Ahaziah’s Messengers Meet Elijah

1 Now ^(A)Moab broke with Israel after the death of Ahab. ² And Ahaziah fell through the window lattice in his upper chamber which was in Samaria, and became ill. So he sent messengers and said to them, “Go, ^(B)inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, ^(C)whether I will recover from this sickness.” ³ But the angel of the Lord said to ^(D)Elijah the Tishbite, “Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and say to them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of ^(E)Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?’ ⁴ Now therefore, this is what the Lord says: ‘^[a](F)You will not get down from the bed upon which you have lain, but you shall certainly die.’” Then Elijah departed.

⁵ When the messengers returned to ^[b]Ahaziah, he said to them, “^[c]Why have you returned?” ⁶ They said to him, “A man came up to meet us and said to us, ‘Go, return to the king who sent you and say to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending messengers ^(G)to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore ^[d]you will not get down from the bed upon which you have lain, but you shall certainly die.’”’” ⁷ Then he said to them, “What ^[e]did the man look like, who came up to meet you and spoke these words to you?” ⁸ And they said to him, “^(H)He was a hairy man with a leather ^[f]belt worn around his waist.” And he said, “It is Elijah the Tishbite.”

⁹ Then the king ^(I)sent to him a captain of fifty with his fifty men. And he went up to him, and behold, he was sitting on the top of the hill. And he said to him, “You man of God, the king says, ‘Come down.’” ¹⁰ But Elijah replied to the captain of fifty, “If I am a man of God, ^(J)may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.” ^(K)Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty men.

¹¹ So the king again sent to him another captain of fifty with his fifty men. And he said to him, “You man of God, this is what the king says: ‘Come down quickly!’” ¹² But Elijah replied to them, “If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.” Then the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty men.

¹³ So the king ^(L)again sent the captain of a third fifty with his fifty men. When the third captain of fifty went up, he came and bowed down on his knees before Elijah, and begged him and said to him, “You man of God, please let my life and the lives of these fifty servants of yours be precious in your sight. ¹⁴ Behold, fire came down from heaven and consumed the first two captains of fifty with their fifties; but now let my ^[g]life be precious in your sight.” ¹⁵ And ^(M)the angel of the Lord said to Elijah, “Go down with him; ^(N)do not be afraid of him.” So he got up and went down with him to the king. ¹⁶ Then he said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Since you have sent messengers ^(O)to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron—is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of His word? Therefore ^[h]you will not get down from the bed upon which you have lain, but you shall certainly die.’”

Jehoram Reigns over Israel

¹⁷ So Ahaziah died in accordance with the word of the Lord which Elijah had spoken. And since he had no son, Jehoram became king in his place ^(P)in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah. ¹⁸ Now as for the rest of the acts of Ahaziah which he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

Elijah Taken to Heaven

2 Now it came about, when the Lord was about to ^(Q)bring Elijah up by a ^[i]whirlwind to heaven, that Elijah left ^(R)Gilgal with ^(S)Elisha. ² And Elijah said to Elisha, “^(T)Stay here please, for the Lord has sent me as far as ^(U)Bethel.” But Elisha said, “^(V)As surely as the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. ³ Then ^(W)the sons of the prophets who were at Bethel went out to Elisha and said to him, “Are you aware that the Lord will take away your master from over ^[j]you today?” And he said, “Yes, I am aware; say nothing about it.”

⁴ And Elijah said to him, “Elisha, please ^(X)stay here, for the Lord has sent me to ^(Y)Jericho.” But he said, “^(Z)As surely as the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they came to Jericho. ⁵ Then ^(AA)the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho approached Elisha and said to him, “^(AB)Do you know that the Lord will take away your master from over ^[k]you today?” And he ^[l]answered, “Yes, I know; say nothing about it.” ⁶ And Elijah said to him, “Please ^(AC)stay here, for the Lord has sent me to ^(AD)the Jordan.” But he said, “As surely as the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on.

⁷ Now ^(AE)fifty men of the sons of the prophets went and stood opposite them at a distance, while the two of them stood by the Jordan. ⁸ And Elijah ^(AF)took his coat, folded it, and ^(AG)struck the waters, and they were divided here and there, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground.

⁹ When they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask me what I should do for you before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please let a ^(AH)double portion of your spirit be upon me.” ¹⁰ He said, “You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you ^(AI)see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so.” ¹¹ And as they were walking along and talking, behold, ^(AJ)a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and they separated the two of them. Then Elijah went up by a ^[m]whirlwind to heaven. ¹² And Elisha was watching it and he was crying out, “^(AK)My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!” And he did not see ^[n]Elijah again. Then ^(AL)he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces. ¹³ He also took up the coat of Elijah that had fallen from him, and he went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan. ¹⁴ Then he took the coat of Elijah that had fallen from him and struck the waters, and said, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” And when he also had ^(AM)struck the waters, they were divided here and there; and Elisha crossed over.

Elisha Succeeds Elijah

¹⁵ Now when ^(AN)the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho opposite him saw him, they said, “The spirit of Elijah has settled on Elisha.” And they came to meet him and bowed down to the ground before him. ¹⁶ Then they said to him, “Behold now, there are with your servants fifty strong men; please let them go and search for your master, in case ^(AO)the Spirit of the Lord has taken him up and cast him on some mountain or into some valley.” But he said, “You shall not send anyone.” ¹⁷ Yet when ^(AP)they urged him until he was ashamed to refuse, he said, “Send them.” So they sent fifty men; and they searched for three days, but did not find him. ¹⁸ They returned to him while he was staying in Jericho; and he said to them, “Did I not say to you, ‘Do not go’?”

¹⁹ Then the men of the city said to Elisha, “Behold now, the site of the city is pleasant, as my lord sees; but the water is bad and the land ^[o]is unfruitful.” ²⁰ And he said, “Bring me a new jar, and put salt ^[p]in it.” So they brought it to him. ²¹ Then he went out to the spring of water and ^(AQ)threw salt ^[q]in it and said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘I have ^[r]purified these waters; there shall not come from there death or ^[s]unfruitfulness any longer.’” ²² So the waters have been ^[t]purified to this day, in accordance with the word of Elisha which he spoke.

²³ Now he went up from there to Bethel; and as he was going up by the road, some young boys came out from the city and ^(AR)ridiculed him and said to him, “Go up, you baldhead; go up, you baldhead!” ²⁴ When he looked behind him and saw them, he ^(AS)cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two female bears came out of the woods and tore up forty-two ^[u]of the boys. ²⁵ He then went on from there to ^(AT)Mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria.

Jehoram Meets Moabite Rebellion

3 Now Jehoram the son of Ahab became king over Israel at Samaria ^(AU)in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned for twelve years. ² He did evil in the sight of the Lord, though not like his father and his mother; for ^(AV)he removed the memorial stone of Baal ^(AW)which his father had made. ³ Nevertheless, ^(AX)he clung to the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, into ^(AY)which he misled Israel; he did not abandon them.

⁴ Now Mesha the king of Moab was a sheep breeder, and he ^(AZ)used to make tribute payments to the king of Israel of a hundred thousand lambs, and the wool of a hundred thousand rams. ⁵ However, ^(BA)when King Ahab died, the king of Moab broke with the ^[v]king of Israel. ⁶ So King Jehoram left Samaria for battle ^[w]at that time and mustered all Israel. ⁷ Then he went and sent word to Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, saying, “The king of Moab has broken away from me. Will you go with me to fight against Moab?” And he said, “I will go up. ^[x](BB)Consider me yours, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.” ⁸ Then he said, “Which way shall we go up?” And he ^[y]answered, “The way of the wilderness of Edom.”

⁹ So ^(BC)the king of Israel went with ^(BD)the king of Judah and ^(BE)the king of Edom, and they made a circuit of seven days’ journey. But there was no water for the army or for the cattle that ^[z]followed them. ¹⁰ Then the king of Israel said, “It is hopeless! For the Lord has called these three kings to hand them over to Moab!” ¹¹ But Jehoshaphat said, “^(BF)Is there no prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire of the Lord by him?” And one of the king of Israel’s servants answered and said, “^(BG)Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, ^(BH)who used to pour water on the hands of Elijah.” ¹² And Jehoshaphat said, “The word of the Lord is with him.” So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.

¹³ Now Elisha said to the king of Israel, “^[aa]What business do you have with me? ^(BI)Go to your father’s prophets and your mother’s prophets.” But the king of Israel said to him, “No, for the Lord has called these three kings together to hand them over to Moab.” ¹⁴ Elisha said, “^(BJ)As surely as the Lord of armies lives, before whom I stand, if I did not respect Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look at you nor see you. ¹⁵ But now ^(BK)bring me a ^[ab]musician.” And it came about, when the ^[ac]musician played, that ^(BL)the hand of the Lord came upon him. ¹⁶ And he said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Make this valley ^[ad]full of trenches.’ ¹⁷ For the Lord says this: ‘You will not see wind, nor will you see rain; yet that valley ^(BM)shall be filled with water, so that you will drink, you, your livestock, and your other animals. ¹⁸ And this is an ^(BN)insignificant thing in the sight of the Lord; He will also give the Moabites into your hand. ^19 (BO)Then you shall strike every fortified city and every choice city, and ^[ae]cut down every good tree and stop up all the springs of water, and spoil every good plot of land with stones.’” ²⁰ And it happened in the morning ^(BP)about the time of offering the sacrifice, that behold, water came from the direction of Edom, and the country was filled with water.

