2 Kings 1-17

New American Standard Bible 1995

Ahaziah’s Messengers Meet Elijah

1 Now ^(A)Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab. ² And Ahaziah fell through the 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 thus says the Lord, ‘^[a](F)You shall not come down from the bed where you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’” Then Elijah departed.

⁵ When the messengers returned to him he said to them, “^[b]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, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending ^(G)to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore ^[c]you shall not come down from the bed where you have gone up, but shall surely die.’”’” ⁷ He said to them, “What kind of man was he who came up to meet you and spoke these words to you?” ⁸ They ^[d]answered him, “^(H)He was a hairy man with a leather girdle ^[e]bound about his loins.” And he said, “It is Elijah the Tishbite.”

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

¹¹ So he again sent to him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he said to him, “O man of God, thus says the king, ‘Come down quickly.’” ¹² Elijah replied to them, “If I am a man of God, let 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.

¹³ So he ^(L)again sent the captain of a third fifty with his fifty. 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, “O 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 ^[f]life be precious in your sight.” ^15 (M)The angel of the Lord said to Elijah, “Go down with him; ^(N)do not be afraid of him.” So he arose and went down with him to the king. ¹⁶ Then he said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Because 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 ^[g]you shall not come down from the bed where you have gone up, but shall surely die.’”

Jehoram Reigns over Israel

¹⁷ So Ahaziah died according to the word of the Lord which Elijah had spoken. And because 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 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 And it came about when the Lord was about to ^(Q)take up Elijah by a ^[h]whirlwind to heaven, that Elijah went with ^(R)Elisha from ^(S)Gilgal. ² Elijah said to Elisha, “^(T)Stay here please, for the Lord has sent me as far as ^(U)Bethel.” But Elisha said, “^(V)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 came out to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that the Lord will take away your master from over ^[i]you today?” And he said, “Yes, I know; be still.”

⁴ Elijah said to him, “Elisha, please ^(X)stay here, for the Lord has sent me to ^(Y)Jericho.” But he said, “^(Z)As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they came to Jericho. ^5 (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 ^[j]you today?” And he ^[k]answered, “Yes, I know; be still.” ⁶ Then Elijah said to him, “Please ^(AC)stay here, for the Lord has sent me to ^(AD)the Jordan.” And he said, “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 Elijah ^(AF)took his mantle and folded it together 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 what I shall 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 As they were going along and talking, behold, there appeared ^(AJ)a chariot of fire and horses of fire which separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a ^[l]whirlwind to heaven. ¹² Elisha saw it and cried out, “^(AK)My father, my father, the ^[m]chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” And he saw ^[n]Elijah no more. Then ^(AL)he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces. ¹³ He also took up the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and returned and stood by the bank of the Jordan. ¹⁴ He took the mantle of Elijah that fell 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 rests on Elisha.” And they came to meet him and bowed themselves to the ground before him. ¹⁶ They said to him, “Behold now, there are with your servants fifty strong men, please let them go and search for your master; perhaps ^(AO)the Spirit of the Lord has taken him up and cast him on some mountain or into some valley.” And he said, “You shall not send.” ¹⁷ But when ^(AP)they urged him until he was ashamed, he said, “Send.” They sent therefore fifty men; and they searched three days but did not find him. ¹⁸ They returned to him while he was staying at 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 situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord sees; but the water is bad and the land ^[o]is unfruitful.” ²⁰ He said, “Bring me a new jar, and put salt ^[p]in it.” So they brought it to him. ²¹ He went out to the spring of water and ^(AQ)threw salt ^[q]in it and said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘I have ^[r]purified these waters; there shall not be from there death or ^[s]unfruitfulness any longer.’” ²² So the waters have been ^[t]purified to this day, according to the word of Elisha which he spoke.

²³ Then he went up from there to Bethel; and as he was going up by the way, young lads came out from the city and ^(AR)mocked 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 lads of ^[u]their number. ²⁵ He went from there to ^(AT)Mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria.

Jehoram Meets Moab 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 reigned twelve years. ² He did evil in the sight of the Lord, though not like his father and his mother; for ^(AV)he put away the sacred pillar of Baal ^(AW)which his father had made. ³ Nevertheless, ^(AX)he clung to the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, ^(AY)which he made Israel sin; he did not depart from them.

⁴ Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheep breeder, and ^(AZ)used to pay the king of Israel 100,000 lambs and the wool of 100,000 rams. ⁵ But ^(BA)when Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. ⁶ And King Jehoram went out of Samaria ^[v]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 rebelled against me. Will you go with me to fight against Moab?” And he said, “I will go up; ^(BB)I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.” ⁸ He said, “Which way shall we go up?” And he ^[w]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, and there was no water for the army or for the cattle that followed them. ¹⁰ Then the king of Israel said, “Alas! For the Lord has called these three kings to give them into the hand of Moab.” ¹¹ But Jehoshaphat said, “^(BF)Is there not a 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 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, “What do I have to do with you? ^(BI)Go to the prophets of your father and to the prophets of your mother.” And the king of Israel said to him, “No, for the Lord has called these three kings together to give them into the hand of Moab.” ¹⁴ Elisha said, “^(BJ)As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look at you nor see you. ¹⁵ But now ^(BK)bring me a minstrel.” And it came about, when the minstrel played, that ^(BL)the hand of the Lord came upon him. ¹⁶ He said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Make this valley full of trenches.’ ¹⁷ For thus says the Lord, ‘You shall not see wind nor shall you see rain; yet that valley ^(BM)shall be filled with water, so that you shall drink, both you and your cattle and your beasts. ¹⁸ This is but a ^(BN)slight 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 fell every good tree and stop all springs of water, and mar every good piece of land with stones.’” ²⁰ It happened in the morning ^(BP)about the time of offering the sacrifice, that behold, water came by the way 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 ^[x]put on armor and older were summoned and stood on the border. ²² They rose early in the morning, and the sun shone on the water, and the Moabites saw the water opposite them as red as blood. ²³ Then they said, “This is blood; the kings have surely fought together, and they have slain one another. Now therefore, Moab, to the spoil!” ²⁴ But when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites arose and struck the Moabites, so that they fled before them; and they went forward ^[y]into the land, ^[z]slaughtering the Moabites. ^25 (BQ)Thus they destroyed the cities; and each one threw a stone on every piece of good land and filled it. So they stopped all the springs of water and felled all the good trees, until in ^(BR)Kir-hareseth only they left its stones; however, the slingers went about it and struck it. ²⁶ When the king of Moab saw that the battle was too fierce for him, he took with him 700 men who drew swords, to break through to the king of Edom; but they could not. ²⁷ Then he took his oldest son who was to reign in his place, and ^(BS)offered him as a burnt offering on the wall. And there came great wrath against Israel, and they departed from him and returned to their own land.

