Bible in 90 Days

The Death in the Stew

³⁸ Now Elisha returned to ^(A)Gilgal, and there was ^(B)a famine in the land. ^[a]As ^(C)the sons of the prophets ^(D)were sitting before him, he said to his young man, “^(E)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 wild gourds filling his cloak 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 it happened that as they were eating of the stew, they cried out and said, “O man of God, there is ^(F)death in the pot.” And they were unable to eat. ⁴¹ But he said, “Now bring flour.” ^(G)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, “^(H)Give them to the people that they may eat.” ⁴³ And his attendant said, “What, ^(I)will I give this before one hundred men?” But he said, “Give them to the people that they may eat, for thus says Yahweh, ‘They shall eat and have some left over.’” ⁴⁴ So he gave it before them, and they ate and ^(J)had some left over, according to the word of Yahweh.

Naaman Cleaned from Leprosy

5 Now ^(K)Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man ^[b]with his master, and ^[c]highly respected, because by him Yahweh had given salvation to Aram. The man was also a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper. ² Now the Arameans had gone out ^(L)in marauding bands and had taken captive a little girl from the land of Israel; and she ^[d]waited on Naaman’s wife. ³ And she said to her mistress, “I wish that my master were before the prophet who is in Samaria! Then he would cure him of his leprosy.” ⁴ Then ^[e]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 ^[f]now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So he went and ^(M)took in his hand ^[g]ten talents of silver and ^[h]six thousand shekels of gold and ten ^(N)changes of clothes.

⁶ And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying,

⁷ Now it happened that when the king of Israel read the letter, ^(O)he tore his clothes and said, “^(P)Am I God, to put to death and to make alive, that this man is sending word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? But ^(Q)know now, and see how he is seeking ^[i]a quarrel against me.”

⁸ Now it happened when Elisha ^(R)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 And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “^(S)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 said to myself, ‘He will surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of Yahweh his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper.’ ¹² Are not ^[j]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 ^(T)went away in wrath. ^13 (U)Then his servants approached and spoke to him and said, “^(V)My father, had the prophet spoken with 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 ^(W)his flesh was restored like the flesh of a young boy and ^(X)he was clean.

Gehazi’s Leprosy

¹⁵ Then he returned to the man of God ^[k]with all his camp, and came and stood before him, and said, “Behold now, ^(Y)I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel; so now please ^(Z)take a blessing from your servant.” ¹⁶ But he said, “^(AA)As Yahweh lives, before whom I stand, ^(AB)I will take nothing.” And he urged him to take it, but he refused. ¹⁷ So Naaman said, “If not, please let your servant at least be given two mules’ load of ^(AC)earth; for your servant will no longer offer burnt offering nor will he sacrifice to other gods, but to Yahweh. ¹⁸ In this matter may Yahweh pardon your servant: when my master goes into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and ^(AD)he leans on my hand and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, when I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, Yahweh pardon your servant in this matter.” ¹⁹ And he said to him, “^(AE)Go in peace.” So he went from him some distance.

²⁰ Then ^(AF)Gehazi, the young man of Elisha the man of God, said to himself, “Behold, my master has spared this Naaman the Aramean, ^[l]by not receiving from his hands what he brought. ^(AG)As Yahweh lives, I will run after him and take something from him.” ²¹ So Gehazi pursued Naaman. And Naaman saw one running after him, so he came down from the chariot to meet him and said, “Is all at peace?” ²² And he said, “^(AH)All is at peace. My master has sent me, saying, ‘Behold, just now two young men of the sons of the prophets have come to me from ^(AI)the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and ^(AJ)two changes of clothes.’” ²³ Then Naaman said, “^(AK)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 young men; and they carried them before him. ²⁴ So he came to the ^[m]hill, and he took them from their hand and ^(AL)deposited them in the house. Then he sent the men away, and they departed. ²⁵ But he came in and stood before his master. And Elisha said to him, “Where have you been, Gehazi?” And he said, “^(AM)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? ^(AN)Is it a time to receive money and to receive clothes and olive groves and vineyards and sheep and oxen and male and female slaves? ²⁷ Thus the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and to your seed forever.” So he went out from his presence ^(AO)a leper as white as snow.

The Axe Head Floats

6 And ^(AP)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 ^[n]answered, “I shall go.” ⁴ So he went with them; and they came to the Jordan and cut down trees. ⁵ Now it happened that as one was felling a beam, ^[o]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, ^(AQ)he cut off a stick and threw it in there and made the iron float. ⁷ And he said, “Take it up for yourself.” So he sent forth his hand and took it.