²¹ Now all the Moabites heard that the kings had come up to fight against them. And all who were able to ^[af]put on armor and older were summoned and they took their positions on the border. ²² Then they got up early in the morning, and the sun shone on the water, and the Moabites saw the water opposite them as red as blood. ²³ So they said, “This is blood; the kings must have fought each other, and they have killed one another. Now then, Moab, to the spoils!” ²⁴ But when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and struck the Moabites, so that they fled from them; and the Israelites invaded ^[ag]the land, ^[ah]killing the Moabites. ^25 (BQ)So they destroyed the cities; and each one threw a stone on every plot of good land and filled it. So they stopped up every spring of water and ^[ai]cut down every good tree, until in ^(BR)Kir-hareseth only they left its stones; however, the rock slingers surrounded it and struck it. ²⁶ When the king of Moab saw that the battle was too fierce for him, he took with him seven hundred men who drew swords, to break through to the king of Edom; but they could not. ²⁷ Then the king of Moab took his oldest son who was to reign in his place, and ^(BS)offered him as a burnt offering on the wall. And great anger came upon Israel, and they departed from him and returned to their own land.

The Widow’s Oil

4 Now a woman of the wives of ^(BT)the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord; and ^(BU)the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.” ² So Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your servant has nothing in the house except ^(BV)a jar of oil.” ³ Then he said, “Go, ^[aj]borrow containers ^[ak]elsewhere for yourself, empty containers from all your neighbors—do not get too few. ⁴ Then you shall come in and shut the door behind you and your sons, and pour into all these containers; and you shall set aside what is full.” ⁵ So she left him and shut the door behind her and her sons; they began bringing the containers to her, and she poured the oil. ⁶ When ^(BW)the containers were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another container.” But he said to her, “There ^[al]are no more containers.” Then the oil stopped. ⁷ So she came and told ^(BX)the man of God. And he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt, and you and your sons can live on the rest.”

The Shunammite Woman

⁸ Now a day came when Elisha went over to ^(BY)Shunem, where there was a ^[am]prominent woman, and she urged him to eat ^[an]food. And so it was, as often as he passed by, that he turned in there to eat ^[ao]food. ⁹ And she said to her husband, “Behold now, I am aware that this is a holy ^(BZ)man of God passing by us repeatedly. ¹⁰ Please, let’s ^(CA)make a little walled upper room, and let’s set up a bed for him there, and a table, a chair, and a lampstand; then it shall be, when he comes to us, that he can turn in there.”

¹¹ Now ^[ap]one day he came there, and turned in to the upper room and ^[aq]rested. ¹² Then he said to his servant ^(CB)Gehazi, “Call this Shunammite.” And when he had called her, she stood before him. ¹³ And he said to him, “Say now to her, ‘Behold, you have taken trouble for us with all this ^[ar]care; what can I do for you? ^[as]Would you like me to speak for you to the king or to the commander of the army?’” But she ^[at]answered, “I live among my own people.” ¹⁴ So he said, “What then is to be done for her?” And Gehazi ^[au]answered, “It is a fact that she has no son, and her husband is old.” ¹⁵ He then said, “Call her.” When he had called her, she stood in the doorway. ¹⁶ Then he said, “^(CC)At this season ^[av]next year, you are going to embrace a son.” And she said, “No, my lord, you man of God, ^(CD)do not lie to your servant.”

¹⁷ Now the woman conceived and gave birth to a son at that season ^[aw]the next year, as Elisha had told her.

The Shunammite’s Son

¹⁸ When the child was grown, the day came that he went out to his father, to the reapers. ¹⁹ And he said to his father, “My head, my head!” And his father said to his servant, “Carry him to his mother.” ²⁰ When he had carried him and brought him to his mother, he sat on her ^[ax]lap until noon, and then he died. ²¹ And she went up and ^(CE)laid him on the bed of ^(CF)the man of God, and shut the door behind him and left. ²² Then she called to her husband and said, “Please send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys, so that I may run to the man of God and return.” ²³ But he said, “Why are you going to him today? It is neither ^(CG)new moon nor Sabbath.” So she just said, “It will be fine.” ²⁴ Then she saddled the donkey and said to her servant, “Drive the donkey and go on; do not slow down ^[ay]the pace for me unless I tell you.” ²⁵ So she went on and came to the man of God at ^(CH)Mount Carmel.

When the man of God saw her at a distance, he said to Gehazi his servant, “Behold, that person there is the Shunammite. ²⁶ Please run now to meet her and say to her, ‘Is it going well for you? Is it going well for your husband? Is it going well for the child?’” Then she ^[az]answered, “It is going well.” ²⁷ But she came to the man of God ^(CI)at the hill and took hold of his feet. And Gehazi came up to push her away, but the man of God said, “Leave her alone, for her soul is ^[ba]troubled within her; and the Lord has concealed it from me and has not informed me.” ²⁸ Then she said, “Did I ask for a son from my lord? Did I not say, ‘^(CJ)Do not give me false hope’?”

²⁹ Then he said to Gehazi, “^[bb](CK)Get ready and ^(CL)take my staff in your hand, and go; if you meet anyone, do not ^[bc](CM)greet him, and if anyone ^[bd]greets you, do not reply to him. And ^(CN)lay my staff on the boy’s face.” ³⁰ The mother of the boy said, “^(CO)As surely as the Lord lives and you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So he got up and followed her. ³¹ Then Gehazi went on ahead of them and laid the staff on the boy’s face, but there was no sound or ^[be]response. So he returned to meet him and informed him, saying, “The boy ^(CP)has not awakened.”

³² When Elisha entered the house, behold the boy was dead, laid on his bed. ³³ So he entered and ^(CQ)shut the door behind them both, and he prayed to the Lord. ³⁴ Then ^(CR)he got up on the bed and lay on the child, and put his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, his hands on his hands, and he bent down on him; and the flesh of the child became warm. ³⁵ Then he returned and walked in the house back and forth once, and went up and ^(CS)bent down on him; and the boy sneezed seven times, then the boy opened his eyes. ³⁶ And he called Gehazi and said, “Call this Shunammite.” So he called her. And when she came to him, he said, “Pick up your son.” ³⁷ Then she came in and fell at his feet and bowed down to the ground, and ^(CT)she picked up her son and left.

The Poisonous Stew

³⁸ When Elisha returned to ^(CU)Gilgal, there was ^(CV)a famine in the land. ^[bf]As ^(CW)the sons of the prophets ^(CX)were sitting in front of him, he said to his servant, “^(CY)Put on the large pot and boil stew for the sons of the prophets.” ³⁹ Then one went out into the field to gather mallow, and found a wild vine and gathered from it his lap full of wild gourds; and he came and sliced them into the pot of stew, because they did not know what they were. ⁴⁰ So they poured it out for the men to eat. But as they were eating the stew, they cried out and said, “You man of God, there is ^(CZ)death in the pot!” And they were unable to eat. ⁴¹ Then he said, “Bring flour.” ^(DA)And he threw it into the pot, and said, “Pour it out for the people that they may eat.” Then there was nothing harmful in the pot.

⁴² Now a man came from Baal-shalishah, and brought the man of God bread of the first fruits, twenty loaves of barley and fresh grain in his sack. And Elisha said, “^(DB)Give them to the people that they may eat.” ⁴³ But his attendant said, “How ^(DC)am I to serve this to a hundred men?” Nevertheless he said, “Give them to the people that they may eat, for this is what the Lord says: ‘They shall eat and have some left over.’” ⁴⁴ So he served it to them, and they ate and ^(DD)had some left over, in accordance with the word of the Lord.

Naaman Is Healed

5 Now ^(DE)Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man ^[bg]in the view of his master, and eminent, because by him the Lord had given victory to Aram. The man was also a valiant warrior, but afflicted with leprosy. ² Now the Arameans had gone out ^(DF)in bands and had taken captive a little girl from the land of Israel; and she ^[bh]waited on Naaman’s wife. ³ And she said to her mistress, “If only my master were ^[bi]with the prophet who is in Samaria! Then he would cure him of his leprosy.” ⁴ And ^[bj]Naaman went in and told his master, saying, “The girl who is from the land of Israel spoke such and such.” ⁵ Then the king of Aram said, “Go ^[bk]now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So he departed and ^(DG)took with him ten ^[bl]talents of silver, six thousand ^[bm]shekels of gold, and ten ^(DH)changes of clothes.

⁶ And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, ^[bn]which said, “And now as this letter comes to you, behold, I have sent Naaman my servant to you, so that you may cure him of his leprosy.” ⁷ But when the king of Israel read the letter, ^(DI)he tore his clothes and said, “^(DJ)Am I God, to kill and to keep alive, that this man is sending word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? But ^(DK)consider now, and see how he is seeking ^[bo]a quarrel against me.”

⁸ Now it happened, when Elisha ^(DL)the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, that he sent word to the king, saying, “Why did you tear your clothes? Just have him come to me, and he shall learn that there is a prophet in Israel.” ⁹ So Naaman came with his horses and his chariots, and stood at the doorway of Elisha’s house. ¹⁰ And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “^(DM)Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh will be restored to you and you will be clean.” ¹¹ But Naaman was furious and went away, and he said, “Behold, I ^[bp]thought, ‘He will certainly come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the site and cure the ^[bq]leprosy.’ ¹² Are ^[br]Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, not better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and ^(DN)went away in a rage. ^13 (DO)Then his servants approached and spoke to him, ^[bs]saying, “^(DP)My father, had the prophet told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” ¹⁴ So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, in accordance with the word of the man of God; and ^(DQ)his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and ^(DR)he was clean.

Gehazi’s Greed

¹⁵ Then he returned to the man of God ^[bt]with all his company, and came and stood before him. And he said, “Behold now, ^(DS)I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel; so please ^(DT)accept a ^[bu]gift from your servant now.” ¹⁶ But he said, “^(DU)As surely as the Lord lives, before whom I stand, ^(DV)I will accept nothing.” And he urged him to accept it, but he refused. ¹⁷ Then Naaman said, “If not, please let your servant be given two mules’ load of ^(DW)earth; for your servant will no longer offer a burnt offering nor a sacrifice to other gods, but to the Lord. ¹⁸ Regarding this matter may the Lord forgive your servant: when my master goes into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and ^(DX)he leans on my hand and I bow down in the house of Rimmon, when I bow down in the house of Rimmon, may the Lord please forgive your servant in this matter.” ¹⁹ He said to him, “^(DY)Go in peace.” So he went some distance from him.

