Hakim-hakim 1:1--21:25

Konteks

1:1 After Joshua died, the Israelites asked ¹  the Lord, “Who should lead the invasion against the Canaanites and launch the attack?” ²  1:2 The Lord said, “The men of Judah should take the lead. ³  Be sure of this! I am handing the land over to them.” ⁴  1:3 The men of Judah said to their relatives, the men of Simeon, ⁵  “Invade our allotted land with us and help us attack the Canaanites. ⁶  Then we ⁷  will go with you into your allotted land.” So the men of Simeon went with them.

1:4 The men of Judah attacked, ⁸  and the Lord handed the Canaanites and Perizzites over to them. They killed ten thousand men at Bezek. 1:5 They met ⁹  Adoni-Bezek at Bezek and fought him. They defeated the Canaanites and Perizzites. 1:6 When Adoni-Bezek ran away, they chased him and captured him. Then they cut off his thumbs and big toes. 1:7 Adoni-Bezek said, “Seventy kings, with thumbs and big toes cut off, used to lick up ¹⁰  food scraps ¹¹  under my table. God has repaid me for what I did to them.” ¹²  They brought him to Jerusalem, ¹³  where he died. 1:8 The men of Judah attacked Jerusalem and captured it. They put the sword to it and set the city on fire.

1:9 Later the men of Judah went down to attack the Canaanites living in the hill country, the Negev, and the lowlands. ¹⁴  1:10 The men of Judah attacked the Canaanites living in Hebron. (Hebron used to be called Kiriath Arba.) They killed Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai. 1:11 From there they attacked the people of Debir. ¹⁵  (Debir used to be called Kiriath Sepher.) 1:12 Caleb said, “To the man who attacks and captures Kiriath Sepher I will give my daughter Acsah as a wife.” 1:13 When Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, ¹⁶  captured it, Caleb ¹⁷  gave him his daughter Acsah as a wife.

1:14 One time Acsah ¹⁸  came and charmed her father ¹⁹  so she could ask him for some land. When she got down from her donkey, Caleb said to her, “What would you like?” 1:15 She answered, “Please give me a special present. ²⁰  Since you have given me land in the Negev, now give me springs of water.” So Caleb gave her both the upper and lower springs. ²¹ 

1:16 Now the descendants of the Kenite, Moses’ father-in-law, went up with the people of Judah from the City of Date Palm Trees to Arad in the desert of Judah, ²²  located in the Negev. ²³  They went and lived with the people of Judah. ²⁴ 

1:17 The men of Judah went with their brothers the men of Simeon ²⁵  and defeated the Canaanites living in Zephath. They wiped out Zephath. ²⁶  So people now call the city Hormah. ²⁷  1:18 The men of Judah captured Gaza, Ashkelon, Ekron, and the territory surrounding each of these cities. ²⁸ 

1:19 The Lord was with the men of Judah. They conquered ²⁹  the hill country, but they could not ³⁰  conquer the people living in the coastal plain, because they had chariots with iron-rimmed wheels. ³¹  1:20 Caleb received ³²  Hebron, just as Moses had promised. He drove out the three Anakites. 1:21 The men of Benjamin, however, did not conquer the Jebusites living in Jerusalem. ³³  The Jebusites live with the people of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this very day. ³⁴ 

1:22 When the men ³⁵  of Joseph attacked ³⁶  Bethel, ³⁷  the Lord was with them. 1:23 When the men of Joseph spied out Bethel (it used to be called Luz), 1:24 the spies spotted ³⁸  a man leaving the city. They said to him, “If you show us a secret entrance into the city, we will reward you.” 1:25 He showed them a secret entrance into the city, and they put the city to the sword. But they let the man and his extended family leave safely. 1:26 He ³⁹  moved to Hittite country and built a city. He named it Luz, and it has kept that name to this very day.

1:27 The men of Manasseh did not conquer Beth Shan, Taanach, or their surrounding towns. Nor did they conquer the people living in Dor, Ibleam, Megiddo ⁴⁰  or their surrounding towns. ⁴¹  The Canaanites managed ⁴²  to remain in those areas. ⁴³  1:28 Whenever Israel was strong militarily, they forced the Canaanites to do hard labor, but they never totally conquered them.

1:29 The men of Ephraim did not conquer the Canaanites living in Gezer. The Canaanites lived among them in Gezer.

1:30 The men of Zebulun did not conquer the people living in Kitron and Nahalol. ⁴⁴  The Canaanites lived among them and were forced to do hard labor.

1:31 The men of Asher did not conquer the people living in Acco or Sidon, ⁴⁵  nor did they conquer Ahlab, Aczib, Helbah, Aphek, or Rehob. ⁴⁶  1:32 The people of Asher live among the Canaanites residing in the land because they did not conquer them.

1:33 The men of Naphtali did not conquer the people living in Beth Shemesh or Beth Anath. ⁴⁷  They live among the Canaanites residing in the land. The Canaanites ⁴⁸  living in Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath were forced to do hard labor for them.

1:34 The Amorites forced the people of Dan to live in the hill country. They did not allow them to live in ⁴⁹  the coastal plain. 1:35 The Amorites managed ⁵⁰  to remain in Har Heres, ⁵¹  Aijalon, and Shaalbim. Whenever the tribe of Joseph was strong militarily, ⁵²  the Amorites were forced to do hard labor. 1:36 The border of Amorite territory ran from the Scorpion Ascent ⁵³  to Sela and on up. ⁵⁴ 

2:1 The Lord’s angelic messenger ⁵⁵  went up from Gilgal to Bokim. He said, “I brought you up from Egypt and led you into the land I had solemnly promised to give to your ancestors. ⁵⁶  I said, ‘I will never break my agreement ⁵⁷  with you, 2:2 but you must not make an agreement with the people who live in this land. You should tear down the altars where they worship.’ ⁵⁸  But you have disobeyed me. ⁵⁹  Why would you do such a thing? ⁶⁰  2:3 At that time I also warned you, ⁶¹  ‘If you disobey, ⁶²  I will not drive out the Canaanites ⁶³  before you. They will ensnare you ⁶⁴  and their gods will lure you away.’” ⁶⁵ 

2:4 When the Lord’s messenger finished speaking these words to all the Israelites, the people wept loudly. ⁶⁶  2:5 They named that place Bokim ⁶⁷  and offered sacrifices to the Lord there.

2:6 When Joshua dismissed ⁶⁸  the people, the Israelites went to their allotted portions of territory, ⁶⁹  intending to take possession of the land. 2:7 The people worshiped ⁷⁰  the Lord throughout Joshua’s lifetime and as long as the elderly men ⁷¹  who outlived him remained alive. These men had witnessed ⁷²  all the great things the Lord had done for Israel. ⁷³  2:8 Joshua son of Nun, the Lord’s servant, died at the age of one hundred ten. 2:9 The people ⁷⁴  buried him in his allotted land ⁷⁵  in Timnath Heres in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. 2:10 That entire generation passed away; ⁷⁶  a new generation grew up ⁷⁷  that had not personally experienced the Lord’s presence or seen what he had done for Israel. ⁷⁸ 

2:11 The Israelites did evil before ⁷⁹  the Lord by worshiping ⁸⁰  the Baals. 2:12 They abandoned the Lord God of their ancestors ⁸¹  who brought them out of the land of Egypt. They followed other gods – the gods of the nations who lived around them. They worshiped ⁸²  them and made the Lord angry. 2:13 They abandoned the Lord and worshiped Baal and the Ashtars. ⁸³ 

2:14 The Lord was furious with Israel ⁸⁴  and handed them over to robbers who plundered them. ⁸⁵  He turned them over to ⁸⁶  their enemies who lived around them. They could not withstand their enemies’ attacks. ⁸⁷  2:15 Whenever they went out to fight, ⁸⁸  the Lord did them harm, ⁸⁹  just as he had warned and solemnly vowed he would do. ⁹⁰  They suffered greatly. ⁹¹ 

2:16 The Lord raised up leaders ⁹²  who delivered them from these robbers. ⁹³  2:17 But they did not obey ⁹⁴  their leaders. Instead they prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped ⁹⁵  them. They quickly turned aside from the path ⁹⁶  their ancestors ⁹⁷  had walked. Their ancestors had obeyed the Lord’s commands, but they did not. ⁹⁸  2:18 When the Lord raised up leaders for them, the Lord was with each leader and delivered the people ⁹⁹  from their enemies while the leader remained alive. The Lord felt sorry for them ¹⁰⁰  when they cried out in agony because of what their harsh oppressors did to them. ¹⁰¹  2:19 When a leader died, the next generation ¹⁰²  would again ¹⁰³  act more wickedly than the previous one. ¹⁰⁴  They would follow after other gods, worshiping them ¹⁰⁵  and bowing down to them. They did not give up ¹⁰⁶  their practices or their stubborn ways.

2:20 The Lord was furious with Israel. ¹⁰⁷  He said, “This nation ¹⁰⁸  has violated the terms of the agreement I made with their ancestors ¹⁰⁹  by disobeying me. ¹¹⁰  2:21 So I will no longer remove before them any of the nations that Joshua left unconquered when he died. 2:22 Joshua left those nations ¹¹¹  to test ¹¹²  Israel. I wanted to see ¹¹³  whether or not the people ¹¹⁴  would carefully walk in the path ¹¹⁵  marked out by ¹¹⁶  the Lord, as their ancestors ¹¹⁷  were careful to do.” 2:23 This is why ¹¹⁸  the Lord permitted these nations to remain and did not conquer them immediately; ¹¹⁹  he did not hand them over to Joshua.

3:1 These were the nations the Lord permitted to remain so he could use them to test Israel – he wanted to test all those who had not experienced battle against the Canaanites. ¹²⁰  3:2 He left those nations simply because he wanted to teach the subsequent generations of Israelites, who had not experienced the earlier battles, how to conduct holy war. ¹²¹  3:3 These were the nations: ¹²²  the five lords of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites living in Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal Hermon to Lebo-Hamath. ¹²³  3:4 They were left to test Israel, so the Lord would know if his people would obey the commands he gave their ancestors through Moses. ¹²⁴ 

3:5 The Israelites lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 3:6 They took the Canaanites’ daughters as wives and gave their daughters to the Canaanites; ¹²⁵  they worshiped ¹²⁶  their gods as well.

3:7 The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight. ¹²⁷  They forgot the Lord their God and worshiped the Baals and the Asherahs. ¹²⁸  3:8 The Lord was furious with Israel ¹²⁹  and turned them over to ¹³⁰  King Cushan-Rishathaim ¹³¹  of Aram-Naharaim. They were Cushan-Rishathaim’s subjects ¹³²  for eight years. 3:9 When the Israelites cried out for help to the Lord, he ¹³³  raised up a deliverer for the Israelites who rescued ¹³⁴  them. His name was Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. ¹³⁵  3:10 The Lord’s spirit empowered him ¹³⁶  and he led Israel. When he went to do battle, the Lord handed over to him King Cushan-Rishathaim of Aram and he overpowered him. ¹³⁷  3:11 The land had rest for forty years; then Othniel son of Kenaz died.

3:12 The Israelites again did evil in the Lord’s sight. ¹³⁸  The Lord gave King Eglon of Moab control over Israel ¹³⁹  because they had done evil in the Lord’s sight. 3:13 Eglon formed alliances with ¹⁴⁰  the Ammonites and Amalekites. He came and defeated Israel, and they seized the City of Date Palm Trees. 3:14 The Israelites were subject to ¹⁴¹  King Eglon of Moab for eighteen years.

3:15 When the Israelites cried out for help to the Lord, he ¹⁴²  raised up a deliverer for them. His name was Ehud son of Gera the Benjaminite, a left-handed man. ¹⁴³  The Israelites sent him to King Eglon of Moab with their tribute payment. ¹⁴⁴  3:16 Ehud made himself a sword – it had two edges and was eighteen inches long. ¹⁴⁵  He strapped it under his coat on his right thigh. 3:17 He brought the tribute payment to King Eglon of Moab. (Now Eglon was a very fat man.)

3:18 After Ehud brought the tribute payment, he dismissed the people who had carried it. ¹⁴⁶  3:19 But he went back ¹⁴⁷  once he reached ¹⁴⁸  the carved images ¹⁴⁹  at Gilgal. He said to Eglon, ¹⁵⁰  “I have a secret message for you, O king.” Eglon ¹⁵¹  said, “Be quiet!” ¹⁵²  All his attendants left. 3:20 When Ehud approached him, he was sitting in his well-ventilated ¹⁵³  upper room all by himself. Ehud said, “I have a message from God ¹⁵⁴  for you.” When Eglon rose up from his seat, ¹⁵⁵  3:21 Ehud reached with his left hand, pulled the sword from his right thigh, and drove it into Eglon’s ¹⁵⁶  belly. 3:22 The handle went in after the blade, and the fat closed around the blade, for Ehud ¹⁵⁷  did not pull the sword out of his belly. ¹⁵⁸  3:23 As Ehud went out into the vestibule, ¹⁵⁹  he closed the doors of the upper room behind him and locked them.

3:24 When Ehud had left, Eglon’s ¹⁶⁰  servants came and saw the locked doors of the upper room. They said, “He must be relieving himself ¹⁶¹  in the well-ventilated inner room.” ¹⁶²  3:25 They waited so long they were embarrassed, but he still did not open the doors of the upper room. Finally they took the key and opened the doors. ¹⁶³  Right before their eyes was their master, sprawled out dead on the floor! ¹⁶⁴  3:26 Now Ehud had escaped while they were delaying. When he passed the carved images, he escaped to Seirah.

3:27 When he reached Seirah, ¹⁶⁵  he blew a trumpet ¹⁶⁶  in the Ephraimite hill country. The Israelites went down with him from the hill country, with Ehud in the lead. ¹⁶⁷  3:28 He said to them, “Follow me, for the Lord is about to defeat your enemies, the Moabites!” ¹⁶⁸  They followed him, captured the fords of the Jordan River ¹⁶⁹  opposite Moab, ¹⁷⁰  and did not let anyone cross. 3:29 That day they killed about ten thousand Moabites ¹⁷¹  – all strong, capable warriors; not one escaped. 3:30 Israel humiliated Moab that day, and the land had rest for eighty years.

3:31 After Ehud ¹⁷²  came ¹⁷³  Shamgar son of Anath; he killed six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad and, like Ehud, ¹⁷⁴  delivered Israel.

4:1 The Israelites again did evil in the Lord’s sight ¹⁷⁵  after Ehud’s death. 4:2 The Lord turned them over to ¹⁷⁶  King Jabin of Canaan, who ruled in Hazor. ¹⁷⁷  The general of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth Haggoyim. ¹⁷⁸  4:3 The Israelites cried out for help to the Lord, because Sisera ¹⁷⁹  had nine hundred chariots with iron-rimmed wheels, ¹⁸⁰  and he cruelly ¹⁸¹  oppressed the Israelites for twenty years.

4:4 Now Deborah, a prophetess, ¹⁸²  wife of Lappidoth, was ¹⁸³  leading ¹⁸⁴  Israel at that time. 4:5 She would sit ¹⁸⁵  under the Date Palm Tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel ¹⁸⁶  in the Ephraimite hill country. The Israelites would come up to her to have their disputes settled. ¹⁸⁷ 

4:6 She summoned ¹⁸⁸  Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali. She said to him, “Is it not true that the Lord God of Israel is commanding you? Go, march to Mount Tabor! Take with you ten thousand men from Naphtali and Zebulun! 4:7 I will bring Sisera, the general of Jabin’s army, to you at the Kishon River, along with his chariots and huge army. ¹⁸⁹  I will hand him over to you.” 4:8 Barak said to her, “If you go with me, I will go. But if you do not go with me, I will not go.” 4:9 She said, “I will indeed go with you. But you will not gain fame ¹⁹⁰  on the expedition you are undertaking, ¹⁹¹  for the Lord will turn Sisera over to a woman.” ¹⁹²  Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh. 4:10 Barak summoned men from Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh. Ten thousand men followed him; ¹⁹³  Deborah went up with him as well. 4:11 Now Heber the Kenite had moved away ¹⁹⁴  from the Kenites, the descendants of Hobab, Moses’ father-in-law. He lived ¹⁹⁵  near the great tree in Zaanannim near Kedesh.

4:12 When Sisera heard ¹⁹⁶  that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor, 4:13 he ¹⁹⁷  ordered ¹⁹⁸  all his chariotry – nine hundred chariots with iron-rimmed wheels – and all the troops he had with him to go from Harosheth-Haggoyim to the River Kishon. 4:14 Deborah said to Barak, “Spring into action, ¹⁹⁹  for this is the day the Lord is handing Sisera over to you! ²⁰⁰  Has the Lord not taken the lead?” ²⁰¹  Barak quickly went down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him. 4:15 The Lord routed ²⁰²  Sisera, all his chariotry, and all his army with the edge of the sword. ²⁰³  Sisera jumped out of ²⁰⁴  his chariot and ran away on foot. 4:16 Now Barak chased the chariots and the army all the way to Harosheth Haggoyim. Sisera’s whole army died ²⁰⁵  by the edge of the sword; not even one survived! ²⁰⁶ 

4:17 Now Sisera ran away on foot to the tent of Jael, wife of Heber the Kenite, for King Jabin of Hazor ²⁰⁷  and the family of Heber the Kenite had made a peace treaty. ²⁰⁸  4:18 Jael came out to welcome Sisera. She said to him, “Stop and rest, ²⁰⁹  my lord. Stop and rest with me. Don’t be afraid.” So Sisera ²¹⁰  stopped to rest in her tent, and she put a blanket over him. 4:19 He said to her, “Give me a little water to drink, because I’m thirsty.” She opened a goatskin container of milk and gave him some milk to drink. Then she covered him up again. 4:20 He said to her, “Stand watch at the entrance to the tent. If anyone comes along and asks you, ‘Is there a man here?’ say ‘No.’” 4:21 Then Jael wife of Heber took a tent peg in one hand and a hammer in the other. ²¹¹  She crept up on him, drove the tent peg through his temple into the ground ²¹²  while he was asleep from exhaustion, ²¹³  and he died. 4:22 Now Barak was chasing Sisera. Jael went out to welcome him. She said to him, “Come here and I will show you the man you are searching for.” He went with her into the tent, ²¹⁴  and there he saw Sisera sprawled out dead ²¹⁵  with the tent peg in his temple.

4:23 That day God humiliated King Jabin of Canaan before the Israelites. 4:24 Israel’s power continued to overwhelm ²¹⁶  King Jabin of Canaan until they did away with ²¹⁷  him. ²¹⁸ 

5:1 On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this victory song: ²¹⁹ 

5:2 “When the leaders took the lead ²²⁰  in Israel,

When the people answered the call to war –

Praise the Lord!

5:3 Hear, O kings!

Pay attention, O rulers!

I will sing to the Lord! ²²¹ 

I will sing ²²²  to the Lord God of Israel!

5:4 O Lord, when you departed ²²³  from Seir,

when you marched from Edom’s plains,

the earth shook, the heavens poured down,

the clouds poured down rain. ²²⁴ 

5:5 The mountains trembled ²²⁵  before the Lord, the God of Sinai; ²²⁶ 

before the Lord God of Israel.

5:6 In the days of Shamgar son of Anath,

in the days of Jael caravans ²²⁷  disappeared; ²²⁸ 

travelers ²²⁹  had to go on winding side roads.

5:7 Warriors ²³⁰  were scarce, ²³¹ 

they were scarce in Israel,

until you ²³²  arose, Deborah,

until you arose as a motherly protector ²³³  in Israel.

5:8 God chose new leaders, ²³⁴ 

then fighters appeared in the city gates; ²³⁵ 

but, I swear, not a shield or spear could be found, ²³⁶ 

among forty military units ²³⁷  in Israel.

5:9 My heart went out ²³⁸  to Israel’s leaders,

to the people who answered the call to war.

Praise the Lord!

5:10 You who ride on light-colored female donkeys,

who sit on saddle blankets, ²³⁹ 

you who walk on the road, pay attention!

5:11 Hear ²⁴⁰  the sound of those who divide the sheep ²⁴¹  among the watering places;

there they tell of ²⁴²  the Lord’s victorious deeds,

the victorious deeds of his warriors ²⁴³  in Israel.

Then the Lord’s people went down to the city gates –

5:12 Wake up, wake up, Deborah!

Wake up, wake up, sing a song!

Get up, Barak!

Capture your prisoners of war, ²⁴⁴  son of Abinoam!

5:13 Then the survivors ²⁴⁵  came down ²⁴⁶  to the mighty ones; ²⁴⁷ 

the Lord’s people came down to me ²⁴⁸  as ²⁴⁹  warriors.

5:14 They came from Ephraim, who uprooted Amalek, ²⁵⁰ 

they follow ²⁵¹  after you, Benjamin, with your soldiers.

From Makir leaders came down,

from Zebulun came ²⁵²  the ones who march carrying ²⁵³  an officer’s staff.

5:15 Issachar’s leaders were with Deborah,

the men of Issachar ²⁵⁴  supported ²⁵⁵  Barak;

into the valley they were sent under Barak’s command. ²⁵⁶ 

Among the clans of Reuben there was intense ²⁵⁷  heart searching. ²⁵⁸ 

5:16 Why do you remain among the sheepfolds, ²⁵⁹ 

listening to the shepherds playing their pipes ²⁶⁰  for their flocks? ²⁶¹ 

As for the clans of Reuben – there was intense searching of heart.

5:17 Gilead stayed put ²⁶²  beyond the Jordan River.

As for Dan – why did he seek temporary employment in the shipyards? ²⁶³ 

Asher remained ²⁶⁴  on the seacoast,

he stayed ²⁶⁵  by his harbors. ²⁶⁶ 

5:18 The men of Zebulun were not concerned about their lives; ²⁶⁷ 

Naphtali charged on to the battlefields. ²⁶⁸ 

5:19 Kings came, they fought;

the kings of Canaan fought,

at Taanach by the waters of Megiddo, ²⁶⁹ 

but ²⁷⁰  they took no silver as plunder.

5:20 From the sky ²⁷¹  the stars ²⁷²  fought,

from their paths in the heavens ²⁷³  they fought against Sisera.

5:21 The Kishon River carried them off;

the river confronted them ²⁷⁴  – the Kishon River.

Step on the necks of the strong! ²⁷⁵ 

5:22 The horses’ ²⁷⁶  hooves pounded the ground; ²⁷⁷ 

the stallions galloped madly. ²⁷⁸ 

5:23 ‘Call judgment down on ²⁷⁹  Meroz,’ says the Lord’s angelic ²⁸⁰  messenger;

‘Be sure ²⁸¹  to call judgment down on ²⁸²  those who live there,

because they did not come to help in the Lord’s battle, ²⁸³ 

to help in the Lord’s battle against the warriors.’ ²⁸⁴ 

5:24 The most rewarded ²⁸⁵  of women should be Jael,

the wife of Heber the Kenite!

She should be the most rewarded of women who live in tents.

5:25 He asked for water,

and she gave him milk;

in a bowl fit for a king, ²⁸⁶ 

she served him curds.

5:26 Her left ²⁸⁷  hand reached for the tent peg,

her right hand for the workmen’s hammer.

She “hammered” ²⁸⁸  Sisera,

she shattered his skull, ²⁸⁹ 

she smashed his head, ²⁹⁰ 

she drove the tent peg through his temple. ²⁹¹ 

5:27 Between her feet he collapsed,

he fell limp ²⁹²  and was lifeless; ²⁹³ 

between her feet he collapsed and fell limp,

in the spot where he collapsed,

there he fell limp – violently murdered! ²⁹⁴ 

5:28 Through the window she looked;

Sisera’s mother cried out through the lattice:

‘Why is his chariot so slow to return?

Why are the hoofbeats of his chariot-horses ²⁹⁵  delayed?’

5:29 The wisest of her ladies ²⁹⁶  answer;

indeed she even thinks to herself,

5:30 ‘No doubt they are gathering and dividing the plunder ²⁹⁷  –

a girl or two for each man to rape! ²⁹⁸ 

Sisera is grabbing up colorful cloth, ²⁹⁹ 

he is grabbing up colorful embroidered cloth, ³⁰⁰ 

two pieces of colorful embroidered cloth,

for the neck of the plunderer!’ ³⁰¹ 

5:31 May all your enemies perish like this, O Lord!

But may those who love you shine

like the rising sun at its brightest!” ³⁰² 

And the land had rest for forty years.

