimei his brother, by the arrangement of Hezekiah, the king, and Azariah, the leader over the house of God. ¹⁴ And Kore the son of Imnah the Levite, the gatekeeper to the east was over the free will offering of God, to give the contribution of Yahweh and the most holy things, ¹⁵ and by his hand Eden, and Miniamin, and Jeshua, and Shemaiah, and Amariah, and Shecaniah, in the cities of the priests in faithfulness to give to their brothers in divisions, like great, like small, ¹⁶ regardless of their genealogy, to males from a son of three years and upward, to all who came into the house of Yahweh, by the matter of a day in its day, for their service by their charges according to their divisions, ^{[1] 17} and the genealogy of the priests by the house of their fathers and the Levites from a son of 20 years and upward by their charges according to their divisions, ¹⁸ and to the genealogy with all their children, their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, to all the assembly, for in their faithfulness they were consecrating themselves in holiness. ¹⁹ And for the sons of Aaron, the priests, in the fields of open land of their cities, in each city and city, were men who were marked by names to give portions to every male among the priests, and to all genealogically among the Levites.

²⁰ And Hezekiah did like this in all Judah. And he did what is good, and what is right, and faithful before Yahweh his God. ²¹ And in every deed that he began in the service of the house of God, and by the law, and by the commandment to seek his God, with all his heart he did and succeeded.

Chapter 32

¹ After these things and faithfulness, Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, came. And he came into Judah. And he encamped against the fortified cities. And he said to capture them for himself. ² And Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and his face was to battle against Jerusalem. ³ And he consulted with his chiefs and his mighty ones to stop up the waters of the springs that were outside the city; and they helped him. ⁴ And many people gathered, and they stopped up all the springs and the stream that was flowing in the midst of the land, saying, “Why should the kings of Assyria come and find many waters?” ⁵ And he strengthened himself. And he built all the broken wall, and he brought up the towers and the other outer wall. And he strengthened the Millo in the city of David. And he made weapons in abundance and shields. ^{[1] 6} And he placed chiefs of battle over the people. And he gathered them to himself to the plaza at the city gate. And he spoke to their heart, saying, ⁷ “Be strong and be courageous. Do not be afraid, and do not be dismayed from before the king of Assyria and from before all the multitude that is with him, for with us is one greater than with him. ⁸ With him, an arm of flesh, but with us, Yahweh, our God, to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people leaned on the words of Hezekiah, the king of Judah.

⁹ After this, Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, sent his servants to Jerusalem (and he was by Lachish, and all his military strength was with him) to Hezekiah, the king of Judah, and to all Judah who was in Jerusalem, saying, ¹⁰ “Thus says Sennacherib, the king of Assyria: On what are you all trusting and dwelling in siege in Jerusalem? ¹¹ Is not Hezekiah misleading you all, to give you all to die by famine and by thirst, saying, ‘Yahweh our God will deliver us from the palm of the king of Assyria’? ¹² Did not he, Hezekiah, take away his high places and his altars and he said to Judah and to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Before one altar you all must worship, and on it you all must make sacrifice’? ¹³ Do you all not know what I have done, I and my fathers, to all the peoples of the lands? Were the gods of the nations of the lands surely able to deliver their land from my hand? ¹⁴ Who is among all the gods of these nations whom my fathers devoted to destruction who is able to deliver his people from my hand, that your God is able to deliver you all from my hand? ¹⁵ And now do not let Hezekiah deceive you all and do not let him mislead you all like this. And do not believe him for any god of any nation or kingdom has not been able to deliver his people from my hand or from the hand of my fathers. Also, indeed, your God will not deliver you all from my hand.” ¹⁶ And again his servants spoke against Yahweh God and against Hezekiah, his servant. ¹⁷ And letters he wrote to taunt Yahweh, the God of Israel, and to speak against him, saying, “Like the gods of the nations of the lands who did not deliver their people from my hand, thus the God of Hezekiah will not deliver his people from my hand.” ¹⁸ And they called in a great voice in Judean against the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to frighten them and to dismay them, in order that they might capture the city. ¹⁹ And they spoke about the God of Jerusalem as against the gods of the peoples of the land, the work of the hands of man.

²⁰ And Hezekiah, the king, prayed, and Isaiah the son of Amoz, the prophet, about this, and they cried out to the heavens. ²¹ And Yahweh sent an angel, and he wiped out all the mighty ones of the army and leaders and chiefs in the camp of the king of Assyria. And he returned with shame on faces to his land. And he came to the house of his god, and some of the ones coming forth from his inward parts, there they caused him to fall by the sword. ²² And Yahweh saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, and from the hand of all. And he gave them rest all around. ^{[2] 23} And many were bringing gifts to Yahweh to Jerusalem and precious things to Hezekiah the king of Judah. And he was lifted up in the eyes of all the nations from after that.