²⁰ But ^(DZ)Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, ^[bv]thought, “Behold, my master has spared this Naaman the Aramean, ^[bw]by not accepting from his hand what he brought. ^(EA)As the Lord lives, I will run after him and take something from him.” ²¹ So Gehazi pursued Naaman. When Naaman saw someone running after him, he came down from the chariot to meet him and said, “Is everything well?” ²² And he said, “^(EB)Everything is well. My master has sent me, saying, ‘Behold, just now two young men of the sons of the prophets have come to me from ^(EC)the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and ^(ED)two changes of clothes.’” ²³ Naaman said, “^(EE)Be sure to take two talents.” And he urged him, and tied up two talents of silver in two bags with two changes of clothes, and gave them to two of his servants; and they carried them before him. ²⁴ When he came to the ^[bx]hill, he took them from their hand and ^(EF)deposited them in the house, and he sent the men away, and they departed. ²⁵ But he went in and stood before his master. And Elisha said to him, “Where have you been, Gehazi?” And he said, “^(EG)Your servant went nowhere.”

²⁶ Then he said to him, “Did my heart not go with you, when the man turned from his chariot to meet you? ^(EH)Is it a time to accept money and to accept clothes, olive groves, vineyards, sheep, oxen, and male and female slaves? ²⁷ Therefore, the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and to your ^[by]descendants forever.” So he went out from his presence ^(EI)afflicted with leprosy, as white as snow.

The Axe Head Recovered

6 Now ^(EJ)the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “Behold now, the place ^[bz]before you where we are living is too cramped for us. ² Please let us go to the Jordan, and let us each take from there a beam, and let us construct a place there for ourselves, to live there.” So he said, “Go.” ³ Then one of them said, “Please agree and go with your servants.” And he said, “I will go.” ⁴ So he went with them; and when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees. ⁵ But it happened that as one of them was ^[ca]cutting down a beam, ^[cb]the axe head fell into the water; and he cried out and said, “Oh, my master! It was borrowed!” ⁶ Then the man of God said, “Where did it fall?” And when he showed him the place, ^(EK)he cut off a stick and threw it in there, and made the iron float. ⁷ Then he said, “Pick it up for yourself.” So he reached out his hand and took it.

The Arameans Plot to Capture Elisha

⁸ Now the king of Aram was making war against Israel; and he consulted with his servants, saying, “In such and such a place shall be my camp.” ⁹ But ^(EL)the man of God sent word to the king of Israel, saying, “Be careful that you do not pass this place, because the Arameans are coming down there.” ¹⁰ And the king of Israel sent scouts to the place about which the man of God had told him; so he warned him, so that he was on his guard there, ^[cc]more than once or twice.

¹¹ Now the heart of the king of Aram was enraged over this matter; and he called his servants and said to them, “Will you not tell me which of us is for the king of Israel?” ¹² One of his servants said, “No, my lord, the king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.” ¹³ So he said, “Go and see where he is, so that I may send men and take him.” And it was told to him, saying, “Behold, he is in ^(EM)Dothan.” ¹⁴ So he sent horses and chariots and a substantial army there, and they came by night and surrounded the city.

¹⁵ Now when the attendant of the man of God had risen early and gone out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was circling the city. And his servant said to him, “This is hopeless, my master! ^[cd]What are we to do?” ¹⁶ And he said, “^(EN)Do not be afraid, for ^(EO)those who are with us are ^[ce]greater than those who are with them.” ¹⁷ Then Elisha prayed and said, “^(EP)Lord, please, open his eyes so that he may see.” And the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of ^(EQ)horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. ¹⁸ And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed to the Lord and said, “Please strike this ^[cf]people with blindness.” So He ^(ER)struck them with blindness in accordance with the word of Elisha. ¹⁹ Then Elisha said to them, “This is not the way, nor is this the city; follow me and I will bring you to the man whom you seek.” And he brought them to Samaria.

²⁰ When they had come into Samaria, Elisha said, “^(ES)Lord, open the eyes of these men, so that they may see.” So the Lord opened their eyes, and they saw; and behold, they were in the midst of Samaria. ²¹ Then the king of Israel when he saw them, said to Elisha, “^(ET)My father, shall I ^[cg]kill them? Shall I ^[ch]kill them?” ²² But he ^[ci]answered, “You shall not ^[cj]kill them. Would you ^[ck](EU)kill those whom you have taken captive with your sword and your bow? ^(EV)Set bread and water before them, so that they may eat and drink, and go to their master.” ²³ So he provided a large feast for them; and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. And ^(EW)the marauding bands of Arameans did not come again into the land of Israel.

The Siege of Samaria—Cannibalism

²⁴ Now it came about after this, that ^(EX)Ben-hadad the king of Aram gathered all his army, and went up and besieged Samaria. ²⁵ So there was a severe ^(EY)famine in Samaria; and behold, they kept besieging it until a donkey’s head was sold for eighty shekels of silver, and a fourth of a ^[cl]kab of dove’s dung for five shekels of silver. ²⁶ And as the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried out to him, saying, “Help, my lord the king!” ²⁷ But he said, “^[cm]If the Lord does not help you, from where am I to help you? From the threshing floor, or from the wine press?” ²⁸ Then the king said to her, “^(EZ)What ^[cn]is on your mind?” And she said, “This woman said to me, ‘Give your son so that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.’ ^29 (FA)So we cooked my son and ate him; and I said to her on the next day, ‘Give your son, so that we may eat him’; but she has hidden her son.” ³⁰ When the king heard the woman’s words, ^(FB)he tore his clothes—and he was passing by on the wall—and the people looked, and behold, he had sackcloth ^[co]underneath on his ^[cp]body. ³¹ Then he said, “May ^(FC)God do so to me and more so, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat ^[cq]remains on him today.”

³² Now Elisha was sitting in his house, and ^(FD)the elders were sitting with him. And the king sent a man from his presence; but before the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, “Do you ^(FE)see how this son of a murderer has sent a man to cut off my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door and ^[cr]hold the door shut against him. Is the sound of his master’s feet not behind him?” ³³ While he was still talking with them, behold, the messenger came down to him and he said, “^(FF)Behold, this evil is from the Lord; why should I wait for the Lord any longer?”

Elisha Promises Food

7 Then Elisha said, “Listen to the word of the Lord; this is what the Lord says: ‘^(FG)About this time tomorrow a ^[cs]measure of fine flour will be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria.’” ^2 (FH)The royal officer on whose hand the king was leaning responded to the man of God and said, “^(FI)Even if the Lord were to make ^[ct]windows in heaven, could this thing happen?” Then he said, “Behold, you are going to see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat ^[cu]any of it.”

Four Men with Leprosy Report Arameans’ Flight

³ Now there were four ^(FJ)leprous men at the entrance of the gate; and they said to one another, “Why are we sitting here until we die? ⁴ If we say, ‘We will enter the city,’ then the famine is in the city and we will die there; but if we sit here, we will also die. Now then come, and let’s go over to ^(FK)the camp of the Arameans. If they spare us, we will live; and if they kill us, then we will die.” ⁵ So they got up at twilight to go to the camp of the Arameans; when they came to the outskirts of the camp of the Arameans, behold, there was no one there. ⁶ For ^(FL)the Lord had made the army of the Arameans hear a sound of chariots, a sound of horses, that is, the sound of a great army; and they said to one another, “Behold, the king of Israel has hired ^(FM)the kings of the Hittites and ^(FN)the kings of the Egyptians against us, to ^[cv]attack us!” ⁷ So they ^(FO)got up and fled at twilight, and abandoned their tents, their horses, and their donkeys—indeed the camp itself, just as it was; and they fled for their lives. ⁸ When these men with leprosy came to the outskirts of the camp, they entered one tent and ate and drank, and ^(FP)carried from there silver, gold, and clothes, and they went and hid them; then they returned and entered another tent, and carried valuables from there also, and went and hid them.

⁹ Then they said to one another, “We are not doing the right thing. This day is a day of good news, but we are keeping silent about it; if we wait until the morning light, punishment will ^[cw]overtake us. Now then come, let’s go and inform the king’s household.” ¹⁰ So they came and called to the gatekeepers of the city, and told them, saying, “We came to the camp of the Arameans, and behold, there was no one there, nor a human voice; only the horses tied and the donkeys tied, and the tents just as they were.” ¹¹ And the gatekeepers called and announced it inside the king’s house. ¹² Then the king got up in the night and said to his servants, “I will now tell you what the Arameans have done to us. They know that ^(FQ)we are hungry; so they have left the camp ^(FR)to hide themselves in the field, saying, ‘When they come out of the city, we will capture them alive and get into the city.’” ¹³ One of his servants responded and said, “Please, have some men take five of the horses that remain, which are left ^[cx]in the city. Behold, they will be in any case like all the multitude of Israel who are left in it; behold, they will be like all the multitude of Israel who have already perished, so let us send them and see.” ¹⁴ Therefore they took two chariots with horses, and the king sent them after the army of the Arameans, saying, “Go and see.”

The Promise Fulfilled

¹⁵ They went after them to the Jordan, and behold, all the way was full of clothes and equipment which the Arameans had thrown away when they fled in a hurry. Then the messengers returned and informed the king.