The Widow’s Oil

4 Now a certain woman of the wives of ^(BT)the sons of the prophets cried out to ^[aa]Elisha, “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 Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house except ^(BV)a jar of oil.” ³ Then he said, “Go, borrow vessels at large for yourself from all your neighbors, even empty vessels; do not get a few. ⁴ And you shall go in and shut the door behind you and your sons, and pour out into all these vessels, and you shall set aside what is full.” ⁵ So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons; they were bringing the vessels to her and she poured. ⁶ When ^(BW)the vessels were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not one vessel more.” And the oil stopped. ⁷ Then 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 there came a day when Elisha passed over to ^(BY)Shunem, where there was a ^[ab]prominent woman, and she persuaded him to eat ^[ac]food. And so it was, as often as he passed by, he turned in there to eat ^[ad]food. ⁹ She said to her husband, “Behold now, I perceive that this is a holy ^(BZ)man of God passing by us continually. ¹⁰ Please, let us ^(CA)make a little walled upper chamber and let us set a bed for him there, and a table and a chair and a lampstand; and it shall be, when he comes to us, that he can turn in there.”

^11 [ae]One day he came there and turned in to the upper chamber and ^[af]rested. ¹² Then he said to ^(CB)Gehazi his servant, “Call this Shunammite.” And when he had called her, she stood before him. ¹³ He said to him, “Say now to her, ‘Behold, you have been ^[ag]careful for us with all this ^[ah]care; what can I do for you? Would you be spoken for to the king or to the captain of the army?’” And she ^[ai]answered, “I live among my own people.” ¹⁴ So he said, “What then is to be done for her?” And Gehazi ^[aj]answered, “Truly she has no son and her husband is old.” ¹⁵ He said, “Call her.” When he had called her, she stood in the doorway. ¹⁶ Then he said, “^(CC)At this season ^[ak]next year you will embrace a son.” And she said, “No, my lord, O man of God, ^(CD)do not lie to your maidservant.”

¹⁷ The woman conceived and bore a son at that season ^[al]the next year, as Elisha had said to 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 He said to his father, “My head, my head.” And he said to his servant, “Carry him to his mother.” ²⁰ When he had taken him and brought him to his mother, he sat on her ^[am]lap until noon, and then died. ²¹ She went up and ^(CE)laid him on the bed of ^(CF)the man of God, and shut the door behind him and went out. ²² Then she called to her husband and said, “Please send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys, that I may run to the man of God and return.” ²³ He said, “Why will you go to him today? It is neither ^(CG)new moon nor sabbath.” And she said, “It will be well.” ²⁴ Then she saddled a donkey and said to her servant, “Drive and go forward; do not slow down ^[an]the pace for me unless I tell you.” ²⁵ So she went and came to the man of God to ^(CH)Mount Carmel.

When the man of God saw her at a distance, he said to Gehazi his servant, “Behold, ^[ao]there is the Shunammite. ²⁶ Please run now to meet her and say to her, ‘Is it well with you? Is it well with your husband? Is it well with the child?’” And she ^[ap]answered, “It is well.” ²⁷ When she came to the man of God ^(CI)to the hill, she caught hold of his feet. And Gehazi came near to push her away; but the man of God said, “Let her alone, for her soul is ^[aq]troubled within her; and the Lord has hidden it from me and has not told me.” ²⁸ Then she said, “Did I ask for a son from my lord? Did I not say, ‘^(CJ)Do not deceive me’?”

²⁹ Then he said to Gehazi, “^(CK)Gird up your loins and ^(CL)take my staff in your hand, and go your way; if you meet any man, do not ^(CM)salute him, and if anyone salutes you, do not answer him; and ^(CN)lay my staff on the lad’s face.” ³⁰ The mother of the lad said, “^(CO)As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” And he arose and followed her. ³¹ Then Gehazi passed on before them and laid the staff on the lad’s face, but there was no sound or ^[ar]response. So he returned to meet him and told ^[as]him, “The lad ^(CP)has not awakened.”

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

The Poisonous Stew

³⁸ When Elisha returned to ^(CU)Gilgal, there was ^(CV)a famine in the land. ^[at]As ^(CW)the sons of the prophets ^(CX)were sitting before 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 herbs, and found a wild vine and gathered from it his lap full of wild gourds, and came and sliced them into the pot of stew, for they did not know what they were. ⁴⁰ So they poured it out for the men to eat. And as they were eating of the stew, they cried out and said, “O man of God, there is ^(CZ)death in the pot.” And they were unable to eat. ⁴¹ But he said, “Now bring meal.” ^(DA)He threw it into the pot and said, “Pour it out for the people that they may eat.” Then there was no harm 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 ears of grain in his sack. And he said, “^(DB)Give them to the people that they may eat.” ⁴³ His attendant said, “What, ^(DC)will I set this before a hundred men?” But he said, “Give them to the people that they may eat, for thus says the Lord, ‘They shall eat and have some left over.’” ⁴⁴ So he set it before them, and they ate and ^(DD)had some left over, according to the word of the Lord.

Naaman Is Healed

5 Now ^(DE)Naaman, captain of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man ^[au]with his master, and highly respected, because by him the Lord had given victory to Aram. The man was also a valiant warrior, but he was a leper. ² Now the Arameans had gone out ^(DF)in bands and had taken captive a little girl from the land of Israel; and she ^[av]waited on Naaman’s wife. ³ She said to her mistress, “I wish that my master were ^[aw]with the prophet who is in Samaria! Then he would cure him of his leprosy.” ^4 [ax]Naaman went in and told his master, saying, “Thus and thus spoke the girl who is from the land of Israel.” ⁵ Then the king of Aram said, “Go ^[ay]now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” He departed and ^(DG)took with him ten talents of silver and six thousand shekels of gold and ten ^(DH)changes of clothes.

⁶ He brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, “And now as this letter comes to you, behold, I have sent Naaman my servant to you, that you may cure him of his leprosy.” ⁷ When the king of Israel read the letter, ^(DI)he tore his clothes and said, “^(DJ)Am I God, to kill and to make 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 ^[az]a quarrel against me.”

