Naaman’s Leprosy Healed

5 Now ^(A)Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was ^(B)a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, but a leper. ² And the Syrians had gone out ^(C)on^[a] raids, and had brought back captive a young girl from the land of Israel. She ^[b]waited on Naaman’s wife. ³ Then she said to her mistress, “If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! For he would heal him of his leprosy.” ⁴ And Naaman went in and told his master, saying, “Thus and thus said the girl who is from the land of Israel.”

⁵ Then the king of Syria said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.”

So he departed and ^(D)took with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing. ⁶ Then he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which said,

⁷ And it happened, when the king of Israel read the letter, that he tore his clothes and said, “Am I ^(E)God, to kill and make alive, that this man sends a man to me to heal him of his leprosy? Therefore please consider, and see how he seeks a quarrel with me.”

⁸ So it was, when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, “Why have you torn your clothes? Please let him come to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.”

⁹ Then Naaman went with his horses and chariot, and he stood at the door of Elisha’s house. ¹⁰ And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and ^(F)wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.” ¹¹ But Naaman became furious, and went away and said, “Indeed, I said to myself, ‘He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy.’ ¹² Are not the ^[c]Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage. ¹³ And his ^(G)servants came near and spoke to him, and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do something great, 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 seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his ^(H)flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and ^(I)he was clean.

¹⁵ And he returned to the man of God, he and all his aides, and came and stood before him; and he said, “Indeed, now I know that there is ^(J)no God in all the earth, except in Israel; now therefore, please take ^(K)a gift from your servant.”

¹⁶ But he said, ^(L)“As the Lord lives, before whom I stand, ^(M)I will receive nothing.” And he urged him to take it, but he refused.

¹⁷ So Naaman said, “Then, if not, please let your servant be given two mule-loads of earth; for your servant will no longer offer either burnt offering or sacrifice to other gods, but to the Lord. ¹⁸ Yet in this thing may the Lord pardon your servant: when my master goes into the temple of Rimmon to worship there, and ^(N)he leans on my hand, and I bow down in the temple of Rimmon—when I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the Lord please pardon your servant in this thing.”

¹⁹ Then he said to him, “Go in peace.” So he departed from him a short distance.

Gehazi’s Greed

²⁰ But ^(O)Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, “Look, my master has spared Naaman this Syrian, while not receiving from his hands what he brought; but as the Lord lives, I will run after him and take something from him.” ²¹ So Gehazi pursued Naaman. When Naaman saw him running after him, he got down from the chariot to meet him, and said, “Is all well?”

²² And he said, “All is ^(P)well. My master has sent me, saying, ‘Indeed, just now two young men of the sons of the prophets have come to me from the mountains of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two changes of garments.’ ”

²³ So Naaman said, “Please, take two talents.” And he urged him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of garments, and handed them to two of his servants; and they carried them on ahead of him. ²⁴ When he came to ^[d]the citadel, he took them from their hand, and stored them away in the house; then he let the men go, and they departed. ²⁵ Now he went in and stood before his master. Elisha said to him, “Where did you go, Gehazi?”

And he said, “Your servant did not go anywhere.”

²⁶ Then he said to him, “Did not my heart go with you when the man turned back from his chariot to meet you? Is it ^(Q)time to receive money and to receive clothing, olive groves and vineyards, sheep and oxen, male and female servants? ²⁷ Therefore the leprosy of Naaman ^(R)shall cling to you and your descendants forever.” And he went out from his presence ^(S)leprous, as white as snow.

The Floating Ax Head

6 And ^(T)the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “See now, the place where we dwell with you is too small for us. ² Please, let us go to the Jordan, and let every man take a beam from there, and let us make there a place where we may dwell.”

So he answered, “Go.”

³ Then one said, ^(U)“Please consent to go with your servants.”

And he answered, “I will go.” ⁴ So he went with them. And when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees. ⁵ But as one was cutting down a tree, the iron ax head fell into the water; and he cried out and said, “Alas, master! For it was ^(V)borrowed.”

⁶ So the man of God said, “Where did it fall?” And he showed him the place. So ^(W)he cut off a stick, and threw it in there; and he made the iron float. ⁷ Therefore he said, “Pick it up for yourself.” So he reached out his hand and took it.

The Blinded Syrians Captured

⁸ Now the ^(X)king of Syria was making war against Israel; and he consulted with his servants, saying, “My camp will be in such and such a place.” ⁹ And the man of God sent to the king of Israel, saying, “Beware that you do not pass this place, for the Syrians are coming down there.” ¹⁰ Then the king of Israel sent someone to the place of which the man of God had told him. Thus he warned him, and he was watchful there, not just once or twice.

¹¹ Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was greatly troubled by this thing; and he called his servants and said to them, “Will you not show me which of us is for the king of Israel?”

¹² And one of his servants said, “None, my lord, O 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, that I may send and get him.”

And it was told him, saying, “Surely he is in ^(Y)Dothan.”

¹⁴ Therefore he sent horses and chariots and a great army there, and they came by night and surrounded the city. ¹⁵ And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?”