6:1 The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight, ³⁰³  so the Lord turned them over to ³⁰⁴  Midian for seven years. 6:2 The Midianites ³⁰⁵  overwhelmed Israel. ³⁰⁶  Because of Midian the Israelites made shelters ³⁰⁷  for themselves in the hills, as well as caves and strongholds. 6:3 Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, ³⁰⁸  the Midianites, Amalekites, and the people from the east would attack them. ³⁰⁹  6:4 They invaded the land ³¹⁰  and devoured ³¹¹  its crops ³¹²  all the way to Gaza. They left nothing for the Israelites to eat, ³¹³  and they took away ³¹⁴  the sheep, oxen, and donkeys. 6:5 When they invaded ³¹⁵  with their cattle and tents, they were as thick ³¹⁶  as locusts. Neither they nor their camels could be counted. ³¹⁷  They came to devour ³¹⁸  the land. 6:6 Israel was so severely weakened by Midian that the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help.

6:7 When the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help because of Midian, 6:8 he ³¹⁹  sent a prophet ³²⁰  to the Israelites. He said to them, “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I brought you up from Egypt ³²¹  and took you out of that place of slavery. ³²²  6:9 I rescued you from Egypt’s power ³²³  and from the power of all who oppressed you. I drove them out before you and gave their land to you. 6:10 I said to you, “I am the Lord your God! Do not worship ³²⁴  the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are now living!” But you have disobeyed me.’” ³²⁵ 

6:11 The Lord’s angelic messenger ³²⁶  came and sat down under the oak tree in Ophrah owned by Joash the Abiezrite. He arrived while Joash’s son Gideon ³²⁷  was threshing ³²⁸  wheat in a winepress ³²⁹  so he could hide it from the Midianites. ³³⁰  6:12 The Lord’s messenger appeared and said to him, “The Lord is with you, courageous warrior!” 6:13 Gideon said to him, “Pardon me, ³³¹  but if the Lord is with us, why has such disaster ³³²  overtaken us? Where are all his miraculous deeds our ancestors told us about? They said, ³³³  ‘Did the Lord not bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to Midian.” 6:14 Then the Lord himself ³³⁴  turned to him and said, “You have the strength. ³³⁵  Deliver Israel from the power of the Midianites! ³³⁶  Have I not sent you?” 6:15 Gideon ³³⁷  said to him, “But Lord, ³³⁸  how ³³⁹  can I deliver Israel? Just look! My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my family.” ³⁴⁰  6:16 The Lord said to him, “Ah, but ³⁴¹  I will be with you! You will strike down the whole Midianite army.” ³⁴²  6:17 Gideon ³⁴³  said to him, “If you really are pleased with me, ³⁴⁴  then give me ³⁴⁵  a sign as proof that it is really you speaking with me. 6:18 Do not leave this place until I come back ³⁴⁶  with a gift ³⁴⁷  and present it to you.” The Lord said, “I will stay here until you come back.”

6:19 Gideon went and prepared a young goat, ³⁴⁸  along with unleavened bread made from an ephah of flour. He put the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot. He brought the food ³⁴⁹  to him under the oak tree and presented it to him. 6:20 God’s messenger said to him, “Put the meat and unleavened bread on this rock, ³⁵⁰  and pour out the broth.” Gideon did as instructed. ³⁵¹  6:21 The Lord’s messenger touched the meat and the unleavened bread with the tip of his staff. ³⁵²  Fire flared up from the rock and consumed the meat and unleavened bread. The Lord’s messenger then disappeared. ³⁵³ 

6:22 When Gideon realized ³⁵⁴  that it was the Lord’s messenger, he ³⁵⁵  said, “Oh no! ³⁵⁶  Master, Lord! ³⁵⁷  I have seen the Lord’s messenger face to face!” 6:23 The Lord said to him, “You are safe! ³⁵⁸  Do not be afraid! You are not going to die!” 6:24 Gideon built an altar for the Lord there, and named it “The Lord is on friendly terms with me.” ³⁵⁹  To this day it is still there in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

6:25 That night the Lord said to him, “Take the bull from your father’s herd, as well as a second bull, one that is seven years old. ³⁶⁰  Pull down your father’s Baal altar and cut down the nearby Asherah pole. 6:26 Then build an altar for the Lord your God on the top of this stronghold according to the proper pattern. ³⁶¹  Take the second bull and offer it as a burnt sacrifice on the wood from the Asherah pole that you cut down.” 6:27 So Gideon took ten of his servants ³⁶²  and did just as the Lord had told him. He was too afraid of his father’s family ³⁶³  and the men of the city to do it in broad daylight, so he waited until nighttime. ³⁶⁴ 

6:28 When the men of the city got up the next morning, they saw ³⁶⁵  the Baal altar pulled down, the nearby Asherah pole cut down, and the second bull sacrificed on the newly built altar. 6:29 They said to one another, ³⁶⁶  “Who did this?” ³⁶⁷  They investigated the matter thoroughly ³⁶⁸  and concluded ³⁶⁹  that Gideon son of Joash had done it. 6:30 The men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son, so we can execute him! ³⁷⁰  He pulled down the Baal altar and cut down the nearby Asherah pole.” 6:31 But Joash said to all those who confronted him, ³⁷¹  “Must you fight Baal’s battles? ³⁷²  Must you rescue him? Whoever takes up his cause ³⁷³  will die by morning! ³⁷⁴  If he really is a god, let him fight his own battles! ³⁷⁵  After all, it was his altar that was pulled down.” ³⁷⁶  6:32 That very day Gideon’s father named him Jerub-Baal, ³⁷⁷  because he had said, “Let Baal fight with him, for it was his altar that was pulled down.”

6:33 All the Midianites, Amalekites, and the people from the east ³⁷⁸  assembled. They crossed the Jordan River ³⁷⁹  and camped in the Jezreel Valley. 6:34 The Lord’s spirit took control of ³⁸⁰  Gideon. He blew a trumpet, ³⁸¹  summoning the Abiezrites to follow him. ³⁸²  6:35 He sent messengers throughout Manasseh and summoned them to follow him as well. ³⁸³  He also sent messengers throughout Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they came up to meet him.

6:36 Gideon said to God, “If you really intend to use me to deliver Israel, ³⁸⁴  as you promised, then give me a sign as proof. ³⁸⁵  6:37 Look, I am putting a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece, and the ground around it ³⁸⁶  is dry, then I will be sure ³⁸⁷  that you will use me to deliver Israel, ³⁸⁸  as you promised.” 6:38 The Lord did as he asked. ³⁸⁹  When he got up the next morning, he squeezed the fleece, and enough dew dripped from it to fill a bowl. ³⁹⁰  6:39 Gideon said to God, “Please do not get angry at me, when I ask for just one more sign. ³⁹¹  Please allow me one more test with the fleece. This time make only the fleece dry, while the ground around it is covered with dew.” ³⁹²  6:40 That night God did as he asked. ³⁹³  Only the fleece was dry and the ground around it was covered with dew.

7:1 Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and his men ³⁹⁴  got up the next morning and camped near the spring of Harod. ³⁹⁵  The Midianites ³⁹⁶  were camped north of them near the hill of Moreh in the valley. 7:2 The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men for me to hand Midian over to you. ³⁹⁷  Israel might brag, ³⁹⁸  ‘Our own strength has delivered us.’ ³⁹⁹  7:3 Now, announce to the men, ⁴⁰⁰  ‘Whoever is shaking with fear ⁴⁰¹  may turn around and leave Mount Gilead.’” ⁴⁰²  Twenty-two thousand men ⁴⁰³  went home; ⁴⁰⁴  ten thousand remained. 7:4 The Lord spoke to Gideon again, “There are still too many men. ⁴⁰⁵  Bring them down to the water and I will thin the ranks some more. ⁴⁰⁶  When I say, ‘This one should go with you,’ pick him to go; ⁴⁰⁷  when I say, ⁴⁰⁸  ‘This one should not go with you,’ do not take him.” ⁴⁰⁹  7:5 So he brought the men ⁴¹⁰  down to the water. Then the Lord said to Gideon, “Separate those who lap the water as a dog laps from those who kneel to drink.” ⁴¹¹  7:6 Three hundred men lapped; ⁴¹²  the rest of the men ⁴¹³  kneeled to drink water. 7:7 The Lord said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men who lapped I will deliver the whole army ⁴¹⁴  and I will hand Midian over to you. ⁴¹⁵  The rest of the men should go home.” ⁴¹⁶  7:8 The men ⁴¹⁷  who were chosen ⁴¹⁸  took supplies ⁴¹⁹  and their trumpets. Gideon ⁴²⁰  sent all the men of Israel back to their homes; ⁴²¹  he kept only three hundred men. Now the Midianites ⁴²²  were camped down below ⁴²³  in the valley.

7:9 That night the Lord said to Gideon, ⁴²⁴  “Get up! Attack ⁴²⁵  the camp, for I am handing it over to you. ⁴²⁶  7:10 But if you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with Purah your servant 7:11 and listen to what they are saying. Then you will be brave ⁴²⁷  and attack the camp.” So he went down with Purah his servant to where the sentries were guarding the camp. ⁴²⁸  7:12 Now the Midianites, Amalekites, and the people from the east covered the valley like a swarm of locusts. ⁴²⁹  Their camels could not be counted; they were as innumerable as the sand on the seashore. 7:13 When Gideon arrived, he heard a man telling another man about a dream he had. ⁴³⁰  The man ⁴³¹  said, “Look! I had a dream. I saw ⁴³²  a stale cake of barley bread rolling into the Midianite camp. It hit a tent so hard it knocked it over and turned it upside down. The tent just collapsed.” ⁴³³  7:14 The other man said, ⁴³⁴  “Without a doubt this symbolizes ⁴³⁵  the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God is handing Midian and all the army over to him.”

7:15 When Gideon heard the report of the dream and its interpretation, he praised God. ⁴³⁶  Then he went back to the Israelite camp and said, “Get up, for the Lord is handing the Midianite army over to you!” 7:16 He divided the three hundred men into three units. ⁴³⁷  He gave them all trumpets and empty jars with torches inside them. ⁴³⁸  7:17 He said to them, “Watch me and do as I do. Watch closely! ⁴³⁹  I am going to the edge of the camp. Do as I do! 7:18 When I and all who are with me blow our trumpets, you also blow your trumpets all around the camp. Then say, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon!’”

7:19 Gideon took a hundred men to the edge of the camp ⁴⁴⁰  at the beginning of the middle watch, just after they had changed the guards. They blew their trumpets and broke the jars they were carrying. ⁴⁴¹  7:20 All three units blew their trumpets and broke their jars. They held the torches in their left hand and the trumpets in their right. ⁴⁴²  Then they yelled, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” 7:21 They stood in order ⁴⁴³  all around the camp. The whole army ran away; they shouted as they scrambled away. ⁴⁴⁴  7:22 When the three hundred men blew their trumpets, the Lord caused the Midianites to attack one another with their swords ⁴⁴⁵  throughout ⁴⁴⁶  the camp. The army fled to Beth Shittah on the way to Zererah. They went ⁴⁴⁷  to the border of Abel Meholah near Tabbath. 7:23 Israelites from Naphtali, Asher, and Manasseh answered the call and chased the Midianites. ⁴⁴⁸ 

7:24 Now Gideon sent messengers throughout the Ephraimite hill country who announced, “Go down and head off the Midianites. ⁴⁴⁹  Take control of the fords of the streams ⁴⁵⁰  all the way to Beth Barah and the Jordan River.” ⁴⁵¹  When all the Ephraimites had assembled, ⁴⁵²  they took control of the fords ⁴⁵³  all the way to Beth Barah and the Jordan River. 7:25 They captured the two Midianite generals, Oreb and Zeeb. ⁴⁵⁴  They executed Oreb on the rock of Oreb and Zeeb ⁴⁵⁵  in the winepress of Zeeb. They chased the Midianites ⁴⁵⁶  and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, who was now on the other side of the Jordan River. ⁴⁵⁷ 

8:1 The Ephraimites said to him, “Why have you done such a thing to us? You did not summon us ⁴⁵⁸  when you went to fight the Midianites!” They argued vehemently with him. 8:2 He said to them, “Now what have I accomplished compared to you? Even Ephraim’s leftover grapes ⁴⁵⁹  are better quality than Abiezer’s harvest! ⁴⁶⁰  8:3 It was to you that God handed over the Midianite generals, Oreb and Zeeb! What did I accomplish to rival that?” ⁴⁶¹  When he said this, they calmed down. ⁴⁶² 

8:4 Now Gideon and his three hundred men had crossed over the Jordan River, and even though they were exhausted, they were still chasing the Midianites. ⁴⁶³  8:5 He said to the men of Succoth, “Give ⁴⁶⁴  some loaves of bread to the men ⁴⁶⁵  who are following me, ⁴⁶⁶  because they are exhausted. I am chasing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.” 8:6 The officials of Succoth said, “You have not yet overpowered Zebah and Zalmunna. So why should we give ⁴⁶⁷  bread to your army?” ⁴⁶⁸  8:7 Gideon said, “Since you will not help, ⁴⁶⁹  after the Lord hands Zebah and Zalmunna over to me, I will thresh ⁴⁷⁰  your skin ⁴⁷¹  with ⁴⁷²  desert thorns and briers.” 8:8 He went up from there to Penuel and made the same request. ⁴⁷³  The men of Penuel responded the same way the men of Succoth had. ⁴⁷⁴  8:9 He also threatened ⁴⁷⁵  the men of Penuel, warning, ⁴⁷⁶  “When I return victoriously, ⁴⁷⁷  I will tear down this tower.”

8:10 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with their armies. There were about fifteen thousand survivors from the army of the eastern peoples; a hundred and twenty thousand sword-wielding soldiers had been killed. ⁴⁷⁸  8:11 Gideon went up the road of the nomads ⁴⁷⁹  east of Nobah and Jogbehah and ambushed the surprised army. ⁴⁸⁰  8:12 When Zebah and Zalmunna ran away, Gideon ⁴⁸¹  chased them and captured the two Midianite kings, Zebah and Zalmunna. He had surprised ⁴⁸²  their entire army.

8:13 Gideon son of Joash returned from the battle by the pass ⁴⁸³  of Heres. 8:14 He captured a young man from Succoth ⁴⁸⁴  and interrogated him. The young man wrote down for him the names of Succoth’s officials and city leaders – seventy-seven men in all. ⁴⁸⁵  8:15 He approached the men of Succoth and said, “Look what I have! ⁴⁸⁶  Zebah and Zalmunna! You insulted me, saying, ‘You have not yet overpowered Zebah and Zalmunna. So why should we give bread to your exhausted men?’” ⁴⁸⁷  8:16 He seized the leaders ⁴⁸⁸  of the city, along with some desert thorns and briers; he then “threshed” the men of Succoth with them. ⁴⁸⁹  8:17 He also tore down the tower of Penuel and executed the city’s men.

8:18 He said to Zebah and Zalmunna, “Describe for me ⁴⁹⁰  the men you killed at Tabor.” They said, “They were like you. Each one looked like a king’s son.” ⁴⁹¹  8:19 He said, “They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. I swear, ⁴⁹²  as surely as the Lord is alive, if you had let them live, I would not kill you.” 8:20 He ordered Jether his firstborn son, “Come on! ⁴⁹³  Kill them!” But Jether was too afraid to draw his sword, ⁴⁹⁴  because he was still young. 8:21 Zebah and Zalmunna said to Gideon, ⁴⁹⁵  “Come on, ⁴⁹⁶  you strike us, for a man is judged by his strength.” ⁴⁹⁷  So Gideon killed ⁴⁹⁸  Zebah and Zalmunna, and he took the crescent-shaped ornaments which were on the necks of their camels.

8:22 The men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us – you, your son, and your grandson. For you have delivered us from Midian’s power.” ⁴⁹⁹  8:23 Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The Lord will rule over you.” 8:24 Gideon continued, ⁵⁰⁰  “I would like to make one request. Each of you give me an earring from the plunder you have taken.” ⁵⁰¹  (The Midianites ⁵⁰²  had gold earrings because they were Ishmaelites.) 8:25 They said, “We are happy to give you earrings.” ⁵⁰³  So they ⁵⁰⁴  spread out a garment, and each one threw an earring from his plunder onto it. 8:26 The total weight of the gold earrings he requested came to seventeen hundred gold shekels. ⁵⁰⁵  This was in addition to the crescent-shaped ornaments, jewelry, ⁵⁰⁶  purple clothing worn by the Midianite kings, and the necklaces on the camels. ⁵⁰⁷  8:27 Gideon used all this to make ⁵⁰⁸  an ephod, ⁵⁰⁹  which he put in his hometown of Ophrah. All the Israelites ⁵¹⁰  prostituted themselves to it by worshiping it ⁵¹¹  there. It became a snare to Gideon and his family.

8:28 The Israelites humiliated Midian; the Midianites’ fighting spirit was broken. ⁵¹²  The land had rest for forty years during Gideon’s time. ⁵¹³  8:29 Then Jerub-Baal son of Joash went home and settled down. ⁵¹⁴  8:30 Gideon fathered seventy sons through his many wives. ⁵¹⁵  8:31 His concubine, ⁵¹⁶  who lived in Shechem, also gave him a son, whom he named Abimelech. ⁵¹⁷  8:32 Gideon son of Joash died at a very ⁵¹⁸  old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash located in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

8:33 After Gideon died, the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals. They made Baal-Berith ⁵¹⁹  their god. 8:34 The Israelites did not remain true ⁵²⁰  to the Lord their God, who had delivered them from all the enemies who lived around them. 8:35 They did not treat ⁵²¹  the family of Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) fairly in return for all the good he had done for Israel.

9:1 Now Abimelech son of Jerub-Baal went to Shechem to see his mother’s relatives. ⁵²²  He said to them and to his mother’s entire extended family, ⁵²³  9:2 “Tell ⁵²⁴  all the leaders of Shechem this: ‘Why would you want ⁵²⁵  to have seventy men, all Jerub-Baal’s sons, ruling over you, when you can have just one ruler? Recall that I am your own flesh and blood.’” ⁵²⁶  9:3 His mother’s relatives ⁵²⁷  spoke on his behalf to ⁵²⁸  all the leaders of Shechem and reported his proposal. ⁵²⁹  The leaders were drawn to Abimelech; ⁵³⁰  they said, “He is our close relative.” ⁵³¹  9:4 They paid him seventy silver shekels out of the temple of Baal-Berith. Abimelech then used the silver to hire some lawless, dangerous ⁵³²  men as his followers. ⁵³³  9:5 He went to his father’s home in Ophrah and murdered his half-brothers, ⁵³⁴  the seventy legitimate ⁵³⁵  sons of Jerub-Baal, on one stone. Only Jotham, Jerub-Baal’s youngest son, escaped, ⁵³⁶  because he hid. 9:6 All the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo assembled and then went and made Abimelech king by the oak near the pillar ⁵³⁷  in Shechem.

9:7 When Jotham heard the news, ⁵³⁸  he went and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim. He spoke loudly to the people below, ⁵³⁹  “Listen to me, leaders of Shechem, so that God may listen to you!

9:8 “The trees were determined to go out ⁵⁴⁰  and choose a king for themselves. ⁵⁴¹  They said to the olive tree, ‘Be our king!’ ⁵⁴²  9:9 But the olive tree said to them, ‘I am not going to stop producing my oil, which is used to honor gods and men, just to sway above the other trees!’ ⁵⁴³ 

9:10 “So the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and be our king!’ ⁵⁴⁴  9:11 But the fig tree said to them, ‘I am not going to stop producing my sweet figs, my excellent fruit, just to sway above the other trees!’ ⁵⁴⁵ 

9:12 “So the trees said to the grapevine, ‘You come and be our king!’ ⁵⁴⁶  9:13 But the grapevine said to them, ‘I am not going to stop producing my wine, which makes gods and men so happy, just to sway above the other trees!’ ⁵⁴⁷ 

9:14 “So all the trees said to the thornbush, ‘You come and be our king!’ ⁵⁴⁸  9:15 The thornbush said to the trees, ‘If you really want to choose ⁵⁴⁹  me as your king, then come along, find safety under my branches! ⁵⁵⁰  Otherwise ⁵⁵¹  may fire blaze from the thornbush and consume the cedars of Lebanon!’

9:16 “Now, if you have shown loyalty and integrity when you made Abimelech king, if you have done right to Jerub-Baal and his family, ⁵⁵²  if you have properly repaid him ⁵⁵³  – 9:17 my father fought for you; he risked his life ⁵⁵⁴  and delivered you from Midian’s power. ⁵⁵⁵  9:18 But you have attacked ⁵⁵⁶  my father’s family ⁵⁵⁷  today. You murdered his seventy legitimate ⁵⁵⁸  sons on one stone and made Abimelech, the son of his female slave, king over the leaders of Shechem, just because he is your close relative. ⁵⁵⁹  9:19 So if you have shown loyalty and integrity to Jerub-Baal and his family ⁵⁶⁰  today, then may Abimelech bring you happiness and may you bring him happiness! ⁵⁶¹  9:20 But if not, may fire blaze from Abimelech and consume the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo! May fire also blaze from the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo and consume Abimelech!” 9:21 Then Jotham ran away ⁵⁶²  to Beer and lived there to escape from ⁵⁶³  Abimelech his half-brother. ⁵⁶⁴ 

9:22 Abimelech commanded ⁵⁶⁵  Israel for three years. 9:23 God sent a spirit to stir up hostility ⁵⁶⁶  between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem. He made the leaders of Shechem disloyal ⁵⁶⁷  to Abimelech. 9:24 He did this so the violent deaths of Jerub-Baal’s seventy sons might be avenged and Abimelech, their half-brother ⁵⁶⁸  who murdered them, might have to pay for their spilled blood, along with the leaders of Shechem who helped him murder them. ⁵⁶⁹  9:25 The leaders of Shechem rebelled against Abimelech by putting ⁵⁷⁰  bandits in ⁵⁷¹  the hills, who robbed everyone who traveled by on the road. But Abimelech found out about it. ⁵⁷² 

9:26 Gaal son of Ebed ⁵⁷³  came through Shechem with his brothers. The leaders of Shechem transferred their loyalty to him. ⁵⁷⁴  9:27 They went out to the field, harvested their grapes, ⁵⁷⁵  squeezed out the juice, ⁵⁷⁶  and celebrated. They came to the temple ⁵⁷⁷  of their god and ate, drank, and cursed Abimelech. 9:28 Gaal son of Ebed said, “Who is Abimelech and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerub-Baal, and is not Zebul the deputy he appointed? ⁵⁷⁸  Serve the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem! But why should we serve Abimelech? ⁵⁷⁹  9:29 If only these men ⁵⁸⁰  were under my command, ⁵⁸¹  I would get rid of Abimelech!” He challenged Abimelech, ⁵⁸²  “Muster ⁵⁸³  your army and come out for battle!” ⁵⁸⁴ 

9:30 When Zebul, the city commissioner, heard the words of Gaal son of Ebed, he was furious. ⁵⁸⁵  9:31 He sent messengers to Abimelech, who was in Arumah, ⁵⁸⁶  reporting, “Beware! ⁵⁸⁷  Gaal son of Ebed and his brothers are coming ⁵⁸⁸  to Shechem and inciting the city to rebel against you. ⁵⁸⁹  9:32 Now, come up ⁵⁹⁰  at night with your men ⁵⁹¹  and set an ambush in the field outside the city. ⁵⁹²  9:33 In the morning at sunrise quickly attack the city. When he and his men come out to fight you, do what you can to him.” ⁵⁹³ 

9:34 So Abimelech and all his men came up ⁵⁹⁴  at night and set an ambush outside Shechem – they divided into ⁵⁹⁵  four units. 9:35 When Gaal son of Ebed came out and stood at the entrance to the city’s gate, Abimelech and his men got up from their hiding places. 9:36 Gaal saw the men ⁵⁹⁶  and said to Zebul, “Look, men are coming down from the tops of the hills.” But Zebul said to him, “You are seeing the shadows on the hills – it just looks like men.” ⁵⁹⁷  9:37 Gaal again said, “Look, men are coming down from the very center ⁵⁹⁸  of the land. A unit ⁵⁹⁹  is coming by way of the Oak Tree of the Diviners.” ⁶⁰⁰  9:38 Zebul said to him, “Where now are your bragging words, ⁶⁰¹  ‘Who is Abimelech that we should serve him?’ Are these not the men ⁶⁰²  you insulted? ⁶⁰³  Go out now and fight them!” 9:39 So Gaal led the leaders of Shechem out ⁶⁰⁴  and fought Abimelech. 9:40 Abimelech chased him, and Gaal ⁶⁰⁵  ran from him. Many Shechemites ⁶⁰⁶  fell wounded at the entrance of the gate. 9:41 Abimelech went back ⁶⁰⁷  to Arumah; Zebul drove Gaal and his brothers out of Shechem. ⁶⁰⁸ 

9:42 The next day the Shechemites ⁶⁰⁹  came out to the field. When Abimelech heard about it, ⁶¹⁰  9:43 he took his men ⁶¹¹  and divided them into three units and set an ambush in the field. When he saw the people coming out of the city, ⁶¹²  he attacked and struck them down. ⁶¹³  9:44 Abimelech and his units ⁶¹⁴  attacked and blocked ⁶¹⁵  the entrance to the city’s gate. Two units then attacked all the people in the field and struck them down. 9:45 Abimelech fought against the city all that day. He captured the city and killed all the people in it. Then he leveled ⁶¹⁶  the city and spread salt over it. ⁶¹⁷ 

9:46 When all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem ⁶¹⁸  heard the news, they went to the stronghold ⁶¹⁹  of the temple of El-Berith. ⁶²⁰  9:47 Abimelech heard ⁶²¹  that all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem were in one place. ⁶²²  9:48 He and all his men ⁶²³  went up on Mount Zalmon. He ⁶²⁴  took an ax ⁶²⁵  in his hand and cut off a tree branch. He put it ⁶²⁶  on his shoulder and said to his men, “Quickly, do what you have just seen me do!” ⁶²⁷  9:49 So each of his men also cut off a branch and followed Abimelech. They put the branches ⁶²⁸  against the stronghold and set fire to it. ⁶²⁹  All the people ⁶³⁰  of the Tower of Shechem died – about a thousand men and women.