¹⁶ So the people went out and plundered the camp of the Arameans. Then a ^[cy]measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two ^[cz]measures of barley for a shekel, ^(FS)in accordance with the word of the Lord. ¹⁷ Now the king appointed ^(FT)the royal officer on whose hand he leaned ^[da]to be in charge of the gate; but the people trampled on him at the gate, and he died, just as the man of God had said, ^(FU)who spoke when the king came down to him. ¹⁸ So it happened just as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, “^(FV)Two ^[db]measures of barley for a shekel and a ^[dc]measure of fine flour for a shekel, will be sold about this time tomorrow at the gate of Samaria.” ¹⁹ At that time the royal officer had responded to the man of God and said, “Now even if ^(FW)the Lord were to make windows in heaven, could such a thing as this happen?” And he had said, “Behold, you are going to see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat ^[dd]any of it.” ²⁰ And this is what happened to him, for the people trampled on him at the gate and he died.

Jehoram Restores the Shunammite’s Land

8 Now ^(FX)Elisha spoke to the woman whose son he had restored to life, saying, “Arise and go ^[de]with your household, and live wherever you can live; for the ^(FY)Lord has called for a famine, and ^(FZ)it will indeed come on the land for seven years.” ² So the woman arose and acted in accordance with the word of the man of God: she went with her household and resided in the land of the Philistines for seven years. ³ Then at the end of seven years, the woman returned from the land of the Philistines; and she went to ^[df]appeal to the king for her house and for her field. ⁴ Now the king was speaking with ^(GA)Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, saying, “Please report to me all the great things that Elisha has done.” ⁵ And as he was reporting to the king ^(GB)how he had restored to life the one who was dead, behold, the woman whose son he had restored to life ^[dg]appealed to the king for her house and for her field. And Gehazi said, “My lord the king, this is the woman and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life.” ⁶ When the king asked the woman, she told everything to him. So the king appointed an officer for her, saying, “Restore all that was hers and all the produce of the field from the day that she left the land even until now.”

Elisha Predicts Evil from Hazael

⁷ Then Elisha came to ^(GC)Damascus. Now ^(GD)Ben-hadad, the king of Aram, was sick, and it was told to him, saying, “^(GE)The man of God has come here.” ⁸ And the king said to ^(GF)Hazael, “^(GG)Take a gift in your hand and go to meet the man of God, and ^(GH)inquire of the Lord by him, saying, ‘Will I recover from this sickness?’” ⁹ So Hazael went to meet him and took a gift in his hand, even every kind of good thing of Damascus, forty camels’ loads; and he came and stood before him and said, “^(GI)Your son Ben-hadad king of Aram has sent me to you, saying, ‘Will I recover from this sickness?’” ¹⁰ Then Elisha said to him, “^(GJ)Go, say to him, ‘You will certainly recover’; but the ^(GK)Lord has shown me that he will certainly die.” ¹¹ And he ^[dh]stared steadily at him ^(GL)until Hazael was embarrassed, and then ^(GM)the man of God wept. ¹² And Hazael said, “Why is my lord weeping?” And he ^[di]answered, “Because ^(GN)I know the evil that you will do to the sons of Israel: you will set their fortified cities on fire, you will kill their young men with the sword, their little ones you ^(GO)will smash to pieces, and you will rip up their pregnant women.” ¹³ Then Hazael said, “But what is your servant—^(GP)a lowly dog—that he could do this great thing?” And Elisha ^[dj]answered, “^(GQ)The Lord has shown me that you will be king over Aram.” ¹⁴ So he left Elisha and came to his master, who said to him, “What did Elisha say to you?” And he ^[dk]answered, “He told me that ^(GR)you would certainly recover.” ¹⁵ But on the following day, he took the ^[dl]cover and dipped it in water, and spread it over his face, ^(GS)so that he died. And Hazael became king in his place.

Another Jehoram Reigns in Judah

¹⁶ Now in the fifth year of ^(GT)Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel, when Jehoshaphat was the king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah became king. ¹⁷ He was ^(GU)thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned for eight years in Jerusalem. ¹⁸ He walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done, for ^(GV)Ahab’s daughter was his wife; and he did evil in the sight of the Lord. ¹⁹ However, the Lord did not want to destroy Judah, for the sake of David His servant, ^(GW)since He had ^[dm]promised him to give him a ^[dn]lamp through his sons always.

²⁰ In his days ^(GX)Edom broke away from the ^[do]rule of Judah, and appointed a king over themselves. ²¹ Then Joram crossed over to Zair, and all his chariots with him. And he got up at night and struck the Edomites who had surrounded him and the captains of the chariots; ^(GY)but ^[dp]his army fled to their tents. ^22 (GZ)So Edom has broken away from ^[dq]Judah to this day. Then ^(HA)Libnah broke away at the same time. ²³ Now the rest of the acts of Joram and everything that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

Ahaziah Succeeds Jehoram in Judah

²⁴ So Joram ^[dr]lay down with his fathers and ^(HB)was buried with his fathers in the city of David; and his son ^(HC)Ahaziah became king in his place.

^25 (HD)In the twelfth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel, Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah began to reign. ^26 (HE)Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned for one year in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Athaliah the granddaughter of Omri king of Israel. ^27 (HF)He walked in the way of the house of Ahab and did evil in the sight of the Lord, like the house of Ahab, because he was a son-in-law of the house of Ahab.

²⁸ Then he went with Joram the son of Ahab to war against ^(HG)Hazael king of Aram at ^(HH)Ramoth-gilead, and the Arameans ^[ds]wounded Joram. ²⁹ So ^(HI)King Joram returned to have himself healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Arameans had ^[dt]inflicted on him at ^(HJ)Ramah when he fought against Hazael king of Aram. Then ^(HK)Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel because he was sick.

Jehu Reigns over Israel

9 Now Elisha the prophet summoned one of ^(HL)the sons of the prophets and said to him, “^[du](HM)Get ready and ^(HN)take this flask of oil in your hand, and go to ^(HO)Ramoth-gilead. ² When you arrive there, then look there for ^(HP)Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi, and go in and ^(HQ)have him get up from among his brothers, and bring him to an inner room. ³ Then take the flask of oil and pour it on his head, and say, ‘This is what the Lord says: “^(HR)I have anointed you king over Israel.”’ Then open the door and flee, and do not wait.”

⁴ So ^(HS)the young man, the servant of the prophet, went to Ramoth-gilead. ⁵ When he arrived, behold, the commanders of the army were sitting, and he said, “I have a word for you, commander.” And Jehu said, “^[dv]For which one of us?” And he said, “For you, commander.” ⁶ He then got up and went into the house, and the prophet’s servant poured the oil on his head and said to him, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘^(HT)I have anointed you king over the people of the Lord, over Israel. ⁷ And you shall strike the house of Ahab your master, ^(HU)so that I may avenge ^(HV)the blood of My servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord, ^(HW)at the hand of Jezebel. ⁸ For the entire house of Ahab shall perish, and ^(HX)I will eliminate from Ahab ^(HY)every male person ^(HZ)both ^[dw]slave and free in Israel. ^9 (IA)I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and ^(IB)like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah. ^10 (IC)The dogs will eat Jezebel in the territory of Jezreel, and no one will bury her.’” Then he opened the door and fled.

¹¹ Now Jehu went out to the servants of his master, and one said to him, “^(ID)Is everything well? Why did this ^(IE)crazy fellow come to you?” And he said to them, “You know very well the man and his talk.” ¹² And they said, “It is a lie; tell us now.” And he said, “Such and such he said to me, saying, ‘This is what the Lord says: “I have anointed you king over Israel.”’” ¹³ Then ^(IF)they hurried, and each man took his garment and put it under him on the bare steps, and ^(IG)blew the trumpet, saying, “Jehu is king!”

Jehu Assassinates Jehoram (Joram)

¹⁴ So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi conspired against Joram. ^(IH)Now Joram ^[dx]with all Israel was ^[dy]defending Ramoth-gilead against Hazael king of Aram, ¹⁵ but ^(II)King ^[dz]Joram had returned to Jezreel to have himself healed of the wounds which the Arameans had ^[ea]inflicted on him when he fought Hazael king of Aram. So Jehu said to the other men, “If this is your ^[eb]intent, then let no ^[ec]one escape from the city to go tell about it in Jezreel.” ¹⁶ Then Jehu rode in a chariot and went to Jezreel, since Joram was lying there recovering. ^(IJ)And Ahaziah the king of Judah had come down to see Joram.

¹⁷ Now the watchman was standing on the tower in Jezreel and he saw the ^[ed]company of Jehu as he came, and he said, “I see a ^[ee]company.” And ^[ef]Joram said, “Take a horseman and send him to meet them and have him ^[eg]ask, ‘Is your intention peace?’” ¹⁸ So a horseman went to meet him and said, “This is what the king says: ‘Is your intention peace?’” But Jehu said, “^[eh](IK)How is peace any business of yours? Turn and follow me.” And the watchman ^[ei]reported, “The messenger came to them, but he did not return.” ¹⁹ Then he sent a second horseman, and he came to them and said, “This is what the king says: ‘Is your intention peace?’” And Jehu ^[ej]answered, “^[ek]How is peace any business of yours? Turn and follow me.” ²⁰ And the watchman ^[el]reported, “He came up to them, but he did not return; and ^(IL)the ^[em]driving is like the driving of ^(IM)Jehu the son of Nimshi, for he drives furiously.”

²¹ Then ^[en]Joram said, “^[eo]Get ready.” And they ^[ep]made his chariot ready. ^(IN)Then ^[eq]Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his chariot, and they went out to meet Jehu and found him on the ^[er](IO)property of Naboth the Jezreelite. ²² When ^[es]Joram saw Jehu, he said, “Is your intention peace, Jehu?” And he ^[et]answered, “What ‘peace,’ ^(IP)so long as your mother Jezebel’s acts of prostitution and witchcraft are so many?” ²³ So ^[eu]Joram ^[ev]turned back and fled, and he said to Ahaziah, “^(IQ)There is treachery, Ahaziah!” ²⁴ Then ^(IR)Jehu ^[ew]drew his bow with his full strength and ^[ex]shot ^[ey]Joram between his arms; and the arrow went ^[ez]through his heart, and he sank in his chariot. ²⁵ And Jehu said to Bidkar his officer, “Pick him up and ^(IS)throw him on the ^[fa]property of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite; for remember, when ^[fb]you and I were riding together after his father Ahab, that the ^(IT)Lord brought this ^(IU)pronouncement against him: ²⁶ ‘^(IV)I have certainly seen yesterday the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons,’ declares the Lord, ‘and ^(IW)I will repay you on this ^[fc]property,’ declares the Lord. Now then, pick him up and throw him on the ^[fd]property, in accordance with the word of the Lord.”