Horses and Chariots of Fire Around Elisha

⁸ Now the king of Aram was warring against Israel; and he ^[p]counseled with his servants saying, “In such and such a place shall be my camp.” ^9 (AR)And 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 And 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, ^[q]more than once or twice.

¹¹ Then the heart of the king of Aram was enraged over this thing; and he called his servants and said to them, “Will you not tell me which of us is for the king of Israel?” ¹² And 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 to him, saying, “Behold, he is in ^(AS)Dothan.” ¹⁴ So he sent horses and chariots and a heavy military force there, and they came by night and surrounded the city.

¹⁵ Then the attendant of the man of God arose early and went out, and behold, a military force with horses and chariots was all around the city. And his young man said to him, “Alas, my master! ^[r]What shall we do?” ¹⁶ So he said, “^(AT)Do not fear, for ^(AU)those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” ¹⁷ Then Elisha prayed and said, “^(AV)O Yahweh, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” And Yahweh opened the eyes of the young man and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of ^(AW)horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. ¹⁸ And they came down to him, and Elisha prayed to Yahweh and said, “Strike this ^[s]people with blindness, I pray.” So He ^(AX)struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha. ¹⁹ Then Elisha said to them, “This is not the way, and this is not the city; walk after me and I will walk you over to the man whom you seek.” And he walked them over to Samaria.

²⁰ Now it happened that when they had come into Samaria, Elisha said, “O ^(AY)Yahweh, open the eyes of these men, that they may see.” So Yahweh 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, “^(AZ)My father, shall I strike them down? Shall I strike them down?” ²² And he said, “You shall not strike them down. Would you ^(BA)strike down those you have taken captive with your sword and with your bow? ^(BB)Set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink and walk back 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 ^(BC)the marauding bands of Arameans did not come again into the land of Israel.

Aram’s Siege of Samaria

²⁴ Now it happened afterwards, that ^(BD)Ben-hadad king of Aram gathered all his military camp and went up and besieged Samaria. ²⁵ Now there was a great ^(BE)famine in Samaria. And behold, they besieged it, until a donkey’s head was sold for ^[t]eighty shekels of silver, and a fourth of a ^[u]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, “Save, my lord, O king!” ²⁷ He said, “^[v]If Yahweh does not save you, from where shall I save you? From the threshing floor, or from the wine press?” ²⁸ And the king said to her, “^(BF)What ^[w]is the matter with you?” And she said, “This woman said to me, ‘Give your son that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.’ ^29 (BG)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 Now it happened that when the king heard the words of the woman, ^(BH)he tore his clothes—now he was passing by on the wall—and the people looked, and behold, he had sackcloth ^[x]beneath on his ^[y]body. ³¹ Then he said, “May ^(BI)God do so to me and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat ^[z]remains on him today.”

Flour and Barley in Samaria

³² Now Elisha was sitting in his house, and ^(BJ)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 ^(BK)see how this son of a murderer has sent to take away my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door and ^[aa]hold the door shut against him. Is not the sound of his master’s feet behind him?” ³³ While he was still speaking with them, behold, the messenger came down to him and he said, “^(BL)Behold, this evil is from Yahweh; why should I wait for Yahweh any longer?”

7 Then Elisha said, “Listen to the word of Yahweh; thus says Yahweh, ‘^(BM)About this time tomorrow a ^[ab]seah of fine flour will be sold for a ^[ac]shekel, and two ^[ad]seahs of barley for a ^[ae]shekel, in the gate of Samaria.’” ^2 (BN)And the royal officer on whose hand the king was leaning answered the man of God and said, “Behold, ^(BO)if Yahweh 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 ^[af]of it.”

Lepers Report the Arameans’ Flight

³ Now there were four ^(BP)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. So now come, and let us ^[ag]go over to ^(BQ)the camp of the Arameans. If they spare us, we will live; and if they put us to death, we will die.” ⁵ So they arose at twilight to go to the camp of the Arameans. Then they came to the outskirts of the camp of the Arameans, but behold, there was no one there. ⁶ Now ^(BR)the Lord had caused the camp of the Arameans to hear a sound of chariots and a sound of horses, even the sound of a great military force, so that they said to one another, “Behold, the king of Israel has hired against us ^(BS)the kings of the Hittites and ^(BT)the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us.” ⁷ Therefore they ^(BU)arose and fled in the twilight, and forsook their tents and their horses and their donkeys, even the camp just as it was, and fled for their life. ⁸ So these lepers came to the outskirts of the camp and entered one tent and ate and drank. Then they ^(BV)carried from there silver and gold and clothes, and they 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 ^[ah]overtake us. So now, 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 And 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 ^(BW)we are hungry; therefore they have gone from the camp ^(BX)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 And one of his servants answered and said, “Please, let some men take five of the remaining horses, which remain ^[ai]in the city. Behold, they will be in any case like all the multitude of Israel who remain in it; behold, they will be in any case like all the multitude of Israel who have already come to an end, so let us send and see.” ¹⁴ They took therefore two chariots with horses, and the king sent after the camp of the Arameans, saying, “Go and see.”