9:50 Abimelech moved on ⁶³¹  to Thebez; he besieged and captured it. ⁶³²  9:51 There was a fortified ⁶³³  tower ⁶³⁴  in the center of the city, so all the men and women, as well as the city’s leaders, ran into it and locked the entrance. Then they went up to the roof of the tower. 9:52 Abimelech came and attacked the tower. When he approached the entrance of the tower to set it on fire, 9:53 a woman threw an upper millstone ⁶³⁵  down on his ⁶³⁶  head and shattered his skull. 9:54 He quickly called to the young man who carried his weapons, ⁶³⁷  “Draw your sword and kill me, so they will not say, ⁶³⁸  ‘A woman killed him.’” So the young man stabbed him and he died. 9:55 When the Israelites saw that Abimelech was dead, they went home. ⁶³⁹ 

9:56 God repaid Abimelech for the evil he did to his father by murdering his seventy half-brothers. ⁶⁴⁰  9:57 God also repaid the men of Shechem for their evil deeds. The curse spoken by Jotham son of Jerub-Baal fell ⁶⁴¹  on them.

10:1 After Abimelech’s death, ⁶⁴²  Tola son of Puah, grandson ⁶⁴³  of Dodo, from the tribe of Issachar, ⁶⁴⁴  rose up to deliver Israel. He lived in Shamir in the Ephraimite hill country. 10:2 He led ⁶⁴⁵  Israel for twenty-three years, then died and was buried in Shamir.

10:3 Jair the Gileadite rose up after him; he led Israel for twenty-two years. 10:4 He had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys and possessed thirty cities. To this day these towns are called Havvoth Jair ⁶⁴⁶  – they are in the land of Gilead. ⁶⁴⁷  10:5 Jair died and was buried in Kamon.

10:6 The Israelites again did evil in the Lord’s sight. ⁶⁴⁸  They worshiped ⁶⁴⁹  the Baals and the Ashtars, ⁶⁵⁰  as well as the gods of Syria, Sidon, ⁶⁵¹  Moab, the Ammonites, and the Philistines. ⁶⁵²  They abandoned the Lord and did not worship ⁶⁵³  him. 10:7 The Lord was furious with Israel ⁶⁵⁴  and turned them over to ⁶⁵⁵  the Philistines and Ammonites. 10:8 They ruthlessly oppressed ⁶⁵⁶  the Israelites that eighteenth year ⁶⁵⁷  – that is, all the Israelites living east of the Jordan in Amorite country in Gilead. 10:9 The Ammonites crossed the Jordan to fight with Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim. ⁶⁵⁸  Israel suffered greatly. ⁶⁵⁹ 

10:10 The Israelites cried out for help to the Lord: “We have sinned against you. We abandoned our God and worshiped ⁶⁶⁰  the Baals.” 10:11 The Lord said to the Israelites, “Did I not deliver you from Egypt, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines, 10:12 the Sidonians, Amalek, and Midian ⁶⁶¹  when they oppressed you? ⁶⁶²  You cried out for help to me, and I delivered you from their power. ⁶⁶³  10:13 But since you abandoned me and worshiped ⁶⁶⁴  other gods, I will not deliver you again. 10:14 Go and cry for help to the gods you have chosen! Let them deliver you from trouble!” ⁶⁶⁵  10:15 But the Israelites said to the Lord, “We have sinned. You do to us as you see fit, ⁶⁶⁶  but deliver us today!” ⁶⁶⁷  10:16 They threw away the foreign gods they owned ⁶⁶⁸  and worshiped ⁶⁶⁹  the Lord. Finally the Lord grew tired of seeing Israel suffer so much. ⁶⁷⁰ 

10:17 The Ammonites assembled ⁶⁷¹  and camped in Gilead; the Israelites gathered together and camped in Mizpah. 10:18 The leaders ⁶⁷²  of Gilead said to one another, “Who is willing to lead the charge ⁶⁷³  against the Ammonites? He will become the leader of all who live in Gilead!”

11:1 Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a brave warrior. His mother was a prostitute, but Gilead was his father. ⁶⁷⁴  11:2 Gilead’s wife also gave ⁶⁷⁵  him sons. When his wife’s sons grew up, they made Jephthah leave and said to him, “You are not going to inherit any of our father’s wealth, ⁶⁷⁶  because you are another woman’s son.” 11:3 So Jephthah left ⁶⁷⁷  his half-brothers ⁶⁷⁸  and lived in the land of Tob. Lawless men joined Jephthah’s gang and traveled with him. ⁶⁷⁹ 

11:4 It was some time after this when the Ammonites fought with Israel. 11:5 When the Ammonites attacked, ⁶⁸⁰  the leaders ⁶⁸¹  of Gilead asked Jephthah to come back ⁶⁸²  from the land of Tob. 11:6 They said, ⁶⁸³  “Come, be our commander, so we can fight with the Ammonites.” 11:7 Jephthah said to the leaders of Gilead, “But you hated me and made me leave ⁶⁸⁴  my father’s house. Why do you come to me now, when you are in trouble?” 11:8 The leaders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “That may be true, ⁶⁸⁵  but now we pledge to you our loyalty. ⁶⁸⁶  Come with us and fight with the Ammonites. Then you will become the leader ⁶⁸⁷  of all who live in Gilead.” ⁶⁸⁸  11:9 Jephthah said to the leaders of Gilead, “All right! ⁶⁸⁹  If you take me back to fight with the Ammonites and the Lord gives them to me, ⁶⁹⁰  I will be your leader.” ⁶⁹¹  11:10 The leaders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “The Lord will judge any grievance you have against us, ⁶⁹²  if we do not do as you say.” ⁶⁹³  11:11 So Jephthah went with the leaders of Gilead. The people made him their leader and commander. Jephthah repeated the terms of the agreement ⁶⁹⁴  before the Lord in Mizpah.

11:12 Jephthah sent messengers to the Ammonite king, saying, “Why have ⁶⁹⁵  you come against me to attack my land?” 11:13 The Ammonite king said to Jephthah’s messengers, “Because Israel stole ⁶⁹⁶  my land when they ⁶⁹⁷  came up from Egypt – from the Arnon River in the south to the Jabbok River in the north, and as far west as the Jordan. ⁶⁹⁸  Now return it ⁶⁹⁹  peaceably!”

11:14 Jephthah sent messengers back to the Ammonite king 11:15 and said to him, “This is what Jephthah says, ‘Israel did not steal ⁷⁰⁰  the land of Moab and the land of the Ammonites. 11:16 When they left ⁷⁰¹  Egypt, Israel traveled ⁷⁰²  through the desert as far as the Red Sea and then came to Kadesh. 11:17 Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, “Please allow us ⁷⁰³  to pass through your land.” But the king of Edom rejected the request. ⁷⁰⁴  Israel sent the same request to the king of Moab, but he was unwilling to cooperate. ⁷⁰⁵  So Israel stayed at Kadesh. 11:18 Then Israel ⁷⁰⁶  went through the desert and bypassed the land of Edom and the land of Moab. They traveled east of the land of Moab and camped on the other side of the Arnon River; ⁷⁰⁷  they did not go through Moabite territory (the Arnon was Moab’s border). 11:19 Israel sent messengers to King Sihon, the Amorite king who ruled in Heshbon, and said to him, “Please allow us to pass through your land to our land.” ⁷⁰⁸  11:20 But Sihon did not trust Israel to pass through his territory. He ⁷⁰⁹  assembled his whole army, ⁷¹⁰  camped in Jahaz, and fought with Israel. 11:21 The Lord God of Israel handed Sihon and his whole army over to Israel and they defeated them. Israel took ⁷¹¹  all the land of the Amorites who lived in that land. 11:22 They took all the Amorite territory from the Arnon River on the south to the Jabbok River on the north, from the desert in the east to the Jordan in the west. ⁷¹²  11:23 Since ⁷¹³  the Lord God of Israel has driven out ⁷¹⁴  the Amorites before his people Israel, do you think you can just take it from them? ⁷¹⁵  11:24 You have the right to take what Chemosh your god gives you, but we will take the land of all whom the Lord our God has driven out before us. ⁷¹⁶  11:25 Are you really better than Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he dare to quarrel with Israel? Did he dare to fight with them? ⁷¹⁷  11:26 Israel has been living in Heshbon and its nearby towns, in Aroer and its nearby towns, and in all the cities along the Arnon for three hundred years! Why did you not reclaim them during that time? 11:27 I have not done you wrong, ⁷¹⁸  but you are doing wrong ⁷¹⁹  by attacking me. May the Lord, the Judge, judge this day between the Israelites and the Ammonites!’” 11:28 But the Ammonite king disregarded ⁷²⁰  the message sent by Jephthah. ⁷²¹ 

11:29 The Lord’s spirit empowered ⁷²²  Jephthah. He passed through Gilead and Manasseh and went ⁷²³  to Mizpah in Gilead. From there he approached the Ammonites. ⁷²⁴  11:30 Jephthah made a vow to the Lord, saying, “If you really do hand the Ammonites over to me, 11:31 then whoever is the first to come through ⁷²⁵  the doors of my house to meet me when I return safely from fighting the Ammonites – he ⁷²⁶  will belong to the Lord and ⁷²⁷  I will offer him up as a burnt sacrifice.” 11:32 Jephthah approached ⁷²⁸  the Ammonites to fight with them, and the Lord handed them over to him. 11:33 He defeated them from Aroer all the way to Minnith – twenty cities in all, even as far as Abel Keramim! He wiped them out! ⁷²⁹  The Israelites humiliated the Ammonites. ⁷³⁰ 

11:34 When Jephthah came home to Mizpah, there was his daughter hurrying out ⁷³¹  to meet him, dancing to the rhythm of tambourines. ⁷³²  She was his only child; except for her he had no son or daughter. 11:35 When he saw her, he ripped his clothes and said, “Oh no! My daughter! You have completely ruined me! ⁷³³  You have brought me disaster! ⁷³⁴  I made an oath to the Lord, and I cannot break it.” ⁷³⁵  11:36 She said to him, “My father, since ⁷³⁶  you made an oath to the Lord, do to me as you promised. ⁷³⁷  After all, the Lord vindicated you before ⁷³⁸  your enemies, the Ammonites.” 11:37 She then said to her father, “Please grant me this one wish. ⁷³⁹  For two months allow me to walk through the hills with my friends and mourn my virginity.” ⁷⁴⁰  11:38 He said, “You may go.” He permitted her to leave ⁷⁴¹  for two months. She went with her friends and mourned her virginity as she walked through the hills. ⁷⁴²  11:39 After two months she returned to her father, and he did to her as he had vowed. She died a virgin. ⁷⁴³  Her tragic death gave rise to a custom in Israel. ⁷⁴⁴  11:40 Every year ⁷⁴⁵  Israelite women commemorate ⁷⁴⁶  the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite for four days. ⁷⁴⁷ 

12:1 The Ephraimites assembled ⁷⁴⁸  and crossed over to Zaphon. They said to Jephthah, “Why did you go and fight ⁷⁴⁹  with the Ammonites without asking ⁷⁵⁰  us to go with you? We will burn your house down right over you!” ⁷⁵¹ 

12:2 Jephthah said to them, “My people and I were entangled in controversy with the Ammonites. ⁷⁵²  I asked for your help, but you did not deliver me from their power. ⁷⁵³  12:3 When I saw that you were not going to help, ⁷⁵⁴  I risked my life ⁷⁵⁵  and advanced against ⁷⁵⁶  the Ammonites, and the Lord handed them over to me. Why have you come up ⁷⁵⁷  to fight with me today?” 12:4 Jephthah assembled all the men of Gilead and they fought with Ephraim. The men of Gilead defeated Ephraim, because the Ephraimites insulted them, saying, ⁷⁵⁸  “You Gileadites are refugees in Ephraim, living within Ephraim’s and Manasseh’s territory.” ⁷⁵⁹  12:5 The Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan River ⁷⁶⁰  opposite Ephraim. ⁷⁶¹  Whenever an Ephraimite fugitive ⁷⁶²  said, “Let me cross over,” the men of Gilead asked ⁷⁶³  him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he said, “No,” 12:6 then they said to him, “Say ‘Shibboleth!’” ⁷⁶⁴  If he said, “Sibboleth” (and could not pronounce the word ⁷⁶⁵  correctly), they grabbed him and executed him right there at the fords of the Jordan. On that day forty-two thousand Ephraimites fell dead. 12:7 Jephthah led ⁷⁶⁶  Israel for six years; then he ⁷⁶⁷  died and was buried in his city in Gilead. ⁷⁶⁸ 

12:8 After him Ibzan of Bethlehem ⁷⁶⁹  led ⁷⁷⁰  Israel. 12:9 He had thirty sons. He arranged for thirty of his daughters to be married outside his extended family, ⁷⁷¹  and he arranged for thirty young women to be brought from outside as wives for his sons. ⁷⁷²  Ibzan ⁷⁷³  led ⁷⁷⁴  Israel for seven years; 12:10 then he ⁷⁷⁵  died and was buried in Bethlehem.

12:11 After him Elon the Zebulunite led ⁷⁷⁶  Israel for ten years. ⁷⁷⁷  12:12 Then Elon the Zebulunite died and was buried in Aijalon in the land of Zebulun.

12:13 After him Abdon son of Hillel the Pirathonite led ⁷⁷⁸  Israel. 12:14 He had forty sons and thirty grandsons who rode on seventy donkeys. He led Israel for eight years. 12:15 Then Abdon son of Hillel the Pirathonite died and was buried in Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the hill country of the Amalekites.

13:1 The Israelites again did evil in the Lord’s sight, ⁷⁷⁹  so the Lord handed them over to the Philistines for forty years.

13:2 There was a man named Manoah from Zorah, from the Danite tribe. His wife was infertile and childless. ⁷⁸⁰  13:3 The Lord’s angelic ⁷⁸¹  messenger appeared to the woman and said to her, “You ⁷⁸²  are infertile and childless, ⁷⁸³  but you will conceive and have a son. 13:4 Now be careful! Do not drink wine or beer, and do not eat any food that will make you ritually unclean. ⁷⁸⁴  13:5 Look, you will conceive and have a son. ⁷⁸⁵  You must never cut his hair, ⁷⁸⁶  for the child will be dedicated to God ⁷⁸⁷  from birth. He will begin to deliver Israel from the power ⁷⁸⁸  of the Philistines.”

13:6 The woman went and said to her husband, “A man sent from God ⁷⁸⁹  came to me! He looked like God’s angelic messenger – he was very awesome. ⁷⁹⁰  I did not ask him where he came from, and he did not tell me his name. 13:7 He said to me, ‘Look, you will conceive and have a son. ⁷⁹¹  So now, do not drink wine or beer and do not eat any food that will make you ritually unclean. ⁷⁹²  For the child will be dedicated ⁷⁹³  to God from birth till the day he dies.’”

13:8 Manoah prayed to the Lord, ⁷⁹⁴  “Please, Lord, allow the man sent from God ⁷⁹⁵  to visit ⁷⁹⁶  us again, so he can teach ⁷⁹⁷  us how we should raise ⁷⁹⁸  the child who will be born.” 13:9 God answered Manoah’s prayer. ⁷⁹⁹  God’s angelic messenger visited ⁸⁰⁰  the woman again while she was sitting in the field. But her husband Manoah was not with her. 13:10 The woman ran at once and told her husband, ⁸⁰¹  “Come quickly, ⁸⁰²  the man who visited ⁸⁰³  me the other day has appeared to me!” 13:11 So Manoah got up and followed his wife. When he met ⁸⁰⁴  the man, he said to him, “Are you the man who spoke to my wife?” ⁸⁰⁵  He said, “Yes.” ⁸⁰⁶  13:12 Manoah said, “Now, when your announcement comes true, ⁸⁰⁷  how should the child be raised and what should he do?” ⁸⁰⁸  13:13 The Lord’s messenger told ⁸⁰⁹  Manoah, “Your wife should pay attention to everything I told her. ⁸¹⁰  13:14 She should not drink ⁸¹¹  anything that the grapevine produces. She must not drink wine or beer, and she must not eat any food that will make her ritually unclean. ⁸¹²  She should obey everything I commanded her to do.” 13:15 Manoah said to the Lord’s messenger, “Please stay here awhile, ⁸¹³  so we can prepare a young goat for you to eat.” ⁸¹⁴  13:16 The Lord’s messenger said to Manoah, “If I stay, ⁸¹⁵  I will not eat your food. But if you want to make a burnt sacrifice to the Lord, you should offer it.” (He said this because Manoah did not know that he was the Lord’s messenger.) ⁸¹⁶  13:17 Manoah said to the Lord’s messenger, “Tell us your name, so we can honor you when your announcement comes true.” ⁸¹⁷  13:18 The Lord’s messenger said to him, “You should not ask me my name, because you cannot comprehend it.” ⁸¹⁸  13:19 Manoah took a young goat and a grain offering and offered them on a rock to the Lord. The Lord’s messenger did an amazing thing as Manoah and his wife watched. ⁸¹⁹  13:20 As the flame went up from the altar toward the sky, the Lord’s messenger went up in it ⁸²⁰  while Manoah and his wife watched. They fell facedown ⁸²¹  to the ground.

13:21 The Lord’s messenger did not appear again to Manoah and his wife. After all this happened Manoah realized that the visitor had been the Lord’s messenger. ⁸²²  13:22 Manoah said to his wife, “We will certainly die, because we have seen a supernatural being!” ⁸²³  13:23 But his wife said to him, “If the Lord wanted to kill us, he would not have accepted the burnt offering and the grain offering from us. ⁸²⁴  He would not have shown us all these things, or have spoken to us like this just now.”

13:24 Manoah’s wife ⁸²⁵  gave birth to a son and named him Samson. ⁸²⁶  The child grew and the Lord empowered ⁸²⁷  him. 13:25 The Lord’s spirit began to control him ⁸²⁸  in Mahaneh Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.

14:1 Samson went down to Timnah, where a Philistine girl caught his eye. ⁸²⁹  14:2 When he got home, ⁸³⁰  he told his father and mother, “A Philistine girl in Timnah has caught my eye. ⁸³¹  Now get her for my wife.” 14:3 But his father and mother said to him, “Certainly you can find a wife among your relatives or among all our ⁸³²  people! You should not have to go and get a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines.” ⁸³³  But Samson said to his father, “Get her for me, ⁸³⁴  because she is the right one for me.” ⁸³⁵  14:4 Now his father and mother did not realize this was the Lord’s doing, ⁸³⁶  because he was looking for an opportunity to stir up trouble with the Philistines ⁸³⁷  (for at that time the Philistines were ruling Israel).

14:5 Samson went down to Timnah. When he approached ⁸³⁸  the vineyards of Timnah, he saw a roaring young lion attacking him. ⁸³⁹  14:6 The Lord’s spirit empowered ⁸⁴⁰  him and he tore the lion ⁸⁴¹  in two with his bare hands ⁸⁴²  as easily as one would tear a young goat. But he did not tell his father or mother what he had done.

14:7 Samson continued on down to Timnah ⁸⁴³  and spoke to the girl. In his opinion, she was just the right one. ⁸⁴⁴  14:8 Some time later, when he went back to marry ⁸⁴⁵  her, he turned aside to see the lion’s remains. He saw ⁸⁴⁶  a swarm of bees in the lion’s carcass, as well as some honey. 14:9 He scooped it up with his hands and ate it as he walked along. When he returned ⁸⁴⁷  to his father and mother, he offered them some and they ate it. But he did not tell them he had scooped the honey out of the lion’s carcass. ⁸⁴⁸ 

14:10 Then Samson’s father accompanied him to Timnah for the marriage. ⁸⁴⁹  Samson hosted a party ⁸⁵⁰  there, for this was customary for bridegrooms ⁸⁵¹  to do. 14:11 When the Philistines saw he had no attendants, they gave him thirty groomsmen who kept him company. ⁸⁵²  14:12 Samson said to them, “I will give you a riddle. If you really can solve it during the seven days the party lasts, ⁸⁵³  I will give you thirty linen robes and thirty sets ⁸⁵⁴  of clothes. 14:13 But if you cannot solve it, ⁸⁵⁵  you will give me thirty linen robes and thirty sets of clothes.” They said to him, “Let us hear your riddle.” ⁸⁵⁶  14:14 He said to them,

“Out of the one who eats came something to eat;

out of the strong one came something sweet.”

They could not solve the riddle for three days.

14:15 On the fourth ⁸⁵⁷  day they said to Samson’s bride, “Trick your husband into giving the solution to the riddle. ⁸⁵⁸  If you refuse, ⁸⁵⁹  we will burn up ⁸⁶⁰  you and your father’s family. ⁸⁶¹  Did you invite us here ⁸⁶²  to make us poor?” ⁸⁶³  14:16 So Samson’s bride cried on his shoulder ⁸⁶⁴  and said, “You must ⁸⁶⁵  hate me; you do not love me! You told the young men ⁸⁶⁶  a riddle, but you have not told me the solution.” He said to her, “Look, I have not even told my father or mother. Do you really expect me to tell you?” ⁸⁶⁷  14:17 She cried on his shoulder ⁸⁶⁸  until the party was almost over. ⁸⁶⁹  Finally, on the seventh day, he told her because she had nagged him so much. ⁸⁷⁰  Then she told the young men the solution to the riddle. ⁸⁷¹  14:18 On the seventh day, before the sun set, the men of the city said to him,

“What is sweeter than honey?

What is stronger than a lion?”

He said to them,

“If you had not plowed with my heifer, ⁸⁷² 

you would not have solved my riddle!”

14:19 The Lord’s spirit empowered him. He went down to Ashkelon and murdered thirty men. He took their clothes ⁸⁷³  and gave them ⁸⁷⁴  to the men who had solved the riddle. He was furious as he went back home. ⁸⁷⁵  14:20 Samson’s bride was then given to his best man. ⁸⁷⁶ 

15:1 Sometime later, during the wheat harvest, ⁸⁷⁷  Samson took a young goat as a gift and went to visit his bride. ⁸⁷⁸  He said to her father, ⁸⁷⁹  “I want to have sex with my bride in her bedroom!” ⁸⁸⁰  But her father would not let him enter. 15:2 Her father said, “I really thought ⁸⁸¹  you absolutely despised ⁸⁸²  her, so I gave her to your best man. Her younger sister is more attractive than she is. Take her instead!” ⁸⁸³  15:3 Samson said to them, ⁸⁸⁴  “This time I am justified in doing the Philistines harm!” ⁸⁸⁵  15:4 Samson went and captured three hundred jackals ⁸⁸⁶  and got some torches. He tied the jackals in pairs by their tails and then tied a torch to each pair. ⁸⁸⁷  15:5 He lit the torches ⁸⁸⁸  and set the jackals loose in the Philistines’ standing grain. He burned up the grain heaps and the standing grain, as well as the vineyards and olive groves. 15:6 The Philistines asked, ⁸⁸⁹  “Who did this?” They were told, ⁸⁹⁰  “Samson, the Timnite’s son-in-law, because the Timnite ⁸⁹¹  took Samson’s ⁸⁹²  bride and gave her to his best man.” So the Philistines went up and burned her and her father. ⁸⁹³  15:7 Samson said to them, “Because you did this, ⁸⁹⁴  I will get revenge against you before I quit fighting.” ⁸⁹⁵  15:8 He struck them down and defeated them. ⁸⁹⁶  Then he went down and lived for a time in the cave in the cliff of Etam.