²⁴ In those days Hezekiah was sick unto death. And he prayed to Yahweh, and he spoke to him. And a sign he gave to him. ²⁵ But according to the benefit to him Hezekiah did not return, for his heart was high. And there was on him wrath and on Judah and Jerusalem. ²⁶ And Hezekiah humbled himself from the height of his heart, he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the wrath of Yahweh did not come upon them in the days of Hezekiah.

²⁷ And there was to Hezekiah very many riches and glory, and treasuries he made for himself for silver, and for gold, and for precious stones, and for spices, and for shields, and for all desirable items, ²⁸ and storehouses for produce of grain, and new wine, and oil, and stalls for all beasts and beasts, and flocks for the stalls. ²⁹ And cities he made for himself and livestock of sheep and cattle in abundance, for God gave to him very much property. ^{[3] 30} And this same Hezekiah stopped up the upper outlet of the waters of Gihon, and he directed them down to the west side of the city of David. And Hezekiah succeeded in all his work. ³¹ And thus, when the envoys of the chiefs of Babylon sent to him to seek the sign that was in the land, God left him to test him, to know all in his heart.

³² And the remainder of the matters of Hezekiah, and his covenant faithfulnesses, behold, they are written in the vision of Isaiah, the son of Amoz, the prophet, on the scroll of the kings of Judah and Israel. ³³ And Hezekiah laid down with his fathers, and they buried him in the ascent of the graves of the sons of David. And honor they did for him in his death, all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And Manasseh his son reigned in his place.

Chapter 33

¹ A son of 12 years was Manasseh when he became king; and 55 years he reigned in Jerusalem. ² And he did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh, like the abominations of the nations whom Yahweh had driven out from before the sons of Israel. ³ And he turned and built the high places that Hezekiah his father had torn down, and he erected altars to the Baals, and he made Asheroth, and he bowed down to all the host of the heavens, and he served them. ⁴ And he built altars in the house of Yahweh, about which Yahweh had said, “In Jerusalem, my name will be forever.” ⁵ And he built altars for all the host of the heavens in the two courts of the house of Yahweh. ⁶ And he himself caused his sons to pass through the fire in the Valley of Ben Hinnom and he practiced soothsaying, and divination, and he practiced magic, and he dealth with mediums and spirists. He multiplied doing what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh to provoke him to anger. ⁷ And he put the image of the idol which he made in the house of God of which God said to David and to Solomon his son, “In this house and in Jerusalem which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel, I will set my name forever. ⁸ And I will not again remove the foot of Israel from upon the soil that I appointed for your fathers, only if they are careful to do all that I commanded them, all the law, and the statutes, and the judgments by the hand of Moses.” ⁹ And Manasseh led astray Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to do evil more than the nations that Yahweh had exterminated from before the sons of Israel.

¹⁰ And Yahweh spoke to Manasseh and to his people, but they did not pay attention. ¹¹ And Yahweh brought against them the chiefs of the army which belonged to the king of Assyria. And they captured Manasseh in chains, and they bound him in bronze, and they took him to Babylon. ¹² And when he was in distress, he entreated the face of Yahweh, his God, and he humbled himself much from before the God of his fathers. ¹³ And he prayed to him; and he was entreated by him, and he heard his supplication, and he brought him back to Jerusalem to his kingdom. And Manasseh knew that Yahweh, he is God.

¹⁴ And after this, he built an outer wall for the city of David, on the west of Gihon, in the valley, and at the entrance of the Fish Gate, and around the hill, and he made it very high. And he put chiefs of the army in all the fortified cities in Judah. ¹⁵ And he took away the foreign gods, and the idol from the house of Yahweh, and all the altars that he built on the mountain of the house of Yahweh and in Jerusalem. And he threw them outside the city. ¹⁶ And he built the altar of Yahweh, and he sacrificed on it sacrifices of peace offerings and thank offerings. And he said to Judah to serve Yahweh, the God of Israel. ¹⁷ However, the people were still sacrificing on the high places, only to Yahweh, their God.

¹⁸ And the remainder of the matters of Manasseh, and his prayer to his God, and the words of the seers, those speaking to him in the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel, behold, they are on the words of the kings of Israel. ¹⁹ And his prayer and how he was entreated by him, and all his sin, and his unfaithfulness, and the places where he built in them high places, and he raised Asherim and idols before he humbled himself—behold, they are written in the Words of Hozai. ^{[1] 20} And Manasseh laid down with his fathers, and they buried him in his house. And Amon, his son, became king in his place.