¹⁶ So he answered, ^(Z)“Do not fear, for ^(AA)those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” ¹⁷ And Elisha prayed, and said, “Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the Lord ^(AB)opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of ^(AC)horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. ¹⁸ So when the Syrians came down to him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, and said, “Strike this people, I pray, with blindness.” And ^(AD)He struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.

¹⁹ Now 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.” But he led them to Samaria.

²⁰ So it was, when they had come to Samaria, that Elisha said, “Lord, open the eyes of these men, that they may see.” And the Lord opened their eyes, and they saw; and there they were, inside Samaria!

²¹ Now when the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, “My ^(AE)father, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them?”

²² But he answered, “You shall not kill them. Would you kill those whom you have taken captive with your sword and your bow? ^(AF)Set food and water before them, that they may eat and drink and go to their master.” ²³ Then he prepared a great feast for them; and after they ate and drank, he sent them away and they went to their master. So ^(AG)the bands of Syrian raiders came no more into the land of Israel.

Syria Besieges Samaria in Famine

²⁴ And it happened after this that ^(AH)Ben-Hadad king of Syria gathered all his army, and went up and besieged Samaria. ²⁵ And there was a great ^(AI)famine in Samaria; and indeed they besieged it until a donkey’s head was sold for eighty shekels of silver, and one-fourth of a ^[e]kab of dove droppings for five shekels of silver.

²⁶ Then, as the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried out to him, saying, “Help, my lord, O king!”

²⁷ And he said, “If the Lord does not help you, where can I find help for you? From the threshing floor or from the winepress?” ²⁸ Then the king said to her, “What is troubling you?”

And she answered, “This woman said to me, ‘Give your son, that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.’ ²⁹ So ^(AJ)we boiled my son, and ate him. And I said to her on the next day, ‘Give your son, that we may eat him’; but she has hidden her son.”

³⁰ Now it happened, when the king heard the words of the woman, that he ^(AK)tore his clothes; and as he passed by on the wall, the people looked, and there underneath he had sackcloth on his body. ³¹ Then he said, ^(AL)“God do so to me and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat remains on him today!”

³² But Elisha was sitting in his house, and ^(AM)the elders were sitting with him. And the king sent a man ahead of him, but before the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, ^(AN)“Do you see how this son of ^(AO)a murderer has sent someone to take away my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door, and hold him fast at the door. Is not the sound of his master’s feet behind him?” ³³ And while he was still talking with them, there was the messenger, coming down to him; and then the king said, “Surely this calamity is from the Lord; ^(AP)why should I wait for the Lord any longer?”

The Syrians Flee

7 Then Elisha said, “Hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord: ^(AQ)‘Tomorrow about this time a ^[f]seah of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria.’ ”

^2 (AR)So an officer on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God and said, “Look, ^(AS)if the Lord would make windows in heaven, could this thing be?”

And he said, “In fact, you shall see it with your eyes, but you shall not eat of it.”

The Syrians Flee

³ Now there were four leprous men ^(AT)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,’ the famine is in the city, and we shall die there. And if we sit here, we die also. Now therefore, come, let us surrender to the ^(AU)army of the Syrians. If they keep us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall only die.” ⁵ And they rose at twilight to go to the camp of the Syrians; and when they had come to the outskirts of the Syrian camp, to their surprise no one was there. ⁶ For the Lord had caused the army of the Syrians ^(AV)to hear the noise of chariots and the noise of horses—the noise of a great army; so they said to one another, “Look, the king of Israel has hired against us ^(AW)the kings of the Hittites and the kings of the Egyptians to attack us!” ⁷ Therefore they ^(AX)arose and fled at twilight, and left the camp intact—their tents, their horses, and their donkeys—and they fled for their lives. ⁸ And when these lepers came to the outskirts of the camp, they went into one tent and ate and drank, and carried from it silver and gold and clothing, and went and hid them; then they came back and entered another tent, and carried some from there also, and went and hid it.

⁹ Then they said to one another, “We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news, and we remain silent. If we wait until morning light, some ^[g]punishment will come upon us. Now therefore, come, let us go and tell the king’s household.” ¹⁰ So they went and called to the gatekeepers of the city, and told them, saying, “We went to the Syrian camp, and surprisingly no one was there, not a human sound—only horses and donkeys tied, and the tents intact.” ¹¹ And the gatekeepers called out, and they told it to the king’s household inside.

¹² So the king arose in the night and said to his servants, “Let me now tell you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we are ^(AY)hungry; therefore they have gone out of the camp to ^[h]hide themselves in the field, saying, ‘When they come out of the city, we shall catch them alive, and get into the city.’ ”

¹³ And one of his servants answered and said, “Please, let several men take five of the remaining horses which are left in the city. Look, they may either become like all the multitude of Israel that are left in it; or indeed, I say, they may become like all the multitude of Israel left from those who are consumed; so let us send them and see.” ¹⁴ Therefore they took two chariots with horses; and the king sent them in the direction of the Syrian army, saying, “Go and see.” ¹⁵ And they went after them to the Jordan; and indeed all the road was full of garments and weapons which the Syrians had thrown away in their haste. So the messengers returned and told the king. ¹⁶ Then the people went out and plundered the tents of the Syrians. So a seah of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, ^(AZ)according to the word of the Lord.