15:9 The Philistines went up and invaded ⁸⁹⁷  Judah. They arrayed themselves for battle ⁸⁹⁸  in Lehi. 15:10 The men of Judah said, “Why are you attacking ⁸⁹⁹  us?” The Philistines ⁹⁰⁰  said, “We have come up to take Samson prisoner so we can do to him what he has done to us.” 15:11 Three thousand men of Judah went down to the cave in the cliff of Etam and said to Samson, “Do you not know that the Philistines rule over us? Why have you done this to us?” He said to them, “I have only done to them what they have done to me.” 15:12 They said to him, “We have come down to take you prisoner so we can hand you over to the Philistines.” Samson said to them, “Promise me ⁹⁰¹  you will not kill ⁹⁰²  me.” 15:13 They said to him, “We promise! ⁹⁰³  We will only take you prisoner and hand you over to them. We promise not to kill you.” They tied him up with two brand new ropes and led him up from the cliff. 15:14 When he arrived in Lehi, the Philistines shouted as they approached him. But the Lord’s spirit empowered ⁹⁰⁴  him. The ropes around his arms were like flax dissolving in ⁹⁰⁵  fire, and they ⁹⁰⁶  melted away from his hands. 15:15 He happened to see ⁹⁰⁷  a solid ⁹⁰⁸  jawbone of a donkey. He grabbed it ⁹⁰⁹  and struck down ⁹¹⁰  a thousand men. 15:16 Samson then said,

“With the jawbone of a donkey

I have left them in heaps; ⁹¹¹ 

with the jawbone of a donkey

I have struck down a thousand men!”

15:17 When he finished speaking, he threw the jawbone down ⁹¹²  and named that place Ramath Lehi. ⁹¹³ 

15:18 He was very thirsty, so he cried out to the Lord and said, “You have given your servant ⁹¹⁴  this great victory. But now must I die of thirst and fall into hands of the Philistines?” ⁹¹⁵  15:19 So God split open the basin ⁹¹⁶  at Lehi and water flowed out from it. When he took a drink, his strength ⁹¹⁷  was restored and he revived. For this reason he named the spring ⁹¹⁸  En Hakkore. ⁹¹⁹  It remains in Lehi to this very day. 15:20 Samson led ⁹²⁰  Israel for twenty years during the days of Philistine prominence. ⁹²¹ 

16:1 Samson went to Gaza. There he saw a prostitute and went in to have sex with her. ⁹²²  16:2 The Gazites were told, ⁹²³  “Samson has come here!” So they surrounded the town ⁹²⁴  and hid all night at the city gate, waiting for him to leave. ⁹²⁵  They relaxed ⁹²⁶  all night, thinking, ⁹²⁷  “He will not leave ⁹²⁸  until morning comes; ⁹²⁹  then we will kill him!” 16:3 Samson spent half the night with the prostitute; then he got up in the middle of the night and left. ⁹³⁰  He grabbed the doors of the city gate, as well as the two posts, and pulled them right off, bar and all. ⁹³¹  He put them on his shoulders and carried them up to the top of a hill east of Hebron. ⁹³² 

16:4 After this Samson fell in love with a woman named Delilah, who lived in the Sorek Valley. 16:5 The rulers of the Philistines went up to visit her and said to her, “Trick him! Find out what makes him so strong and how we can subdue him and humiliate ⁹³³  him. Each one of us will give you eleven hundred silver pieces.”

16:6 So Delilah said to Samson, “Tell me what makes you so strong and how you can be subdued and humiliated.” ⁹³⁴  16:7 Samson said to her, “If they tie me up with seven fresh ⁹³⁵  bowstrings ⁹³⁶  that have not been dried, I will become weak and be just like any other man.” 16:8 So the rulers of the Philistines brought her seven fresh bowstrings which had not been dried and they tied him up with them. 16:9 They hid ⁹³⁷  in the bedroom and then she said to him, “The Philistines are here, ⁹³⁸  Samson!” He snapped the bowstrings as easily as a thread of yarn snaps when it is put close to fire. ⁹³⁹  The secret of his strength was not discovered. ⁹⁴⁰ 

16:10 Delilah said to Samson, “Look, you deceived ⁹⁴¹  me and told me lies! Now tell me how you can be subdued.” 16:11 He said to her, “If they tie me tightly with brand new ropes that have never been used, ⁹⁴²  I will become weak and be just like any other man.” 16:12 So Delilah took new ropes and tied him with them and said to him, “The Philistines are here, ⁹⁴³  Samson!” (The Philistines were hiding in the bedroom.) ⁹⁴⁴  But he tore the ropes ⁹⁴⁵  from his arms as if they were a piece of thread.

16:13 Delilah said to Samson, “Up to now you have deceived me and told me lies. Tell me how you can be subdued.” He said to her, “If you weave the seven braids of my hair ⁹⁴⁶  into the fabric on the loom ⁹⁴⁷  and secure it with the pin, I will become weak and be like any other man.” 16:14 So she made him go to sleep, wove the seven braids of his hair into the fabric on the loom, fastened it with the pin, and said to him, “The Philistines are here, ⁹⁴⁸  Samson!” ⁹⁴⁹  He woke up ⁹⁵⁰  and tore away the pin of the loom and the fabric.

16:15 She said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when you will not share your secret with me? ⁹⁵¹  Three times you have deceived me and have not told me what makes you so strong.” 16:16 She nagged him ⁹⁵²  every day and pressured him until he was sick to death of it. ⁹⁵³  16:17 Finally he told her his secret. ⁹⁵⁴  He said to her, “My hair has never been cut, ⁹⁵⁵  for I have been dedicated to God ⁹⁵⁶  from the time I was conceived. ⁹⁵⁷  If my head ⁹⁵⁸  were shaved, my strength would leave me; I would become weak, and be just like all other men.” 16:18 When Delilah saw that he had told her his secret, ⁹⁵⁹  she sent for ⁹⁶⁰  the rulers of the Philistines, saying, “Come up here again, for he has told me ⁹⁶¹  his secret.” ⁹⁶²  So the rulers of the Philistines went up to visit her, bringing the silver in their hands. 16:19 She made him go to sleep on her lap ⁹⁶³  and then called a man in to shave off ⁹⁶⁴  the seven braids of his hair. ⁹⁶⁵  She made him vulnerable ⁹⁶⁶  and his strength left him. 16:20 She said, “The Philistines are here, ⁹⁶⁷  Samson!” He woke up ⁹⁶⁸  and thought, ⁹⁶⁹  “I will do as I did before ⁹⁷⁰  and shake myself free.” But he did not realize that the Lord had left him. 16:21 The Philistines captured him and gouged out his eyes. They brought him down to Gaza and bound him in bronze chains. He became a grinder in the prison. 16:22 His hair ⁹⁷¹  began to grow back after it had been shaved off.

16:23 The rulers of the Philistines gathered to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to celebrate. They said, “Our god has handed Samson, our enemy, over to us.” 16:24 When the people saw him, ⁹⁷²  they praised their god, saying, “Our god has handed our enemy over to us, the one who ruined our land and killed so many of us!” ⁹⁷³ 

16:25 When they really started celebrating, ⁹⁷⁴  they said, “Call for Samson so he can entertain us!” So they summoned Samson from the prison and he entertained them. ⁹⁷⁵  They made him stand between two pillars. 16:26 Samson said to the young man who held his hand, “Position me so I can touch the pillars that support the temple. ⁹⁷⁶  Then I can lean on them.” 16:27 Now the temple ⁹⁷⁷  was filled with men and women, and all the rulers of the Philistines were there. There were three thousand men and women on the roof watching Samson entertain. 16:28 Samson called to the Lord, “O Master, Lord, ⁹⁷⁸  remember me! Strengthen me just one more time, O God, so I can get swift revenge ⁹⁷⁹  against the Philistines for my two eyes!” 16:29 Samson took hold of the two middle pillars that supported the temple ⁹⁸⁰  and he leaned against them, with his right hand on one and his left hand on the other. 16:30 Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” He pushed hard ⁹⁸¹  and the temple collapsed on the rulers and all the people in it. He killed many more people in his death than he had killed during his life. ⁹⁸²  16:31 His brothers and all his family ⁹⁸³  went down and brought him back. ⁹⁸⁴  They buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. He had led ⁹⁸⁵  Israel for twenty years.

17:1 There was a man named Micah from the Ephraimite hill country. 17:2 He said to his mother, “You know ⁹⁸⁶  the eleven hundred pieces of silver which were stolen ⁹⁸⁷  from you, about which I heard you pronounce a curse? Look here, I have the silver. I stole ⁹⁸⁸  it, but now I am giving it back to you.” ⁹⁸⁹  His mother said, “May the Lord reward ⁹⁹⁰  you, my son!” 17:3 When he gave back to his mother the eleven hundred pieces of silver, his mother said, “I solemnly dedicate ⁹⁹¹  this silver to the Lord. It will be for my son’s benefit. We will use it to make a carved image and a metal image.” ⁹⁹²  17:4 When he gave the silver back to his mother, she ⁹⁹³  took two hundred pieces of silver ⁹⁹⁴  to a silversmith, who made them into a carved image and a metal image. She then put them in Micah’s house. ⁹⁹⁵  17:5 Now this man Micah owned a shrine. ⁹⁹⁶  He made an ephod ⁹⁹⁷  and some personal idols and hired one of his sons to serve as a priest. ⁹⁹⁸  17:6 In those days Israel had no king. Each man did what he considered to be right. ⁹⁹⁹ 

17:7 There was a young man from Bethlehem ¹⁰⁰⁰  in Judah. He was a Levite who had been temporarily residing among the tribe of Judah. ¹⁰⁰¹  17:8 This man left the town of Bethlehem in Judah to find another place to live. He came to the Ephraimite hill country and made his way to Micah’s house. ¹⁰⁰²  17:9 Micah said to him, “Where do you come from?” He replied, “I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah. I am looking for a new place to live.” ¹⁰⁰³  17:10 Micah said to him, “Stay with me. Become my adviser ¹⁰⁰⁴  and priest. I will give you ten pieces of silver per year, plus clothes and food.” ¹⁰⁰⁵  17:11 So the Levite agreed to stay with the man; the young man was like a son to Micah. ¹⁰⁰⁶  17:12 Micah paid ¹⁰⁰⁷  the Levite; the young man became his priest and lived in Micah’s house. 17:13 Micah said, “Now I know God will make me rich, ¹⁰⁰⁸  because I have this Levite as my priest.”

18:1 In those days Israel had no king. And in those days the Danite tribe was looking for a place ¹⁰⁰⁹  to settle, because at that time they did not yet have a place to call their own among the tribes of Israel. ¹⁰¹⁰  18:2 The Danites sent out from their whole tribe five representatives, ¹⁰¹¹  capable men ¹⁰¹²  from Zorah and Eshtaol, to spy out the land and explore it. They said to them, “Go, explore the land.” They came to the Ephraimite hill country and spent the night at Micah’s house. ¹⁰¹³  18:3 As they approached ¹⁰¹⁴  Micah’s house, they recognized the accent ¹⁰¹⁵  of the young Levite. So they stopped ¹⁰¹⁶  there and said to him, “Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? What is your business here?” ¹⁰¹⁷  18:4 He told them what Micah had done for him, saying, ¹⁰¹⁸  “He hired me and I became his priest.” 18:5 They said to him, “Seek a divine oracle for us, ¹⁰¹⁹  so we can know if we will be successful on our mission.” ¹⁰²⁰  18:6 The priest said to them, “Go with confidence. ¹⁰²¹  The Lord will be with you on your mission.” ¹⁰²² 

18:7 So the five men journeyed on ¹⁰²³  and arrived in Laish. They noticed that the people there ¹⁰²⁴  were living securely, like the Sidonians do, ¹⁰²⁵  undisturbed and unsuspecting. No conqueror was troubling them in any way. ¹⁰²⁶  They lived far from the Sidonians and had no dealings with anyone. ¹⁰²⁷  18:8 When the Danites returned to their tribe ¹⁰²⁸  in Zorah and Eshtaol, their kinsmen ¹⁰²⁹  asked them, “How did it go?” ¹⁰³⁰  18:9 They said, “Come on, let’s attack them, ¹⁰³¹  for ¹⁰³²  we saw their land and it is very good. You seem lethargic, ¹⁰³³  but don’t hesitate ¹⁰³⁴  to invade and conquer ¹⁰³⁵  the land. 18:10 When you invade, ¹⁰³⁶  you will encounter ¹⁰³⁷  unsuspecting people. The land is wide! ¹⁰³⁸  God is handing it over to you – a place that lacks nothing on earth!” ¹⁰³⁹ 

18:11 So six hundred Danites, fully armed, set out from Zorah and Eshtaol. ¹⁰⁴⁰  18:12 They went up and camped in Kiriath Jearim in Judah. (To this day that place is called Camp of Dan. ¹⁰⁴¹  It is west ¹⁰⁴²  of Kiriath Jearim.) 18:13 From there they traveled through the Ephraimite hill country and arrived at Micah’s house. 18:14 The five men who had gone to spy out the land of Laish ¹⁰⁴³  said to their kinsmen, ¹⁰⁴⁴  “Do you realize that inside these houses are an ephod, some personal idols, a carved image, and a metal image? Decide now what you want to do.” 18:15 They stopped ¹⁰⁴⁵  there, went inside the young Levite’s house (which belonged to Micah), ¹⁰⁴⁶  and asked him how he was doing. ¹⁰⁴⁷  18:16 Meanwhile the six hundred Danites, fully armed, stood at the entrance to the gate. ¹⁰⁴⁸  18:17 The five men who had gone to spy out the land broke in and stole ¹⁰⁴⁹  the carved image, the ephod, the personal idols, and the metal image, while the priest was standing at the entrance to the gate with the six hundred fully armed men. ¹⁰⁵⁰  18:18 When these men broke into Micah’s house and stole ¹⁰⁵¹  the carved image, the ephod, the personal idols, and the metal image, the priest said to them, “What are you doing?” 18:19 They said to him, “Shut up! Put your hand over your mouth and come with us! You can be our adviser ¹⁰⁵²  and priest. Wouldn’t it be better to be a priest for a whole Israelite tribe than for just one man’s family?” ¹⁰⁵³  18:20 The priest was happy. He took the ephod, the personal idols, and the carved image and joined the group. ¹⁰⁵⁴ 

18:21 They turned and went on their way, but they walked behind the children, the cattle, and their possessions. ¹⁰⁵⁵  18:22 After they had gone a good distance from Micah’s house, Micah’s neighbors ¹⁰⁵⁶  gathered together and caught up with the Danites. 18:23 When they called out to the Danites, the Danites ¹⁰⁵⁷  turned around and said to Micah, “Why have you gathered together?” 18:24 He said, “You stole my gods that I made, as well as this priest, and then went away. What do I have left? How can you have the audacity to say to me, ‘What do you want?’” ¹⁰⁵⁸  18:25 The Danites said to him, “Don’t say another word to us, or some very angry men ¹⁰⁵⁹  will attack you, and you and your family will die.” ¹⁰⁶⁰  18:26 The Danites went on their way; when Micah realized ¹⁰⁶¹  they were too strong to resist, ¹⁰⁶²  he turned around and went home.

18:27 Now the Danites ¹⁰⁶³  took what Micah had made, as well as his priest, and came to Laish, where the people were undisturbed and unsuspecting. They struck them down with the sword and burned the city. ¹⁰⁶⁴  18:28 No one came to the rescue because the city ¹⁰⁶⁵  was far from Sidon ¹⁰⁶⁶  and they had no dealings with anyone. ¹⁰⁶⁷  The city ¹⁰⁶⁸  was in a valley near Beth Rehob. The Danites ¹⁰⁶⁹  rebuilt the city and occupied it. 18:29 They named it Dan after their ancestor, who was one of Israel’s sons. ¹⁰⁷⁰  But the city’s name used to be Laish. 18:30 The Danites worshiped ¹⁰⁷¹  the carved image. Jonathan, descendant ¹⁰⁷²  of Gershom, son of Moses, ¹⁰⁷³  and his descendants ¹⁰⁷⁴  served as priests for the tribe of Dan until the time of the exile. 18:31 They worshiped ¹⁰⁷⁵  Micah’s carved image ¹⁰⁷⁶  the whole time God’s authorized shrine ¹⁰⁷⁷  was in Shiloh.

19:1 In those days Israel had no king. There was a Levite ¹⁰⁷⁸  living temporarily in the remote region of the Ephraimite hill country. He acquired a concubine ¹⁰⁷⁹  from Bethlehem ¹⁰⁸⁰  in Judah. 19:2 However, she ¹⁰⁸¹  got angry at him ¹⁰⁸²  and went home ¹⁰⁸³  to her father’s house in Bethlehem in Judah. When she had been there four months, 19:3 her husband came ¹⁰⁸⁴  after her, hoping he could convince her to return. ¹⁰⁸⁵  He brought with him his servant ¹⁰⁸⁶  and a pair of donkeys. When she brought him into her father’s house and the girl’s father saw him, he greeted him warmly. ¹⁰⁸⁷  19:4 His father-in-law, the girl’s father, persuaded him to stay with him for three days, and they ate and drank together, and spent the night there. 19:5 On the fourth day they woke up early and the Levite got ready to leave. ¹⁰⁸⁸  But the girl’s father said to his son-in-law, “Have a bite to eat for some energy, ¹⁰⁸⁹  then you can go.” 19:6 So the two of them sat down and had a meal together. ¹⁰⁹⁰  Then the girl’s father said to the man, “Why not stay another night and have a good time!” ¹⁰⁹¹  19:7 When the man got ready to leave, ¹⁰⁹²  his father-in-law convinced him to stay another night. ¹⁰⁹³  19:8 He woke up early in the morning on the fifth day so he could leave, but the girl’s father said, “Get some energy. ¹⁰⁹⁴  Wait until later in the day to leave!” ¹⁰⁹⁵  So they ate a meal together. 19:9 When the man got ready to leave ¹⁰⁹⁶  with his concubine and his servant, ¹⁰⁹⁷  his father-in-law, the girl’s father, said to him, “Look! The day is almost over! ¹⁰⁹⁸  Stay another night! Since the day is over, ¹⁰⁹⁹  stay another night here and have a good time. You can get up early tomorrow and start your trip home.” ¹¹⁰⁰  19:10 But the man did not want to stay another night. He left ¹¹⁰¹  and traveled as far as ¹¹⁰²  Jebus (that is, Jerusalem). ¹¹⁰³  He had with him a pair of saddled donkeys and his concubine. ¹¹⁰⁴ 

19:11 When they got near Jebus, it was getting quite late ¹¹⁰⁵  and the servant ¹¹⁰⁶  said to his master, “Come on, let’s stop at ¹¹⁰⁷  this Jebusite city and spend the night in it.” 19:12 But his master said to him, “We should not stop at a foreign city where non-Israelites live. ¹¹⁰⁸  We will travel on to Gibeah.” 19:13 He said to his servant, ¹¹⁰⁹  “Come on, we will go into one of the other towns ¹¹¹⁰  and spend the night in Gibeah or Ramah.” 19:14 So they traveled on, ¹¹¹¹  and the sun went down when they were near Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin. ¹¹¹²  19:15 They stopped there and decided to spend the night ¹¹¹³  in Gibeah. They came into the city and sat down in the town square, but no one invited them to spend the night. ¹¹¹⁴ 

19:16 But then an old man passed by, returning at the end of the day from his work in the field. ¹¹¹⁵  The man was from the Ephraimite hill country; he was living temporarily in Gibeah. (The residents of the town were Benjaminites.) ¹¹¹⁶  19:17 When he looked up and saw the traveler ¹¹¹⁷  in the town square, the old man said, “Where are you heading? Where do you come from?” 19:18 The Levite ¹¹¹⁸  said to him, “We are traveling from Bethlehem ¹¹¹⁹  in Judah to the remote region of the Ephraimite hill country. That’s where I’m from. I had business in Bethlehem in Judah, but now I’m heading home. ¹¹²⁰  But no one has invited me into their home. 19:19 We have enough straw and grain for our donkeys, and there is enough food and wine for me, your female servant, ¹¹²¹  and the young man who is with your servants. ¹¹²²  We lack nothing.” 19:20 The old man said, “Everything is just fine! ¹¹²³  I will take care of all your needs. But don’t spend the night in the town square.” 19:21 So he brought him to his house and fed the donkeys. They washed their feet and had a meal. ¹¹²⁴ 

19:22 They were having a good time, ¹¹²⁵  when suddenly ¹¹²⁶  some men of the city, some good-for-nothings, ¹¹²⁷  surrounded the house and kept beating ¹¹²⁸  on the door. They said to the old man who owned the house, “Send out the man who came to visit you so we can have sex with him.” ¹¹²⁹  19:23 The man who owned the house went outside and said to them, “No, my brothers! Don’t do this wicked thing! After all, this man is a guest in my house. Don’t do such a disgraceful thing! 19:24 Here are my virgin daughter and my guest’s ¹¹³⁰  concubine. I will send them out and you can abuse them and do to them whatever you like. ¹¹³¹  But don’t do such a disgraceful thing to this man!” 19:25 The men refused to listen to him, so the Levite ¹¹³²  grabbed his concubine and made her go outside. ¹¹³³  They raped ¹¹³⁴  her and abused her all night long until morning. They let her go at dawn. 19:26 The woman arrived back at daybreak and was sprawled out on the doorstep of the house where her master ¹¹³⁵  was staying until it became light. ¹¹³⁶  19:27 When her master ¹¹³⁷  got up in the morning, opened the doors of the house, and went outside to start on his journey, there was the woman, his concubine, sprawled out on the doorstep of the house with her hands on the threshold. 19:28 He said to her, “Get up, let’s leave!” But there was no response. He put her on the donkey and went home. ¹¹³⁸  19:29 When he got home, he took a knife, grabbed his concubine, and carved her up into twelve pieces. ¹¹³⁹  Then he sent the pieces throughout Israel. ¹¹⁴⁰  19:30 Everyone who saw the sight ¹¹⁴¹  said, “Nothing like this has happened or been witnessed during the entire time since ¹¹⁴²  the Israelites left the land of Egypt! ¹¹⁴³  Take careful note of it! Discuss it and speak!”