⁸ 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 have you torn your clothes? Now let him come to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.” ⁹ So Naaman came with his horses and his chariots and stood at the doorway of the house of Elisha. ¹⁰ 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 said, “Behold, I ^[ba]thought, ‘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 cure the leper.’ ¹² Are not ^[bb]Abanah and 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 ^(DN)went away in a rage. ^13 (DO)Then his servants came near and spoke to him and said, “^(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 seven times in the Jordan, according to 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 When he returned to the man of God ^[bc]with all his company, and came and stood before him, he said, “Behold now, ^(DS)I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel; so please ^(DT)take a ^[bd]present from your servant now.” ¹⁶ But he said, “^(DU)As the Lord lives, before whom I stand, ^(DV)I will take nothing.” And he urged him to take it, but he refused. ¹⁷ Naaman said, “If not, please let your servant at least be given two mules’ load of ^(DW)earth; for your servant will no longer offer burnt offering nor will he sacrifice to other gods, but to the Lord. ¹⁸ In this matter may the Lord pardon your servant: when my master goes into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and ^(DX)he leans on my hand and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, when I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, the Lord pardon your servant in this matter.” ¹⁹ He said to him, “^(DY)Go in peace.” So he departed from him some distance.

²⁰ But ^(DZ)Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, ^[be]thought, “Behold, my master has spared this Naaman the Aramean, ^[bf]by not receiving from his hands 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 one running after him, he came down from the chariot to meet him and said, “Is all well?” ²² He said, “^(EB)All 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 pleased to take two talents.” And he urged him, and bound 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 ^[bg]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 not my heart go with you, when the man turned from his chariot to meet you? ^(EH)Is it a time to receive money and to receive clothes and olive groves and vineyards and sheep and oxen and male and female servants? ²⁷ Therefore, the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and to your ^[bh]descendants forever.” So he went out from his presence ^(EI)a leper as white as snow.

The Axe Head Recovered

6 Now ^(EJ)the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “Behold now, the place before you where we are living is too limited for us. ² Please let us go to the Jordan and each of us take from there a beam, and let us make a place there for ourselves where we may live.” So he said, “Go.” ³ Then one said, “Please be willing to go with your servants.” And he ^[bi]answered, “I shall go.” ⁴ So he went with them; and when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees. ⁵ But as one was felling a beam, ^[bj]the axe head fell into the water; and he cried out and said, “Alas, my master! For 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 He said, “Take it up for yourself.” So he put out his hand and took it.

The Arameans Plot to Capture Elisha

⁸ Now the king of Aram was warring against Israel; and he ^[bk]counseled with his servants saying, “In such and such a place shall be my camp.” ^9 (EL)The man of God sent word to the king of Israel saying, “Beware that you do not pass this place, for the Arameans are coming down there.” ¹⁰ The king of Israel sent to the place about which the man of God had told him; thus he warned him, so that he guarded himself there, ^[bl]more than once or twice.

¹¹ Now the heart of the king of Aram was enraged over this thing; and he called his servants and said to them, “Will you tell me which of us is for the king of Israel?” ¹² One of his servants said, “No, 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 take him.” And it was told him, saying, “Behold, he is in ^(EM)Dothan.” ¹⁴ He sent horses and chariots and a great 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, “Alas, my master! ^[bm]What shall we do?” ¹⁶ So he ^[bn]answered, “^(EN)Do not fear, for ^(EO)those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” ¹⁷ Then Elisha prayed and said, “^(EP)O Lord, I pray, open his eyes 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 When they came down to him, Elisha prayed to the Lord and said, “Strike this ^[bo]people with blindness, I pray.” So He ^(ER)struck them with blindness according to 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, “O ^(ES)Lord, open the eyes of these men, 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 ^[bp]kill them? Shall I ^[bq]kill them?” ²² He ^[br]answered, “You shall not ^[bs]kill them. Would you ^[bt](EU)kill those you have taken captive with your sword and with your bow? ^(EV)Set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink and go to their master.” ²³ So he prepared a great 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 king of Aram gathered all his army and went up and besieged Samaria. ²⁵ There was a great ^(EY)famine in Samaria; and behold, they besieged it, until a donkey’s head was sold for eighty shekels of silver, and a fourth of a ^[bu]kab of dove’s dung for five shekels of silver. ²⁶ As the king of Israel was passing by on the wall a woman cried out to him, saying, “Help, my lord, O king!” ²⁷ He said, “^[bv]If the Lord does not help you, from where shall I help you? From the threshing floor, or from the wine press?” ²⁸ And the king said to her, “^(EZ)What ^[bw]is the matter with you?” And she ^[bx]answered, “This woman said to me, ‘Give your son that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.’ ^29 (FA)So 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 When the king heard the words of the woman, ^(FB)he tore his clothes—now he was passing by on the wall—and the people looked, and behold, he had sackcloth ^[by]beneath on his ^[bz]body. ³¹ Then he said, “May ^(FC)God do so to me and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat ^[ca]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 to take away my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door and ^[cb]hold the door shut against him. Is not the sound of his master’s feet 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; thus says the Lord, ‘^(FG)Tomorrow about this time a ^[cc]measure of fine flour will be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.’” ^2 (FH)The royal officer on whose hand the king was leaning answered the man of God and said, “Behold, ^(FI)if the Lord should make windows in heaven, could this thing be?” Then he said, “Behold, you will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat ^[cd]of it.”

Four Lepers Relate Arameans’ Flight

³ Now there were four ^(FJ)leprous men at the entrance of the gate; and they said to one another, “Why do we sit 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; and if we sit here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let us ^[ce]go over to ^(FK)the camp of the Arameans. If they spare us, we will live; and if they kill us, we will but die.” ⁵ They arose 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 caused the army of the Arameans to hear a sound of chariots and a sound of horses, even the sound of a great army, so that they said to one another, “Behold, the king of Israel has hired against us ^(FM)the kings of the Hittites and ^(FN)the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us.” ⁷ Therefore they ^(FO)arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents and their horses and their donkeys, even the camp just as it was, and fled for their life. ⁸ When these lepers came to the outskirts of the camp, they entered one tent and ate and drank, and ^(FP)carried from there silver and gold and clothes, and went and hid them; and they returned and entered another tent and carried from there also, and went and hid them.

⁹ Then they said to one another, “We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news, but we are keeping silent; if we wait until morning light, punishment will ^[cf]overtake us. Now therefore come, let us go and tell the king’s household.” ¹⁰ So they came and called to the gatekeepers of the city, and they told them, saying, “We came to the camp of the Arameans, and behold, there was no one there, nor the voice of man, only the horses tied and the donkeys tied, and the tents just as they were.” ¹¹ The gatekeepers called and told it within the king’s household. ¹² Then the king arose 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; therefore they have gone from 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 said, “Please, let some men take five of the horses which remain, which are left ^[cg]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 in any case like all the multitude of Israel who have already perished, so let us send and see.” ¹⁴ They took therefore two chariots with horses, and the king sent 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 in their haste. Then the messengers returned and told the king.