Plundering the Arameans

¹⁵ Then 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 ^[aj]seah of fine flour was sold for a shekel and two ^[ak]seahs of barley for a shekel, ^(BY)according to the word of Yahweh. ¹⁷ Now the king appointed ^(BZ)the royal officer on whose hand he leaned ^[al]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 spoken, ^(CA)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, “^(CB)Two ^[am]seahs of barley for a shekel and a ^[an]seah of fine flour for a shekel will be sold tomorrow about this time at the gate of Samaria.” ¹⁹ And the royal officer had answered the man of God and said, “Now behold, ^(CC)if Yahweh should make windows in heaven, could such a thing be?” And he had said, “Behold, you will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat ^[ao]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 ^(CD)Elisha spoke to the woman whose son he had restored to life, saying, “Arise and go ^[ap]with your household, and sojourn wherever you can sojourn; for ^(CE)Yahweh has called for a famine, and ^(CF)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 Now it happened at the end of seven years, that the woman returned from the land of the Philistines; and she went out to cry out to the king for her house and for her field. ⁴ Now the king was speaking with ^(CG)Gehazi, the young man of the man of God, saying, “Please recount to me all the great things that Elisha has done.” ⁵ Now it happened as he was recounting to the king ^(CH)how he had restored to life the one who was dead, that behold, the woman whose son he had restored to life was crying out 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 Then the king asked the woman, and she recounted 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 Weeps over Hazael’s Evil

⁷ Then Elisha came to ^(CI)Damascus. Now ^(CJ)Ben-hadad king of Aram was sick, and it was told to him, saying, “^(CK)The man of God has come here.” ⁸ And the king said to ^(CL)Hazael, “^(CM)Take a present in your hand and go to meet the man of God, and ^(CN)inquire of Yahweh by him, saying, ‘Will I be restored to life from this sickness?’” ⁹ So Hazael went to meet him and took a present in his hand, even every kind of good thing of Damascus, forty camels’ loads; and he came and stood before him and said, “^(CO)Your son Ben-hadad king of Aram has sent me to you, saying, ‘Will I be restored to life from this sickness?’” ¹⁰ Then Elisha said to him, “^(CP)Go, say to him, ‘You will surely be restored to life,’ but ^(CQ)Yahweh has shown me that he will certainly die.” ¹¹ And he ^[aq]fixed his gaze steadily on him ^(CR)until he was ashamed, and ^(CS)the man of God wept. ¹² Then Hazael said, “Why does my lord weep?” Then he said, “Because ^(CT)I know the evil that you will do to the sons of Israel: their fortifications you will set on fire, and their young men you will kill with the sword, and their infants you ^(CU)will dash in pieces, and their pregnant women you will rip up.” ¹³ Then Hazael said, “But what is your servant, ^(CV)who is but a dog, that he should do this great thing?” And Elisha ^[ar]answered, “^(CW)Yahweh has shown me that you will be king over Aram.” ¹⁴ So he went from Elisha and came to his master. And he said to him, “What did Elisha say to you?” And he said, “He said to me that ^(CX)you would surely be restored to life.” ¹⁵ Now it happened that on the following day, he took the cover and dipped it in water and spread it on his face; ^(CY)so he died. And Hazael became king in his place.

Jehoram Reigns over Judah

¹⁶ Now in the fifth year of ^(CZ)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 ^(DA)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 ^(DB)the daughter of Ahab became his wife; and he did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh. ¹⁹ However, Yahweh was not willing to make Judah a ruin, for the sake of David His servant, ^(DC)since He had ^[as]promised him to give a ^[at]lamp to him through his sons always.

²⁰ In his days ^(DD)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 were surrounding him and the commanders of the chariots; ^(DE)but ^[au]his army fled to their tents. ^22 (DF)So Edom revolted ^[av]against Judah to this day. Then ^(DG)Libnah revolted at the same 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?

Ahaziah Reigns over Judah

²⁴ So Joram slept with his fathers and ^(DH)was buried with his fathers in the city of David; and ^(DI)Ahaziah his son became king in his place.