Jehu Assassinates Ahaziah

^27 (IX)When Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this, he fled by way of the garden house. But Jehu pursued him and said, “^[fe]Shoot him too, in the chariot.” So they shot him at the ascent of Gur, which is at ^(IY)Ibleam. But he fled to Megiddo and died there. ^28 (IZ)Then his servants carried him in a chariot to Jerusalem, and buried him in his grave with his fathers in the city of David.

²⁹ Now in ^(JA)the eleventh year of Joram, the son of Ahab, Ahaziah became king over Judah.

³⁰ When Jehu came to Jezreel, Jezebel heard about it, and ^(JB)she put makeup on her eyes and adorned her head, and looked down through the window. ³¹ As Jehu entered the gate, she said, “^(JC)Is your intention peace, Zimri, his master’s murderer?” ³² Then he raised his face toward the window and said, “Who is with me, who?” And two or three officials looked down at him.

Jezebel Is Killed

³³ Then he said, “Throw her down.” So they threw her down, and some of her blood spattered on the wall and on the horses, and he trampled her underfoot. ³⁴ When he came in, he ate and drank; and he said, “See now to ^(JD)this cursed woman and bury her, for ^(JE)she is a king’s daughter.” ³⁵ So they went to bury her, but they found nothing of her except the skull, the feet, and the palms of her hands. ³⁶ Therefore they returned and informed him. And he said, “This is the word of the Lord, which He spoke by His servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ‘^(JF)On the ^[ff]property of Jezreel the dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel; ³⁷ and ^(JG)the corpse of Jezebel will be like dung on the face of the field in the ^[fg]property of Jezreel, so they cannot say, “This is Jezebel.”’”

Judgment upon Ahab’s House

10 Now Ahab had seventy sons in ^(JH)Samaria. And Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria, to the officials of Jezreel, the elders, and to the guardians of the children of Ahab, saying, ² “And now, ^(JI)when this letter comes to you, since your master’s sons are with you, ^[fh]as well as the chariots and horses, and a fortified city and the weapons, ³ select the best and most capable of your master’s sons and seat him on his father’s throne, and fight for your master’s house.” ⁴ But they feared greatly and said, “Behold, ^(JJ)the two kings did not stand firm before him; how then can we stand?” ⁵ And the one who was in charge of the household, and the one who was in charge of the city, and the elders, and the guardians of the children, sent word to Jehu, saying, “^(JK)We are your servants, and everything that you tell us we will do. We will not appoint any man king; do what is good in your sight.” ⁶ Then he wrote them a letter a second time, saying, “If you are on my side, and will listen to my voice, take the heads of the men, your master’s sons, and come to me at Jezreel about this time tomorrow.” Now the king’s sons, seventy men, were with the great people of the city, who were raising them. ⁷ When the letter came to them, they took the king’s sons and ^(JL)slaughtered them, seventy men, and put their heads in baskets, and sent them to him at Jezreel. ⁸ When the messenger came and informed him, saying, “They have brought the heads of the king’s sons,” he said, “Put them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until morning.” ⁹ Now in the morning he went out and stood and said to all the people, “You are ^[fi]innocent; behold, ^(JM)I conspired against my master and killed him, but ^(JN)who ^[fj]killed all these? ¹⁰ Know then that ^(JO)nothing of the word of the Lord, which the Lord spoke concerning the house of Ahab, shall ^[fk]fall to the earth, for the Lord has done ^(JP)what He spoke ^[fl]through His servant Elijah.” ¹¹ So Jehu ^[fm]killed all who remained of the house of Ahab in ^(JQ)Jezreel, and all his great men, his acquaintances, and his priests, until he left him without a survivor.

¹² Then he set out and ^[fn]went to Samaria. On the way while he was at ^[fo]Beth-eked of the shepherds, ^13 (JR)Jehu ^[fp]encountered the relatives of Ahaziah king of Judah, and he said, “Who are you?” And they ^[fq]answered, “We are the relatives of Ahaziah; and we have come down to greet the sons of the king and the sons of the queen mother.” ¹⁴ Then he said, “Take them alive.” So they took them alive, and slaughtered them at the pit of Beth-eked, forty-two men; and he left none of them.

¹⁵ Now when he had gone from there, he ^[fr]encountered ^(JS)Jehonadab the son of ^(JT)Rechab coming to meet him; and he ^[fs]greeted him and said to him, “Is your heart right, just as my heart is with your heart?” And Jehonadab ^[ft]answered, “It is.” Jehu said, “If it is, ^(JU)give me your hand.” And he gave him his hand, and he pulled him up to him into the chariot. ¹⁶ Then he said, “Come with me and ^(JV)see my zeal for the Lord.” So ^[fu]he had him ride in his chariot. ¹⁷ When he came to Samaria, ^(JW)he ^[fv]killed all who remained to Ahab in Samaria, until he had eliminated ^[fw]them, ^(JX)in accordance with the word of the Lord which He spoke to Elijah.

Jehu Destroys Baal Worshipers

¹⁸ Then Jehu gathered all the people and said to them, “^(JY)Ahab served Baal a little; Jehu will serve him much. ¹⁹ Now, ^(JZ)summon to me all the prophets of Baal, all his worshipers and all his priests; let no one go missing, because I have a great sacrifice for Baal; whoever is missing shall not live.” But Jehu did it in deception, in order to eliminate the worshipers of Baal. ²⁰ And Jehu said, “^(KA)Proclaim a holy assembly for Baal.” And ^(KB)they proclaimed it. ²¹ Then Jehu sent word ^[fx]throughout Israel, and all the worshipers of Baal came, so that there was not a person left who did not come. And when they entered ^(KC)the house of Baal, the house of Baal was filled from one end to the other. ²² And he said to the one who was ^[fy]in charge of the wardrobe, “Bring out garments for all the worshipers of Baal.” So he brought out the garments for them. ²³ Then Jehu entered the house of Baal with Jehonadab the son of Rechab; and he said to the worshipers of Baal, “Search carefully and see to it that there is here with you none of the servants of the Lord, but only the worshipers of Baal.” ²⁴ Then they entered to ^[fz]offer sacrifices and burnt offerings.

Now Jehu had stationed for himself eighty men outside, and he had said, “^(KD)The one who allows any of the men whom I bring into your hands to escape ^[ga]shall give up his life in exchange.”

²⁵ Then it came about, as soon as he had finished ^[gb]offering the burnt offering, that Jehu said to the ^[gc](KE)guard and to the royal officers, “^(KF)Go in, ^[gd]kill them; let none come out.” So they ^[ge]killed them with the edge of the sword; and the ^[gf]guard and the royal officers threw them out, and went to the ^[gg]sanctuary of the house of Baal. ²⁶ They brought out the ^(KG)memorial stones of the house of Baal and burned them. ²⁷ They also tore down the memorial stone of Baal and tore down the house of Baal, and ^(KH)made it a latrine as it is to this day.

²⁸ So Jehu eradicated Baal from Israel. ²⁹ However, ^(KI)as for the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, into which he misled Israel, from these Jehu did not desist, including the ^(KJ)golden calves that were at Bethel and at Dan. ³⁰ Yet the Lord said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in performing what is right in My eyes, and have done to the house of Ahab in accordance with everything that was in My heart, ^(KK)your sons to the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.” ³¹ But Jehu ^(KL)was not careful to walk in the Law of the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart; ^(KM)he did not desist from the sins of Jeroboam, into which he misled Israel.

³² In those days the ^(KN)Lord began to cut off pieces from Israel; and ^(KO)Hazael ^[gh]defeated them throughout the territory of Israel: ³³ from the Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites, the Reubenites, and the Manassites; from ^(KP)Aroer, which is by the Valley of the Arnon, that is, ^(KQ)Gilead and Bashan.

Jehoahaz Succeeds Jehu

³⁴ Now as for the rest of the acts of Jehu and everything that he did and all his might, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? ³⁵ And Jehu ^[gi]lay down with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria. And his son Jehoahaz became king in his place. ³⁶ So the ^[gj]time which Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty-eight years.

Athaliah Queen of Judah

11 ^(KR)When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and eliminated all the royal ^[gk]children. ² But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram, sister of Ahaziah, ^(KS)took Joash the son of Ahaziah and abducted him from among the king’s sons who were being put to death, and put him and his nurse in the bedroom. So they hid him from Athaliah, and he was not put to death. ³ So he was kept hidden with her in the house of the Lord for six years, while Athaliah was reigning over the land.

^4 (KT)Now in the seventh year Jehoiada sent orders and brought the captains of hundreds of ^(KU)the Carites and of the ^[gl]guards, and brought them to himself at the house of the Lord. Then he made a covenant with them and put them under oath at the house of the Lord, and showed them the king’s son. ⁵ And he commanded them, saying, “This is the thing that you shall do: ^(KV)a third of you, who come in on the Sabbath and keep watch over the king’s house ⁶ (a third also shall be at the gate Sur, and a third at the gate behind the ^[gm]guards), ^[gn]shall keep watch over the house ^[go]for defense. ⁷ And two parts of you, all who go out on the Sabbath, shall also keep watch over the house of the Lord for the king. ⁸ Then you shall surround the king, each with his weapons in his hand; and whoever comes within the ranks shall be put to death. And ^(KW)you are to be with the king when he goes out and when he comes in.”