¹⁷ Now the king had appointed the officer on whose hand he leaned to have charge of the gate. But the people trampled him in the gate, and he died, just ^(BA)as the man of God had said, 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, ^(BB)“Two seahs of barley for a shekel, and a seah of fine flour for a shekel, shall be sold tomorrow about this time in the gate of Samaria.”

¹⁹ Then that officer had answered the man of God, and said, “Now look, if the Lord would make windows in heaven, could such a thing be?”

And he had said, “In fact, you shall see it with your eyes, but you shall not eat of it.” ²⁰ And so it happened to him, for the people trampled him in the gate, and he died.

The King Restores the Shunammite’s Land

8 Then Elisha spoke to the woman ^(BC)whose son he had restored to life, saying, “Arise and go, you and your household, and stay wherever you can; for the Lord ^(BD)has called for a ^(BE)famine, and furthermore, it will come upon the land for seven years.” ² So the woman arose and did according to the saying of the man of God, and she went with her household and dwelt in the land of the Philistines seven years.

³ It came to pass, at the end of seven years, that the woman returned from the land of the Philistines; and she went to make an appeal to the king for her house and for her land. ⁴ Then the king talked with ^(BF)Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, saying, “Tell me, please, all the great things Elisha has done.” ⁵ Now it happened, as he was telling the king how he had restored the dead to life, that there was the woman whose son he had ^(BG)restored to life, appealing to the king for her house and for her land. And Gehazi said, “My lord, O king, this is the woman, and this is her son whom Elisha restored to life.” ⁶ And when the king asked the woman, she told him.

So the king appointed a certain officer for her, saying, “Restore all that was hers, and all the proceeds of the field from the day that she left the land until now.”

Death of Ben-Hadad

⁷ Then Elisha went to Damascus, and ^(BH)Ben-Hadad king of Syria was sick; and it was told him, saying, “The man of God has come here.” ⁸ And the king said to ^(BI)Hazael, ^(BJ)“Take a present in your hand, and go to meet the man of God, and ^(BK)inquire of the Lord by him, saying, ‘Shall I recover from this disease?’ ” ⁹ So ^(BL)Hazael went to meet him and took a present with him, of every good thing of Damascus, forty camel-loads; and he came and stood before him, and said, “Your son Ben-Hadad king of Syria has sent me to you, saying, ‘Shall I recover from this disease?’ ”

¹⁰ And Elisha said to him, “Go, say to him, ‘You shall certainly recover.’ However the Lord has shown me that ^(BM)he will really die.” ¹¹ Then he ^[i]set his countenance in a stare until he was ashamed; and the man of God ^(BN)wept. ¹² And Hazael said, “Why is my lord weeping?”

He answered, “Because I know ^(BO)the evil that you will do to the children of Israel: Their strongholds you will set on fire, and their young men you will kill with the sword; and you ^(BP)will dash their children, and rip open their women with child.”

¹³ So Hazael said, “But what ^(BQ)is your servant—a dog, that he should do this gross thing?”

And Elisha answered, ^(BR)“The Lord has shown me that you will become king over Syria.”

¹⁴ Then he departed from Elisha, and came to his master, who said to him, “What did Elisha say to you?” And he answered, “He told me you would surely recover.” ¹⁵ But it happened on the next day that he took a thick cloth and dipped it in water, and spread it over his face so that he died; and Hazael reigned in his place.

Jehoram Reigns in Judah^(BS)

¹⁶ Now ^(BT)in the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab, king of Israel, Jehoshaphat having been king of Judah, ^(BU)Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat began to reign as ^[j]king of Judah. ¹⁷ He was ^(BV)thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. ¹⁸ And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done, for ^(BW)the daughter of Ahab was his wife; and he did evil in the sight of the Lord. ¹⁹ Yet the Lord would not destroy Judah, for the sake of His servant David, ^(BX)as He promised him to give a lamp to him and his sons forever.

²⁰ In his days ^(BY)Edom revolted against Judah’s authority, ^(BZ)and made a king over themselves. ²¹ So ^[k]Joram went to Zair, and all his chariots with him. Then he rose by night and attacked the Edomites who had surrounded him and the captains of the chariots; and the troops fled to their tents. ²² Thus Edom has been in revolt against Judah’s authority to this day. ^(CA)And Libnah revolted at that time.

²³ Now the rest of the acts of Joram, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? ²⁴ So Joram ^[l]rested with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the City of David. Then ^(CB)Ahaziah^[m] his son reigned in his place.

Ahaziah Reigns in Judah^(CC)

²⁵ 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 Ahaziah was ^(CD)twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Athaliah the granddaughter of Omri, king of Israel. ^27 (CE)And he walked in the way of the house of Ahab, and did evil in the sight of the Lord, like the house of Ahab, for he was the son-in-law of the house of Ahab.

²⁸ Now he went ^(CF)with Joram the son of Ahab to war against Hazael king of Syria at ^(CG)Ramoth Gilead; and the Syrians wounded Joram. ²⁹ Then ^(CH)King Joram went back to Jezreel to recover from the wounds which the Syrians had inflicted on him at ^[n]Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. ^(CI)And Ahaziah the son of Jehoram, king of Judah, went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.