^25 (DJ)In the twelfth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel, Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah became king. ^26 (DK)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 (DL)He also walked in the way of the house of Ahab and did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, 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 with ^(DM)Hazael king of Aram at ^(DN)Ramoth-gilead, and the Arameans struck Joram. ²⁹ So ^(DO)King Joram returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Arameans had caused by striking him at ^(DP)Ramah when he fought against Hazael king of Aram. Then ^(DQ)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 over Israel

9 Now Elisha the prophet called one of ^(DR)the sons of the prophets and said to him, “^(DS)Gird up your loins, and ^(DT)take this flask of oil in your hand and go to ^(DU)Ramoth-gilead. ² And you will come there and look there for ^(DV)Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi. And you will come in and ^[aw](DW)bid him arise from among his brothers. And you will cause him to come in to an inner room. ³ Then you will take the flask of oil and pour it on his head and say, ‘Thus says Yahweh, “^(DX)I have anointed you king over Israel.”’ Then open the door and flee and do not wait.”

⁴ So ^(DY)the young man—the young man of the prophet—went to Ramoth-gilead. ⁵ Then he came, and behold, the commanders of the military were sitting, and he said, “I have a word for you, O commander.” And Jehu said, “^[ax]For which one of us?” And he said, “For you, O commander.” ⁶ And he arose and came into the house, and he poured the oil on his head and said to him, “Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, ‘^(DZ)I have anointed you king over the people of Yahweh, even over Israel. ⁷ And you shall strike the house of Ahab your master, ^(EA)that I may avenge ^(EB)the blood of My slaves the prophets, and the blood of all the slaves of Yahweh, ^(EC)at the hand of Jezebel. ⁸ For the whole house of Ahab shall perish, and ^(ED)I will cut off from Ahab ^(EE)every ^[ay]male person ^(EF)both bond and free in Israel. ^9 (EG)And I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and ^(EH)like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah. ^10 (EI)And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the ^[az]property 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, “^(EJ)Is all well? Why did this ^(EK)mad fellow come to you?” And he said to them, “You know the man and his talk.” ¹² And they said, “It is a lie, declare it to us now.” And he said, “Thus and thus he said to me, ‘Thus says Yahweh, “I have anointed you king over Israel.”’” ¹³ Then ^(EL)they hurried and each man took his garment and placed it under him on the bare steps, and ^(EM)blew the trumpet, saying, “Jehu is king!”

Jehu Deceives Joram

¹⁴ So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi conspired against Joram. ^(EN)Now Joram ^[ba]with all Israel was ^[bb]guarding Ramoth-gilead against Hazael king of Aram, ¹⁵ but ^(EO)King ^[bc]Joram had returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Arameans had struck him with when he fought with Hazael king of Aram. So Jehu said, “If this is your mind, then let no one escape or ^[bd]leave the city to go declare it in Jezreel.” ¹⁶ Then Jehu rode in a chariot and went to Jezreel, for Joram was lying there. ^(EP)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 ^[be]company of Jehu as he came, and said, “I see a ^[bf]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, “^(EQ)What have you to do with peace? Turn behind me.” And the watchman declared saying, “The messenger came to them, but he did not return.” ¹⁹ Then he sent out a second horseman. And he came to them and said, “Thus says the king, ‘Is it peace?’” And Jehu ^[bg]answered, “What have you to do with peace? Turn behind me.” ²⁰ And the watchman declared saying, “He came up to them, but he did not return; and ^(ER)the driving is like the driving of ^(ES)Jehu the son of Nimshi, for he drives in madness.”

²¹ Then ^[bh]Joram said, “^[bi]Get ready.” And they made his chariot ready. ^[bj](ET)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 ^[bk](EU)property of Naboth the Jezreelite. ²² Now it happened that when ^[bl]Joram saw Jehu, he said, “Is it peace, Jehu?” And he ^[bm]answered, “What peace, ^(EV)so long as the harlotries of your mother Jezebel and her sorceries are so many?” ²³ So ^[bn]Joram ^[bo]turned about and fled and said to Ahaziah, “^(EW)There is deception, O Ahaziah!” ²⁴ And ^(EX)Jehu ^[bp]drew his bow with his full strength and struck ^[bq]Joram between his arms; and the arrow went ^[br]through his heart and he crouched down in his chariot. ²⁵ Then Jehu said to Bidkar his officer, “Lift him up and ^(EY)cast him into the ^[bs]property of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite, for I remember when ^[bt]you and I were riding together after Ahab his father, that ^(EZ)Yahweh lifted up this ^(FA)oracle against him: ²⁶ ‘Surely ^(FB)I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons,’ says Yahweh, ‘and ^(FC)I will repay you in this ^[bu]property,’ says Yahweh. So now, lift him up and cast him into the ^[bv]property, according to the word of Yahweh.”