¹⁶ So the people went out and plundered the camp of the Arameans. Then a ^[ch]measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel and two ^[ci]measures of barley for a shekel, ^(FS)according to the word of the Lord. ¹⁷ Now the king appointed ^(FT)the royal officer on whose hand he leaned ^[cj]to have 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 It happened just as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, “^(FV)Two ^[ck]measures of barley for a shekel and a ^[cl]measure of fine flour for a shekel, will be sold tomorrow about this time at the gate of Samaria.” ¹⁹ Then the royal officer answered the man of God and said, “Now behold, ^(FW)if the Lord should make windows in heaven, could such a thing be?” And he said, “Behold, you will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat ^[cm]of it.” ²⁰ And so it 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 ^[cn]with your household, and sojourn wherever you can sojourn; for the ^(FY)Lord has called for a famine, and ^(FZ)it will even come on the land for seven years.” ² So the woman arose and did according to the word of the man of God, and she went with her household and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years. ³ At the end of seven years, the woman returned from the land of the Philistines; and she went out to ^[co]appeal to the king for her house and for her field. ⁴ Now the king was talking with ^(GA)Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, saying, “Please relate to me all the great things that Elisha has done.” ⁵ As he was relating 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 ^[cp]appealed to the king for her house and for her field. And Gehazi said, “My lord, O king, this is the woman and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life.” ⁶ When the king asked the woman, she related it to him. So the king appointed for her a certain officer, 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 king of Aram was sick, and it was told him, saying, “^(GE)The man of God has come here.” ⁸ 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 surely recover,’ but the ^(GK)Lord has shown me that he will certainly die.” ¹¹ He ^[cq]fixed his gaze steadily on him ^(GL)until he was ashamed, and ^(GM)the man of God wept. ¹² Hazael said, “Why does my lord weep?” Then he ^[cr]answered, “Because ^(GN)I know the evil that you will do to the sons of Israel: their strongholds you will set on fire, and their young men you will kill with the sword, and their little ones you ^(GO)will dash in pieces, and their women with child you will rip up.” ¹³ Then Hazael said, “But what is your servant, ^(GP)who is but a dog, that he should do this great thing?” And Elisha ^[cs]answered, “^(GQ)The Lord has shown me that you will be king over Aram.” ¹⁴ So he departed from Elisha and returned to his master, who said to him, “What did Elisha say to you?” And he ^[ct]answered, “He told me that ^(GR)you would surely recover.” ¹⁵ On the following day, he took the cover and dipped it in water and spread it on 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, Jehoshaphat being then 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 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)the daughter of Ahab became his wife; and he did evil in the sight of the Lord. ¹⁹ However, the Lord was not willing to destroy Judah, for the sake of David His servant, ^(GW)since He had ^[cu]promised him to give a ^[cv]lamp to him through his sons always.

²⁰ In his days ^(GX)Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah, and made a king over themselves. ²¹ Then Joram crossed over to Zair, and all his chariots with him. And he arose by night and struck the Edomites who had surrounded him and the captains of the chariots; ^(GY)but his ^[cw]army fled to their tents. ^22 (GZ)So Edom revolted ^[cx]against Judah to this day. Then ^(HA)Libnah revolted at the same time. ²³ 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?

Ahaziah Succeeds Jehoram in Judah

²⁴ So Joram slept with his fathers and ^(HB)was buried with his fathers in the city of David; and ^(HC)Ahaziah his son 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 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 had done, 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 ^[cy]wounded Joram. ²⁹ So ^(HI)King Joram returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Arameans had ^[cz]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 called one of ^(HL)the sons of the prophets and said to him, “^(HM)Gird up your loins, and ^(HN)take this flask of oil in your hand and go to ^(HO)Ramoth-gilead. ² When you arrive there, ^[da]search out ^(HP)Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi, and go in and ^[db](HQ)bid him arise 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, ‘Thus says the Lord, “^(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 came, behold, the captains of the army were sitting, and he said, “I have a word for you, O captain.” And Jehu said, “^[dc]For which one of us?” And he said, “For you, O captain.” ⁶ He arose and went into the house, and he poured the oil on his head and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘^(HT)I have anointed you king over the people of the Lord, even over Israel. ⁷ You shall strike the house of Ahab your master, ^(HU)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 whole house of Ahab shall perish, and ^(HX)I will cut off from Ahab ^(HY)every male person ^(HZ)both bond 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 shall eat Jezebel in the territory of Jezreel, and none shall bury her.’” Then he opened the door and fled.

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

Jehoram (Joram) Is Assassinated

¹⁴ So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi conspired against Joram. ^(IH)Now Joram ^[dd]with all Israel was ^[de]defending Ramoth-gilead against Hazael king of Aram, ¹⁵ but ^(II)King ^[df]Joram had returned to Jezreel to be healed of the wounds which the Arameans had ^[dg]inflicted on him when he fought with Hazael king of Aram. So Jehu said, “If this is your mind, then let no one escape or ^[dh]leave the city to go tell it in Jezreel.” ¹⁶ Then Jehu rode in a chariot and went to Jezreel, for Joram was lying there. ^(IJ)Ahaziah king of Judah had come down to see Joram.

¹⁷ Now the watchman was standing on the tower in Jezreel and he saw the ^[di]company of Jehu as he came, and said, “I see a ^[dj]company.” And Joram said, “Take a horseman and send him to meet them and let him say, ‘Is it peace?’” ¹⁸ So a horseman went to meet him and said, “Thus says the king, ‘Is it peace?’” And Jehu said, “^(IK)What have you to do with peace? Turn behind me.” And the watchman ^[dk]reported, “The messenger came to them, but he did not return.” ¹⁹ Then he sent out a second horseman, who came to them and said, “Thus says the king, ‘Is it peace?’” And Jehu ^[dl]answered, “What have you to do with peace? Turn behind me.” ²⁰ The watchman ^[dm]reported, “He came even to them, and he did not return; and ^(IL)the driving is like the driving of ^(IM)Jehu the son of Nimshi, for he drives furiously.”