²¹ A son of 22 years was Amon when he became king; and two years he reigned in Jerusalem. ²² And he did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh, just as Manasseh, his father, had done. And to all the idols that Manasseh his father made, Amon sacrificed, and he served them. ²³ And he did not humble himself from before Yahweh, as Manasseh his father humbled himself, for this Amon multiplied guilt. ²⁴ And his servants conspired against him, and they put him to death in his house. ²⁵ But the people of the land struck down all those who had conspired against King Amon, and the people of the land made Josiah, his son, king in his place.

Chapter 34

¹ A son of eight years was Josiah when he became king; and 31 years he reigned in Jerusalem. ² And he did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh, and he walked in the ways of David his father, and he did not turn to the right or to the left. ³ And in the eighth year of his reigning, and he was still a youth, he began to seek the God of David, his father. And in the 12th year, he began to cleanse Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the Asherim, and the idols, and the metal images. ⁴ And they tore down before him the altars of the Baals, and the incense altars which were above them he cut to pieces. And the Asherim and the idols and the metal images he shattered, and he crushed, and he scattered over the faces of the graves of those who sacrificed to them. ⁵ And the bones of the priests he burned on their altars. And he cleansed Judah and Jerusalem, ⁶ and in the cities of Manasseh, and Ephraim, and Simeon, and unitl Naphtali, in the hills of their houses all around. ⁷ And he tore down the altars, and the Asherim and the idols he beat to pieces to grinding, and all the incense altars he cut to pieces in all the land of Israel. And he returned to Jerusalem.

⁸ And in the 18th year of his reigning, to cleanse the land and the house, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah, the chief of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the secretary, to make strong the house of Yahweh his God. ⁹ And they came to Hilkiah, the great priest, and they gave the money that had been brought to the house of God, that the Levites gathered, the keepers of the threshold, from the hand of Manasseh and Ephraim, and from all the remnant of Israel, and from all Judah and Benjamin, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. ¹⁰ And they gave to the hand of the doer of the work, the ones appointed over the house of Yahweh. And they gave it to the doers of the work who were working on the house of Yahweh to repair and to make strong the house. ¹¹ And they gave to the craftsmen and the builders to buy cut stone and woods for the braces, and to make beams for the houses that the kings of Judah had destroyed. ¹² And the men were working with faithfulness in the work. And over them were appointed Jahath, and Obadiah, the Levites from the sons of Merari, and Zechariah, and Meshullam, from the sons of the Kohathites, to direct, and the Levites, all who understand about the instruments of song. ¹³ And over the burden bearers and directors for every doer of the work for service and service, and from the Levites, were scribes and officials and gatekeepers.

¹⁴ And when they were bringing out the money that had been brought into the house of Yahweh, Hilkiah the priest found the scroll of the law of Yahweh by the hand of Moses. ¹⁵ And Hilkiah answered, and he said to Shaphan the scribe, “The scroll of the law I have found in the house of Yahweh.” And Hilkiah gave the scroll to Shaphan. ¹⁶ And Shaphan brought the scroll to the king, and brought further to the king word, saying, “All that was given by the hand of your servants they are doing. ¹⁷ And they poured out the money that was found in the house of Yahweh, and they gave it to the hand of those appointed and to the hand of the doers of the work.” ¹⁸ And Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, “A scroll Hilkiah the priest gave to me.” And Shaphan read from it before the king. ¹⁹ And it happened when the king heard the words of the law, and he tore his clothes. ²⁰ And the king commanded Hilkiah, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Abdon the son of Micah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah, the servant of the king, saying, ²¹ “Go, seek Yahweh on behalf of me, and on behalf of the one who remains in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the scroll that has been found. For great is the rage of Yahweh that is poured out on us because our fathers have not kept the word of Yahweh to do like all that is written on this scroll.” ^[1]

²² And Hilkiah went, and those of the king, to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tokhath, the son of Hasrah, the keeper of the garments. And she was dwelling in Jerusalem in the Second. And they spoke to her about this. ²³ And she said to them, “Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel: Say to the man who sent you all to me, ²⁴ ‘Thus says Yahweh: Behold, I am bringing disaster upon this place and upon its inhabitants all the curses written on the scroll that they read before the king of Judah, ²⁵ because they abandoned me and burned incense to other gods in order to provoke me to anger in all the works of their hands. And my rage will pour out on this place, and it will not be quenched.’ ^{[2] 26} But to the king of Judah, the one who sent you all to seek Yahweh, thus you all shall say to him, ‘Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel about the words that you heard: ²⁷ because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before God when you heard his words concerning this place and concerning its inhabitants, and you have humbled yourself before me, and you have torn your clothes, and you wept before me, and also I myself have heard—declares Yahweh— ²⁸ behold, I myself will gather you to your fathers. And you will be gathered to your grave in peace, and your eyes will not see all the disaster that I am bringing on this place and on its inhabitants.’” And they brought back word to the king.