Jehu Anointed King of Israel

9 And Elisha the prophet called one of ^(CJ)the sons of the prophets, and said to him, ^(CK)“Get^[o] yourself ready, take this flask of oil in your hand, ^(CL)and go to Ramoth Gilead. ² Now when you arrive at that place, look there for Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, and go in and make him rise up from among ^(CM)his associates, and take him to an inner room. ³ Then ^(CN)take the flask of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, ‘Thus says the Lord: “I have anointed you king over Israel.” ’ Then open the door and flee, and do not delay.”

⁴ So the young man, the servant of the prophet, went to Ramoth Gilead. ⁵ And when he arrived, there were the captains of the army sitting; and he said, “I have a message for you, Commander.”

Jehu said, “For which one of us?”

And he said, “For you, Commander.” ⁶ Then he arose and went into the house. And he poured the oil on his head, and said to him, ^(CO)“Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘I have anointed you king over the people of the Lord, over Israel. ⁷ You shall strike down the house of Ahab your master, that I may ^(CP)avenge the blood of My servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord, ^(CQ)at the hand of Jezebel. ⁸ For the whole house of Ahab shall perish; and ^(CR)I will cut off from Ahab all ^(CS)the males in Israel, both ^(CT)bond and free. ⁹ So I will make the house of Ahab like the house of ^(CU)Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of ^(CV)Baasha the son of Ahijah. ^10 (CW)The dogs shall eat Jezebel on the plot of ground at Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her.’ ” And he opened the door and fled.

¹¹ Then Jehu came out to the servants of his master, and one said to him, “Is all well? Why did ^(CX)this madman come to you?”

And he said to them, “You know the man and his babble.”

¹² And they said, “A lie! Tell us now.”

So he said, “Thus and thus he spoke to me, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord: “I have anointed you king over Israel.” ’ ”

¹³ Then each man hastened ^(CY)to take his garment and put it ^[p]under him on the top of the steps; and they blew trumpets, saying, “Jehu is king!”

Joram of Israel Killed

¹⁴ So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, conspired against ^(CZ)Joram. (Now Joram had been defending Ramoth Gilead, he and all Israel, against Hazael king of Syria. ¹⁵ But ^(DA)King ^[q]Joram had returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds which the Syrians had inflicted on him when he fought with Hazael king of Syria.) And Jehu said, “If you are so minded, let no one leave or escape from the city to go and tell it in Jezreel.” ¹⁶ So Jehu rode in a chariot and went to Jezreel, for Joram was laid up there; ^(DB)and Ahaziah king of Judah had come down to see Joram.

¹⁷ Now a watchman stood on the tower in Jezreel, and he saw the company of Jehu as he came, and said, “I see a company of men.”

And Joram said, “Get a horseman and send him to meet them, and let him say, ^[r]‘Is it peace?’ ”

¹⁸ So the horseman went to meet him, and said, “Thus says the king: ‘Is it peace?’ ”

And Jehu said, “What have you to do with peace? ^[s]Turn around and follow me.”

So the watchman reported, saying, “The messenger went to them, but is not coming back.”

¹⁹ Then he sent out a second horseman who came to them, and said, “Thus says the king: ‘Is it peace?’ ”

And Jehu answered, “What have you to do with peace? Turn around and follow me.”

²⁰ So the watchman reported, saying, “He went up to them and is not coming back; and the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi, for he drives furiously!”

²¹ Then Joram said, ^[t]“Make ready.” And his chariot was made ready. Then ^(DC)Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his chariot; and they went out to meet Jehu, and ^[u]met him ^(DD)on the property of Naboth the Jezreelite. ²² Now it happened, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, “Is it peace, Jehu?”

So he answered, “What peace, as long as the harlotries of your mother Jezebel and her witchcraft are so many?”

²³ Then Joram turned around and fled, and said to Ahaziah, “Treachery, Ahaziah!” ²⁴ Now Jehu ^[v]drew his bow with full strength and shot Jehoram between his arms; and the arrow came out at his heart, and he sank down in his chariot. ²⁵ Then Jehu said to Bidkar his captain, “Pick him up, and throw him into the tract of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite; for remember, when you and I were riding together behind Ahab his father, that ^(DE)the Lord laid this ^(DF)burden upon him: ²⁶ ‘Surely I saw yesterday the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons,’ says the Lord, ^(DG)‘and I will repay you ^[w]in this plot,’ says the Lord. Now therefore, take and throw him on the plot of ground, according to the word of the Lord.”

Ahaziah of Judah Killed^(DH)

²⁷ But when Ahaziah king of Judah saw this, he fled by the road to ^[x]Beth Haggan. So Jehu pursued him, and said, ^[y]“Shoot him also in the chariot.” And they shot him at the Ascent of Gur, which is by Ibleam. Then he fled to ^(DI)Megiddo, and died there. ²⁸ And his servants carried him in the chariot to Jerusalem, and buried him in his tomb with his fathers in the City of David. ²⁹ In the eleventh year of Joram the son of Ahab, Ahaziah had become king over Judah.

Jezebel’s Violent Death

³⁰ Now when Jehu had come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; ^(DJ)and she put paint on her eyes and adorned her head, and looked through a window. ³¹ Then, as Jehu entered at the gate, she said, ^(DK)“Is it peace, Zimri, murderer of your master?”