⁹ So the captains of hundreds ^(KX)acted in accordance with everything that Jehoiada the priest commanded. And each one of them took his men who were to come in on the Sabbath, along with those who were to go out on the Sabbath, and they came to Jehoiada the priest. ¹⁰ Then ^(KY)the priest gave the captains of hundreds the spears and shields that had been King David’s, which were in the house of the Lord. ¹¹ The ^[gp]guards stood, each with his weapons in his hand, from the right side of the house to the left side of the house, by the altar and by the house, around the king. ¹² Then he brought the king’s son out, and ^(KZ)put the crown on him and gave him ^(LA)the testimony; and they made him king and anointed him, and they clapped their hands and said, “^(LB)Long live the king!”

^13 (LC)When Athaliah heard the noise of the guards and of the people, she came to the people at the house of the Lord. ¹⁴ And she looked, and behold, the king was standing ^(LD)by the pillar according to the custom, with the captains and the ^[gq]trumpeters beside the king; and ^(LE)all the people of the land were joyful and were blowing trumpets. Then Athaliah ^(LF)tore her clothes and cried out, “^(LG)Conspiracy! Conspiracy!” ¹⁵ And Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains of hundreds who were appointed over the army and said to them, “Bring her out between the ranks, and whoever follows her, put to death with the sword!” For the priest said, “She is not to be put to death at the house of the Lord.” ¹⁶ So they ^[gr]seized her, and when ^[gs]they brought her to the horses’ entrance of the king’s house, she was ^(LH)put to death there.

¹⁷ Then ^(LI)Jehoiada made a covenant between the Lord, the king, and the people, that they would be the Lord’s people, and ^(LJ)between the king and the people. ¹⁸ And all the people of the land came to ^(LK)the house of Baal and tore it down; they thoroughly smashed ^(LL)his altars and his images in pieces, and they ^(LM)killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. Then the priest appointed sentries over the house of the Lord. ¹⁹ And he took the captains of hundreds and the ^(LN)Carites, and the ^[gt]guards and all the people of the land; and they brought the king down from the house of the Lord, and came by way of ^(LO)the gate of the ^[gu]guards to the king’s house. And he sat on the throne of the kings. ²⁰ So ^(LP)all the people of the land rejoiced and the city was ^[gv]peaceful. For they had put Athaliah to death with the sword at the king’s house.

^21 [gw](LQ)Jehoash was seven years old when he became king.

Jehoash (Joash) Reigns over Judah

12 In the seventh year of Jehu, ^[gx](LR)Jehoash became king, and he reigned for forty years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Zibiah of Beersheba. ² Jehoash did what was right in the sight of the Lord all his days that Jehoiada the priest instructed him. ³ Only ^(LS)the high places did not end; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.

The Temple to Be Repaired

⁴ Then Jehoash said to the priests, “All the money of the sacred offerings ^(LT)which is brought into the house of the Lord, in current money, both ^(LU)the money of each man’s assessment and all the money ^[gy]which anyone’s heart prompts him to bring into the house of the Lord, ⁵ The priests are to take it for themselves, each from his ^[gz]acquaintance; and they shall repair ^[ha]damage to the house wherever ^[hb]any damage is found.”

⁶ But it came about that in the twenty-third year of King Jehoash, ^(LV)the priests had not repaired any damage to the house. ⁷ So King Jehoash summoned Jehoiada the priest, and the other priests, and said to them, “Why do you not repair damage to the house? Now then, you are not to take any more money from your ^[hc]acquaintances, but give it up for the damage to the house.” ⁸ The priests then agreed that they would not take any more money from the people, nor would they ^[hd]repair damage to the house.

⁹ Instead, ^(LW)Jehoiada the priest ^[he]took a chest and drilled a hole in its lid and put it beside the altar, on the right side as one comes into the house of the Lord; and the priests who guarded the threshold put in it all the money that was brought into the house of the Lord. ¹⁰ When they saw that there was a great amount of money in the chest, ^(LX)the king’s scribe and the high priest went up and tied it up in bags, and counted the money that was found in the house of the Lord. ¹¹ And they handed the money which was assessed over to those who did the work, who had the oversight of the house of the Lord; and they ^[hf]paid it out to the carpenters and the builders who worked on the house of the Lord; ¹² and ^(LY)to the masons and the stonecutters, and for buying timber and cut stone to repair the damage to the house of the Lord, and for everything that ^[hg]was laid out for the house to repair it. ¹³ However ^(LZ)there were not made for the house of the Lord ^(MA)silver cups, shears, bowls, trumpets, any receptacles of gold, or receptacles of silver from the money which was brought into the house of the Lord; ¹⁴ for they gave that to those who did the work, and with it they repaired the house of the Lord. ¹⁵ Moreover, ^(MB)they did not require an accounting from the men into whose hands they gave the money to pay to those who did the work, because they acted faithfully. ¹⁶ The ^(MC)money from the guilt offerings and ^(MD)the money from the sin offerings was not brought into the house of the Lord; ^(ME)it belonged to the priests.

¹⁷ Then ^(MF)Hazael the king of Aram went up and fought against Gath and captured it, and ^(MG)Hazael ^[hh]was intent on going up against Jerusalem. ¹⁸ So ^(MH)Jehoash king of Judah took all the sacred offerings that Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had consecrated, and ^(MI)his own sacred offerings, and all the gold that was found among the treasuries of the house of the Lord and of the king’s house, and sent them to Hazael king of Aram. Then he withdrew from Jerusalem.

Joash (Jehoash) Succeeded by Amaziah in Judah

¹⁹ Now as for the rest of the acts of Joash and everything that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? ²⁰ And ^(MJ)his servants rose up and formed a conspiracy; and they ^(MK)struck and killed Joash at ^(ML)the house of Millo as he was going down to Silla. ²¹ For Jozacar the son of Shimeath and Jehozabad the son of ^(MM)Shomer, his servants, struck him and he died; and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David, and his son ^(MN)Amaziah became king in his place.

Kings of Israel: Jehoahaz and Jehoash

13 In the twenty-third year of Joash the son of Ahaziah, king of Judah, Jehoahaz the son of Jehu became king over Israel at Samaria, and he reigned for seventeen years. ² He did evil in the sight of the Lord, and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, ^(MO)into which he misled Israel; he did not turn from them. ^3 (MP)So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and He continually handed them over to ^(MQ)Hazael king of Aram, and to ^(MR)Ben-hadad, the son of Hazael. ⁴ Then ^(MS)Jehoahaz appeased the Lord, and the Lord listened to him; for ^(MT)He saw the oppression of Israel, how the king of Aram oppressed them. ⁵ And the Lord gave Israel a ^[hi](MU)savior, so that they ^[hj]escaped from under the hand of the Arameans; and the sons of Israel lived in their tents as previously. ⁶ Nevertheless they did not abandon the sins of the house of Jeroboam, ^(MV)into which he misled Israel; rather, they walked in ^[hk]them; and ^(MW)the ^[hl]Asherah also remained standing in Samaria. ⁷ For he left to Jehoahaz no more of the ^[hm]army than fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand infantry, because the king of Aram had eliminated them and ^(MX)made them like the dust at threshing. ⁸ Now as for the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz, and all that he did and his might, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? ⁹ And Jehoahaz ^[hn]lay down with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria; and his son Joash became king in his place.

¹⁰ In the thirty-seventh year of Joash king of Judah, ^[ho]Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz became king over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned for sixteen years. ¹¹ He did evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not turn away from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, into which he misled Israel; rather, he walked in ^[hp]them. ^12 (MY)Now as for the rest of the acts of Joash and all that he did, and his might with which he fought against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? ¹³ So Joash ^[hq]lay down with his fathers, and Jeroboam sat on his throne; and Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.

Death of Elisha

¹⁴ When Elisha ^[hr]became sick with the illness of which he was to die, Joash the king of Israel came down to him, and wept over ^[hs]him and said, “^(MZ)My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” ¹⁵ And Elisha said to him, “Take a bow and arrows.” So he ^[ht]took a bow and arrows. ¹⁶ Then Elisha said to the king of Israel, “Lay your hand on the bow.” And he laid his hand on it, then Elisha put his hands on the king’s hands. ¹⁷ And he said, “Open the window toward the east,” and he opened it. Then Elisha said, “Shoot!” So he shot. And he said, “The Lord’s arrow of victory, and the arrow of victory over Aram; for you will ^[hu]defeat the Arameans at ^(NA)Aphek until you have put an end to them.” ¹⁸ Then he said, “Take the arrows,” and he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground,” and he struck it three times and ^[hv]stopped. ¹⁹ Then ^(NB)the man of God became angry at him and said, “You should have struck five or six times, then you would have struck Aram until you put an end to it. But now you shall strike Aram ^(NC)only three times.”

²⁰ And Elisha died, and they buried him. Now ^(ND)the marauding bands of the Moabites would invade the land ^[hw]in the spring of the year. ²¹ And as they were burying a man, behold, they saw a marauding band; and they threw the man into the grave of Elisha. And when the man ^[hx]touched the bones of Elisha he ^(NE)revived and stood up on his feet.

²² Now ^(NF)Hazael king of Aram had oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz. ²³ But the ^(NG)Lord was gracious to them and ^(NH)had compassion on them and turned to them because of ^(NI)His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and He was unwilling to eliminate them or cast them away from His presence until now.

²⁴ When Hazael king of Aram died, his son Ben-hadad became king in his place. ²⁵ Then ^(NJ)Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz again took from the hand of Ben-hadad the son of Hazael the cities which he had taken in war from the hand of his father Jehoahaz. ^(NK)Three times Joash ^[hy]defeated him and recovered the cities of Israel.