20:1 All the Israelites from Dan to Beer Sheba ¹¹⁴⁴  and from the land of Gilead ¹¹⁴⁵  left their homes ¹¹⁴⁶  and assembled together ¹¹⁴⁷  before the Lord at Mizpah. 20:2 The leaders ¹¹⁴⁸  of all the people from all the tribes of Israel took their places in the assembly of God’s people, which numbered ¹¹⁴⁹  four hundred thousand sword-wielding foot soldiers. 20:3 The Benjaminites heard that the Israelites had gone up to Mizpah. Then the Israelites said, “Explain how this wicked thing happened!” 20:4 The Levite, ¹¹⁵⁰  the husband of the murdered woman, spoke up, “I and my concubine stopped in ¹¹⁵¹  Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin ¹¹⁵²  to spend the night. 20:5 The leaders of Gibeah attacked me and at night surrounded the house where I was staying. ¹¹⁵³  They wanted to kill me; instead they abused my concubine so badly that she died. 20:6 I grabbed hold of my concubine and carved her up and sent the pieces ¹¹⁵⁴  throughout the territory occupied by Israel, ¹¹⁵⁵  because they committed such an unthinkable atrocity ¹¹⁵⁶  in Israel. 20:7 All you Israelites, ¹¹⁵⁷  make a decision here!” ¹¹⁵⁸ 

20:8 All Israel rose up in unison ¹¹⁵⁹  and said, “Not one of us will go home! ¹¹⁶⁰  Not one of us will return ¹¹⁶¹  to his house! 20:9 Now this is what we will do to Gibeah: We will attack the city as the lot dictates. ¹¹⁶²  20:10 We will take ten of every group of a hundred men from all the tribes of Israel (and a hundred of every group of a thousand, and a thousand of every group of ten thousand) to get supplies for the army. ¹¹⁶³  When they arrive in Gibeah of Benjamin they will punish them for the atrocity which they committed in Israel.” ¹¹⁶⁴  20:11 So all the men of Israel gathered together at the city as allies. ¹¹⁶⁵ 

20:12 The tribes of Israel sent men throughout the tribe ¹¹⁶⁶  of Benjamin, saying, “How could such a wicked thing take place? ¹¹⁶⁷  20:13 Now, hand over the good-for-nothings ¹¹⁶⁸  in Gibeah so we can execute them and purge Israel of wickedness.” ¹¹⁶⁹  But the Benjaminites refused to listen to their Israelite brothers. 20:14 The Benjaminites came from their cities and assembled at Gibeah ¹¹⁷⁰  to make war against the Israelites. 20:15 That day the Benjaminites mustered from their cities twenty-six thousand sword-wielding soldiers, besides seven hundred well-trained soldiers from Gibeah. ¹¹⁷¹  20:16 Among this army ¹¹⁷²  were seven hundred specially-trained left-handed soldiers. ¹¹⁷³  Each one could sling a stone and hit even the smallest target. ¹¹⁷⁴  20:17 The men of Israel (not counting Benjamin) had mustered four hundred thousand sword-wielding soldiers, every one an experienced warrior. ¹¹⁷⁵ 

20:18 The Israelites went up to Bethel ¹¹⁷⁶  and asked God, ¹¹⁷⁷  “Who should lead the charge against the Benjaminites?” ¹¹⁷⁸  The Lord said, “Judah should lead.” 20:19 The Israelites got up the next morning and moved ¹¹⁷⁹  against Gibeah. 20:20 The men of Israel marched out to fight Benjamin; they ¹¹⁸⁰  arranged their battle lines against Gibeah. 20:21 The Benjaminites attacked from Gibeah and struck down twenty-two thousand Israelites that day. ¹¹⁸¹ 

20:22 The Israelite army ¹¹⁸²  took heart ¹¹⁸³  and once more arranged their battle lines, in the same place where they had taken their positions the day before. 20:23 The Israelites went up and wept before the Lord until evening. They asked the Lord, “Should we ¹¹⁸⁴  again march out to fight ¹¹⁸⁵  the Benjaminites, our brothers?” ¹¹⁸⁶  The Lord said, “Attack them!” ¹¹⁸⁷  20:24 So the Israelites marched toward ¹¹⁸⁸  the Benjaminites the next day. 20:25 The Benjaminites again attacked them from Gibeah and struck down eighteen thousand sword-wielding Israelite soldiers. ¹¹⁸⁹ 

20:26 So all the Israelites, the whole army, ¹¹⁹⁰  went up to ¹¹⁹¹  Bethel. ¹¹⁹²  They wept and sat there before the Lord; they did not eat anything ¹¹⁹³  that day until evening. They offered up burnt sacrifices and tokens of peace ¹¹⁹⁴  to the Lord. 20:27 The Israelites asked the Lord (for the ark of God’s covenant was there in those days; 20:28 Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, was serving the Lord ¹¹⁹⁵  in those days), “Should we ¹¹⁹⁶  once more march out to fight the Benjaminites our brothers, ¹¹⁹⁷  or should we ¹¹⁹⁸  quit?” The Lord said, “Attack, for tomorrow I will hand them ¹¹⁹⁹  over to you.”

20:29 So Israel hid men in ambush outside Gibeah. 20:30 The Israelites attacked the Benjaminites the next day; ¹²⁰⁰  they took their positions against Gibeah just as they had done before. 20:31 The Benjaminites attacked ¹²⁰¹  the army, leaving the city unguarded. ¹²⁰²  They began to strike down their enemy ¹²⁰³  just as they had done before. On the main roads (one leads to Bethel, ¹²⁰⁴  the other to Gibeah) and in the field, they struck down ¹²⁰⁵  about thirty Israelites. 20:32 Then the Benjaminites said, “They are defeated just as before.” But the Israelites said, “Let’s retreat ¹²⁰⁶  and lure them ¹²⁰⁷  away from the city into the main roads.” 20:33 ¹²⁰⁸  All the men of Israel got up from their places and took their positions at Baal Tamar, while the Israelites hiding in ambush jumped out of their places west of Gibeah. 20:34 Ten thousand men, well-trained soldiers from all Israel, then made a frontal assault against Gibeah – the battle was fierce. ¹²⁰⁹  But the Benjaminites did not realize that disaster was at their doorstep. ¹²¹⁰  20:35 The Lord annihilated Benjamin before Israel; the Israelites struck down that day 25,100 sword-wielding Benjaminites. ¹²¹¹  20:36 Then the Benjaminites saw they were defeated.

The Israelites retreated before ¹²¹²  Benjamin, because they had confidence in the men they had hid in ambush outside Gibeah. 20:37 The men hiding in ambush made a mad dash ¹²¹³  to Gibeah. They ¹²¹⁴  attacked ¹²¹⁵  and put the sword to the entire city. 20:38 The Israelites and the men hiding in ambush had arranged a signal. When the men hiding in ambush ¹²¹⁶  sent up a smoke signal from the city, 20:39 the Israelites counterattacked. ¹²¹⁷  Benjamin had begun to strike down the Israelites; ¹²¹⁸  they struck down ¹²¹⁹  about thirty men. They said, “There’s no doubt about it! They are totally defeated as in the earlier battle.” 20:40 But when the signal, a pillar of smoke, began to rise up from the city, the Benjaminites turned around and saw the whole city going up in a cloud of smoke that rose high into the sky. ¹²²⁰  20:41 When the Israelites turned around, the Benjaminites panicked ¹²²¹  because they could see that disaster was on their doorstep. ¹²²²  20:42 They retreated before the Israelites, taking the road to the wilderness. But the battle overtook ¹²²³  them as men from the surrounding cities struck them down. ¹²²⁴  20:43 They surrounded the Benjaminites, chased them from Nohah, ¹²²⁵  and annihilated ¹²²⁶  them all the way to a spot east of Geba. ¹²²⁷  20:44 Eighteen thousand Benjaminites, all of them capable warriors, fell dead. 20:45 The rest ¹²²⁸  turned and ran toward the wilderness, heading toward the cliff of Rimmon. But the Israelites ¹²²⁹  caught ¹²³⁰  five thousand of them on the main roads. They stayed right on their heels ¹²³¹  all the way to Gidom and struck down two thousand more. 20:46 That day twenty-five thousand ¹²³²  sword-wielding Benjaminites fell in battle, all of them capable warriors. ¹²³³  20:47 Six hundred survivors turned and ran away to the wilderness, to the cliff of Rimmon. They stayed there four months. 20:48 The Israelites returned to the Benjaminite towns ¹²³⁴  and put the sword to them. They wiped out the cities, ¹²³⁵  the animals, and everything they could find. They set fire to every city in their path. ¹²³⁶ 

21:1 The Israelites had taken an oath in Mizpah, saying, “Not one of us will allow his daughter to marry a Benjaminite.” 21:2 So the people came to Bethel ¹²³⁷  and sat there before God until evening, weeping loudly and uncontrollably. ¹²³⁸  21:3 They said, “Why, O Lord God of Israel, has this happened in Israel?” An entire ¹²³⁹  tribe has disappeared from Israel today!”

21:4 The next morning the people got up early and built an altar there. They offered up burnt sacrifices and token of peace. ¹²⁴⁰  21:5 The Israelites asked, “Who from all the Israelite tribes has not assembled before the Lord?” They had made a solemn oath that whoever did not assemble before the Lord at Mizpah must certainly be executed. ¹²⁴¹  21:6 The Israelites regretted what had happened to ¹²⁴²  their brother Benjamin. They said, “Today we cut off an entire ¹²⁴³  tribe from Israel! 21:7 How can we find wives for those who are left? ¹²⁴⁴  After all, we took an oath in the Lord’s name not to give them our daughters as wives.” 21:8 So they asked, “Who from all the Israelite tribes did not assemble before the Lord at Mizpah?” Now it just so happened no one from Jabesh Gilead had come to the gathering. ¹²⁴⁵  21:9 When they took roll call, ¹²⁴⁶  they noticed ¹²⁴⁷  none of the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead were there. 21:10 So the assembly sent 12,000 capable warriors ¹²⁴⁸  against Jabesh Gilead. ¹²⁴⁹  They commanded them, “Go and kill with your swords ¹²⁵⁰  the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead, including the women and little children. 21:11 Do this: ¹²⁵¹  exterminate every male, as well as every woman who has had sexual relations with a male. ¹²⁵²  But spare the lives of any virgins.” So they did as instructed. ¹²⁵³  21:12 They found among the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead four hundred young girls who were virgins – they had never had sexual relations with a male. ¹²⁵⁴  They brought them back to the camp at Shiloh in the land of Canaan.

21:13 The entire assembly sent messengers to the Benjaminites at the cliff of Rimmon and assured them they would not be harmed. ¹²⁵⁵  21:14 The Benjaminites returned at that time, and the Israelites ¹²⁵⁶  gave to them the women they had spared from Jabesh Gilead. But there were not enough to go around. ¹²⁵⁷ 

21:15 The people regretted what had happened to ¹²⁵⁸  Benjamin because the Lord had weakened ¹²⁵⁹  the Israelite tribes. 21:16 The leaders ¹²⁶⁰  of the assembly said, “How can we find wives for those who are left? ¹²⁶¹  After all, the Benjaminite women have been wiped out. 21:17 The ¹²⁶²  remnant of Benjamin must be preserved. An entire Israelite tribe should not be wiped out. ¹²⁶³  21:18 But we can’t allow our daughters to marry them, ¹²⁶⁴  for the Israelites took an oath, saying, ‘Whoever gives a woman to a Benjaminite will be destroyed!’ ¹²⁶⁵  21:19 However, there is an annual festival to the Lord in Shiloh, which is north of Bethel ¹²⁶⁶  (east of the main road that goes up from Bethel to Shechem) and south of Lebonah.” 21:20 So they commanded the Benjaminites, “Go hide in the vineyards, 21:21 and keep your eyes open. ¹²⁶⁷  When you see ¹²⁶⁸  the daughters of Shiloh coming out to dance in the celebration, ¹²⁶⁹  jump out from the vineyards. Each one of you, catch yourself a wife from among the daughters of Shiloh and then go home to the land of Benjamin. 21:22 When their fathers or brothers come and protest to us, ¹²⁷⁰  we’ll say to them, “Do us a favor and let them be, ¹²⁷¹  for we could not get each one a wife through battle. ¹²⁷²  Don’t worry about breaking your oath! ¹²⁷³  You would only be guilty if you had voluntarily given them wives.’” ¹²⁷⁴ 

21:23 The Benjaminites did as instructed. ¹²⁷⁵  They abducted two hundred of the dancing girls to be their wives. ¹²⁷⁶  They went home ¹²⁷⁷  to their own territory, ¹²⁷⁸  rebuilt their cities, and settled down. ¹²⁷⁹  21:24 Then the Israelites dispersed from there to their respective tribal and clan territories. Each went from there to his own property. ¹²⁸⁰  21:25 In those days Israel had no king. Each man did what he considered to be right. ¹²⁸¹ 

1 Raja-raja 1:1--22:53

Konteks

1:1 King David was very old; ¹²⁸²  even when they covered him with blankets, ¹²⁸³  he could not get warm. 1:2 His servants advised ¹²⁸⁴  him, “A young virgin must be found for our master, the king, ¹²⁸⁵  to take care of the king’s needs ¹²⁸⁶  and serve as his nurse. She can also sleep with you ¹²⁸⁷  and keep our master, the king, warm.” ¹²⁸⁸  1:3 So they looked through all Israel ¹²⁸⁹  for a beautiful young woman and found Abishag, a Shunammite, and brought her to the king. 1:4 The young woman was very beautiful; she became the king’s nurse and served him, but the king did not have sexual relations with her. ¹²⁹⁰ 

1:5 Now Adonijah, son of David and Haggith, ¹²⁹¹  was promoting himself, ¹²⁹²  boasting, ¹²⁹³  “I will be king!” He managed to acquire ¹²⁹⁴  chariots and horsemen, as well as fifty men to serve as his royal guard. ¹²⁹⁵  1:6 (Now his father had never corrected ¹²⁹⁶  him ¹²⁹⁷  by saying, “Why do you do such things?” He was also very handsome and had been born right after Absalom. ¹²⁹⁸ ) 1:7 He collaborated ¹²⁹⁹  with Joab son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest, and they supported ¹³⁰⁰  him. ¹³⁰¹  1:8 But Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and David’s elite warriors ¹³⁰²  did not ally themselves ¹³⁰³  with Adonijah. 1:9 Adonijah sacrificed sheep, cattle, and fattened steers at the Stone of Zoheleth near En Rogel. He invited all his brothers, the king’s sons, ¹³⁰⁴  as well as all the men of Judah, the king’s servants. 1:10 But he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the elite warriors, ¹³⁰⁵  or his brother Solomon.

1:11 Nathan said to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother, “Has it been reported to you ¹³⁰⁶  that Haggith’s son Adonijah has become king behind our master David’s back? ¹³⁰⁷  1:12 Now ¹³⁰⁸  let me give you some advice as to how ¹³⁰⁹  you can save your life and your son Solomon’s life. 1:13 Visit ¹³¹⁰  King David and say to him, ‘My master, O king, did you not solemnly promise ¹³¹¹  your servant, “Surely your son Solomon will be king after me; he will sit on my throne”? So why has Adonijah become king?’ 1:14 While ¹³¹²  you are still there speaking to the king, I will arrive ¹³¹³  and verify your report.” ¹³¹⁴ 

1:15 So Bathsheba visited the king in his private quarters. ¹³¹⁵  (The king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was serving the king.) 1:16 Bathsheba bowed down on the floor before ¹³¹⁶  the king. The king said, “What do you want?” 1:17 She replied to him, “My master, you swore an oath to your servant by the Lord your God, ‘Solomon your son will be king after me and he will sit on my throne.’ 1:18 But now, look, Adonijah has become king! But you, ¹³¹⁷  my master the king, are not even aware of it! ¹³¹⁸  1:19 He has sacrificed many cattle, steers, and sheep and has invited all the king’s sons, Abiathar the priest, and Joab, the commander of the army, but he has not invited your servant Solomon. 1:20 Now, ¹³¹⁹  my master, O king, all Israel is watching anxiously to see who is named to succeed my master the king on the throne. ¹³²⁰  1:21 If a decision is not made, ¹³²¹  when my master the king is buried with his ancestors, ¹³²²  my son Solomon and I ¹³²³  will be considered state criminals.” ¹³²⁴ 

1:22 Just then, ¹³²⁵  while she was still speaking to the king, Nathan the prophet arrived. 1:23 The king was told, “Nathan the prophet is here.” Nathan entered and bowed before the king with his face to the floor. ¹³²⁶  1:24 Nathan said, “My master, O king, did you announce, ‘Adonijah will be king after me; he will sit on my throne’? 1:25 For today he has gone down and sacrificed many cattle, steers, and sheep and has invited all the king’s sons, the army commanders, and Abiathar the priest. At this moment ¹³²⁷  they are having a feast ¹³²⁸  in his presence, and they have declared, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’ ¹³²⁹  1:26 But he did not invite me – your servant – or Zadok the priest, or Benaiah son of Jehoiada, or your servant Solomon. 1:27 Has my master the king authorized this without informing your servants ¹³³⁰  who should succeed my master the king on his throne?” ¹³³¹ 

1:28 King David responded, ¹³³²  “Summon Bathsheba!” ¹³³³  She came and stood before the king. ¹³³⁴  1:29 The king swore an oath: “As certainly as the Lord lives (he who has rescued me ¹³³⁵  from every danger), 1:30 I will keep ¹³³⁶  today the oath I swore to you by the Lord God of Israel: ‘Surely Solomon your son will be king after me; he will sit in my place on my throne.’” 1:31 Bathsheba bowed down to the king with her face to the floor ¹³³⁷  and said, “May my master, King David, live forever!”

1:32 King David said, “Summon Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, ¹³³⁸  and Benaiah son of Jehoiada.” They came before the king, 1:33 and he ¹³³⁹  told them, “Take your master’s ¹³⁴⁰  servants with you, put my son Solomon on my mule, and lead him down to Gihon. ¹³⁴¹  1:34 There Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet will anoint ¹³⁴²  him king over Israel; then blow the trumpet and declare, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ 1:35 Then follow him up as he comes and sits on my throne. He will be king in my place; I have decreed ¹³⁴³  that he will be ruler over Israel and Judah.” 1:36 Benaiah son of Jehoiada responded ¹³⁴⁴  to the king: “So be it! ¹³⁴⁵  May the Lord God of my master the king confirm it! ¹³⁴⁶  1:37 As the Lord is with my master the king, so may he be with Solomon, and may he make him an even greater king than my master King David!” ¹³⁴⁷ 

1:38 So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the Kerethites, and the Pelethites ¹³⁴⁸  went down, put Solomon on King David’s mule, and led him to Gihon. 1:39 Zadok the priest took a horn filled with olive oil ¹³⁴⁹  from the tent and poured it on ¹³⁵⁰  Solomon; the trumpet was blown and all the people declared, “Long live King Solomon!” 1:40 All the people followed him up, playing flutes and celebrating so loudly they made the ground shake. ¹³⁵¹ 

1:41 Now Adonijah and all his guests heard the commotion just as they had finished eating. ¹³⁵²  When Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he asked, “Why is there such a noisy commotion in the city?” ¹³⁵³  1:42 As he was still speaking, Jonathan ¹³⁵⁴  son of Abiathar the priest arrived. Adonijah said, “Come in, for ¹³⁵⁵  an important man like you must be bringing good news.” ¹³⁵⁶  1:43 Jonathan replied ¹³⁵⁷  to Adonijah: “No! ¹³⁵⁸  Our master ¹³⁵⁹  King David has made Solomon king. 1:44 The king sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the Kerethites, and the Pelethites and they put him on the king’s mule. 1:45 Then Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anointed ¹³⁶⁰  him king in Gihon. They went up from there rejoicing, and the city is in an uproar. That is the sound you hear. 1:46 Furthermore, Solomon has assumed the royal throne. ¹³⁶¹  1:47 The king’s servants have even come to congratulate ¹³⁶²  our master ¹³⁶³  King David, saying, ‘May your God ¹³⁶⁴  make Solomon more famous than you and make him an even greater king than you!’ ¹³⁶⁵  Then the king leaned ¹³⁶⁶  on the bed 1:48 and said ¹³⁶⁷  this: ‘The Lord God of Israel is worthy of praise because ¹³⁶⁸  today he has placed a successor on my throne and allowed me to see it.’” ¹³⁶⁹ 

1:49 All of Adonijah’s guests panicked; ¹³⁷⁰  they jumped up and rushed off their separate ways. 1:50 Adonijah feared Solomon, so he got up and went and grabbed hold of the horns of the altar. ¹³⁷¹  1:51 Solomon was told, “Look, Adonijah fears you; ¹³⁷²  see, he has taken hold of the horns of the altar, saying, ‘May King Solomon solemnly promise ¹³⁷³  me today that he will not kill his servant with the sword.’” 1:52 Solomon said, “If he is a loyal subject, ¹³⁷⁴  not a hair of his head will be harmed, but if he is found to be a traitor, ¹³⁷⁵  he will die.” 1:53 King Solomon sent men to bring him down ¹³⁷⁶  from the altar. He came and bowed down to King Solomon, and Solomon told him, “Go home.” ¹³⁷⁷ 

2:1 When David was close to death, ¹³⁷⁸  he told ¹³⁷⁹  Solomon his son: 2:2 “I am about to die. ¹³⁸⁰  Be strong and become a man! 2:3 Do the job the Lord your God has assigned you ¹³⁸¹  by following his instructions ¹³⁸²  and obeying ¹³⁸³  his rules, commandments, regulations, and laws as written in the law of Moses. Then you will succeed in all you do and seek to accomplish, ¹³⁸⁴  2:4 and the Lord will fulfill his promise to me, ¹³⁸⁵  ‘If your descendants watch their step ¹³⁸⁶  and live faithfully in my presence ¹³⁸⁷  with all their heart and being, ¹³⁸⁸  then,’ he promised, ¹³⁸⁹  ‘you will not fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.’ ¹³⁹⁰ 

2:5 “You know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me – how he murdered two commanders of the Israelite armies, Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether. ¹³⁹¹  During peacetime he struck them down like he would in battle; ¹³⁹²  when he shed their blood as if in battle, he stained his own belt and the sandals on his feet. ¹³⁹³  2:6 Do to him what you think is appropriate, ¹³⁹⁴  but don’t let him live long and die a peaceful death. ¹³⁹⁵ 

2:7 “Treat fairly ¹³⁹⁶  the sons of Barzillai of Gilead and provide for their needs, ¹³⁹⁷  because they helped me ¹³⁹⁸  when I had to flee from your brother Absalom.

2:8 “Note well, you still have to contend with Shimei son of Gera, the Benjaminite from Bahurim, ¹³⁹⁹  who tried to call down upon me a horrible judgment when I went to Mahanaim. ¹⁴⁰⁰  He came down and met me at the Jordan, and I solemnly promised ¹⁴⁰¹  him by the Lord, ‘I will not strike you down ¹⁴⁰²  with the sword.’ 2:9 But now ¹⁴⁰³  don’t treat him as if he were innocent. You are a wise man and you know how to handle him; ¹⁴⁰⁴  make sure he has a bloody death.” ¹⁴⁰⁵ 

2:10 Then David passed away ¹⁴⁰⁶  and was buried in the city of David. ¹⁴⁰⁷  2:11 David reigned over Israel forty years; he reigned in Hebron seven years, and in Jerusalem ¹⁴⁰⁸  thirty-three years.

2:12 Solomon sat on his father David’s throne, and his royal authority ¹⁴⁰⁹  was firmly solidified.

2:13 Haggith’s son Adonijah visited Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother. She asked, “Do you come in peace?” He answered, “Yes.” ¹⁴¹⁰  2:14 He added, ¹⁴¹¹  “I have something to say to you.” She replied, “Speak.” 2:15 He said, “You know that the kingdom ¹⁴¹²  was mine and all Israel considered me king. ¹⁴¹³  But then the kingdom was given to my brother, for the Lord decided it should be his. ¹⁴¹⁴  2:16 Now I’d like to ask you for just one thing. Please don’t refuse me.” ¹⁴¹⁵  She said, “Go ahead and ask.” ¹⁴¹⁶  2:17 He said, “Please ask King Solomon if he would give me Abishag the Shunammite as a wife, for he won’t refuse you.” ¹⁴¹⁷  2:18 Bathsheba replied, “That’s fine, ¹⁴¹⁸  I’ll speak to the king on your behalf.”

2:19 So Bathsheba visited King Solomon to speak to him on Adonijah’s behalf. The king got up to greet ¹⁴¹⁹  her, bowed to her, and then sat on his throne. He ordered a throne to be brought for the king’s mother, ¹⁴²⁰  and she sat at his right hand. 2:20 She said, “I would like to ask you for just one small favor. ¹⁴²¹  Please don’t refuse me.” ¹⁴²²  He said, ¹⁴²³  “Go ahead and ask, my mother, for I would not refuse you.” 2:21 She said, “Allow Abishag the Shunammite to be given to your brother Adonijah as a wife.” 2:22 King Solomon answered his mother, “Why just request Abishag the Shunammite for him? ¹⁴²⁴  Since he is my older brother, you should also request the kingdom for him, for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab son of Zeruiah!”