²¹ Then ^[dn]Joram said, “^[do]Get ready.” And they made his chariot ready. ^[dp](IN)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 in the ^[dq](IO)property of Naboth the Jezreelite. ²² When ^[dr]Joram saw Jehu, he said, “Is it peace, Jehu?” And he ^[ds]answered, “What peace, ^(IP)so long as the harlotries of your mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many?” ²³ So ^[dt]Joram ^[du]reined about and fled and said to Ahaziah, “^(IQ)There is treachery, O Ahaziah!” ²⁴ And ^(IR)Jehu ^[dv]drew his bow with his full strength and ^[dw]shot ^[dx]Joram between his arms; and the arrow went ^[dy]through his heart and he sank in his chariot. ²⁵ Then Jehu said to Bidkar his officer, “Take him up and ^(IS)cast him into the ^[dz]property of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite, for I remember when ^[ea]you and I were riding together after Ahab his father, that the ^(IT)Lord laid this ^(IU)oracle against him: ²⁶ ‘Surely ^(IV)I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons,’ says the Lord, ‘and ^(IW)I will repay you in this ^[eb]property,’ says the Lord. Now then, take and cast him into the ^[ec]property, according to the word of the Lord.”

Jehu Assassinates Ahaziah

^27 (IX)When Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this, he fled by the way of the garden house. And Jehu pursued him and said, “^[ed]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 of it, and ^(JB)she painted her eyes and adorned her head and looked out the window. ³¹ As Jehu entered the gate, she said, “^(JC)Is it ^[ee]well, Zimri, ^[ef]your master’s murderer?” ³² Then he lifted up his face to the window and said, “Who is on my side? Who?” And two or three officials looked down at him.

Jezebel Is Slain

³³ He said, “Throw her down.” So they threw her down, and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall and on the horses, and he trampled her under foot. 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 They went to bury her, but they found nothing more of her than the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands. ³⁶ Therefore they returned and told him. And he said, “This is the word of the Lord, which He spoke by His servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ‘^(JF)In the ^[eg]property of Jezreel the dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel; ³⁷ and ^(JG)the corpse of Jezebel will be as dung on the face of the field in the ^[eh]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 rulers of Jezreel, the elders, and to the guardians of the children of Ahab, saying, ² “Now, ^(JI)when this letter comes to you, since your master’s sons are with you, ^[ei]as well as the chariots and horses and a fortified city and the weapons, ³ select the best and ^[ej]fittest of your master’s sons, and set 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 before him; how then can we stand?” ⁵ And the one who was over the household, and he who was over the city, the elders, and the guardians of the children, sent word to Jehu, saying, “^(JK)We are your servants, all that you say to us we will do, we will not make any man king; do what is good in your sight.” ⁶ Then he wrote a letter to them a second time saying, “If you are on my side, and you will listen to my voice, take the heads of the men, your master’s sons, and come to me at Jezreel tomorrow about this time.” Now the king’s sons, seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, who were rearing them. ⁷ When the letter came to them, they took the king’s sons and ^(JL)slaughtered them, seventy persons, and put their heads in baskets, and sent them to him at Jezreel. ⁸ When the messenger came and told 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 ^[ek]innocent; behold, ^(JM)I conspired against my master and killed him, but ^(JN)who ^[el]killed all these? ¹⁰ Know then that ^(JO)there shall fall to the earth nothing of the word of the Lord, which the Lord spoke concerning the house of Ahab, for the Lord has done ^(JP)what He spoke ^[em]through His servant Elijah.” ¹¹ So Jehu ^[en]killed all who remained of the house of Ahab in ^(JQ)Jezreel, and all his great men and his acquaintances and his priests, until he left him without a survivor.

¹² Then he arose and departed and went to Samaria. On the way while he was at ^[eo]Beth-eked of the shepherds, ^13 (JR)Jehu ^[ep]met the ^[eq]relatives of Ahaziah king of Judah and said, “Who are you?” And they ^[er]answered, “We are the ^[es]relatives of Ahaziah; and we have come down ^[et]to greet the sons of the king and the sons of the queen mother.” ¹⁴ He said, “Take them alive.” So they took them alive and killed them at the pit of Beth-eked, forty-two men; and he left none of them.

¹⁵ Now when he had departed from there, he ^[eu]met ^(JS)Jehonadab the son of ^(JT)Rechab coming to meet him; and he ^[ev]greeted him and said to him, “Is your heart right, as my heart is with your heart?” And Jehonadab ^[ew]answered, “It is.” Jehu said, “If it is, ^(JU)give me your hand.” And he gave him his hand, and he took him up to him into the chariot. ¹⁶ He said, “Come with me and ^(JV)see my zeal for the Lord.” So ^[ex]he made him ride in his chariot. ¹⁷ When he came to Samaria, ^(JW)he ^[ey]killed all who remained to Ahab in Samaria, until he had destroyed him, ^(JX)according to 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 all the prophets of Baal, all his worshipers 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 did it in ^[ez]cunning, so that he might destroy the worshipers of Baal. ²⁰ And Jehu said, “^(KA)Sanctify a solemn assembly for Baal.” And ^(KB)they proclaimed it. ²¹ Then Jehu sent ^[fa]throughout Israel and all the worshipers of Baal came, so that there was not a man left who did not come. And when they went into ^(KC)the house of Baal, the house of Baal was filled from one end to the other. ²² He said to the one who was ^[fb]in charge of the wardrobe, “Bring out garments for all the worshipers of Baal.” So he brought out garments for them. ²³ Jehu went into the house of Baal with Jehonadab the son of Rechab; and he said to the worshipers of Baal, “Search and see that there is here with you none of the servants of the Lord, but only the worshipers of Baal.” ²⁴ Then they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings.

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

²⁵ Then it came about, as soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, that Jehu said to the ^[fd](KE)guard and to the royal officers, “^(KF)Go in, ^[fe]kill them; let none come out.” And they ^[ff]killed them with the edge of the sword; and the ^[fg]guard and the royal officers threw them out, and went to the ^[fh]inner room of the house of Baal. ²⁶ They brought out the sacred ^(KG)pillars of the house of Baal and burned them. ²⁷ They also broke down the sacred pillar of Baal and broke down the house of Baal, and ^(KH)made it a latrine to this day.

²⁸ Thus Jehu eradicated Baal out of Israel. ²⁹ However, ^(KI)as for the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel sin, from these Jehu did not depart, even the ^(KJ)golden calves that were at Bethel and that were at Dan. ³⁰ The Lord said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in executing what is right in My eyes, and have done to the house of Ahab according to all that was in My heart, ^(KK)your sons of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.” ³¹ But Jehu ^[fi](KL)was not careful to walk in the law of the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart; ^(KM)he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam, which he made Israel sin.