Jehu Strikes Down Ahaziah

^27 (FD)And Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this and fled by the way of the garden house. And Jehu pursued him and said, “Strike him down too, in the chariot.” So they struck him down at the ascent of Gur, which is at ^(FE)Ibleam. But he fled to Megiddo and died there. ^28 (FF)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 ^(FG)the eleventh year of Joram, the son of Ahab, Ahaziah became king over Judah.

Jezebel Is Eaten by Dogs

³⁰ Then Jehu came to Jezreel, and Jezebel heard of it and ^(FH)she painted her eyes and adorned her head and looked out the window. ³¹ As Jehu entered the gate, she said, “^(FI)Is it ^[bw]peace, Zimri, ^[bx]your master’s killer?” 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. ³³ And 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 Then he came in and ate and drank. And he said, “Take care now of ^(FJ)this cursed woman and bury her, for ^(FK)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 declared it to him. And he said, “This is the word of Yahweh, which He spoke by His servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ‘^(FL)In the ^[by]property of Jezreel the dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel; ³⁷ and ^(FM)the corpse of Jezebel will be as dung on the face of the field in the ^[bz]property of Jezreel, so they cannot say, “This is Jezebel.”’”

The Heads of Ahab’s Sons Sent to Jehu

10 Now Ahab had seventy sons in ^(FN)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 “So now, ^(FO)when this letter comes to you, ^[ca]since your master’s sons are with you, ^[cb]as well as the chariots and horses and a fortified city and the weapons, ³ look for the best and ^[cc]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 exceedingly greatly and said, “Behold, ^(FP)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, “^(FQ)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 about this time tomorrow at Jezreel.” Now the king’s sons, seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, who were rearing them. ⁷ Now it happened that when the letter came to them, they took the king’s sons and ^(FR)slaughtered them, seventy persons, and put their heads in baskets, and sent them to him at Jezreel. ⁸ Then the messenger came and told him, saying, “They have brought the heads of the king’s sons.” So he said, “Put them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until morning.” ⁹ Now it happened in the morning that he went out and stood and said to all the people, “You are righteous; behold, ^(FS)I conspired against my master and killed him, but ^(FT)who struck down all these? ¹⁰ Know then that ^(FU)nothing from the word of Yahweh, which Yahweh spoke concerning the house of Ahab, shall fall to the earth. Indeed, Yahweh has done ^(FV)what He spoke by the hand of His servant Elijah.” ¹¹ So Jehu struck down all who remained of the house of Ahab in ^(FW)Jezreel, and all his great men and his acquaintances and his priests, until ^[cd]there was no survivor remaining for him.

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

¹⁵ Then he went from there and found ^(FY)Jehonadab the son of ^(FZ)Rechab coming to meet him; and he ^[ci]blessed him and said to him, “Is your heart right, as my heart is with your heart?” And Jehonadab ^[cj]answered, “It is.” Jehu said, “If it is, ^(GA)give me your hand.” And he gave him his hand, and he took him up to him into the chariot. ¹⁶ Then he said, “Come with me and ^(GB)see my zeal for Yahweh.” So ^[ck]he made him ride in his chariot. ¹⁷ And he came to Samaria ^(GC)and struck down all who were left to Ahab in Samaria, until he had destroyed him, ^(GD)according to the word of Yahweh which He spoke to Elijah.

Jehu Destroys the Slaves of Baal

¹⁸ Then Jehu gathered all the people and said to them, “^(GE)Ahab served Baal a little; Jehu will serve him much. ¹⁹ So now, ^(GF)summon to me all the prophets of Baal, all his slaves 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 ^[cl]cunning, so that he might cause the slaves of Baal to perish. ²⁰ And Jehu said, “^(GG)Sanctify a solemn assembly for Baal.” And ^(GH)they summoned them. ²¹ Then Jehu sent ^[cm]throughout Israel, and all the slaves of Baal came, so that there was not a man left who did not come. So they came into ^(GI)the house of Baal, and the house of Baal was filled from one end to the other. ²² Then he said to the one who was ^[cn]in charge of the wardrobe, “Bring out garments for all the slaves of Baal.” So he brought out garments for them. ²³ And Jehu came into the house of Baal with Jehonadab the son of Rechab; and he said to the slaves of Baal, “Search and see lest there be here with you any of the slaves of Yahweh, but only the slaves of Baal.” ²⁴ Then they came in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings.

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

²⁵ Now it happened that as soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, Jehu said to the ^[cp](GK)guard and to the royal officers, “^(GL)Come in, strike them down; let none come out.” And they struck them down with the edge of the sword; and the ^[cq]guard and the royal officers threw them out and went to the ^[cr]inner room of the house of Baal. ²⁶ And they brought out the sacred ^(GM)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 ^(GN)made it a latrine to this day.