2:23 King Solomon then swore an oath by the Lord, “May God judge me severely, ¹⁴²⁵  if Adonijah does not pay for this request with his life! ¹⁴²⁶  2:24 Now, as certainly as the Lord lives (he who made me secure, allowed me to sit on my father David’s throne, and established a dynasty ¹⁴²⁷  for me as he promised), Adonijah will be executed today!” 2:25 King Solomon then sent ¹⁴²⁸  Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he killed Adonijah. ¹⁴²⁹ 

2:26 The king then told Abiathar the priest, “Go back to your property ¹⁴³⁰  in Anathoth. You deserve to die, ¹⁴³¹  but today I will not kill you because you did carry the ark of the sovereign Lord before my father David and you suffered with my father through all his difficult times.” ¹⁴³²  2:27 Solomon dismissed Abiathar from his position as priest of the Lord, ¹⁴³³  fulfilling the decree of judgment the Lord made in Shiloh against the family of Eli. ¹⁴³⁴ 

2:28 When the news reached Joab (for Joab had supported ¹⁴³⁵  Adonijah, although he had not supported Absalom), he ¹⁴³⁶  ran to the tent of the Lord and grabbed hold of the horns of the altar. ¹⁴³⁷  2:29 When King Solomon heard ¹⁴³⁸  that Joab had run to the tent of the Lord and was right there beside the altar, he ordered Benaiah son of Jehoiada, ¹⁴³⁹  “Go, strike him down.” 2:30 When Benaiah arrived at the tent of the Lord, he said to him, “The king says, ‘Come out!’” But he replied, “No, I will die here!” So Benaiah sent word to the king and reported Joab’s reply. ¹⁴⁴⁰  2:31 The king told him, “Do as he said! Strike him down and bury him. Take away from me and from my father’s family ¹⁴⁴¹  the guilt of Joab’s murderous, bloody deeds. ¹⁴⁴²  2:32 May the Lord punish him for the blood he shed; ¹⁴⁴³  behind my father David’s back he struck down and murdered with the sword two men who were more innocent and morally upright than he ¹⁴⁴⁴  – Abner son of Ner, commander of Israel’s army, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of Judah’s army. 2:33 May Joab and his descendants be perpetually guilty of their shed blood, but may the Lord give perpetual peace to David, his descendants, his family, ¹⁴⁴⁵  and his dynasty.” ¹⁴⁴⁶  2:34 So Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up and executed Joab; ¹⁴⁴⁷  he was buried at his home in the wilderness. 2:35 The king appointed Benaiah son of Jehoiada to take his place at the head of ¹⁴⁴⁸  the army, and the king appointed Zadok the priest to take Abiathar’s place. ¹⁴⁴⁹ 

2:36 Next the king summoned ¹⁴⁵⁰  Shimei and told him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem ¹⁴⁵¹  and live there – but you may not leave there to go anywhere! ¹⁴⁵²  2:37 If you ever do leave and cross the Kidron Valley, know for sure that you will certainly die! You will be responsible for your own death.” ¹⁴⁵³  2:38 Shimei said to the king, “My master the king’s proposal is acceptable. ¹⁴⁵⁴  Your servant will do as you say.” ¹⁴⁵⁵  So Shimei lived in Jerusalem for a long time. ¹⁴⁵⁶ 

2:39 Three years later two of Shimei’s servants ran away to King Achish son of Maacah of Gath. Shimei was told, “Look, your servants are in Gath.” 2:40 So Shimei got up, saddled his donkey, and went to Achish at Gath to find his servants; Shimei went and brought back his servants from Gath. 2:41 When Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had then returned, 2:42 the king summoned ¹⁴⁵⁷  Shimei and said to him, “You will recall ¹⁴⁵⁸  that I made you take an oath by the Lord, and I solemnly warned you, ‘If you ever leave and go anywhere, ¹⁴⁵⁹  know for sure that you will certainly die.’ You said to me, ‘The proposal is acceptable; I agree to it.’ ¹⁴⁶⁰  2:43 Why then have you broken the oath you made before the Lord and disobeyed the order I gave you?” ¹⁴⁶¹  2:44 Then the king said to Shimei, “You are well aware of the way you mistreated my father David. ¹⁴⁶²  The Lord will punish you for what you did. ¹⁴⁶³  2:45 But King Solomon will be empowered ¹⁴⁶⁴  and David’s dynasty ¹⁴⁶⁵  will endure permanently before the Lord.” 2:46 The king then gave the order to Benaiah son of Jehoiada who went and executed Shimei. ¹⁴⁶⁶ 

So Solomon took firm control of the kingdom. ¹⁴⁶⁷ 

3:1 Solomon made an alliance by marriage with Pharaoh, king of Egypt; he married Pharaoh’s daughter. He brought her to the City of David ¹⁴⁶⁸  until he could finish building his residence and the temple of the Lord and the wall around Jerusalem. ¹⁴⁶⁹  3:2 Now the people were offering sacrifices at the high places, ¹⁴⁷⁰  because in those days a temple had not yet been built to honor the Lord. ¹⁴⁷¹  3:3 Solomon demonstrated his loyalty to the Lord by following ¹⁴⁷²  the practices ¹⁴⁷³  of his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places.

3:4 The king went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices, for it had the most prominent of the high places. ¹⁴⁷⁴  Solomon would offer up ¹⁴⁷⁵  a thousand burnt sacrifices on the altar there. 3:5 One night in Gibeon the Lord appeared ¹⁴⁷⁶  to Solomon in a dream. God said, “Tell ¹⁴⁷⁷  me what I should give you.” 3:6 Solomon replied, “You demonstrated ¹⁴⁷⁸  great loyalty to your servant, my father David, as he served ¹⁴⁷⁹  you faithfully, properly, and sincerely. ¹⁴⁸⁰  You have maintained this great loyalty to this day by allowing his son to sit on his throne. ¹⁴⁸¹  3:7 Now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in my father David’s place, even though I am only a young man and am inexperienced. ¹⁴⁸²  3:8 Your servant stands ¹⁴⁸³  among your chosen people; ¹⁴⁸⁴  they are a great nation that is too numerous to count or number. 3:9 So give your servant a discerning mind ¹⁴⁸⁵  so he can make judicial decisions for ¹⁴⁸⁶  your people and distinguish right from wrong. ¹⁴⁸⁷  Otherwise ¹⁴⁸⁸  no one is able ¹⁴⁸⁹  to make judicial decisions for ¹⁴⁹⁰  this great nation of yours.” ¹⁴⁹¹  3:10 The Lord ¹⁴⁹²  was pleased that Solomon made this request. ¹⁴⁹³  3:11 God said to him, “Because you asked for the ability to make wise judicial decisions, and not for long life, or riches, or vengeance on your enemies, ¹⁴⁹⁴  3:12 I ¹⁴⁹⁵  grant your request, ¹⁴⁹⁶  and give ¹⁴⁹⁷  you a wise and discerning mind ¹⁴⁹⁸  superior to that of anyone who has preceded or will succeed you. ¹⁴⁹⁹  3:13 Furthermore, I am giving ¹⁵⁰⁰  you what you did not request – riches and honor so that you will be the greatest king of your generation. ¹⁵⁰¹  3:14 If you follow my instructions ¹⁵⁰²  by obeying ¹⁵⁰³  my rules and regulations, just as your father David did, ¹⁵⁰⁴  then I will grant you long life.” ¹⁵⁰⁵  3:15 Solomon then woke up and realized it was a dream. ¹⁵⁰⁶  He went to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord’s covenant, offered up burnt sacrifices, presented peace offerings, ¹⁵⁰⁷  and held a feast for all his servants.

3:16 Then two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. 3:17 One of the women said, “My master, this woman and I live in the same house. I had a baby while she was with me in the house. 3:18 Then three days after I had my baby, this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there was no one else in the house except the two of us. ¹⁵⁰⁸  3:19 This woman’s child suffocated ¹⁵⁰⁹  during the night when she rolled ¹⁵¹⁰  on top of him. 3:20 She got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side, while your servant was sleeping. She put him in her arms, and put her dead son in my arms. 3:21 I got up in the morning to nurse my son, and there he was, ¹⁵¹¹  dead! But when I examined him carefully in the morning, I realized it was not my baby.” ¹⁵¹²  3:22 The other woman said, “No! My son is alive; your son is dead!” But the first woman replied, “No, your son is dead; my son is alive.” Each presented her case before the king. ¹⁵¹³ 

3:23 The king said, “One says, ‘My son is alive; your son is dead,’ while the other says, ‘No, your son is dead; my son is alive.’” 3:24 The king ordered, “Get me a sword!” So they placed a sword before the king. 3:25 The king then said, “Cut the living child in two, and give half to one and half to the other!” 3:26 The real mother ¹⁵¹⁴  spoke up to the king, for her motherly instincts were aroused. ¹⁵¹⁵  She said, “My master, give her the living child! Whatever you do, don’t kill him!” ¹⁵¹⁶  But the other woman said, “Neither one of us will have him! Let them cut him in two!” 3:27 The king responded, “Give the first woman the living child; don’t kill him. She is the mother.” 3:28 When all Israel heard about the judicial decision which the king had rendered, they respected ¹⁵¹⁷  the king, for they realized ¹⁵¹⁸  that he possessed supernatural wisdom ¹⁵¹⁹  to make judicial decisions.

4:1 King Solomon ruled over all Israel. 4:2 These were his officials:

Azariah son of Zadok was the priest.

4:3 Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, wrote down what happened. ¹⁵²⁰ 

Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was in charge of the records.

4:4 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was commander of ¹⁵²¹  the army.

Zadok and Abiathar were priests.

4:5 Azariah son of Nathan was supervisor of ¹⁵²²  the district governors.

Zabud son of Nathan was a priest and adviser to ¹⁵²³  the king.

4:6 Ahishar was supervisor of the palace. ¹⁵²⁴ 

Adoniram son of Abda was supervisor of ¹⁵²⁵  the work crews. ¹⁵²⁶ 

4:7 Solomon had twelve district governors appointed throughout Israel who acquired supplies for the king and his palace. Each was responsible for one month in the year. 4:8 These were their names:

Ben-Hur was in charge of the hill country of Ephraim.

4:9 Ben-Deker was in charge of Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth Shemesh, and Elon Beth Hanan.

4:10 Ben-Hesed was in charge of Arubboth; he controlled Socoh and all the territory of Hepher.

4:11 Ben-Abinadab was in charge of Naphath Dor. (He was married to Solomon’s daughter Taphath.)

4:12 Baana son of Ahilud was in charge of Taanach and Megiddo, ¹⁵²⁷  as well as all of Beth Shan next to Zarethan below Jezreel, from Beth Shan to Abel Meholah and on past Jokmeam.

4:13 Ben-Geber was in charge of Ramoth Gilead; he controlled the tent villages of Jair son of Manasseh in Gilead, as well as the region of Argob in Bashan, including sixty large walled cities with bronze bars locking their gates.

4:14 Ahinadab son of Iddo was in charge of Mahanaim.

4:15 Ahimaaz was in charge of Naphtali. (He married Solomon’s daughter Basemath.)

4:16 Baana son of Hushai was in charge of Asher and Aloth.

4:17 Jehoshaphat son of Paruah was in charge of Issachar.

4:18 Shimei son of Ela was in charge of Benjamin.

4:19 Geber son of Uri was in charge of the land of Gilead (the territory which had once belonged to King Sihon of the Amorites and to King Og of Bashan). He was sole governor of the area.

4:20 The people of Judah and Israel were as innumerable as the sand on the seashore; they had plenty to eat and drink and were happy. 4:21 (5:1) ¹⁵²⁸  Solomon ruled all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River ¹⁵²⁹  to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. These kingdoms paid tribute as Solomon’s subjects throughout his lifetime. ¹⁵³⁰  4:22 Each day Solomon’s royal court consumed ¹⁵³¹  thirty cors ¹⁵³²  of finely milled flour, sixty cors of cereal, 4:23 ten calves fattened in the stall, ¹⁵³³  twenty calves from the pasture, and a hundred sheep, not to mention rams, gazelles, deer, and well-fed birds. 4:24 His royal court was so large because ¹⁵³⁴  he ruled over all the kingdoms west of the Euphrates River from Tiphsah ¹⁵³⁵  to Gaza; he was at peace with all his neighbors. ¹⁵³⁶  4:25 All the people of Judah and Israel had security; everyone from Dan to Beer Sheba enjoyed the produce of their vines and fig trees throughout Solomon’s lifetime. ¹⁵³⁷  4:26 Solomon had 4,000 ¹⁵³⁸  stalls for his chariot horses and 12,000 horses. 4:27 The district governors acquired supplies for King Solomon and all who ate in his royal palace. ¹⁵³⁹  Each was responsible for one month in the year; they made sure nothing was lacking. 4:28 Each one also brought to the assigned location his quota of barley and straw for the various horses. ¹⁵⁴⁰ 

4:29 God gave Solomon wisdom and very great discernment; the breadth of his understanding ¹⁵⁴¹  was as infinite as the sand on the seashore. 4:30 Solomon was wiser than all the men of the east and all the sages of Egypt. ¹⁵⁴²  4:31 He was wiser than any man, including Ethan the Ezrahite or Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol. He was famous in all the neighboring nations. ¹⁵⁴³  4:32 He composed ¹⁵⁴⁴  3,000 proverbs and 1,005 songs. 4:33 He produced manuals on botany, describing every kind of plant, ¹⁵⁴⁵  from the cedars of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows on walls. He also produced manuals on biology, describing ¹⁵⁴⁶  animals, birds, insects, and fish. 4:34 People from all nations came to hear Solomon’s display of wisdom; ¹⁵⁴⁷  they came from all the kings of the earth who heard about his wisdom.

5:1 (5:15) ¹⁵⁴⁸  King Hiram of Tyre ¹⁵⁴⁹  sent messengers ¹⁵⁵⁰  to Solomon when he heard that he had been anointed king in his father’s place. (Hiram had always been an ally of David.) 5:2 Solomon then sent this message to Hiram: 5:3 “You know that my father David was unable to build a temple to honor the Lord ¹⁵⁵¹  his God, for he was busy fighting battles on all fronts while the Lord subdued his enemies. ¹⁵⁵²  5:4 But now the Lord my God has made me secure on all fronts; there is no adversary or dangerous threat. 5:5 So I have decided ¹⁵⁵³  to build a temple to honor the Lord ¹⁵⁵⁴  my God, as the Lord instructed my father David, ‘Your son, whom I will put on your throne in your place, is the one who will build a temple to honor me.’ ¹⁵⁵⁵  5:6 So now order some cedars of Lebanon to be cut for me. My servants will work with your servants. I will pay your servants whatever you say is appropriate, for you know that we have no one among us who knows how to cut down trees like the Sidonians.”

5:7 When Hiram heard Solomon’s message, he was very happy. He said, “The Lord is worthy of praise today because he ¹⁵⁵⁶  has given David a wise son to rule over this great nation.” 5:8 Hiram then sent this message to Solomon: “I received ¹⁵⁵⁷  the message you sent to me. I will give you all the cedars and evergreens you need. ¹⁵⁵⁸  5:9 My servants will bring the timber down from Lebanon to the sea. I will send it by sea in raft-like bundles to the place you designate. ¹⁵⁵⁹  There I will separate the logs ¹⁵⁶⁰  and you can carry them away. In exchange you will supply the food I need for my royal court.” ¹⁵⁶¹ 

5:10 So Hiram supplied the cedars and evergreens Solomon needed, ¹⁵⁶²  5:11 and Solomon supplied Hiram annually with 20,000 cors ¹⁵⁶³  of wheat as provision for his royal court, ¹⁵⁶⁴  as well as 20,000 baths ¹⁵⁶⁵  of pure ¹⁵⁶⁶  olive oil. ¹⁵⁶⁷  5:12 So the Lord gave Solomon wisdom, as he had promised him. And Hiram and Solomon were at peace and made a treaty. ¹⁵⁶⁸ 

5:13 King Solomon conscripted ¹⁵⁶⁹  work crews ¹⁵⁷⁰  from throughout Israel, 30,000 men in all. 5:14 He sent them to Lebanon in shifts of 10,000 men per month. They worked in Lebanon for one month, and then spent two months at home. Adoniram was supervisor of ¹⁵⁷¹  the work crews. 5:15 Solomon also had 70,000 common laborers ¹⁵⁷²  and 80,000 stonecutters ¹⁵⁷³  in the hills, 5:16 besides 3,300 ¹⁵⁷⁴  officials who supervised the workers. ¹⁵⁷⁵  5:17 By royal order ¹⁵⁷⁶  they supplied large valuable stones in order to build the temple’s foundation with chiseled stone. 5:18 Solomon’s and Hiram’s construction workers, ¹⁵⁷⁷  along with men from Byblos, ¹⁵⁷⁸  did the chiseling and prepared the wood and stones for the building of the temple. ¹⁵⁷⁹ 

6:1 In the four hundred and eightieth year after the Israelites left Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, during the month Ziv ¹⁵⁸⁰  (the second month), he began building the Lord’s temple. 6:2 The temple King Solomon built for the Lord was 90 feet ¹⁵⁸¹  long, 30 feet ¹⁵⁸²  wide, and 45 feet ¹⁵⁸³  high. 6:3 The porch in front of the main hall of the temple was 30 feet ¹⁵⁸⁴  long, corresponding to the width of the temple. It was 15 feet ¹⁵⁸⁵  wide, extending out from the front of the temple. 6:4 He made framed windows for the temple. 6:5 He built an extension all around the walls of the temple’s main hall and holy place and constructed side rooms in it. ¹⁵⁸⁶  6:6 The bottom floor of the extension was seven and a half feet ¹⁵⁸⁷  wide, the middle floor nine feet ¹⁵⁸⁸  wide, and the third floor ten and a half ¹⁵⁸⁹  feet wide. He made ledges ¹⁵⁹⁰  on the temple’s outer walls so the beams would not have to be inserted into the walls. ¹⁵⁹¹  6:7 As the temple was being built, only stones shaped at the quarry ¹⁵⁹²  were used; the sound of hammers, pickaxes, or any other iron tool was not heard at the temple while it was being built. 6:8 The entrance to the bottom ¹⁵⁹³  level of side rooms was on the south side of the temple; stairs went up ¹⁵⁹⁴  to the middle floor and then on up to the third ¹⁵⁹⁵  floor. 6:9 He finished building the temple ¹⁵⁹⁶  and covered it ¹⁵⁹⁷  with rafters ¹⁵⁹⁸  and boards made of cedar. ¹⁵⁹⁹  6:10 He built an extension all around the temple; it was seven and a half feet high ¹⁶⁰⁰  and it was attached to the temple by cedar beams.

6:11 ¹⁶⁰¹ The Lord said ¹⁶⁰²  to Solomon: 6:12 “As for this temple you are building, if you follow ¹⁶⁰³  my rules, observe ¹⁶⁰⁴  my regulations, and obey all my commandments, ¹⁶⁰⁵  I will fulfill through you the promise I made to your father David. ¹⁶⁰⁶  6:13 I will live among the Israelites and will not abandon my people Israel.”

6:14 So Solomon finished building the temple. ¹⁶⁰⁷  6:15 He constructed the walls inside the temple with cedar planks; he paneled the inside with wood from the floor of the temple to the rafters ¹⁶⁰⁸  of the ceiling. He covered the temple floor with boards made from the wood of evergreens. 6:16 He built a wall 30 feet in from the rear of the temple as a partition for an inner sanctuary that would be the most holy place. ¹⁶⁰⁹  He paneled the wall with cedar planks from the floor to the rafters. ¹⁶¹⁰  6:17 The main hall in front of the inner sanctuary was 60 feet long. ¹⁶¹¹  6:18 The inside of the temple was all cedar and was adorned with carvings of round ornaments and of flowers in bloom. Everything was cedar; no stones were visible. ¹⁶¹² 

6:19 He prepared the inner sanctuary inside the temple so that the ark of the covenant of the Lord could be placed there. 6:20 The inner sanctuary was 30 feet ¹⁶¹³  long, 30 feet wide, and 30 feet high. He plated it with gold, ¹⁶¹⁴  as well as the cedar altar. ¹⁶¹⁵  6:21 Solomon plated the inside of the temple with gold. ¹⁶¹⁶  He hung golden chains in front of the inner sanctuary and plated the inner sanctuary ¹⁶¹⁷  with gold. 6:22 He plated the entire inside of the temple with gold, as well as the altar inside the inner sanctuary. ¹⁶¹⁸ 

6:23 In the inner sanctuary he made two cherubs of olive wood; each stood 15 feet ¹⁶¹⁹  high. 6:24 Each of the first cherub’s wings was seven and a half feet long; its entire wingspan was 15 feet. ¹⁶²⁰  6:25 The second cherub also had a wingspan of 15 feet; it was identical to the first in measurements and shape. ¹⁶²¹  6:26 Each cherub stood 15 feet high. ¹⁶²²  6:27 He put the cherubs in the inner sanctuary of the temple. ¹⁶²³  Their wings were spread out. One of the first cherub’s wings touched one wall and one of the other cherub’s wings touched the opposite wall. The first cherub’s other wing touched the second cherub’s other wing in the middle of the room. ¹⁶²⁴  6:28 He plated the cherubs with gold.

6:29 On all the walls around the temple, inside and out, ¹⁶²⁵  he carved ¹⁶²⁶  cherubs, palm trees, and flowers in bloom. 6:30 He plated the floor of the temple with gold, inside and out. ¹⁶²⁷  6:31 He made doors of olive wood at the entrance to the inner sanctuary; the pillar on each doorpost was five-sided. ¹⁶²⁸  6:32 On the two doors made of olive wood he carved ¹⁶²⁹  cherubs, palm trees, and flowers in bloom, and he plated them with gold. ¹⁶³⁰  He plated the cherubs and the palm trees with hammered gold. ¹⁶³¹  6:33 In the same way he made doorposts of olive wood for the entrance to the main hall, only with four-sided pillars. ¹⁶³²  6:34 He also made ¹⁶³³  two doors out of wood from evergreens; each door had two folding leaves. ¹⁶³⁴  6:35 He carved cherubs, palm trees, and flowers in bloom and plated them with gold, leveled out over the carvings. 6:36 He built the inner courtyard with three rows of chiseled stones and a row of cedar beams.

6:37 In the month Ziv ¹⁶³⁵  of the fourth year of Solomon’s reign ¹⁶³⁶  the foundation was laid for the Lord’s temple. 6:38 In the eleventh year, in the month Bul ¹⁶³⁷  (the eighth month) the temple was completed in accordance with all its specifications and blueprints. It took seven years to build. ¹⁶³⁸ 

7:1 Solomon took thirteen years to build his palace. ¹⁶³⁹  7:2 He named ¹⁶⁴⁰  it “The Palace of the Lebanon Forest”; ¹⁶⁴¹  it was 150 feet ¹⁶⁴²  long, 75 feet ¹⁶⁴³  wide, and 45 feet ¹⁶⁴⁴  high. It had four rows of cedar pillars and cedar beams above the pillars. 7:3 The roof above the beams supported by the pillars was also made of cedar; there were forty-five beams, fifteen per row. 7:4 There were three rows of windows arranged in sets of three. ¹⁶⁴⁵  7:5 All of the entrances ¹⁶⁴⁶  were rectangular in shape ¹⁶⁴⁷  and they were arranged in sets of three. ¹⁶⁴⁸  7:6 He made a colonnade ¹⁶⁴⁹  75 feet ¹⁶⁵⁰  long and 45 feet ¹⁶⁵¹  wide. There was a porch in front of this and pillars and a roof in front of the porch. ¹⁶⁵²  7:7 He also made a throne room, called “The Hall of Judgment,” where he made judicial decisions. ¹⁶⁵³  It was paneled with cedar from the floor to the rafters. ¹⁶⁵⁴  7:8 The palace where he lived was constructed in a similar way. ¹⁶⁵⁵  He also constructed a palace like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter, whom he had married. ¹⁶⁵⁶  7:9 All of these were built with the best ¹⁶⁵⁷  stones, chiseled to the right size ¹⁶⁵⁸  and cut with a saw on all sides, ¹⁶⁵⁹  from the foundation to the edge of the roof ¹⁶⁶⁰  and from the outside to the great courtyard. 7:10 The foundation was made of large valuable stones, measuring either 15 feet or 12 feet. ¹⁶⁶¹  7:11 Above the foundation ¹⁶⁶²  the best ¹⁶⁶³  stones, chiseled to the right size, ¹⁶⁶⁴  were used along with cedar. 7:12 Around the great courtyard were three rows of chiseled stones and one row of cedar beams, like the inner courtyard of the Lord’s temple and the hall of the palace. ¹⁶⁶⁵ 

7:13 King Solomon sent for Hiram ¹⁶⁶⁶  of Tyre. ¹⁶⁶⁷  7:14 He was the son of a widow from the tribe of Naphtali, ¹⁶⁶⁸  and his father was a craftsman in bronze from Tyre. He had the skill and knowledge ¹⁶⁶⁹  to make all kinds of works of bronze. He reported to King Solomon and did all the work he was assigned.

7:15 He fashioned two bronze pillars; each pillar was 27 feet ¹⁶⁷⁰  high and 18 feet ¹⁶⁷¹  in circumference. 7:16 He made two bronze tops for the pillars; each was seven-and-a-half feet high. ¹⁶⁷²  7:17 The latticework on the tops of the pillars was adorned with ornamental wreaths and chains; the top of each pillar had seven groupings of ornaments. ¹⁶⁷³  7:18 When he made the pillars, there were two rows of pomegranate-shaped ornaments around the latticework covering the top of each pillar. ¹⁶⁷⁴  7:19 The tops of the two pillars in the porch were shaped like lilies and were six feet high. ¹⁶⁷⁵  7:20 On the top of each pillar, right above the bulge beside the latticework, there were two hundred pomegranate-shaped ornaments arranged in rows all the way around. ¹⁶⁷⁶  7:21 He set up the pillars on the porch in front of the main hall. He erected one pillar on the right ¹⁶⁷⁷  side and called it Jakin; ¹⁶⁷⁸  he erected the other pillar on the left ¹⁶⁷⁹  side and called it Boaz. ¹⁶⁸⁰  7:22 The tops of the pillars were shaped like lilies. So the construction of the pillars was completed.