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

Jehoahaz Succeeds Jehu

³⁴ Now the rest of the acts of Jehu and all 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 slept with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria. And Jehoahaz his son became king in his place. ³⁶ Now the ^[fl]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 rose and destroyed all the royal ^[fm]offspring. ² But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram, sister of Ahaziah, ^(KS)took Joash the son of Ahaziah and stole him from among the king’s sons who were being put to death, and placed him and his nurse in the bedroom. So they hid him from Athaliah, and he was not put to death. ³ So he was hidden with her in the house of the Lord six years, while Athaliah was reigning over the land.

^4 (KT)Now in the seventh year Jehoiada sent and brought the captains of hundreds of ^(KU)the Carites and of the ^[fn]guard, and brought them to him in the house of the Lord. Then he made a covenant with them and put them under oath in the house of the Lord, and showed them the king’s son. ⁵ He commanded them, saying, “This is the thing that you shall do: ^(KV)one third of you, who come in on the sabbath and keep watch over the king’s house ⁶ (one third also shall be at the gate Sur, and one third at the gate behind the ^[fo]guards), ^[fp]shall keep watch over the house for defense. ⁷ Two parts of you, even 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)be with the king when he goes out and when he comes in.”

⁹ So the captains of hundreds ^(KX)did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded. And each one of them took his men who were to come in on the sabbath, with those who were to go out on the sabbath, and came to Jehoiada the priest. ^10 (KY)The priest gave to the captains of hundreds the spears and shields that had been King David’s, which were in the house of the Lord. ¹¹ The ^[fq]guards stood each with his weapons in his hand, from the right ^[fr]side of the house to the left ^[fs]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 guard and of the people, she came to the people in the house of the Lord. ¹⁴ She looked and behold, the king was standing ^(LD)by the pillar, according to the custom, with the captains and the ^[ft]trumpeters beside the king; and ^(LE)all the people of the land rejoiced and blew trumpets. Then Athaliah ^(LF)tore her clothes and cried, “^(LG)Treason! Treason!” ¹⁵ And Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains of hundreds who were appointed over the army and said to them, “Bring her out ^[fu]between the ranks, and whoever follows her put to death with the sword.” For the priest said, “Let her not be put to death in the house of the Lord.” ¹⁶ So they ^[fv]seized her, and when she arrived at 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 and the king and the people, that they would be the Lord’s people, also ^(LJ)between the king and the people. ¹⁸ All the people of the land went to ^(LK)the house of Baal, and tore it down; ^(LL)his altars and his images they broke in pieces thoroughly, and ^(LM)killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. And the priest appointed ^[fw]officers over the house of the Lord. ¹⁹ He took the captains of hundreds and the ^(LN)Carites and the ^[fx]guards and all the people of the land; and they brought the king down from the house of the Lord, and came by the way of ^(LO)the gate of the ^[fy]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 quiet. For they had put Athaliah to death with the sword at the king’s house.

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

Joash (Jehoash) Reigns over Judah

12 In the seventh year of Jehu, ^(LR)Jehoash became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Zibiah of Beersheba. ² Jehoash did right in the sight of the Lord all his days in which Jehoiada the priest instructed him. ³ Only ^(LS)the high places were not taken away; 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 things ^(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 ^[ga]which any man’s heart prompts him to bring into the house of the Lord, ⁵ let the priests take it for themselves, each from his acquaintance; and they shall repair the ^[gb]damages of the house wherever any damage may be found.”

⁶ But it came about that in the twenty-third year of King Jehoash ^(LV)the priests had not repaired the damages of the house. ⁷ Then King Jehoash called for Jehoiada the priest, and for the other priests and said to them, “Why do you not repair the damages of the house? Now therefore take no more money from your acquaintances, but pay it for the damages of the house.” ⁸ So the priests agreed that they would take no more money from the people, nor repair the damages of the house.

⁹ But ^(LW)Jehoiada the priest took a chest and bored 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 which was brought into the house of the Lord. ¹⁰ When they saw that there was much money in the chest, ^(LX)the king’s scribe and the high priest came up and tied it in bags and counted the money which was found in the house of the Lord. ¹¹ They gave the money which was weighed out into the hands of those who did the work, who had the oversight of the house of the Lord; and they ^[gc]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 hewn stone to repair the damages to the house of the Lord, and for all that was ^[gd]laid out for the house to repair it. ¹³ But ^(LZ)there were not made for the house of the Lord ^(MA)silver cups, snuffers, bowls, trumpets, any vessels of gold, or vessels 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 hand they gave the money to pay to those who did the work, for they dealt 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 was for the priests.

¹⁷ Then ^(MF)Hazael king of Aram went up and fought against Gath and captured it, and ^(MG)Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem. ^18 (MH)Jehoash king of Judah took all the sacred things that Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and ^(MI)his own sacred things 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 went away from Jerusalem.

Joash (Jehoash) Succeeded by Amaziah in Judah

¹⁹ Now the rest of the acts of Joash and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? ^20 (MJ)His servants arose and made a conspiracy and ^(MK)struck down 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 ^(MN)Amaziah his son 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 seventeen years. ² He did evil in the sight of the Lord, and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, ^(MO)with which he made Israel sin; he did not turn from them. ^3 (MP)So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and He gave them continually into the hand of ^(MQ)Hazael king of Aram, and into the hand of ^(MR)Ben-hadad the son of Hazael. ⁴ Then ^(MS)Jehoahaz entreated the favor of the Lord, and the Lord listened to him; for ^(MT)He saw the oppression of Israel, how the king of Aram oppressed them. ⁵ The Lord gave Israel a ^[ge](MU)deliverer, so that they ^[gf]escaped from under the hand of the Arameans; and the sons of Israel lived in their tents as formerly. ⁶ Nevertheless they did not turn away from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, ^(MV)with which he made Israel sin, but walked in ^[gg]them; and ^(MW)the Asherah also remained standing in Samaria. ⁷ For he left to Jehoahaz of the ^[gh]army not more than fifty horsemen and ten chariots and 10,000 footmen, for the king of Aram had destroyed them and ^(MX)made them like the dust at threshing. ⁸ Now 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 slept with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria; and Joash his son became king in his place.