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

³² In those days ^(GT)Yahweh began to cut off portions ^[ct]from Israel; and ^(GU)Hazael struck them throughout the territory of Israel: ³³ from the Jordan to the east toward the sunrise, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites and the Reubenites and the Manassites, from ^(GV)Aroer, which is by the valley of the Arnon, even ^(GW)Gilead and Bashan.

Jehoahaz Reigns over Israel

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 ^[cu]time which Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty-eight years.

Athaliah Reigns over Judah

11 ^(GX)Now Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son had died. So she rose and caused all the royal seed to perish. ² But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram, sister of Ahaziah, ^(GY)took Joash the son of Ahaziah and stole him from among the king’s sons who were being put to death, and put him and his nurse in the bedroom. So they hid him from Athaliah, and he was not put to death. ³ So he was hidden away with her in the house of Yahweh six years, while Athaliah was reigning over the land.

^4 (GZ)Now in the seventh year Jehoiada sent for and took the commanders of hundreds of ^(HA)the Carites and of the ^[cv]guard, and brought them to him in the house of Yahweh. Then he cut a covenant with them and had them swear in the house of Yahweh, and showed them the king’s son. ⁵ And he commanded them, saying, “This is the thing that you shall do: ^(HB)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 ^[cw]guards), ^[cx]shall keep watch over the house for defense. ⁷ And two parts of you, even all who go out on the sabbath, shall also keep watch over the house of Yahweh for the king. ⁸ And you shall surround the king, each with his weapons in his hand; and whoever comes within the ranks shall be put to death. And ^(HC)be with the king when he goes out and when he comes in.”

⁹ So the commanders of hundreds ^(HD)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 (HE)Then the priest gave to the commanders of hundreds the spears and small shields that had been King David’s, which were in the house of Yahweh. ¹¹ And the ^[cy]guards stood each with his weapons in his hand, from the right ^[cz]side of the house to the left ^[da]side of the house, by the altar and by the house, around the king. ¹² Then he brought the king’s son out and ^(HF)put the crown on him and gave him ^(HG)the testimony; and they made him king and anointed him, and they clapped their hands and said, “^(HH)Long live the king!”

^13 (HI)Then Athaliah heard the noise of the guard and of the people, and she came to the people in the house of Yahweh. ¹⁴ And she looked, and behold, the king was standing ^(HJ)by the pillar, according to the custom, with the commanders and the ^[db]trumpeters beside the king; and ^(HK)all the people of the land were glad and blew trumpets. Then Athaliah ^(HL)tore her clothes and cried, “^(HM)Treason! Treason!” ¹⁵ And Jehoiada the priest commanded the commanders of hundreds who were appointed over the military force and said to them, “Bring her out ^[dc]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 Yahweh.” ¹⁶ So they ^[dd]laid hands on her, and she arrived at the horses’ entrance of the king’s house and was ^(HN)put to death there.

¹⁷ Then ^(HO)Jehoiada cut a covenant between Yahweh and the king and the people, that they would be the people of Yahweh, also ^(HP)between the king and the people. ¹⁸ And all the people of the land came to ^(HQ)the house of Baal and tore it down; ^(HR)his altars and his images they broke in pieces thoroughly, and they ^(HS)killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. And the priest appointed ^[de]overseers over the house of Yahweh. ¹⁹ And he took the commanders of hundreds and the ^(HT)Carites and the ^[df]guards and all the people of the land; and they brought the king down from the house of Yahweh, and came by the way of ^(HU)the gate of the ^[dg]guards to the king’s house. And he sat on the throne of the kings. ²⁰ So ^(HV)all the people of the land were glad, and the city was quiet. For they had put Athaliah to death with the sword at the king’s house.

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

Jehoash Reigns over Judah

12 In the seventh year of Jehu, ^(HX)Jehoash became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Zibiah of Beersheba. ² And Jehoash did what was right in the sight of Yahweh all his days in which Jehoiada the priest instructed him. ³ Only ^(HY)the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.

Jehoash Repairs the House of Yahweh

⁴ Then Jehoash said to the priests, “All the money of the sacred things ^(HZ)which is brought into the house of Yahweh, both ^(IA)the money for each ^[di]numbered man—the money from each person’s assessment in the census—and all the money which any man’s heart prompts him to bring into the house of Yahweh, ⁵ let the priests take it for themselves, each from his acquaintance; and they shall repair the ^[dj]damages of the house wherever any damage may be found.”