²⁹ And the king sent, and he gathered all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. ³⁰ And the king went up to the house of Yahweh, and each man of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests, and the Levites, and all the people, from the great to the small. And he read in their ears all the words of the scroll of the covenant, the one that was found in the house of Yahweh. ³¹ And the king stood in his place, and he cut the covenant before Yahweh, to walk after Yahweh, and to keep his commandments, and his testimony, and his statutes, with all his heart and with all his being, to do the words of the covenant that were written on this scroll. ³² And he made stand each one found in Jerusalem and Benjamin. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem acted according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers. ³³ And Josiah took away all the abominations from all the lands that belonged to the sons of Israel. And he caused to serve each one found in Israel, to serve Yahweh, their God. All his days, they did not turn away from after Yahweh, the God of their fathers.

Chapter 35

¹ And Josiah did a Passover in Jerusalem to Yahweh. And they slaughtered the Passover on the 14th of the first month. ² And he appointed the priests over their charges, and he strengthened them for the service of the house of Yahweh. ³ And he said to the Levites who are teaching all Israel, who are sacred to Yahweh, “Place the Holy Box in the house that Solomon, the son of David, the king of Israel built; not to you all a burden on your shoulder. Now serve Yahweh your God and his people Israel. ⁴ And prepare by the house of your fathers, according to your divisions, by the writing of David, the king of Israel, and by the writing of Solomon, his son. ⁵ And stand in the holy place, according to the division of the house of the fathers of your brothers, the sons of the people, and the portion of the house of a father of the Levites. ⁶ And slaughter the Passover, and consecrate yourselves, and prepare for your brothers, to do according to the word of Yahweh by the hand of Moses.”

⁷ And Josiah raised to the sons of the people a flock of lambs and sons of female goats, the entirety for the Passovers, for all who are found, for the number, 30,000. And oxen, 3,000. These were from the property of the king. ⁸ And his chiefs, for a free will offering to the people, to the priests, and to the Levites, they raised. Hilkiah, and Zechariah, and Jehiel, leaders in the house of God, to the priests they gave for the Passovers, 2,600, and oxen, 300. ⁹ And Konaniah, and Shemaiah and Nethanel, his brothers, and Hashabiah, and Jeiel, and Jozabad, the chiefs of the Levites, raised to the Levites for the Passovers, 5,000 and oxen, 300.

¹⁰ And the service was prepared, and the priests stood at their places, and the Levites by their divisions, according to the commandment of the king. ¹¹ And they slaughtered the Passover, and the priests scattered from their hand, and the Levites were skinning. ¹² And they took away the burnt offering, in order to place them according to the divisions of the house of fathers, for the sons of the people to bring near to Yahweh according to what is written in the scoll of Moses. And thus for the oxen. ¹³ And they cooked the Passover in fire according to the judgment. And the consecrated things they cooked in pots, and in kettles, and in pans, and they brought to all the sons of the people. ¹⁴ And after they prepared for themselves and for the priests, because the priests, the sons of Aaron, were offering the burnt offering and the fat portions until night, and the Levites prepared for themselves and for the priests, the sons of Aaron. ¹⁵ And the singers, the sons of Asaph, in their place, according to the commandment of David, and Asaph, and Heman, and Jeduthun, the seer of the king, and the gatekeepers for gate and gate. It was not for them to turn aside from their place because their brothers, the Levites, prepared for them.

¹⁶ And all the service of Yahweh was prepared on that day to do the Passover and to offer burnt offerings on the altar of Yahweh, according to the commandment of King Josiah. ¹⁷ And the sons of Israel who were found did the Passover at that time and the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days. ¹⁸ And a Passover was not done like it in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet, and all the kings of Israel did not do like the Passover that Josiah did, and the priests and the Levites and all Judah and Israel who were found and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. ¹⁹ In the 18th year of the reign of Josiah, this Passover was done.