Amaziah Reigns over Judah

14 ^(NL)In the second year of Joash son of Joahaz king of Israel, ^(NM)Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah became king. ² He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jehoaddin of Jerusalem. ³ He did what was right in the sight of the Lord, yet not like his father David; he acted in accordance with everything that his father Joash had done. ⁴ Only ^(NN)the high places were not eliminated; ^(NO)the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. ⁵ Now it came about, as soon as the kingdom was firmly in his hand, that he ^[hz](NP)killed his servants who had ^[ia]killed the king, his father. ⁶ But he did not put the sons of ^[ib]the murderers to death, in ^[ic]obedience to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, as the Lord commanded, saying, “^(NQ)The fathers shall not be put to death for the sons, nor the sons be put to death for the fathers; but ^(NR)each shall be put to death for his own sin.”

⁷ He ^[id]killed ten thousand of the Edomites in ^(NS)the Valley of Salt, and took ^(NT)Sela by war, and named it ^(NU)Joktheel, as it is to this day.

^8 (NV)Then Amaziah sent messengers to ^[ie]Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, “^(NW)Come, let’s face each other in combat.” ⁹ But Jehoash king of Israel sent messengers to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, “^(NX)The thorn bush that was in Lebanon sent word to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son ^[if]in marriage.’ But a wild animal that was in Lebanon passed by and trampled the thorn bush. ^10 (NY)You have indeed ^[ig]defeated Edom, and ^(NZ)your heart ^[ih]is elated. Enjoy the glory and stay home; for why should you get involved in trouble so that you would fall, you and Judah with you?”

¹¹ But Amaziah would not listen. So Jehoash king of Israel went up; and they faced each other, he and Amaziah king of Judah, at ^(OA)Beth-shemesh, which belongs to Judah. ¹² And Judah was defeated by Israel, and ^(OB)they fled, every man to his tent. ¹³ Then Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash the son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh, and came to Jerusalem and tore down the wall of Jerusalem from ^(OC)the Gate of Ephraim to ^(OD)the Corner Gate, ^[ii]four hundred cubits. ¹⁴ And ^(OE)he took all the gold and silver and all the utensils which were found in the house of the Lord, and in the treasuries of the king’s house, the hostages as well, and returned to Samaria.

Jeroboam II Succeeds Jehoash (Joash) in Israel

^15 (OF)Now as for the rest of the acts of Jehoash that he did, and his might and how he fought with Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? ¹⁶ So Jehoash ^[ij]lay down with his fathers and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel; and his son Jeroboam became king in his place.

Azariah (Uzziah) Succeeds Amaziah in Judah

^17 (OG)Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah lived for fifteen years after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel. ¹⁸ Now as for the rest of the acts of Amaziah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? ¹⁹ They formed a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to ^(OH)Lachish; but they sent men to Lachish after him and they killed him there. ²⁰ Then they carried him on horses, and he was buried in Jerusalem with his fathers in the city of David. ²¹ And all the people of Judah took ^[ik]Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah. ^22 (OI)He built Elath and restored it to Judah after the king ^[il]lay down with his fathers.

²³ In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah, Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel became king in Samaria, and reigned for forty-one years. ²⁴ He did evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not abandon all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, into which he misled Israel. ^25 (OJ)He restored the border of Israel from ^(OK)the entrance of Hamath as far as ^(OL)the Sea of the Arabah, in accordance with the word of the Lord, the God of Israel, which He spoke ^[im]through His servant ^(OM)Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was from ^(ON)Gath-hepher. ²⁶ For the ^(OO)Lord saw the misery of Israel, which was very bitter; for ^(OP)there was neither ^[in]bond nor free spared, nor was there any helper for Israel. ²⁷ Yet the ^(OQ)Lord did not say that He would wipe out the name of Israel from under heaven, but He saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.

Zechariah Reigns over Israel

²⁸ Now as for the rest of the acts of Jeroboam and all that he did and his might, how he fought and how he recovered for Israel ^(OR)Damascus and ^(OS)Hamath, which had belonged to Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? ²⁹ And Jeroboam ^[io]lay down with his fathers, with the kings of Israel, and his son Zechariah became king in his place.

Series of Kings: Azariah (Uzziah) over Judah

15 ^(OT)In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Azariah son of Amaziah king of Judah became king. ² He was ^(OU)sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned for fifty-two years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was ^[ip]Jecoliah of Jerusalem. ³ He did what was right in the sight of the Lord, in accordance with everything that his father Amaziah had done. ⁴ Only ^(OV)the high places were not eliminated; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. ^5 (OW)And the Lord afflicted the king, so that he had leprosy to the day of his death. And he ^(OX)lived in a separate house, ^[iq]while Jotham the king’s son was in charge of the household, judging the people of the land. ⁶ Now as for the rest of the acts of Azariah and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? ⁷ And Azariah ^[ir]lay down with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David, and his son Jotham became king in his place.

Zechariah over Israel

^8 (OY)In the thirty-eighth year of Azariah king of Judah, Zechariah the son of Jeroboam became king over Israel in Samaria for six months. ⁹ He did evil in the sight of the Lord, just as his fathers had done; he did not desist from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, into which he misled Israel. ¹⁰ Then Shallum the son of Jabesh conspired against him, and ^(OZ)struck him in the presence of the people and ^[is]killed him, and reigned in his place. ¹¹ Now as for the rest of the acts of Zechariah, behold they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. ¹² This is ^(PA)the word of the Lord which He spoke to Jehu, saying, “Your sons to the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.” And so it was.

¹³ Shallum the son of Jabesh became king in the ^(PB)thirty-ninth year of Uzziah king of Judah, and he reigned for ^[it]one month in ^(PC)Samaria. ¹⁴ Then Menahem the son of Gadi went up from ^(PD)Tirzah and came to Samaria, and struck Shallum son of Jabesh in Samaria, and killed him and became king in his place. ¹⁵ Now as for the rest of the acts of Shallum and his conspiracy which he formed, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. ¹⁶ Then Menahem attacked Tiphsah and all who were in it and its borders from Tirzah, because they did not open up to him; so he attacked it and ripped up ^(PE)all its women who were pregnant.

Menahem over Israel

¹⁷ In the ^(PF)thirty-ninth year of Azariah king of Judah, Menahem the son of Gadi became king over Israel and reigned for ten years in Samaria. ¹⁸ He did evil in the sight of the Lord; for all his days he did not desist from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, into which he misled Israel.

^19 (PG)Pul, the king of Assyria, came against the land, and Menahem gave Pul a ^[iu]thousand talents of silver so that his hand might be with him to ^(PH)strengthen the ^[iv]kingdom ^[iw]under his rule. ²⁰ Then Menahem collected the money from Israel, from all the ^[ix]mighty men of wealth, from each man fifty shekels of silver to pay the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria returned and did not stay there in the land. ²¹ Now as for the rest of the acts of Menahem and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? ²² And Menahem ^[iy]lay down with his fathers, and his son Pekahiah became king in his place.

Pekahiah over Israel

²³ In ^(PI)the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekahiah the son of Menahem became king over Israel in Samaria, and reigned for two years. ²⁴ He did evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not desist from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, into which he misled Israel. ²⁵ Then Pekah the son of Remaliah, his officer, conspired against him and struck him in Samaria, in ^(PJ)the castle of the king’s house with Argob and Arieh; and with him were fifty men of the Gileadites, and he killed him and became king in his place. ²⁶ Now as for the rest of the acts of Pekahiah and everything that he did, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

Pekah over Israel

²⁷ In ^(PK)the fifty-second year of Azariah king of Judah, ^(PL)Pekah the son of Remaliah became king over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned for twenty years. ²⁸ He did evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not desist from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, into which he misled Israel.

²⁹ In the days of Pekah king of Israel, ^[iz](PM)Tiglath-pileser the king of Assyria came and took Ijon, Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali; and ^(PN)he led ^[ja]their populations into exile to Assyria. ³⁰ And Hoshea the son of Elah formed a conspiracy against Pekah the son of Remaliah, and struck him and put him to death, and he became king in his place, in the twentieth year of Jotham the son of Uzziah. ³¹ Now as for the rest of the acts of Pekah and all that he did, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

Jotham over Judah

³² In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah king of Israel, Jotham the son of ^[jb]Uzziah king of Judah became king. ^33 (PO)He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Jerusha the daughter of Zadok. ^34 (PP)He did what was right in the sight of the Lord; he acted in accordance with everything that his father Uzziah had done. ³⁵ Only ^(PQ)the high places were not eliminated; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. ^(PR)He built the upper gate of the house of the Lord. ³⁶ Now as for the rest of the acts of Jotham which he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? ³⁷ In those days ^(PS)the Lord began to send Rezin the king of Aram and Pekah the son of Remaliah against Judah. ³⁸ And Jotham ^[jc]lay down with his fathers, and he was buried with his fathers in the city of his father David; and his son Ahaz became king in his place.

Ahaz Reigns over Judah

16 In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, ^(PT)Ahaz the son of Jotham, king of Judah, became king. ^2 (PU)Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem; and he did not do what was right in the sight of the Lord his God, as his father David had done. ³ But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, ^(PV)and he even made his son pass through the fire, ^(PW)in accordance with the abominations of the nations whom the Lord had ^[jd]driven out before the sons of Israel. ⁴ And he ^(PX)sacrificed and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.

⁵ Then ^(PY)Rezin the king of Aram and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem for war; and they besieged Ahaz, ^(PZ)but ^[je]were not capable of fighting him. ⁶ At that time Rezin king of Aram restored ^(QA)Elath to Aram, and drove the Judeans away from ^[jf]Elath; and the ^[jg]Arameans came to Elath and have lived there to this day.

Ahaz Seeks Help of Assyria

^7 (QB)So Ahaz sent messengers to ^(QC)Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your son; come up and save me from the ^[jh]hand of the king of Aram, and from the ^[ji]hand of the king of Israel, who are rising up against me.” ⁸ And ^(QD)Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the Lord and in the treasuries of the king’s house, and sent a gift to the king of Assyria. ^9 (QE)So the king of Assyria listened to him; and the king of Assyria went up against Damascus and ^(QF)captured it, and led the people of it into exile to ^(QG)Kir, and put Rezin to death.