⁶ Now it happened that in the twenty-third year of King Jehoash ^(IB)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? So now, take no more money from your acquaintances, but give it over to pay 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 ^(IC)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 Yahweh; and the priests who kept watch over the threshold put in it all the money which was brought into the house of Yahweh. ¹⁰ Now it happened that when they saw that there was much money in the chest, ^(ID)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 Yahweh. ¹¹ And 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 Yahweh; and they ^[dk]paid it out to the craftsmen of wood and the builders who worked on the house of Yahweh; ¹² and ^(IE)to the masons and the hewers of stone, and for buying timber and hewn stone to repair the damages to the house of Yahweh, and for all that ^[dl]was laid out for the house to repair it. ¹³ But ^(IF)there were not made for the house of Yahweh ^(IG)silver cups, snuffers, bowls, trumpets, any vessels of gold, or vessels of silver from the money which was brought into the house of Yahweh; ¹⁴ for they gave that to those who did the work, and with it they repaired the house of Yahweh. ¹⁵ Moreover, ^(IH)they did not require an accounting from the men into whose hand they paid the money in order to pay those who did the work, for they were doing it faithfully. ¹⁶ The ^(II)money from the guilt offerings and ^(IJ)the money from the sin offerings was not brought into the house of Yahweh; ^(IK)it was for the priests.

¹⁷ Then ^(IL)Hazael king of Aram went up and fought against Gath and captured it, and ^(IM)Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem. ^18 (IN)And Jehoash king of Judah took all the holy things that Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had set apart as holy, and ^(IO)his own holy things and all the gold that was found among the treasuries of the house of Yahweh and of the king’s house, and sent them to Hazael king of Aram. Then he went away from Jerusalem.

Amaziah Reigns over 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 (IP)And his servants arose and made a conspiracy and ^(IQ)struck down Joash at ^(IR)the house of Millo as he was going down to Silla. ²¹ Now Jozacar the son of Shimeath and Jehozabad the son of ^(IS)Shomer, his servants, struck him and he died; and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David, and ^(IT)Amaziah his son became king in his place.

Jehoahaz Reigns over Israel

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 And he did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, ^(IU)with which he made Israel sin; he did not depart from them. ^3 (IV)So the anger of Yahweh burned against Israel, and He gave them continually into the hand of ^(IW)Hazael king of Aram, and into the hand of ^(IX)Ben-hadad the son of Hazael. ⁴ Then ^(IY)Jehoahaz entreated the face of Yahweh, and Yahweh listened to him; for ^(IZ)He saw the oppression of Israel, how the king of Aram oppressed them. ⁵ And Yahweh gave Israel a ^(JA)savior, so that they came out from under the hand of the Arameans; and the sons of Israel lived in their tents as formerly. ⁶ Nevertheless they did not depart from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, ^(JB)with which he made Israel sin, but walked in ^[dm]them; and ^(JC)the Asherah also remained standing in Samaria. ⁷ For he did not leave to Jehoahaz any people for the army except 50 horsemen and 10 chariots and 10,000 foot soldiers, for the king of Aram had caused them to perish and ^(JD)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.

Jehoash Reigns over Israel

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 And he did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh; he did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, with which he made Israel sin, but he walked in ^[dn]them. ^12 (JE)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.

The Death of Elisha

¹⁴ Now Elisha ^[do]became sick with the illness of which he was to die. So Joash the king of Israel came down to him and wept over ^[dp]him and said, “^(JF)My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” ¹⁵ And Elisha said to him, “Take a bow and arrows.” So he ^[dq]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 placed his hands on the king’s hands. ¹⁷ And he said, “Open the window toward the east,” and he opened it. Then Elisha said, “Shoot!” And he shot. And he said, “Yahweh’s arrow of salvation, even the arrow of salvation over Aram; for you will strike the Arameans at ^(JG)Aphek until you have consumed 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 stood still. ¹⁹ So ^(JH)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 consumed it. But now you shall strike Aram ^(JI)only three times.”

²⁰ And Elisha died, and they buried him. Now ^(JJ)the marauding bands of the Moabites would enter into the land in the spring of the year. ²¹ Now it happened that they were burying a man, and behold, they saw a marauding band; and they cast the man into the grave of Elisha. And when the man ^[dr]touched the bones of Elisha he ^(JK)became alive and stood up on his feet.

²² Now ^(JL)Hazael king of Aram had oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz. ²³ But ^(JM)Yahweh was gracious to them and ^(JN)had compassion on them and turned to them because of ^(JO)His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not bring them to ruin or cast them from His presence until now.

²⁴ Then Hazael king of Aram died, and Ben-hadad his son became king in his place. ²⁵ Then ^(JP)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. ^(JQ)Three times Joash struck him and recovered the cities of Israel.