¹⁰ In the thirty-seventh year of Joash king of Judah, Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz became king over Israel in Samaria, and reigned 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, with which he made Israel sin, but he walked in ^[gi]them. ^12 (MY)Now 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 slept 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 ^[gj]became sick with the illness of which he was to die, Joash the king of Israel came down to him and wept over ^[gk]him and said, “^(MZ)My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” ¹⁵ Elisha said to him, “Take a bow and arrows.” So he ^[gl]took a bow and arrows. ¹⁶ Then he said to the king of Israel, “Put your hand on the bow.” And he put his hand on it, then Elisha laid his hands on the king’s hands. ¹⁷ He said, “Open the window toward the east,” and he opened it. Then Elisha said, “Shoot!” And he shot. And he said, “The Lord’s arrow of victory, even the arrow of victory over Aram; for you will ^[gm]defeat the Arameans at ^(NA)Aphek until you have ^[gn]destroyed 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 ^[go]stopped. ¹⁹ So ^(NB)the man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck five or six times, then you would have struck Aram until you would have ^[gp]destroyed it. But now you shall strike Aram ^(NC)only three times.”

²⁰ Elisha died, and they buried him. Now ^(ND)the bands of the Moabites would invade the land in the spring of the year. ²¹ As they were burying a man, behold, they saw a marauding band; and they cast the man into the grave of Elisha. And when the man ^[gq]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 would not destroy them or cast them from His presence until now.

²⁴ When Hazael king of Aram died, Ben-hadad his son became king in his place. ²⁵ Then ^(NJ)Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz took again from the hand of Ben-hadad the son of Hazael the cities which he had taken in war from the hand of Jehoahaz his father. ^(NK)Three times Joash ^[gr]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 twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jehoaddin of Jerusalem. ³ He did right in the sight of the Lord, yet not like David his father; he did according to all that Joash his father had done. ⁴ Only ^(NN)the high places were not taken away; ^(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 ^[gs](NP)killed his servants who had slain the king his father. ⁶ But the sons of the ^[gt]slayers he did not put to death, according 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 ^[gu]killed of Edom in ^(NS)the Valley of Salt 10,000 and took ^(NT)Sela by war, and named it ^(NU)Joktheel to this day.

^8 (NV)Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, “^(NW)Come, let us face each other.” ⁹ Jehoash king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, “^(NX)The thorn bush which was in Lebanon sent to the cedar which was in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son in marriage.’ But there passed by a wild beast that was in Lebanon, and trampled the thorn bush. ^10 (NY)You have indeed ^[gv]defeated Edom, and ^(NZ)your heart has ^[gw]become proud. Enjoy your glory and stay at home; for why should you provoke trouble so that you, even you, would fall, and Judah with you?”

¹¹ But Amaziah would not listen. So Jehoash king of Israel went up; and he and Amaziah king of Judah faced each other at ^(OA)Beth-shemesh, which belongs to Judah. ¹² Judah was defeated ^[gx]by Israel, and ^(OB)they fled each 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, 400 ^[gy]cubits. ^14 (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 also, and returned to Samaria.

Jeroboam II Succeeds Jehoash in Israel

^15 (OF)Now the rest of the acts of Jehoash which 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 slept with his fathers and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel; and Jeroboam his son became king in his place.

Azariah (Uzziah) Succeeds Amaziah in Judah

^17 (OG)Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah lived fifteen years after the death of Jehoash 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 They conspired against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to ^(OH)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 All the people of Judah took ^[gz]Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the place of his father Amaziah. ^22 (OI)He built Elath and restored it to Judah after the king slept 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 forty-one years. ²⁴ He did evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel sin. ^25 (OJ)He restored the border of Israel from ^(OK)the entrance of Hamath as far as ^(OL)the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the Lord, the God of Israel, which He spoke ^[ha]through His servant ^(OM)Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was of ^(ON)Gath-hepher. ²⁶ For the ^(OO)Lord saw the affliction of Israel, which was very bitter; for ^(OP)there was neither bond nor free, nor was there any helper for Israel. ²⁷ The ^(OQ)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.

Zechariah Reigns over Israel

²⁸ Now 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 slept with his fathers, even with the kings of Israel, and Zechariah his son 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 fifty-two years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was ^[hb]Jecoliah of Jerusalem. ³ He did right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father Amaziah had done. ⁴ Only ^(OV)the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. ^5 (OW)The Lord struck the king, so that he was a leper to the day of his death. And he ^(OX)lived in a separate house, ^[hc]while Jotham the king’s son was over the household, judging the people of the land. ⁶ Now 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 slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David, and Jotham his son 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, as his fathers had done; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel sin. ¹⁰ Then Shallum the son of Jabesh conspired against him and ^(OZ)struck him before the people and ^[hd]killed him, and reigned in his place. ¹¹ Now 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 son of Jabesh became king in the ^(PB)thirty-ninth year of Uzziah king of Judah, and he reigned one month in ^(PC)Samaria. ¹⁴ Then Menahem 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 the rest of the acts of Shallum and his conspiracy which he made, behold they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. ¹⁶ Then Menahem struck Tiphsah and all who were in it and its borders from Tirzah, because they did not open to him; therefore he struck it and ripped up ^(PE)all its women who were with child.

Menahem over Israel

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

^19 (PG)Pul, king of Assyria, came against the land, and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver so that his hand might be with him to ^(PH)strengthen the kingdom ^[he]under his rule. ²⁰ Then Menahem exacted the money from Israel, even from all the 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 remain there in the land. ²¹ Now 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 slept with his fathers, and Pekahiah his son became king in his place.

Pekahiah over Israel

²³ In ^(PI)the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekahiah son of Menahem became king over Israel in Samaria, and reigned two years. ²⁴ He did evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he made Israel sin. ²⁵ Then Pekah 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 the rest of the acts of Pekahiah and all 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 son of Remaliah became king over Israel in Samaria, and reigned twenty years. ²⁸ He did evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he made Israel sin.

²⁹ In the days of Pekah king of Israel, ^[hf](PM)Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came and ^[hg]captured Ijon and Abel-beth-maacah and Janoah and Kedesh and Hazor and Gilead and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali; and ^(PN)he carried them captive to Assyria. ³⁰ And Hoshea the son of Elah made a conspiracy against Pekah the son of Remaliah, and struck him and put him to death and became king in his place, in the twentieth year of Jotham the son of Uzziah. ³¹ Now the rest of the acts of Pekah and all that he did, 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 ^[hh]Uzziah king of Judah became king. ^33 (PO)He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned 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 did according to all that his father Uzziah had done. ³⁵ Only ^(PQ)the high places were not taken away; 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 the rest of the acts of Jotham and all that 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 king of Aram and Pekah the son of Remaliah against Judah. ³⁸ And Jotham slept with his fathers, and he was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father; and Ahaz his son 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 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 even made his son pass through the fire, ^(PW)according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord had ^[hi]driven out from before the sons of Israel. ⁴ He ^(PX)sacrificed and burned incense on the high places and on the hills and under every green tree.