Damascus Falls

¹⁰ Now King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet ^(QH)Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, and he saw the altar which was at Damascus; and King Ahaz sent to ^(QI)Urijah the priest the ^[jj]pattern of the altar and its model, according to all its workmanship. ¹¹ So Urijah the priest built an altar; according to everything that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus, in that way Urijah the priest made it, ^[jk]before the coming of King Ahaz from Damascus. ¹² And when the king came from Damascus, the king saw the altar; then ^(QJ)the king approached the altar and ^[jl]went up to it, ¹³ and ^[jm]burned his burnt offering and his meal offering, and poured out his ^[jn]drink offering and sprinkled the blood of his peace offerings on the altar. ¹⁴ And ^(QK)the bronze altar, which was before the Lord, ^[jo]he brought from the front of the house, from between ^(QL)his altar and the house of the Lord, and he put it on the north side of his altar. ¹⁵ Then King Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying, “Upon the great altar ^[jp]burn ^(QM)the morning burnt offering, the evening meal offering, the king’s burnt offering and his meal offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land, their meal offering, and their ^[jq]drink offerings; and sprinkle on it all the blood of the burnt offering and all the blood of the sacrifice. But ^(QN)the bronze altar shall be for me, for making inquiries.” ¹⁶ So Urijah the priest acted in accordance with everything that King Ahaz commanded.

¹⁷ Then King Ahaz ^(QO)cut off the borders of the stands, and removed the wash basin from them; he also ^(QP)took down the ^[jr]Sea from the bronze oxen which were under it and put it on a pavement of stone. ¹⁸ And the covered way for the Sabbath which they had built in the house, and the outer entry of the king, he removed from the house of the Lord because of the king of Assyria.

Hezekiah Reigns over Judah

¹⁹ Now as for the rest of the acts of Ahaz which he did, are they not written ^(QQ)in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? ²⁰ So ^(QR)Ahaz ^[js]lay down with his fathers, and ^(QS)was buried with his fathers in the city of David; and his son Hezekiah reigned in his place.

Hoshea Reigns over Israel

17 In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, ^(QT)Hoshea the son of Elah became king over Israel in Samaria, and reigned for nine years. ² He did evil in the sight of the Lord, only not as the kings of Israel who preceded him. ^3 (QU)Shalmaneser the king of Assyria marched ^(QV)against him, and Hoshea became his servant and paid him tribute. ⁴ But the king of Assyria uncovered a conspiracy by Hoshea, who had sent messengers to So, king of Egypt, and had then brought no tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year; so the king of Assyria arrested him and confined him in prison.

⁵ Then the king of Assyria invaded the entire land, and went up to ^(QW)Samaria and besieged it for three years.

Israel Captive

⁶ In the ninth year of Hoshea, ^(QX)the king of Assyria captured Samaria and ^(QY)led the people of Israel into exile to Assyria, and ^(QZ)settled them in Halah and Habor, on the river of ^(RA)Gozan, and ^(RB)in the cities of the Medes.

Why Israel Fell

⁷ Now ^(RC)this came about because the sons of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, ^(RD)who had brought them up from the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt; ^(RE)and they had ^[jt]feared other gods. ⁸ They also ^[ju](RF)followed the ^[jv]customs of the nations whom the Lord had driven out from the sons of Israel, and in the customs ^(RG)of the kings of Israel which they had ^[jw]introduced. ⁹ And the sons of Israel ^[jx]did things secretly against the Lord their God which were not right. Moreover, they built for themselves high places in all their towns, from ^(RH)watchtower to fortified city. ¹⁰ And ^(RI)they set up for themselves memorial stones and ^[jy](RJ)Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree, ¹¹ and there they burned incense on all the high places as the nations did that the Lord had taken into exile before them; and they did evil things, provoking the Lord. ¹² They served idols, ^(RK)concerning which the Lord had said to them, “You shall not do this thing.” ¹³ Yet the ^(RL)Lord warned Israel and Judah ^[jz](RM)through all His prophets and ^(RN)every seer, saying, “^(RO)Turn back from your evil ways and keep My commandments and My statutes in accordance with all the Law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you ^[ka]through My servants the prophets.” ¹⁴ However, they did not listen, but ^(RP)stiffened their neck ^[kb]like their fathers, who did not believe in the Lord their God. ^15 (RQ)They rejected His statutes and ^(RR)His covenant which He made with their fathers, and His warnings which He ^[kc]gave them. And ^(RS)they followed ^[kd]idols and ^(RT)became empty, and followed the nations that surrounded them, about which the ^(RU)Lord had commanded them not to do as they did. ¹⁶ And they abandoned all the commandments of the Lord their God and made for themselves cast metal images: ^(RV)two calves. And they ^(RW)made an ^[ke]Asherah, and ^(RX)worshiped all the heavenly ^[kf]lights, and ^(RY)served Baal. ¹⁷ Then ^(RZ)they made their sons and their daughters pass through the fire, and they ^(SA)practiced divination and interpreting omens, and ^(SB)gave themselves over to do evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking Him. ¹⁸ So the Lord was very angry with Israel, and He ^(SC)removed them from His ^[kg]sight; ^(SD)no one was left except the tribe of Judah.

^19 (SE)Judah did not keep the commandments of the Lord their God either, but they ^[kh](SF)followed the ^[ki]customs ^[kj]which Israel had ^[kk]introduced. ²⁰ So the Lord rejected all the ^[kl]descendants of Israel and afflicted them and ^(SG)handed them over to plunderers, until He had cast them ^[km]out of His sight.

²¹ When ^(SH)He had torn Israel from the house of David, ^(SI)they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king. Then ^(SJ)Jeroboam drove Israel away from following the Lord and misled them into a great sin. ²² And the sons of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he committed; they did not desist from them ^23 (SK)until the Lord removed Israel from His sight, ^(SL)just as He had spoken through all His servants the prophets. ^(SM)So Israel went into exile from their own land to Assyria until this day.

Cities of Israel Filled with Strangers

^24 (SN)Then the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, ^[kn](SO)Avva, ^(SP)Hamath, and Sepharvaim, and settled them in the cities of Samaria in place of the sons of Israel. So they took possession of Samaria and lived in its cities. ²⁵ And at the beginning of their living there, they ^(SQ)did not fear the Lord; therefore the Lord sent lions among them that were killing some of them. ²⁶ So they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, “The nations whom you have taken into exile and settled in the cities of Samaria do not know the custom of the God of the land; so He has sent lions among them, and behold, they are killing them because they do not know the custom of the God of the land.”

²⁷ Then the king of Assyria issued commands, saying, “Take one of the priests there whom you led into ^[ko]exile, and have ^[kp]him go and live there; and have him teach them the custom of the God of the land.” ²⁸ So one of the priests whom they had led into exile from Samaria came and lived in Bethel, and taught them how they were to fear the Lord.

²⁹ But every nation was still making gods of its own, and they put them ^(SR)in the houses of the high places which the people of Samaria had made, every nation in their cities in which they lived. ^30 (SS)The men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, the men of Cuth made Nergal, the men of Hamath made Ashima, ³¹ and the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and ^(ST)the Sepharvites were burning their children in the fire to ^(SU)Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of ^(SV)Sepharvaim. ^32 (SW)They also feared the Lord and ^[kq](SX)appointed from their entire population priests of the high places, who acted for them in the houses of the high places. ³³ They feared the Lord, yet they were serving their own gods in accordance with the custom of the nations from among whom they had been taken into exile.

³⁴ To this day they act in accordance with the earlier customs: they do not fear the Lord, nor do they ^[kr]follow their statutes, their ordinances, the Law, or the commandments which the Lord commanded the sons of Jacob, ^(SY)whom He named Israel. ³⁵ The Lord made a covenant with them and commanded them, saying, “^(SZ)You shall not fear other gods, nor ^(TA)bow down to them, nor ^(TB)serve them, nor sacrifice to them. ³⁶ But the Lord, ^(TC)who brought you up from the land of Egypt with great power and with ^(TD)an outstretched arm, ^(TE)Him you shall fear, and to Him you shall bow down, and to Him you shall sacrifice. ³⁷ And the statutes, the ordinances, the Law, and the commandment which He wrote for you, ^(TF)you shall take care to do always; and you shall not fear other gods. ³⁸ The covenant that I have made with you, ^(TG)you shall not forget, nor shall you fear other gods. ³⁹ But you shall fear the Lord your God; and He will save you from the hand of all your enemies.” ⁴⁰ However, they did not listen, but they kept acting in accordance with their earlier custom. ^41 (TH)So while these nations feared the Lord, they also served their ^[ks]idols; their children likewise and their grandchildren, just as their fathers did, they do to this day.

Hezekiah Reigns over Judah

18 Now it came about ^(TI)in the third year of Hoshea, the son of Elah king of Israel, that ^(TJ)Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah became king. ² He was ^(TK)twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah. ^3 (TL)He did what was right in the sight of the Lord, in accordance with everything that his father David had done. ^4 (TM)He removed the high places and smashed the memorial stones to pieces, and cut down the ^[kt]Asherah. He also crushed to pieces ^(TN)the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the sons of Israel had been burning incense to it; and it was called ^[ku]Nehushtan. ^5 (TO)He trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel; and ^(TP)after him there was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, nor among those who came before him. ⁶ For he ^(TQ)clung to the Lord; he did not desist from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the Lord had commanded Moses.

Hezekiah Victorious

^7 (TR)And the Lord was with him; wherever he went he was successful. And ^(TS)he revolted against the king of Assyria and did not serve him. ^8 (TT)He ^[kv]defeated the Philistines as far as Gaza and its territory, from ^(TU)watchtower to fortified city.

⁹ Now in the fourth year of King Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, ^(TV)Shalmaneser king of Assyria marched against Samaria and besieged it.