Amaziah Reigns over Judah

14 ^(JR)In the second year of Joash son of Joahaz king of Israel, ^(JS)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 And he did what was right in the sight of Yahweh, yet not like David his father; he did according to all that Joash his father had done. ⁴ Only ^(JT)the high places were not taken away; ^(JU)the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. ⁵ Now it happened as soon as the kingdom was strong in his hand, that he ^(JV)struck down his servants who had struck down the king his father. ⁶ But the sons of those who struck him down he did not put to death, according to what is written in the book of the Law of Moses, which Yahweh commanded, saying, “^(JW)Fathers shall not be put to death for their sons, nor sons be put to death for their fathers; but ^(JX)each shall be put to death for his own sin.”

⁷ He struck down 10,000 of Edom in ^(JY)the Valley of Salt and seized ^(JZ)Sela by war and named it ^(KA)Joktheel to this day.

^8 (KB)Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, “^(KC)Come, let us face each other.” ⁹ And Jehoash king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, “^(KD)The thorn bush which was in Lebanon sent to the cedar which was in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son as a wife.’ But a beast of the field that was in Lebanon passed by and trampled the thorn bush. ^10 (KE)You have indeed struck down Edom, and ^(KF)your heart has lifted you up. Enjoy your glory and stay at home; for why should you provoke calamity 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 ^(KG)Beth-shemesh, which belongs to Judah. ¹² And Judah was ^[ds]defeated by Israel, and ^(KH)they fled each to his tent. ¹³ Then Jehoash king of Israel seized Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash the son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh, and came to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from ^(KI)the Gate of Ephraim to ^(KJ)the Corner Gate, ^[dt]400 cubits. ^14 (KK)And he took all the gold and silver and all the utensils which were found in the house of Yahweh, and in the treasuries of the king’s house, the hostages also, and returned to Samaria.

^15 (KL)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.

^17 (KM)And 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 And they conspired against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to ^(KN)Lachish; but they sent after him to Lachish and put him to death there. ²⁰ Then they carried 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 ^[du]Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the place of his father Amaziah. ^22 (KO)He built Elath and restored it to Judah after the king slept with his fathers.

Jeroboam II Reigns over 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 what was evil in the sight of Yahweh; he did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel sin. ^25 (KP)He restored the border of Israel from ^[dv](KQ)Lebo-hamath as far as ^(KR)the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of Yahweh, the God of Israel, which He spoke ^[dw]through His servant ^(KS)Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was of ^(KT)Gath-hepher. ²⁶ For ^(KU)Yahweh saw the affliction of Israel, which was very bitter; for ^(KV)there was neither bond nor free, nor was there any helper for Israel. ^27 (KW)But Yahweh did not say that He would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven, so 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 restored ^(KX)Damascus and ^(KY)Hamath to Judah in Israel, 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.

Azariah Reigns over Judah

15 ^(KZ)In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Azariah son of Amaziah king of Judah became king. ² He was ^(LA)sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was ^[dx]Jecoliah of Jerusalem. ³ And he did what was right in the sight of Yahweh, according to all that his father Amaziah had done. ⁴ Only ^(LB)the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. ^5 (LC)Then Yahweh smote the king, so that he was a leper to the day of his death. And he ^(LD)lived in a separate house, ^[dy]while Jotham the king’s son was over the house, 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 Reigns over Israel

^8 (LE)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 And he did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, 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 ^(LF)struck him before the people and put him to death and became king 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 ^(LG)the word of Yahweh which He spoke to Jehu, saying, “Your sons to the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.” And so it was.

Shallum Reigns over Israel

¹³ Shallum son of Jabesh became king in the ^(LH)thirty-ninth year of Uzziah king of Judah, and he reigned one month in ^(LI)Samaria. ¹⁴ Then Menahem son of Gadi went up from ^(LJ)Tirzah and came to Samaria, and struck Shallum son of Jabesh in Samaria, and put him to death 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 ^(LK)all its pregnant women.

Menahem Reigns over Israel

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

^19 (LM)Pul, king of Assyria, came against the land, and Menahem gave Pul one thousand ^[dz]talents of silver so that his hand might be with him to ^(LN)strengthen the kingdom in his hand. ²⁰ Then Menahem exacted the money from Israel, even from all the mighty men of valor, from each man fifty ^[ea]shekels of silver to pay the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria returned and did not stay there in the land. ²¹ Now 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 Reigns over Israel

²³ In ^(LO)the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekahiah son of Menahem became king over Israel in Samaria and reigned two years. ²⁴ And he did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh; 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 ^(LP)the castle of the king’s house with Argob and Arieh; and with him were fifty men of the Gileadites, and he put him to death 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.