³² And he looked up at the window, and said, “Who is on my side? Who?” So two or three eunuchs looked out at him. 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 And when he had gone in, he ate and drank. Then he said, “Go now, see to this accursed woman, and bury her, for ^(DL)she was a king’s daughter.” ³⁵ So they went to bury her, but they found no more of her than the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands. ³⁶ Therefore they came back and told him. And he said, “This is the word of the Lord, which He spoke by His servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ^(DM)‘On the plot of ground at Jezreel dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel; ³⁷ and the corpse of Jezebel shall be ^(DN)as refuse on the surface of the field, in the plot at Jezreel, so that they shall not say, “Here lies Jezebel.” ’ ”

Ahab’s Seventy Sons Killed

10 Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote and sent letters to Samaria, to the rulers of ^[z]Jezreel, to the elders, and to ^[aa]those who reared Ahab’s sons, saying:

⁴ But they were exceedingly afraid, and said, “Look, ^(DO)two kings could not ^[ac]stand up to him; how then can we stand?” ⁵ And he who was in charge of the house, and he who was in charge of the city, the elders also, and those who reared the sons, sent to Jehu, saying, “We are your servants, we will do all you tell us; but we will not make anyone king. Do what is good in your sight.” ⁶ Then he wrote a second letter to them, saying:

Now the king’s sons, seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, who were rearing them. ⁷ So it was, when the letter came to them, that they took the king’s sons and ^(DP)slaughtered seventy persons, put their heads in baskets and sent them to him at Jezreel.

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

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

⁹ So it was, in the morning, that he went out and stood, and said to all the people, “You are righteous. Indeed ^(DQ)I conspired against my master and killed him; but who killed all these? ¹⁰ Know now that nothing shall ^(DR)fall to the earth of the word of the Lord which the Lord spoke concerning the house of Ahab; for the Lord has done what He spoke ^(DS)by His servant Elijah.” ¹¹ So Jehu killed all who remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men and his close acquaintances and his priests, until he left him none remaining.

Ahaziah’s Forty-two Brothers Killed

¹² And he arose and departed and went to Samaria. On the way, at ^[ad]Beth Eked of the Shepherds, ^13 (DT)Jehu met with the brothers of Ahaziah king of Judah, and said, “Who are you?”

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

¹⁴ And he said, “Take them alive!” So they took them alive, and ^(DU)killed them at the well of ^[ae]Beth Eked, forty-two men; and he left none of them.

The Rest of Ahab’s Family Killed

¹⁵ Now when he departed from there, he ^[af]met ^(DV)Jehonadab the son of ^(DW)Rechab, coming to meet him; and he greeted him and said to him, “Is your heart right, as my heart is toward your heart?”

And Jehonadab answered, “It is.”

Jehu said, “If it is, ^(DX)give me your hand.” So he gave him his hand, and he took him up to him into the chariot. ¹⁶ Then he said, “Come with me, and see my ^(DY)zeal for the Lord.” So they had him ride in his chariot. ¹⁷ And when he came to Samaria, ^(DZ)he killed all who remained to Ahab in Samaria, till he had destroyed them, according to the word of the Lord ^(EA)which He spoke to Elijah.

Worshipers of Baal Killed

¹⁸ Then Jehu gathered all the people together, and said to them, ^(EB)“Ahab served Baal a little, Jehu will serve him much. ¹⁹ Now therefore, call to me all the ^(EC)prophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his priests. Let no one be missing, for I have a great sacrifice for Baal. Whoever is missing shall not live.” But Jehu acted deceptively, with the intent of destroying the worshipers of Baal. ²⁰ And Jehu said, ^[ag]“Proclaim a solemn assembly for Baal.” So they proclaimed it. ²¹ Then Jehu sent throughout all Israel; and all the worshipers of Baal came, so that there was not a man left who did not come. So they came into the ^[ah]temple of Baal, and the ^(ED)temple of Baal was full from one end to the other. ²² And he said to the one in charge of the wardrobe, “Bring out vestments for all the worshipers of Baal.” So he brought out vestments for them. ²³ Then Jehu and Jehonadab the son of Rechab went into the temple of Baal, and said to the worshipers of Baal, “Search and see that no servants of the Lord are here with you, but only the worshipers of Baal.” ²⁴ So they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had appointed for himself eighty men on the outside, and had said, “If any of the men whom I have brought into your hands escapes, whoever lets him escape, it shall be ^(EE)his life for the life of the other.”

²⁵ Now it happened, as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, that Jehu said to the guard and to the captains, “Go in and kill them; let no one come out!” And they killed them with the edge of the sword; then the guards and the officers threw them out, and went into the ^[ai]inner room of the temple of Baal. ²⁶ And they brought the ^(EF)sacred pillars out of the temple of Baal and burned them. ²⁷ Then they broke down the sacred pillar of Baal, and tore down the ^[aj]temple of Baal and ^(EG)made it a refuse dump to this day. ²⁸ Thus Jehu destroyed Baal from Israel.