⁵ Then ^(PY)Rezin king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah, king of Israel, came up to Jerusalem to wage war; and they besieged Ahaz, ^(PZ)but could not ^[hj]overcome him. ⁶ At that time Rezin king of Aram recovered ^(QA)Elath for Aram, and cleared the Judeans out of ^[hk]Elath entirely; and the ^[hl]Arameans came to Elath and have lived there to this day.

Ahaz Seeks Help of Aram

^7 (QB)So Ahaz sent messengers to ^(QC)Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your son; come up and deliver me from the ^[hm]hand of the king of Aram and from the ^[hn]hand of the king of Israel, who are rising up against me.” ^8 (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 present 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 carried the people of it away 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 saw the altar which was at Damascus; and King Ahaz sent to ^(QI)Urijah the priest the ^[ho]pattern of the altar and its model, according to all its workmanship. ¹¹ So Urijah the priest built an altar; according to all that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus, thus Urijah the priest made it, ^[hp]before the coming of King Ahaz from Damascus. ¹² When the king came from Damascus, the king saw the altar; then ^(QJ)the king approached the altar and ^[hq]went up to it, ¹³ and ^[hr]burned his burnt offering and his meal offering, and poured his drink offering and sprinkled the blood of his peace offerings on the altar. ^14 (QK)The bronze altar, which was before the Lord, ^[hs]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 ^[ht]commanded Urijah the priest, saying, “Upon the great altar ^[hu]burn ^(QM)the morning burnt offering and the evening meal offering and the king’s burnt offering and his meal offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land and their meal offering and their 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 to inquire by.” ¹⁶ So Urijah the priest did according to all that King Ahaz commanded.

¹⁷ Then King Ahaz ^(QO)cut off the borders of the stands, and removed the laver from them; he also ^(QP)took down the sea from the bronze oxen which were under it and put it on a pavement of stone. ¹⁸ 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 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 slept 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 nine years. ² He did evil in the sight of the Lord, only not as the kings of Israel who were before him. ^3 (QU)Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up ^(QV)against him, and Hoshea became his servant and paid him tribute. ⁴ But the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea, who had sent messengers to So king of Egypt and had offered no tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year; so the king of Assyria shut him up and bound him in prison.

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

Israel Captive

⁶ In the ninth year of Hoshea, ^(QX)the king of Assyria captured Samaria and ^(QY)carried Israel away 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 ^[hv]feared other gods ⁸ and ^(RF)walked in the ^[hw]customs of the nations whom the Lord had driven out before the sons of Israel, and in the customs ^(RG)of the kings of Israel which they had ^[hx]introduced. ⁹ The sons of Israel ^[hy]did things secretly which were not right against the Lord their God. Moreover, they built for themselves high places in all their towns, from ^(RH)watchtower to fortified city. ^10 (RI)They set for themselves sacred pillars and ^[hz](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 which the Lord had carried away to 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 ^(RM)through all His prophets and ^(RN)every seer, saying, “^(RO)Turn from your evil ways and keep My commandments, My statutes according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you through My servants the prophets.” ¹⁴ However, they did not listen, but ^(RP)stiffened their neck ^[ia]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 with which He warned them. And ^(RS)they followed vanity and ^(RT)became vain, and went after the nations which surrounded them, concerning which the ^(RU)Lord had commanded them not to do like them. ¹⁶ They forsook all the commandments of the Lord their God and made for themselves molten images, even ^(RV)two calves, and ^(RW)made an ^[ib]Asherah and ^(RX)worshiped all the host of heaven and ^(RY)served Baal. ¹⁷ Then ^(RZ)they made their sons and their daughters pass through the fire, and ^(SA)practiced divination and enchantments, and ^(SB)sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking Him. ¹⁸ So the Lord was very angry with Israel and ^(SC)removed them from His ^[ic]sight; ^(SD)none was left except the tribe of Judah.

¹⁹ Also ^(SE)Judah did not keep the commandments of the Lord their God, but ^(SF)walked in the ^[id]customs ^[ie]which Israel had ^[if]introduced. ²⁰ The Lord rejected all the ^[ig]descendants of Israel and afflicted them and ^(SG)gave them into the hand of plunderers, until He had cast them ^[ih]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 made them ^[ii]commit a great sin. ²² The sons of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they did not depart from them ^23 (SK)until the Lord removed Israel from His sight, ^(SL)as He spoke through all His servants the prophets. ^(SM)So Israel was carried away into exile from their own land to Assyria until this day.

Cities of Israel Filled with Strangers

^24 (SN)The king of Assyria brought men from Babylon and from Cuthah and from ^[ij](SO)Avva and from ^(SP)Hamath and Sepharvaim, and settled them in the cities of Samaria in place of the sons of Israel. So they possessed Samaria and lived in its cities. ²⁵ At the beginning of their living there, they ^(SQ)did not fear the Lord; therefore the Lord sent lions among them which killed some of them. ²⁶ So they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, “The nations whom you have carried away into exile 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 kill them because they do not know the custom of the god of the land.”

²⁷ Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, “Take there one of the priests whom you carried away into ^[ik]exile and let ^[il]him go and live there; and let him teach them the custom of the god of the land.” ²⁸ So one of the priests whom they had carried away into exile from Samaria came and lived at Bethel, and taught them how they should fear the Lord.

²⁹ But every nation still made gods of its own and 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 burned their children in the fire to ^(SU)Adrammelech and Anammelech the gods of ^(SV)Sepharvaim. ^32 (SW)They also feared the Lord and ^[im](SX)appointed from among themselves priests of the high places, who acted for them in the houses of the high places. ³³ They feared the Lord and served their own gods according to the custom of the nations from among whom they had been carried away into exile.

³⁴ To this day they do according to the earlier customs: they do not fear the Lord, nor do they ^[in]follow their statutes or their ordinances or the law, or the commandments which the Lord commanded the sons of Jacob, ^(SY)whom He named Israel; ³⁵ with whom the Lord made a covenant and commanded them, saying, “^(SZ)You shall not fear other gods, nor ^(TA)bow down yourselves 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 yourselves down, and to Him you shall sacrifice. ³⁷ The statutes and the ordinances and the law and the commandment which He wrote for you, ^(TF)you shall observe to do forever; 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 the Lord your God you shall fear; and He will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.” ⁴⁰ However, they did not listen, but they did according to their earlier custom. ^41 (TH)So while these nations feared the Lord, they also served their ^[io]idols; their children likewise and their grandchildren, as their fathers did, so they do to this day.