7:23 He also made the large bronze basin called “The Sea.” ¹⁶⁸¹  It measured 15 feet ¹⁶⁸²  from rim to rim, was circular in shape, and stood seven-and-a-half feet ¹⁶⁸³  high. Its circumference was 45 feet. ¹⁶⁸⁴  7:24 Under the rim all the way around it ¹⁶⁸⁵  were round ornaments ¹⁶⁸⁶  arranged in settings 15 feet long. ¹⁶⁸⁷  The ornaments were in two rows and had been cast with “The Sea.” ¹⁶⁸⁸  7:25 “The Sea” stood on top of twelve bulls. Three faced northward, three westward, three southward, and three eastward. “The Sea” was placed on top of them, and they all faced outward. ¹⁶⁸⁹  7:26 It was four fingers thick and its rim was like that of a cup shaped like a lily blossom. It could hold about 12,000 gallons. ¹⁶⁹⁰ 

7:27 He also made ten bronze movable stands. Each stand was six feet ¹⁶⁹¹  long, six feet ¹⁶⁹²  wide, and four-and-a-half feet ¹⁶⁹³  high. 7:28 The stands were constructed with frames between the joints. 7:29 On these frames and joints were ornamental lions, bulls, and cherubs. Under the lions and bulls were decorative wreaths. ¹⁶⁹⁴  7:30 Each stand had four bronze wheels with bronze axles and four supports. Under the basin the supports were fashioned on each side with wreaths. ¹⁶⁹⁵  7:31 Inside the stand was a round opening that was a foot-and-a-half deep; it had a support that was two and one-quarter feet long. ¹⁶⁹⁶  On the edge of the opening were carvings in square frames. ¹⁶⁹⁷  7:32 The four wheels were under the frames and the crossbars of the axles were connected to the stand. Each wheel was two and one-quarter feet ¹⁶⁹⁸  high. 7:33 The wheels were constructed like chariot wheels; their crossbars, rims, spokes, and hubs were made of cast metal. 7:34 Each stand had four supports, one per side projecting out from the stand. ¹⁶⁹⁹  7:35 On top of each stand was a round opening three-quarters of a foot deep; ¹⁷⁰⁰  there were also supports and frames on top of the stands. 7:36 He engraved ornamental cherubs, lions, and palm trees on the plates of the supports and frames wherever there was room, ¹⁷⁰¹  with wreaths ¹⁷⁰²  all around. 7:37 He made the ten stands in this way. All of them were cast in one mold and were identical in measurements and shape.

7:38 He also made ten bronze basins, each of which could hold about 240 gallons. ¹⁷⁰³  Each basin was six feet in diameter; ¹⁷⁰⁴  there was one basin for each stand. 7:39 He put five basins on the south side of the temple and five on the north side. He put “The Sea” on the south side, in the southeast corner.

7:40 Hiram also made basins, shovels, and bowls. He ¹⁷⁰⁵  finished all the work on the Lord’s temple he had been assigned by King Solomon. ¹⁷⁰⁶  7:41 He made ¹⁷⁰⁷  the two pillars, the two bowl-shaped tops of the pillars, the latticework for the bowl-shaped tops of the two pillars, 7:42 the four hundred pomegranate-shaped ornaments for the latticework of the two pillars (each latticework had two rows of these ornaments at the bowl-shaped top of the pillar), 7:43 the ten movable stands with their ten basins, 7:44 the big bronze basin called “The Sea” with its twelve bulls underneath, ¹⁷⁰⁸  7:45 and the pots, shovels, and bowls. All these items King Solomon assigned Hiram to make for the Lord’s temple ¹⁷⁰⁹  were made from polished bronze. 7:46 The king had them cast in earth foundries ¹⁷¹⁰  in the region of the Jordan between Succoth and Zarethan. 7:47 Solomon left all these items unweighed; there were so many of them they did not weigh the bronze. ¹⁷¹¹ 

7:48 Solomon also made all these items for the Lord’s temple: the gold altar, the gold table on which was kept the Bread of the Presence, ¹⁷¹²  7:49 the pure gold lampstands at the entrance to the inner sanctuary (five on the right and five on the left), the gold flower-shaped ornaments, lamps, and tongs, 7:50 the pure gold bowls, trimming shears, basins, pans, and censers, and the gold door sockets for the inner sanctuary (the most holy place) and for the doors of the main hall of the temple. 7:51 When King Solomon finished constructing the Lord’s temple, he ¹⁷¹³  put the holy items that belonged to his father David (the silver, gold, and other articles) in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple.

8:1 ¹⁷¹⁴ Then Solomon convened in Jerusalem ¹⁷¹⁵  Israel’s elders, all the leaders of the Israelite tribes and families, so they could witness the transferal of the ark of the Lord’s covenant from the city of David (that is, Zion). ¹⁷¹⁶  8:2 All the men of Israel assembled before King Solomon during the festival ¹⁷¹⁷  in the month Ethanim ¹⁷¹⁸  (the seventh month). 8:3 When all Israel’s elders had arrived, the priests lifted the ark. 8:4 The priests and Levites carried the ark of the Lord, the tent of meeting, ¹⁷¹⁹  and all the holy items in the tent. ¹⁷²⁰  8:5 Now King Solomon and all the Israelites who had assembled with him went on ahead of the ark and sacrificed more sheep and cattle than could be counted or numbered. ¹⁷²¹ 

8:6 The priests brought the ark of the Lord’s covenant to its assigned ¹⁷²²  place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, in the most holy place, under the wings of the cherubs. 8:7 The cherubs’ wings extended over the place where the ark sat; the cherubs overshadowed the ark and its poles. ¹⁷²³  8:8 The poles were so long their ends were visible from the holy place in front of the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen from beyond that point. ¹⁷²⁴  They have remained there to this very day. 8:9 There was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets Moses had placed there in Horeb. ¹⁷²⁵  It was there that ¹⁷²⁶  the Lord made an agreement with the Israelites after he brought them out of the land of Egypt. 8:10 Once the priests left the holy place, a cloud filled the Lord’s temple. 8:11 The priests could not carry out their duties ¹⁷²⁷  because of the cloud; the Lord’s glory filled his temple. ¹⁷²⁸ 

8:12 Then Solomon said, “The Lord has said that he lives in thick darkness. 8:13 O Lord, ¹⁷²⁹  truly I have built a lofty temple for you, a place where you can live permanently.” 8:14 Then the king turned around ¹⁷³⁰  and pronounced a blessing over the whole Israelite assembly as they stood there. ¹⁷³¹  8:15 He said, “The Lord God of Israel is worthy of praise because he has fulfilled ¹⁷³²  what he promised ¹⁷³³  my father David. 8:16 He told David, ¹⁷³⁴  ‘Since the day I brought my people Israel out of Egypt, I have not chosen a city from all the tribes of Israel to build a temple in which to live. ¹⁷³⁵  But I have chosen David to lead my people Israel.’ 8:17 Now my father David had a strong desire ¹⁷³⁶  to build a temple to honor the Lord God of Israel. ¹⁷³⁷  8:18 The Lord told my father David, ‘It is right for you to have a strong desire to build a temple to honor me. ¹⁷³⁸  8:19 But you will not build the temple; your very own son will build the temple for my honor.’ ¹⁷³⁹  8:20 The Lord has kept the promise he made. ¹⁷⁴⁰  I have taken my father David’s place and have occupied the throne of Israel, as the Lord promised. I have built this temple for the honor ¹⁷⁴¹  of the Lord God of Israel 8:21 and set up in it a place for the ark containing the covenant the Lord made with our ancestors ¹⁷⁴²  when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.”

8:22 Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the entire assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward the sky. ¹⁷⁴³  8:23 He prayed: ¹⁷⁴⁴  “O Lord, God of Israel, there is no god like you in heaven above or on earth below! You maintain covenantal loyalty ¹⁷⁴⁵  to your servants who obey you with sincerity. ¹⁷⁴⁶  8:24 You have kept your word to your servant, my father David; ¹⁷⁴⁷  this very day you have fulfilled what you promised. ¹⁷⁴⁸  8:25 Now, O Lord, God of Israel, keep the promise you made to your servant, my father David, when you said, ‘You will never fail to have a successor ruling before me on the throne of Israel, ¹⁷⁴⁹  provided that your descendants watch their step and serve me as you have done.’ ¹⁷⁵⁰  8:26 Now, O God of Israel, may the promise you made ¹⁷⁵¹  to your servant, my father David, be realized. ¹⁷⁵² 

8:27 “God does not really live on the earth! ¹⁷⁵³  Look, if the sky and the highest heaven cannot contain you, how much less this temple I have built! 8:28 But respond favorably to ¹⁷⁵⁴  your servant’s prayer and his request for help, O Lord my God. Answer ¹⁷⁵⁵  the desperate prayer ¹⁷⁵⁶  your servant is presenting to you ¹⁷⁵⁷  today. 8:29 Night and day may you watch over this temple, the place where you promised you would live. ¹⁷⁵⁸  May you answer your servant’s prayer for this place. ¹⁷⁵⁹  8:30 Respond to the request of your servant and your people Israel for this place. ¹⁷⁶⁰  Hear from inside your heavenly dwelling place ¹⁷⁶¹  and respond favorably. ¹⁷⁶² 

8:31 “When someone is accused of sinning against his neighbor and the latter pronounces a curse on the alleged offender before your altar in this temple, be willing to forgive the accused if the accusation is false. ¹⁷⁶³  8:32 Listen from heaven and make a just decision about your servants’ claims. Condemn the guilty party, declare the other innocent, and give both of them what they deserve. ¹⁷⁶⁴ 

8:33 “The time will come when ¹⁷⁶⁵  your people Israel are defeated by an enemy ¹⁷⁶⁶  because they sinned against you. If they come back to you, renew their allegiance to you, ¹⁷⁶⁷  and pray for your help ¹⁷⁶⁸  in this temple, 8:34 then listen from heaven, forgive the sin of your people Israel, and bring them back to the land you gave to their ancestors.

8:35 “The time will come when ¹⁷⁶⁹  the skies are shut up tightly and no rain falls because your people ¹⁷⁷⁰  sinned against you. When they direct their prayers toward this place, renew their allegiance to you, ¹⁷⁷¹  and turn away from their sin because you punish ¹⁷⁷²  them, 8:36 then listen from heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel. Certainly ¹⁷⁷³  you will then teach them the right way to live ¹⁷⁷⁴  and send rain on your land that you have given your people to possess. ¹⁷⁷⁵ 

8:37 “The time will come when the land suffers from a famine, a plague, blight and disease, or a locust ¹⁷⁷⁶  invasion, or when their enemy lays siege to the cities of the land, ¹⁷⁷⁷  or when some other type of plague or epidemic occurs. 8:38 When all your people Israel pray and ask for help, ¹⁷⁷⁸  as they acknowledge their pain ¹⁷⁷⁹  and spread out their hands toward this temple, 8:39 then listen from your heavenly dwelling place, forgive their sin, ¹⁷⁸⁰  and act favorably toward each one based on your evaluation of his motives. ¹⁷⁸¹  (Indeed you are the only one who can correctly evaluate the motives of all people.) ¹⁷⁸²  8:40 Then they will obey ¹⁷⁸³  you throughout their lifetimes as ¹⁷⁸⁴  they live on the land you gave to our ancestors.

8:41 “Foreigners, who do not belong to your people Israel, will come from a distant land because of your reputation. ¹⁷⁸⁵  8:42 When they hear about your great reputation ¹⁷⁸⁶  and your ability to accomplish mighty deeds, ¹⁷⁸⁷  they will come and direct their prayers toward this temple. 8:43 Then listen from your heavenly dwelling place and answer all the prayers of the foreigners. ¹⁷⁸⁸  Then all the nations of the earth will acknowledge your reputation, ¹⁷⁸⁹  obey ¹⁷⁹⁰  you like your people Israel do, and recognize that this temple I built belongs to you. ¹⁷⁹¹ 

8:44 “When you direct your people to march out and fight their enemies, ¹⁷⁹²  and they direct their prayers to the Lord ¹⁷⁹³  toward his chosen city and this temple I built for your honor, ¹⁷⁹⁴  8:45 then listen from heaven to their prayers for help ¹⁷⁹⁵  and vindicate them. ¹⁷⁹⁶ 

8:46 “The time will come when your people ¹⁷⁹⁷  will sin against you (for there is no one who is sinless!) and you will be angry with them and deliver them over to their enemies, who will take them as prisoners to their own land, ¹⁷⁹⁸  whether far away or close by. 8:47 When your people ¹⁷⁹⁹  come to their senses ¹⁸⁰⁰  in the land where they are held prisoner, they will repent and beg for your mercy in the land of their imprisonment, admitting, ‘We have sinned and gone astray; ¹⁸⁰¹  we have done evil.’ 8:48 When they return to you with all their heart and being ¹⁸⁰²  in the land where they are held prisoner, ¹⁸⁰³  and direct their prayers to you toward the land you gave to their ancestors, your chosen city, and the temple I built for your honor, ¹⁸⁰⁴  8:49 then listen from your heavenly dwelling place to their prayers for help ¹⁸⁰⁵  and vindicate them. ¹⁸⁰⁶  8:50 Forgive all the rebellious acts of your sinful people and cause their captors to have mercy on them. ¹⁸⁰⁷  8:51 After all, ¹⁸⁰⁸  they are your people and your special possession ¹⁸⁰⁹  whom you brought out of Egypt, from the middle of the iron-smelting furnace. ¹⁸¹⁰ 

8:52 “May you be attentive ¹⁸¹¹  to your servant’s and your people Israel’s requests for help and may you respond to all their prayers to you. ¹⁸¹²  8:53 After all, ¹⁸¹³  you picked them out of all the nations of the earth to be your special possession, ¹⁸¹⁴  just as you, O sovereign Lord, announced through your servant Moses when you brought our ancestors out of Egypt.”

8:54 When Solomon finished presenting all these prayers and requests to the Lord, he got up from before the altar of the Lord where he had kneeled and spread out his hands toward the sky. ¹⁸¹⁵  8:55 When he stood up, he pronounced a blessing over the entire assembly of Israel, saying in a loud voice: 8:56 “The Lord is worthy of praise because he has made Israel his people secure ¹⁸¹⁶  just as he promised! Not one of all the faithful promises he made through his servant Moses is left unfulfilled! ¹⁸¹⁷  8:57 May the Lord our God be with us, as he was with our ancestors. May he not abandon us or leave us. 8:58 May he make us submissive, ¹⁸¹⁸  so we can follow all his instructions ¹⁸¹⁹  and obey ¹⁸²⁰  the commandments, rules, and regulations he commanded our ancestors. 8:59 May the Lord our God be constantly aware of these requests of mine I have presented to him, ¹⁸²¹  so that he might vindicate ¹⁸²²  his servant and his people Israel as the need arises. 8:60 Then ¹⁸²³  all the nations of the earth will recognize that the Lord is the only genuine God. ¹⁸²⁴  8:61 May you demonstrate wholehearted devotion to the Lord our God ¹⁸²⁵  by following ¹⁸²⁶  his rules and obeying ¹⁸²⁷  his commandments, as you are presently doing.” ¹⁸²⁸ 

8:62 The king and all Israel with him were presenting sacrifices to the Lord. 8:63 Solomon offered as peace offerings ¹⁸²⁹  to the Lord 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep. Then the king and all the Israelites dedicated the Lord’s temple. 8:64 That day the king consecrated the middle of the courtyard that is in front of the Lord’s temple. He offered there burnt sacrifices, grain offerings, and the fat from the peace offerings, because the bronze altar that stood before the Lord was too small to hold all these offerings. ¹⁸³⁰  8:65 At that time Solomon and all Israel with him celebrated a festival before the Lord our God for two entire weeks. This great assembly included people from all over the land, from Lebo Hamath in the north to the Brook of Egypt ¹⁸³¹  in the south. ¹⁸³²  8:66 On the fifteenth day after the festival started, ¹⁸³³  he dismissed the people. They asked God to empower the king ¹⁸³⁴  and then went to their homes, happy and content ¹⁸³⁵  because of all the good the Lord had done for his servant David and his people Israel.

9:1 After Solomon finished building the Lord’s temple, the royal palace, and all the other construction projects he had planned, ¹⁸³⁶  9:2 the Lord appeared to Solomon a second time, in the same way he had appeared to him at Gibeon. ¹⁸³⁷  9:3 The Lord said to him, “I have answered ¹⁸³⁸  your prayer and your request for help that you made to me. I have consecrated this temple you built by making it my permanent home; ¹⁸³⁹  I will be constantly present there. ¹⁸⁴⁰  9:4 You must serve me with integrity and sincerity, just as your father David did. Do everything I commanded and obey my rules and regulations. ¹⁸⁴¹  9:5 Then I will allow your dynasty to rule over Israel permanently, ¹⁸⁴²  just as I promised your father David, ‘You will not fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.’ ¹⁸⁴³ 

9:6 “But if you or your sons ever turn away from me, fail to obey the regulations and rules I instructed you to keep, ¹⁸⁴⁴  and decide to serve and worship other gods, ¹⁸⁴⁵  9:7 then I will remove Israel from the land ¹⁸⁴⁶  I have given them, I will abandon this temple I have consecrated with my presence, ¹⁸⁴⁷  and Israel will be mocked and ridiculed ¹⁸⁴⁸  among all the nations. 9:8 This temple will become a heap of ruins; ¹⁸⁴⁹  everyone who passes by it will be shocked and will hiss out their scorn, ¹⁸⁵⁰  saying, ‘Why did the Lord do this to this land and this temple?’ 9:9 Others will then answer, ¹⁸⁵¹  ‘Because they abandoned the Lord their God, who led their ancestors ¹⁸⁵²  out of Egypt. They embraced other gods whom they worshiped and served. ¹⁸⁵³  That is why the Lord has brought all this disaster down on them.’”

9:10 After twenty years, during which Solomon built the Lord’s temple and the royal palace, ¹⁸⁵⁴  9:11 King Solomon gave King Hiram of Tyre ¹⁸⁵⁵  twenty cities in the region of Galilee, because Hiram had supplied Solomon with cedars, evergreens, and all the gold he wanted. 9:12 When Hiram went out from Tyre to inspect the cities Solomon had given him, he was not pleased with them. ¹⁸⁵⁶  9:13 Hiram asked, ¹⁸⁵⁷  “Why did you give me these cities, my friend ¹⁸⁵⁸ ?” He called that area the region of Cabul, a name which it has retained to this day. ¹⁸⁵⁹  9:14 Hiram had sent to the king one hundred twenty talents ¹⁸⁶⁰  of gold.

9:15 Here are the details concerning the work crews ¹⁸⁶¹  King Solomon conscripted ¹⁸⁶²  to build the Lord’s temple, his palace, the terrace, the wall of Jerusalem, ¹⁸⁶³  and the cities of ¹⁸⁶⁴  Hazor, ¹⁸⁶⁵  Megiddo, ¹⁸⁶⁶  and Gezer. 9:16 (Pharaoh, king of Egypt, had attacked and captured Gezer. He burned it and killed the Canaanites who lived in the city. He gave it as a wedding present to his daughter, who had married Solomon.) 9:17 Solomon built up Gezer, lower Beth Horon, 9:18 Baalath, Tadmor in the wilderness, ¹⁸⁶⁷  9:19 all the storage cities that belonged to him, ¹⁸⁶⁸  and the cities where chariots and horses were kept. ¹⁸⁶⁹  He built whatever he wanted in Jerusalem, Lebanon, and throughout his entire kingdom. ¹⁸⁷⁰  9:20 Now several non-Israelite peoples were left in the land after the conquest of Joshua, including the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. ¹⁸⁷¹  9:21 Their descendants remained in the land (the Israelites were unable to wipe them out completely). Solomon conscripted them for his work crews, and they continue in that role to this very day. ¹⁸⁷²  9:22 Solomon did not assign Israelites to these work crews; ¹⁸⁷³  the Israelites served as his soldiers, attendants, officers, charioteers, and commanders of his chariot forces. ¹⁸⁷⁴  9:23 These men were also in charge of Solomon’s work projects; there were a total of 550 men who supervised the workers. ¹⁸⁷⁵  9:24 Solomon built the terrace as soon as Pharaoh’s daughter moved up from the city of David ¹⁸⁷⁶  to the palace Solomon built for her. ¹⁸⁷⁷ 

9:25 Three times a year Solomon offered burnt offerings and peace offerings ¹⁸⁷⁸  on the altar he had built for the Lord, burning incense along with them before the Lord. He made the temple his official worship place. ¹⁸⁷⁹ 

9:26 King Solomon also built ships ¹⁸⁸⁰  in Ezion Geber, which is located near Elat in the land of Edom, on the shore of the Red Sea. 9:27 Hiram sent his fleet and some of his sailors, who were well acquainted with the sea, to serve with Solomon’s men. ¹⁸⁸¹  9:28 They sailed ¹⁸⁸²  to Ophir, took from there four hundred twenty talents ¹⁸⁸³  of gold, and then brought them to King Solomon.

10:1 When the queen of Sheba heard about Solomon, ¹⁸⁸⁴  she came to challenge ¹⁸⁸⁵  him with difficult questions. ¹⁸⁸⁶  10:2 She arrived in Jerusalem ¹⁸⁸⁷  with a great display of pomp, ¹⁸⁸⁸  bringing with her camels carrying spices, ¹⁸⁸⁹  a very large quantity of gold, and precious gems. She visited Solomon and discussed with him everything that was on her mind. 10:3 Solomon answered all her questions; there was no question too complex for the king. ¹⁸⁹⁰  10:4 When the queen of Sheba saw for herself Solomon’s extensive wisdom, ¹⁸⁹¹  the palace ¹⁸⁹²  he had built, 10:5 the food in his banquet hall, ¹⁸⁹³  his servants and attendants, ¹⁸⁹⁴  their robes, his cupbearers, and his burnt offerings which he presented in the Lord’s temple, she was amazed. ¹⁸⁹⁵  10:6 She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your wise sayings and insight ¹⁸⁹⁶  was true! 10:7 I did not believe these things until I came and saw them with my own eyes. Indeed, I didn’t hear even half the story! ¹⁸⁹⁷  Your wisdom and wealth ¹⁸⁹⁸  surpass what was reported to me. 10:8 Your attendants, who stand before you at all times and hear your wise sayings, are truly happy! ¹⁸⁹⁹  10:9 May the Lord your God be praised because he favored ¹⁹⁰⁰  you by placing you on the throne of Israel! Because of the Lord’s eternal love for Israel, he made you king so you could make just and right decisions.” ¹⁹⁰¹  10:10 She gave the king 120 talents ¹⁹⁰²  of gold, a very large quantity of spices, and precious gems. The quantity of spices the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon has never been matched. ¹⁹⁰³  10:11 (Hiram’s fleet, which carried gold from Ophir, also brought from Ophir a very large quantity of fine timber and precious gems. 10:12 With the timber the king made supports ¹⁹⁰⁴  for the Lord’s temple and for the royal palace and stringed instruments ¹⁹⁰⁵  for the musicians. No one has seen so much of this fine timber to this very day. ¹⁹⁰⁶ ) 10:13 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba everything she requested, besides what he had freely offered her. ¹⁹⁰⁷  Then she left and returned ¹⁹⁰⁸  to her homeland with her attendants.