²⁹ However Jehu did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin, that is, from ^(EH)the golden calves that were at Bethel and Dan. ³⁰ And the Lord ^(EI)said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in doing what is right in My sight, and have done to the house of Ahab all that was in My heart, ^(EJ)your sons shall sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation.” ³¹ But Jehu ^[ak]took no heed to walk in the law of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart; for he did not depart from ^(EK)the sins of Jeroboam, who had made Israel sin.

Death of Jehu

³² In those days the Lord began to cut off parts of Israel; and ^(EL)Hazael conquered them in all the territory of Israel ³³ from the Jordan eastward: all the land of Gilead—Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh—from ^(EM)Aroer, which is by the River Arnon, including ^(EN)Gilead and Bashan.

³⁴ Now the rest of the acts of Jehu, all that he did, and all his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? ³⁵ So Jehu ^[al]rested with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria. Then ^(EO)Jehoahaz his son reigned in his place. ³⁶ And the period that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty-eight years.

Athaliah Reigns in Judah^(EP)

11 When ^(EQ)Athaliah ^(ER)the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was ^(ES)dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal heirs. ² But ^[am]Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram, sister of ^(ET)Ahaziah, took ^[an]Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king’s sons who were being murdered; and they hid him and his nurse in the bedroom, from Athaliah, so that he was not killed. ³ So he was hidden with her in the house of the Lord for six years, while Athaliah reigned over the land.

Joash Crowned King of Judah^(EU)

⁴ In ^(EV)the seventh year Jehoiada sent and brought the captains of hundreds—of the bodyguards and the ^[ao]escorts—and brought them into the house of the Lord to him. And he made a covenant with them and took an oath from them in the house of the Lord, and showed them the king’s son. ⁵ Then he commanded them, saying, “This is what you shall do: One-third of you who ^[ap]come on duty ^(EW)on the Sabbath shall be keeping watch over the king’s house, ⁶ one-third shall be at the gate of Sur, and one-third at the gate behind the escorts. You shall keep the watch of the house, lest it be broken down. ⁷ The two ^[aq]contingents of you who go off duty on the Sabbath shall keep the watch of the house of the Lord for the king. ⁸ But you shall surround the king on all sides, every man with his weapons in his hand; and whoever comes within range, let him be put to death. You are to be with the king as he goes out and as he comes in.”

^9 (EX)So the captains of the hundreds did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded. Each of them took his men who were to be on duty on the Sabbath, with those who were going off duty on the Sabbath, and came to Jehoiada the priest. ¹⁰ And the priest gave the captains of hundreds the spears and shields which had belonged to King David, ^(EY)that were in the temple of the Lord. ¹¹ Then the escorts stood, every man with his weapons in his hand, all around the king, from the right ^[ar]side of the temple to the left side of the temple, by the altar and the house. ¹² And he brought out the king’s son, put the crown on him, and gave him the ^(EZ)Testimony;^[as] they made him king and anointed him, and they clapped their hands and said, ^(FA)“Long live the king!”

Death of Athaliah^(FB)

^13 (FC)Now when Athaliah heard the noise of the escorts and the people, she came to the people in the temple of the Lord. ¹⁴ When she looked, there was the king standing by ^(FD)a pillar according to custom; and the leaders and the trumpeters were by the king. All the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets. So Athaliah tore her clothes and cried out, “Treason! Treason!”

¹⁵ And Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains of the hundreds, the officers of the army, and said to them, “Take her outside ^[at]under guard, and slay with the sword whoever follows her.” For the priest had said, “Do not let her be killed in the house of the Lord.” ¹⁶ So they seized her; and she went by way of the horses’ entrance into the king’s house, and there she was killed.

^17 (FE)Then Jehoiada ^(FF)made a covenant between the Lord, the king, and the people, that they should be the Lord’s people, and also ^(FG)between the king and the people. ¹⁸ And all the people of the land went to the ^(FH)temple of Baal, and tore it down. They thoroughly ^(FI)broke in pieces its altars and ^[au]images, and ^(FJ)killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. And ^(FK)the priest appointed ^[av]officers over the house of the Lord. ¹⁹ Then he took the captains of hundreds, the bodyguards, the escorts, and all the people of the land; and they brought the king down from the house of the Lord, and went by way of the gate of the escorts to the king’s house. Then he sat on the throne of the kings. ²⁰ So all the people of the land rejoiced; and the city was quiet, for they had slain Athaliah with the sword in the king’s house. ²¹ Jehoash was ^(FL)seven years old when he became king.

Jehoash Repairs the Temple^(FM)

12 In the seventh year of Jehu, ^(FN)Jehoash^[aw] became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah of Beersheba. ² Jehoash did what was right in the sight of the Lord all the days in which ^(FO)Jehoiada the priest instructed him. ³ But ^(FP)the ^[ax]high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.

⁴ And Jehoash said to the priests, ^(FQ)“All the money of the dedicated gifts that are brought into the house of the Lord—each man’s ^(FR)census^[ay] money, each man’s ^(FS)assessment money—and all the money that ^[az]a man ^(FT)purposes in his heart to bring into the house of the Lord, ⁵ let the priests take it themselves, each from his constituency; and let them repair the ^[ba]damages of the temple, wherever any dilapidation is found.”