²⁰ After all this, when Josiah prepared the house, Necho, the king of Egypt, went up to fight against Carchemish near the Euphrates. And Josiah went out to meet him. ²¹ And he sent to him messengers, saying, “What to me and to you, King of Judah? Not against you yourself today, but against the house of my battle. And God said for me to hurry. Stop yourself from God, who is with me, and let him not destroy you.” ²² But Josiah did not turn his face from him, but, in order to fight with him, he disguised himself. And he did not listen to the words of Necho, the mouth of God. And he came to fight on the plain of Megiddo. ²³ And the archers shot King Josiah, and the king said to his servants, “Cause me to pass over for I am badly wounded.” ²⁴ And his servants carried him away from the chariot, and they made him ride on the second chariot which belonged to him. And they brought him to Jerusalem. And he died, and he was buried in the graves of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem were mourning on account of Josiah. ²⁵ And Jeremiah sang a dirge for Josiah, and all the male singers and the female singers said in their dirges about Josiah until today. And they placed for a statute over Israel; and behold, they are written in the Laments. ²⁶ And the remainder of the matters of Josiah and his covenant faithfulnesses as is written in the law of Yahweh— ²⁷ and his matters, the first things and the last things, behold, they are written in the scroll of the kings of Israel and Judah.

Chapter 36

¹ And the people of the land took Jehoahaz, the son of Josiah, and they made him king in the place of his father in Jerusalem. ² A son of 23 years was Joahaz ^[1] when he became king. And three months he reigned in Jerusalem. ³ And the king of Egypt removed him at Jerusalem, and he imposed a fine on the land, 100 talents of silver and a talent of gold. ⁴ And the king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem. And he turned his name to Jehoiakim. And Joahaz his brother Necho took, and he brought him to Egypt.

⁵ A son of 25 years was Jehoiakim when he became king, and 11 years he reigned in Jerusalem. And he did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh his God. ⁶ Against him Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, came up, and he bound him with bronze to bring him to Babylon. ⁷ and some of the items of the house of Yahweh Nebuchadnezzar brought to Babylon, and he placed them in his temple at Babylon. ⁸ And the remainder of the matters of Jehoiakim, and the abominations that he did, and what was found against him, behold, they are written on the scroll of the kings of Israel and Judah. And Jehoiachin, his son, became king in his place.

⁹ A son of eight years was Jehoiachin when he became king; and three months and ten days he reigned in Jerusalem. And he did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh. ¹⁰ And in the return of the year, King Nebuchadnezzar sent and he brought him to Babylon, with the desirable items of the house of Yahweh And he made Zedekiah, his brother, king over Judah and Jerusalem.

¹¹ A son of 21 years was Zedekiah when he became king; and 11 years he reigned in Jerusalem. ¹² And he did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh his God; he did not humble himself from before Jeremiah the prophet from the mouth of Yahweh. ¹³ And also against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God, he rebelled. And he stiffened his neck, and he hardened his heart from turning to Yahweh, the God of Israel. ¹⁴ Also, all the chiefs of the priests and the people multiplied doing acts of unfaithfulness like all the abominations of the nations. And they defiled the house of Yahweh which he had consecrated in Jerusalem. ¹⁵ And Yahweh, the God of their fathers, sent to them by the hand of his messengers, rising early and sending, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling. ¹⁶ But they were deriding the messengers of God, and despising his words, and mocking his prophets, until the wrath of Yahweh went up against his people, until there was no healing.

¹⁷ And he brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans, and he killed their young men with the sword in the house of their holy place, and he did not spare a young man or a virgin, old or aged. All he gave into his hand. ¹⁸ All the items of the house of God, great things and small things, and the treasures of the house of Yahweh, and the treasures of the king and his chiefs—the entirety he brought to Babylon. ¹⁹ And they burned the house of God, and they tore down the wall of Jerusalem; and all of its palaces they burned with fire, and all the precious objects, destroyed. ²⁰ And the remaining from the sword he led into exile to Babylon, and they became to him and to his sons servants until the reign of the kingdom of Persia ²¹ to fulfill the word of Yahweh by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land restored its Sabbaths. All the days of its being desolate, it kept to fulfill 70 years.

²² And in the first year of Cyrus, the king of Persia, to complete the word of Yahweh by the mouth of Jeremiah. Yahweh stirred up the spirit of Cyrus, the king of Persia, and he caused voice to pass through all his kingdom, and also in writing, saying, ²³ “Thus says Cyrus, the king of Persia: ‘All the kingdoms of the earth Yahweh, the God of the heavens, has given to me. And he himself has charged me to build for him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you all from all his people, may Yahweh his God, be with him, and let him go up.’”