⁶ Now it was so, by the twenty-third year of King Jehoash, ^(FU)that the priests had not repaired the damages of the temple. ^7 (FV)So King Jehoash called Jehoiada the priest and the other priests, and said to them, “Why have you not repaired the damages of the temple? Now therefore, do not take more money from your constituency, but deliver it for repairing the damages of the temple.” ⁸ And the priests agreed that they would neither receive more money from the people, nor repair the damages of the temple.

⁹ Then Jehoiada the priest took ^(FW)a chest, bored a hole in its lid, and set it beside the altar, on the right side as one comes into the house of the Lord; and the priests who ^[bb]kept the door put ^(FX)there all the money brought into the house of the Lord. ¹⁰ So it was, whenever they saw that there was much money in the chest, that the king’s ^(FY)scribe^[bc] and the high priest came up and ^[bd]put it in bags, and counted the money that was found in the house of the Lord. ¹¹ Then they gave the money, which had been apportioned, into the hands of those who did the work, who had the oversight of the house of the Lord; and they ^[be]paid it out to the carpenters and builders who worked on the house of the Lord, ¹² and to masons and stonecutters, and for buying timber and hewn stone, to ^(FZ)repair the damage of the house of the Lord, and for all that was paid out to repair the temple. ¹³ However ^(GA)there were not made for the house of the Lord basins of silver, trimmers, sprinkling-bowls, trumpets, any articles of gold or articles of silver, from the money brought into the house of the Lord. ¹⁴ But they gave that to the workmen, and they repaired the house of the Lord with it. ¹⁵ Moreover ^(GB)they did not require an account from the men into whose hand they delivered the money to be paid to workmen, for they dealt faithfully. ^16 (GC)The money from the trespass offerings and the money from the sin offerings was not brought into the house of the Lord. ^(GD)It belonged to the priests.

Hazael Threatens Jerusalem

^17 (GE)Hazael king of Syria went up and fought against Gath, and took it; then ^(GF)Hazael set his face to ^[bf]go up to Jerusalem. ¹⁸ And Jehoash king of Judah ^(GG)took all the sacred things that his fathers, Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and Ahaziah, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own sacred things, and all the gold found in the treasuries of the house of the Lord and in the king’s house, and sent them to Hazael king of Syria. Then he went away from Jerusalem.

Death of Joash^(GH)

¹⁹ Now the rest of the acts of ^[bg]Joash, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

²⁰ And ^(GI)his servants arose and formed a conspiracy, and killed Joash in the house of ^[bh]the Millo, which goes down to Silla. ²¹ For ^[bi]Jozachar the son of Shimeath and Jehozabad the son of ^[bj]Shomer, his servants, struck him. So he died, and they buried him with his fathers in the City of David. Then ^(GJ)Amaziah his son reigned in his place.

Jehoahaz Reigns in Israel

13 In the twenty-third year of ^(GK)Joash^[bk] the son of Ahaziah, king of Judah, ^(GL)Jehoahaz the son of Jehu became king over Israel in Samaria, and reigned seventeen years. ² And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and followed the ^(GM)sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin. He did not ^[bl]depart from them.

³ Then ^(GN)the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel, and He delivered them into the hand of ^(GO)Hazael king of Syria, and into the hand of ^(GP)Ben-Hadad the son of Hazael, all their days. ⁴ So Jehoahaz ^(GQ)pleaded with the Lord, and the Lord listened to him; for ^(GR)He saw the oppression of Israel, because the king of Syria oppressed them. ^5 (GS)Then the Lord gave Israel a deliverer, so that they escaped from under the hand of the Syrians; and the children of Israel dwelt in their tents as before. ⁶ Nevertheless they did not depart from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, who had made Israel sin, but walked in them; ^(GT)and the ^[bm]wooden image also remained in Samaria. ⁷ For He left of the army of Jehoahaz only fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand foot soldiers; for the king of Syria had destroyed them ^(GU)and made them ^(GV)like the dust at threshing.

⁸ Now the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz, all that he did, and his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? ⁹ So Jehoahaz ^[bn]rested with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria. Then ^[bo]Joash his son reigned in his place.

Jehoash Reigns in Israel

¹⁰ In the thirty-seventh year of Joash king of Judah, ^[bp]Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz became king over Israel in Samaria, and reigned sixteen years. ¹¹ And he did evil in the sight of the Lord. He did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin, but walked in them.

^12 (GW)Now the rest of the acts of Joash, ^(GX)all that he did, and ^(GY)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 ^(GZ)rested^[bq] with his fathers. Then Jeroboam sat on his throne. And Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.

Death of Elisha

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

¹⁵ And Elisha said to him, “Take a bow and some arrows.” So he took himself a bow and some arrows. ¹⁶ Then he said to the king of Israel, “Put your hand on the bow.” So he put his hand on it, and Elisha put his hands on the king’s hands. ¹⁷ And he said, “Open the east window”; and he opened it. Then Elisha said, “Shoot”; and he shot. And he said, “The arrow of the Lord’s deliverance and the arrow of deliverance from Syria; for you must strike the Syrians at ^(HB)Aphek till you have destroyed them.” ¹⁸ Then he said, “Take the arrows”; so he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground”; so he struck three times, and stopped. ¹⁹ And the man of God was angry with him, and said, “You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck Syria till you had destroyed it! ^(HC)But now you will strike Syria only three times.”

²⁰ Then Elisha ^[br]died, and they buried him. And the ^(HD)raiding bands from Moab invaded the land in the spring of the year. ²¹ So it was, as they were burying a man, that suddenly they spied a band of raiders; and they put the man in the tomb of Elisha; and when the man was let down and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet.

Israel Recaptures Cities from Syria

²² And ^(HE)Hazael king of Syria oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz. ²³ But the Lord was ^(HF)gracious to them, had compassion on them, and ^(HG)regarded them, ^(HH)because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not yet destroy them or cast them from His presence.

²⁴ Now Hazael king of Syria died. Then Ben-Hadad his son reigned in his place. ²⁵ And ^[bs]Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz recaptured from the hand of Ben-Hadad, the son of Hazael, the cities which he had taken out of the hand of Jehoahaz his father by war. ^(HI)Three times Joash defeated him and recaptured the cities of Israel.

Amaziah Reigns in Judah^(HJ)

14 In ^(HK)the second year of Joash the son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel, ^(HL)Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, became king. ² He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem. ³ And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, yet not like his father David; he did everything ^(HM)as his father Joash had done. ^4 (HN)However the ^[bt]high places were not taken away, and the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.

⁵ Now it happened, as soon as the kingdom was established in his hand, that he executed his servants ^(HO)who had murdered his father the king. ⁶ But the children of the murderers he did not execute, according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, in which the Lord commanded, saying, ^(HP)“Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor shall children be put to death for their fathers; but a person shall be put to death for his own sin.”

^7 (HQ)He killed ten thousand Edomites in ^(HR)the Valley of Salt, and took ^[bu]Sela by war, ^(HS)and called its name Joktheel to this day.

^8 (HT)Then Amaziah sent messengers to ^[bv]Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, “Come, let us face one another in battle.” ⁹ And Jehoash king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, ^(HU)“The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the ^(HV)cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son as wife’; and a wild beast that was in Lebanon passed by and trampled the thistle. ¹⁰ You have indeed defeated Edom, and ^(HW)your heart has ^[bw]lifted you up. Glory in that, and stay at home; for why should you meddle with trouble so that you fall—you and Judah with you?”

¹¹ But Amaziah would not heed. Therefore Jehoash king of Israel went out; so he and Amaziah king of Judah faced one another at ^(HX)Beth Shemesh, which belongs to Judah. ¹² And Judah was defeated by Israel, and every man fled to his tent. ¹³ Then Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash, the son of Ahaziah, at Beth Shemesh; and he went to Jerusalem, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from ^(HY)the Gate of Ephraim to ^(HZ)the Corner Gate—^[bx]four hundred cubits. ¹⁴ And he took all ^(IA)the gold and silver, all the articles that were found in the house of the Lord and in the treasuries of the king’s house, and hostages, and returned to Samaria.

^15 (IB)Now the rest of the acts of Jehoash which he did—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 ^[by]rested with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. Then Jeroboam his son reigned in his place.

^17 (IC)Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, lived fifteen years after the death of Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel. ¹⁸ Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? ¹⁹ And ^(ID)they formed a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to ^(IE)Lachish; but they sent after him to Lachish and killed him there. ²⁰ Then they brought him on horses, and he was buried at Jerusalem with his fathers in the City of David.

²¹ And all the people of Judah took ^(IF)Azariah,^[bz] who was sixteen years old, and made him king instead of his father Amaziah. ²² He built ^(IG)Elath^[ca] and restored it to Judah, after ^[cb]the king rested with his fathers.

Jeroboam II Reigns in Israel

²³ In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, became king in Samaria, and reigned forty-one years. ²⁴ And he did evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not depart from all the ^(IH)sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin. ²⁵ He ^(II)restored the ^[cc]territory of Israel ^(IJ)from the entrance of Hamath to ^(IK)the^[cd] Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the Lord God of Israel, which He had spoken through His servant ^(IL)Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet who was from ^(IM)Gath Hepher. ²⁶ For the Lord ^(IN)saw that the affliction of Israel was very bitter; and whether bond or free, ^(IO)there was no helper for Israel. ^27 (IP)And the Lord did not say that He would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven; but He saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.

²⁸ Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, and all that he did—his might, how he made war, and how he recaptured for Israel, from ^(IQ)Damascus and Hamath, ^(IR)what had belonged to Judah—are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? ²⁹ So Jeroboam ^[ce]rested with his fathers, the kings of Israel. Then ^(IS)Zechariah his son reigned in his place.

Solomon’s Love for a Shulamite Girl

1 The ^(A)song of songs, which is Solomon’s.

The Banquet

The ^[a]Shulamite

The Daughters of Jerusalem

The Shulamite

The Daughters of Jerusalem

The Shulamite

(To Her Beloved)

The Beloved

The Daughters of Jerusalem

The Shulamite

The Beloved

The Shulamite

A Country Girl in a Palace

The Beloved

The Shulamite

The Shulamite to the Daughters of Jerusalem

The Beloved’s Request

The Shulamite

Her Brothers

The Shulamite

(To Her Beloved)

A Troubled Night

The Shulamite

The Coming of Solomon

The Shulamite

The Bridegroom Praises the Bride

The Beloved

The Shulamite