10:14 Solomon received 666 talents ¹⁹⁰⁹  of gold per year, ¹⁹¹⁰  10:15 besides what he collected from the merchants, ¹⁹¹¹  traders, Arabian kings, and governors of the land. 10:16 King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; 600 measures ¹⁹¹²  of gold were used for each shield. 10:17 He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold; three minas ¹⁹¹³  of gold were used for each of these shields. The king placed them in the Palace of the Lebanon Forest. ¹⁹¹⁴ 

10:18 The king made a large throne decorated with ivory and overlaid it with pure gold. 10:19 There were six steps leading up to the throne, and the back of it was rounded on top. The throne had two armrests with a statue of a lion standing on each side. ¹⁹¹⁵  10:20 There were twelve statues of lions on the six steps, one lion at each end of each step. There was nothing like it in any other kingdom. ¹⁹¹⁶ 

10:21 All of King Solomon’s cups were made of gold, and all the household items in the Palace of the Lebanon Forest were made of pure gold. There were no silver items, for silver was not considered very valuable in Solomon’s time. ¹⁹¹⁷  10:22 Along with Hiram’s fleet, the king had a fleet of large merchant ships ¹⁹¹⁸  that sailed the sea. Once every three years the fleet ¹⁹¹⁹  came into port with cargoes of ¹⁹²⁰  gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks. ¹⁹²¹ 

10:23 King Solomon was wealthier and wiser than any of the kings of the earth. ¹⁹²²  10:24 Everyone ¹⁹²³  in the world wanted to visit Solomon to see him display his God-given wisdom. ¹⁹²⁴  10:25 Year after year visitors brought their gifts, which included items of silver, items of gold, clothes, perfume, spices, horses, and mules. ¹⁹²⁵ 

10:26 Solomon accumulated ¹⁹²⁶  chariots and horses. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horses. He kept them in assigned cities and in Jerusalem. ¹⁹²⁷  10:27 The king made silver as plentiful ¹⁹²⁸  in Jerusalem as stones; cedar was ¹⁹²⁹  as plentiful as sycamore fig trees are in the lowlands. ¹⁹³⁰  10:28 Solomon acquired his horses from Egypt ¹⁹³¹  and from Que; the king’s traders purchased them from Que. 10:29 They paid 600 silver pieces for each chariot from Egypt and 150 silver pieces for each horse. They also sold chariots and horses to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of Syria. ¹⁹³² 

11:1 King Solomon fell in love with many foreign women (besides Pharaoh’s daughter), including Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites. 11:2 They came from nations about which the Lord had warned the Israelites, “You must not establish friendly relations with them! ¹⁹³³  If you do, they will surely shift your allegiance to their gods.” ¹⁹³⁴  But Solomon was irresistibly attracted to them. ¹⁹³⁵ 

11:3 He had 700 royal wives ¹⁹³⁶  and 300 concubines; ¹⁹³⁷  his wives had a powerful influence over him. ¹⁹³⁸  11:4 When Solomon became old, his wives shifted his allegiance to ¹⁹³⁹  other gods; he was not wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord his God, as his father David had been. ¹⁹⁴⁰  11:5 Solomon worshiped ¹⁹⁴¹  the Sidonian goddess Astarte and the detestable Ammonite god Milcom. ¹⁹⁴²  11:6 Solomon did evil in the Lord’s sight; ¹⁹⁴³  he did not remain loyal to ¹⁹⁴⁴  the Lord, like his father David had. 11:7 Furthermore, ¹⁹⁴⁵  on the hill east of Jerusalem ¹⁹⁴⁶  Solomon built a high place ¹⁹⁴⁷  for the detestable Moabite god Chemosh ¹⁹⁴⁸  and for the detestable Ammonite god Milcom. ¹⁹⁴⁹  11:8 He built high places for all his foreign wives so they could burn incense and make sacrifices to their gods. ¹⁹⁵⁰ 

11:9 The Lord was angry with Solomon because he had shifted his allegiance ¹⁹⁵¹  away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him on two occasions ¹⁹⁵²  11:10 and had warned him about this very thing, so that he would not follow other gods. ¹⁹⁵³  But he did not obey ¹⁹⁵⁴  the Lord’s command. 11:11 So the Lord said to Solomon, “Because you insist on doing these things and have not kept the covenantal rules I gave you, ¹⁹⁵⁵  I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant. 11:12 However, for your father David’s sake I will not do this while you are alive. I will tear it away from your son’s hand instead. 11:13 But I will not tear away the entire kingdom; I will leave ¹⁹⁵⁶  your son one tribe for my servant David’s sake and for the sake of my chosen city Jerusalem.”

11:14 The Lord brought ¹⁹⁵⁷  against Solomon an enemy, Hadad the Edomite, a descendant of the Edomite king. 11:15 During David’s campaign against Edom, ¹⁹⁵⁸  Joab, the commander of the army, while on a mission to bury the dead, killed every male in Edom. 11:16 For six months Joab and the entire Israelite army ¹⁹⁵⁹  stayed there until they had exterminated every male in Edom. ¹⁹⁶⁰  11:17 Hadad, ¹⁹⁶¹  who was only a small boy at the time, escaped with some of his father’s Edomite servants and headed for Egypt. ¹⁹⁶²  11:18 They went from Midian to Paran; they took some men from Paran and went to Egypt. Pharaoh, king of Egypt, supplied him with a house and food and even assigned him some land. ¹⁹⁶³  11:19 Pharaoh liked Hadad so well ¹⁹⁶⁴  he gave him his sister-in-law (Queen Tahpenes’ sister) as a wife. ¹⁹⁶⁵  11:20 Tahpenes’ sister gave birth to his son, ¹⁹⁶⁶  named Genubath. Tahpenes raised ¹⁹⁶⁷  him in Pharaoh’s palace; Genubath grew up in Pharaoh’s palace among Pharaoh’s sons. 11:21 While in Egypt Hadad heard that David had passed away ¹⁹⁶⁸  and that Joab, the commander of the army, was dead. So Hadad asked Pharaoh, “Give me permission to leave ¹⁹⁶⁹  so I can return to my homeland.” 11:22 Pharaoh said to him, “What do you lack here that makes you want to go to your homeland?” ¹⁹⁷⁰  Hadad replied, ¹⁹⁷¹  “Nothing, but please give me permission to leave.” ¹⁹⁷² 

11:23 God also brought against Solomon ¹⁹⁷³  another enemy, Rezon son of Eliada who had run away from his master, King Hadadezer of Zobah. 11:24 He gathered some men and organized a raiding band. ¹⁹⁷⁴  When David tried to kill them, ¹⁹⁷⁵  they went to Damascus, where they settled down and gained control of the city. 11:25 He was Israel’s enemy throughout Solomon’s reign and, like Hadad, caused trouble. He loathed ¹⁹⁷⁶  Israel and ruled over Syria.

11:26 Jeroboam son of Nebat, one of Solomon’s servants, rebelled against ¹⁹⁷⁷  the king. He was an Ephraimite ¹⁹⁷⁸  from Zeredah whose mother was a widow named Zeruah. 11:27 This is what prompted him to rebel against the king: ¹⁹⁷⁹  Solomon built a terrace and he closed up a gap in the wall of the city of his father David. ¹⁹⁸⁰  11:28 Jeroboam was a talented man; ¹⁹⁸¹  when Solomon saw that the young man was an accomplished worker, he made him the leader of the work crew from the tribe ¹⁹⁸²  of Joseph. 11:29 At that time, when Jeroboam had left Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met him on the road; the two of them were alone in the open country. Ahijah ¹⁹⁸³  was wearing a brand new robe, 11:30 and he grabbed the robe ¹⁹⁸⁴  and tore it into twelve pieces. 11:31 Then he told Jeroboam, “Take ten pieces, for this is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘Look, I am about to tear the kingdom from Solomon’s hand and I will give ten tribes to you. 11:32 He will retain one tribe, for my servant David’s sake and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel. 11:33 I am taking the kingdom from him ¹⁹⁸⁵  because they have ¹⁹⁸⁶  abandoned me and worshiped the Sidonian goddess Astarte, the Moabite god Chemosh, and the Ammonite god Milcom. They have not followed my instructions ¹⁹⁸⁷  by doing what I approve and obeying my rules and regulations, like Solomon’s father David did. ¹⁹⁸⁸  11:34 I will not take the whole kingdom from his hand. I will allow him to be ruler for the rest of his life for the sake of my chosen servant David who kept my commandments and rules. 11:35 I will take the kingdom from the hand of his son and give ten tribes to you. ¹⁹⁸⁹  11:36 I will leave ¹⁹⁹⁰  his son one tribe so my servant David’s dynasty may continue to serve me ¹⁹⁹¹  in Jerusalem, the city I have chosen as my home. ¹⁹⁹²  11:37 I will select ¹⁹⁹³  you; you will rule over all you desire to have and you will be king over Israel. 11:38 You must obey ¹⁹⁹⁴  all I command you to do, follow my instructions, ¹⁹⁹⁵  do what I approve, ¹⁹⁹⁶  and keep my rules and commandments, like my servant David did. Then I will be with you and establish for you a lasting dynasty, as I did for David; ¹⁹⁹⁷  I will give you Israel. 11:39 I will humiliate David’s descendants because of this, ¹⁹⁹⁸  but not forever.” ¹⁹⁹⁹  11:40 Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam, but Jeroboam escaped to Egypt and found refuge with King Shishak of Egypt. ²⁰⁰⁰  He stayed in Egypt until Solomon died.

11:41 The rest of the events of Solomon’s reign, including all his accomplishments and his wise decisions, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of Solomon. ²⁰⁰¹  11:42 Solomon ruled over all Israel from Jerusalem ²⁰⁰²  for forty years. 11:43 Then Solomon passed away ²⁰⁰³  and was buried in the city of his father David. ²⁰⁰⁴  His son Rehoboam replaced him as king. ²⁰⁰⁵ 

12:1 Rehoboam traveled to Shechem, for all Israel had gathered in ²⁰⁰⁶  Shechem to make Rehoboam ²⁰⁰⁷  king. 12:2 ²⁰⁰⁸  When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard the news, he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon and had been living ever since. ²⁰⁰⁹  12:3 They sent for him, ²⁰¹⁰  and Jeroboam and the whole Israelite assembly came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, 12:4 “Your father made us work too hard. ²⁰¹¹  Now if you lighten the demands he made and don’t make us work as hard, we will serve you.” ²⁰¹²  12:5 He said to them, “Go away for three days, then return to me.” So the people went away.

12:6 King Rehoboam consulted with the older advisers who had served ²⁰¹³  his father Solomon when he had been alive. He asked them, ²⁰¹⁴  “How do you advise me to answer these people?” 12:7 They said to him, “Today if you show a willingness to help these people and grant their request, they will be your servants from this time forward.” ²⁰¹⁵  12:8 But Rehoboam rejected their advice and consulted the young advisers who served him, with whom he had grown up. ²⁰¹⁶  12:9 He asked them, “How do you advise me ²⁰¹⁷  to respond to these people who said to me, ‘Lessen the demands your father placed on us’?” ²⁰¹⁸  12:10 The young advisers with whom Rehoboam ²⁰¹⁹  had grown up said to him, “Say this to these people who have said to you, ‘Your father made us work hard, but now lighten our burden.’ ²⁰²⁰  Say this to them: ‘I am a lot harsher than my father! ²⁰²¹  12:11 My father imposed heavy demands on you; I will make them even heavier. ²⁰²²  My father punished you with ordinary whips; I will punish you with whips that really sting your flesh.’” ²⁰²³ 

12:12 Jeroboam and all the people reported ²⁰²⁴  to Rehoboam on the third day, just as the king had ordered when he said, “Return to me on the third day.” 12:13 The king responded to the people harshly. He rejected the advice of the older men 12:14 and followed ²⁰²⁵  the advice of the younger ones. He said, “My father imposed heavy demands on you; I will make them even heavier. ²⁰²⁶  My father punished you with ordinary whips; I will punish you with whips that really sting your flesh.” ²⁰²⁷  12:15 The king refused to listen to the people, because the Lord was instigating this turn of events ²⁰²⁸  so that he might bring to pass the prophetic announcement he had made ²⁰²⁹  through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat.

12:16 When all Israel saw that the king refused to listen to them, the people answered the king, “We have no portion in David, no share in the son of Jesse! ²⁰³⁰  Return to your homes, O Israel! ²⁰³¹  Now, look after your own dynasty, O David!” ²⁰³²  So Israel returned to their homes. ²⁰³³  12:17 (Rehoboam continued to rule over the Israelites who lived in the cities of Judah.) 12:18 King Rehoboam sent Adoniram, ²⁰³⁴  the supervisor of the work crews, ²⁰³⁵  out after them, but all Israel stoned him to death. King Rehoboam managed to jump into his chariot and escape to Jerusalem. ²⁰³⁶  12:19 So Israel has been in rebellion against the Davidic dynasty to this very day. 12:20 When all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they summoned him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. No one except the tribe of Judah remained loyal to the Davidic dynasty. ²⁰³⁷ 

12:21 When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he summoned 180,000 skilled warriors from all of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin ²⁰³⁸  to attack Israel and restore the kingdom to Rehoboam son of Solomon. 12:22 But God told Shemaiah the prophet, ²⁰³⁹  12:23 “Say this to King Rehoboam son of Solomon of Judah, and to all Judah and Benjamin, as well as the rest of the people, 12:24 ‘The Lord says this: “Do not attack and make war with your brothers, the Israelites. Each of you go home, for I have caused this to happen.”’” ²⁰⁴⁰  They obeyed the Lord and went home as the Lord had ordered them to do. ²⁰⁴¹ 

12:25 ²⁰⁴² Jeroboam built up Shechem in the Ephraimite hill country and lived there. From there he went out and built up Penuel. 12:26 Jeroboam then thought to himself: ²⁰⁴³  “Now the Davidic dynasty could regain the kingdom. ²⁰⁴⁴  12:27 If these people go up to offer sacrifices in the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem, ²⁰⁴⁵  their loyalty could shift to their former master, ²⁰⁴⁶  King Rehoboam of Judah. They might kill me and return to King Rehoboam of Judah.” 12:28 After the king had consulted with his advisers, ²⁰⁴⁷  he made two golden calves. Then he said to the people, ²⁰⁴⁸  “It is too much trouble for you to go up to Jerusalem. Look, Israel, here are your gods who brought you up from the land of Egypt.” 12:29 He put one in Bethel ²⁰⁴⁹  and the other in Dan. 12:30 This caused Israel to sin; ²⁰⁵⁰  the people went to Bethel and Dan to worship the calves. ²⁰⁵¹ 

12:31 He built temples ²⁰⁵²  on the high places and appointed as priests people who were not Levites. 12:32 Jeroboam inaugurated a festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, ²⁰⁵³  like the festival celebrated in Judah. ²⁰⁵⁴  On the altar in Bethel he offered sacrifices to the calves he had made. ²⁰⁵⁵  In Bethel he also appointed priests for the high places he had made.

12:33 On the fifteenth day of the eighth month (a date he had arbitrarily chosen) ²⁰⁵⁶  Jeroboam ²⁰⁵⁷  offered sacrifices on the altar he had made in Bethel. ²⁰⁵⁸  He inaugurated a festival for the Israelites and went up to the altar to offer sacrifices. 13:1 Just then ²⁰⁵⁹  a prophet ²⁰⁶⁰  from Judah, sent by the Lord, arrived in Bethel, ²⁰⁶¹  as Jeroboam was standing near the altar ready to offer a sacrifice. 13:2 With the authority of the Lord ²⁰⁶²  he cried out against the altar, “O altar, altar! This is what the Lord says, ‘Look, a son named Josiah will be born to the Davidic dynasty. He will sacrifice on you the priests of the high places who offer sacrifices on you. Human bones will be burned on you.’” ²⁰⁶³  13:3 That day he also announced ²⁰⁶⁴  a sign, “This is the sign the Lord has predetermined: ²⁰⁶⁵  The altar will be split open and the ashes ²⁰⁶⁶  on it will fall to the ground.” ²⁰⁶⁷  13:4 When the king heard what the prophet ²⁰⁶⁸  cried out against the altar in Bethel, Jeroboam, standing at the altar, extended his hand ²⁰⁶⁹  and ordered, ²⁰⁷⁰  “Seize him!” The hand he had extended shriveled up ²⁰⁷¹  and he could not pull it back. 13:5 The altar split open and the ashes ²⁰⁷²  fell from the altar to the ground, ²⁰⁷³  in fulfillment of the sign the prophet had announced with the Lord’s authority. ²⁰⁷⁴  13:6 The king pled with ²⁰⁷⁵  the prophet, ²⁰⁷⁶  “Seek the favor of ²⁰⁷⁷  the Lord your God and pray for me, so that my hand may be restored.” So the prophet sought the Lord’s favor ²⁰⁷⁸  and the king’s hand was restored to its former condition. ²⁰⁷⁹  13:7 The king then said to the prophet, “Come home with me and have something to eat. I’d like to give a present.” 13:8 But the prophet said to the king, “Even if you were to give me half your possessions, ²⁰⁸⁰  I could not go with you and eat and drink ²⁰⁸¹  in this place. 13:9 For the Lord gave me strict orders, ²⁰⁸²  ‘Do not eat or drink ²⁰⁸³  there and do not go home the way you came.’” 13:10 So he started back on another road; he did not travel back on the same road he had taken to Bethel.

13:11 Now there was an old prophet living in Bethel. ²⁰⁸⁴  When his sons came home, they told their father ²⁰⁸⁵  everything the prophet ²⁰⁸⁶  had done in Bethel that day and all the words he had spoken to the king. ²⁰⁸⁷  13:12 Their father asked them, “Which road did he take?” His sons showed him ²⁰⁸⁸  the road the prophet ²⁰⁸⁹  from Judah had taken. 13:13 He then told his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” When they had saddled the donkey for him, he mounted it 13:14 and took off after the prophet, ²⁰⁹⁰  whom he found sitting under an oak tree. He asked him, “Are you the prophet ²⁰⁹¹  from Judah?” He answered, “Yes, I am.” 13:15 He then said to him, “Come home with me and eat something.” 13:16 But he replied, “I can’t go back with you ²⁰⁹²  or eat and drink ²⁰⁹³  with you in this place. 13:17 For the Lord gave me strict orders, ²⁰⁹⁴  ‘Do not eat or drink ²⁰⁹⁵  there; do not go back the way you came.’” 13:18 The old prophet then said, ²⁰⁹⁶  “I too am a prophet like you. An angel told me with the Lord’s authority, ²⁰⁹⁷  ‘Bring him back with you to your house so he can eat and drink.’” ²⁰⁹⁸  But he was lying to him. ²⁰⁹⁹  13:19 So the prophet went back with him and ate and drank in his house. ²¹⁰⁰ 

13:20 While they were sitting at the table, the Lord spoke through the old prophet ²¹⁰¹  13:21 and he cried out to the prophet from Judah, “This is what the Lord says, ‘You ²¹⁰²  have rebelled against the Lord ²¹⁰³  and have not obeyed the command the Lord your God gave you. 13:22 You went back and ate and drank in this place, even though he said to you, “Do not eat or drink there.” ²¹⁰⁴  Therefore ²¹⁰⁵  your corpse will not be buried in your ancestral tomb.’” ²¹⁰⁶ 

13:23 When the prophet from Judah finished his meal, ²¹⁰⁷  the old prophet saddled his visitor’s donkey for him. ²¹⁰⁸  13:24 As the prophet from Judah was traveling, a lion attacked him on the road and killed him. ²¹⁰⁹  His corpse was lying on the road, and the donkey and the lion just stood there beside it. ²¹¹⁰  13:25 Some men came by ²¹¹¹  and saw the corpse lying in the road with the lion standing beside it. ²¹¹²  They went and reported what they had seen ²¹¹³  in the city where the old prophet lived. 13:26 When the old prophet who had invited him to his house heard the news, ²¹¹⁴  he said, “It is the prophet ²¹¹⁵  who rebelled against the Lord. ²¹¹⁶  The Lord delivered him over to the lion and it ripped him up ²¹¹⁷  and killed him, just as the Lord warned him.” ²¹¹⁸  13:27 He told his sons, “Saddle my donkey,” and they did so. ²¹¹⁹  13:28 He went and found the corpse lying in the road with the donkey and the lion standing beside it; ²¹²⁰  the lion had neither eaten the corpse nor attacked the donkey. 13:29 The old prophet ²¹²¹  picked up the corpse of the prophet, ²¹²²  put it on the donkey, and brought it back. The old prophet then entered the city to mourn him and to bury him. 13:30 He put the corpse into his own tomb, and they ²¹²³  mourned over him, saying, “Ah, my brother!” 13:31 After he buried him, he said to his sons, “When I die, bury me in the tomb where the prophet ²¹²⁴  is buried; put my bones right beside his bones, 13:32 for the prophecy he announced with the Lord’s authority ²¹²⁵  against the altar in Bethel ²¹²⁶  and against all the temples on the high places in the cities of the north ²¹²⁷  will certainly be fulfilled.”

13:33 After this happened, Jeroboam still did not change his evil ways; ²¹²⁸  he continued to appoint common people ²¹²⁹  as priests at the high places. Anyone who wanted the job he consecrated as a priest. ²¹³⁰  13:34 This sin caused Jeroboam’s dynasty ²¹³¹  to come to an end and to be destroyed from the face of the earth.

14:1 ²¹³² At that time Jeroboam’s son Abijah became sick. 14:2 Jeroboam told his wife, “Disguise ²¹³³  yourself so that people cannot recognize you are Jeroboam’s wife. Then go to Shiloh; Ahijah the prophet, who told me I would rule over this nation, lives there. ²¹³⁴  14:3 Take ²¹³⁵  ten loaves of bread, some small cakes, and a container of honey and visit him. He will tell you what will happen to the boy.”

14:4 Jeroboam’s wife did as she was told. She went to Shiloh and visited Ahijah. ²¹³⁶  Now Ahijah could not see; he had lost his eyesight in his old age. ²¹³⁷  14:5 But the Lord had told Ahijah, “Look, Jeroboam’s wife is coming to find out from you what will happen to her son, for he is sick. Tell her so-and-so. ²¹³⁸  When she comes, she will be in a disguise.” 14:6 When Ahijah heard the sound of her footsteps as she came through the door, he said, “Come on in, wife of Jeroboam! Why are you pretending to be someone else? I have been commissioned to give you bad news. ²¹³⁹  14:7 Go, tell Jeroboam, ‘This is what the Lord God of Israel says: “I raised you up ²¹⁴⁰  from among the people and made you ruler over my people Israel. 14:8 I tore the kingdom away from the Davidic dynasty and gave it to you. But you are not like my servant David, who kept my commandments and followed me wholeheartedly by doing only what I approve. ²¹⁴¹  14:9 You have sinned more than all who came before you. You went and angered me by making other gods, formed out of metal; you have completely disregarded me. ²¹⁴²  14:10 So I am ready to bring disaster ²¹⁴³  on the dynasty ²¹⁴⁴  of Jeroboam. I will cut off every last male belonging to Jeroboam in Israel, including even the weak and incapacitated. ²¹⁴⁵  I will burn up the dynasty of Jeroboam, just as one burns manure until it is completely consumed. ²¹⁴⁶  14:11 Dogs will eat the members of your family ²¹⁴⁷  who die in the city, and the birds of the sky will eat the ones who die in the country.”’ Indeed, the Lord has announced it!

14:12 “As for you, get up and go home. When you set foot in the city, the boy will die. 14:13 All Israel will mourn him and bury him. He is the only one in Jeroboam’s family ²¹⁴⁸  who will receive a decent burial, for he is the only one in whom the Lord God of Israel found anything good. 14:14 The Lord will raise up a king over Israel who will cut off Jeroboam’s dynasty. ²¹⁴⁹  It is ready to happen! ²¹⁵⁰  14:15 The Lord will attack Israel, making it like a reed that sways in the water. ²¹⁵¹  He will remove Israel from this good land he gave to their ancestors ²¹⁵²  and scatter them beyond the Euphrates River, ²¹⁵³  because they angered the Lord by making Asherah poles. ²¹⁵⁴  14:16 He will hand Israel over to their enemies ²¹⁵⁵  because of the sins which Jeroboam committed and which he made Israel commit.”

14:17 So Jeroboam’s wife got up and went back to ²¹⁵⁶  Tirzah. As she crossed the threshold of the house, the boy died. 14:18 All Israel buried him and mourned for him, just as the Lord had predicted ²¹⁵⁷  through his servant the prophet Ahijah.

14:19 The rest of the events of Jeroboam’s reign, including the details of his battles and rule, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. ²¹⁵⁸  14:20 Jeroboam ruled for twenty-two years; then he passed away. ²¹⁵⁹  His son Nadab replaced him as king.

14:21 Now Rehoboam son of Solomon ruled in Judah. He ²¹⁶⁰  was forty-one years old when he became king and he ruled for seventeen years in Jerusalem, ²¹⁶¹  the city the Lord chose from all the tribes of Israel to be his home. ²¹⁶²  His mother was an Ammonite woman ²¹⁶³  named Naamah.

14:22 Judah did evil in the sight of ²¹⁶⁴  the Lord. They made him more jealous by their sins than their ancestors had done. ²¹⁶⁵  14:23 They even built for themselves high places, sacred pillars, and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree. 14:24 There were also male cultic prostitutes ²¹⁶⁶  in the land. They committed the same horrible sins as the nations ²¹⁶⁷  that the Lord had driven out from before the Israelites.

14:25 In King Rehoboam’s fifth year, King Shishak of Egypt attacked Jerusalem. 14:26 He took away the treasures of the Lord’s temple and of the royal palace; he took everything, including all the golden shields that Solomon had made. 14:27 King Rehoboam made bronze shields to replace them and assigned them to the officers of the royal guard ²¹⁶⁸  who protected the entrance to the royal palace. 14:28 Whenever the king visited the Lord’s temple, the royal guard carried them and then brought them back to the guardroom.

14:29 The rest of the events of Rehoboam’s reign, including his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the

Kings of Judah. ²¹⁶⁹  14:30 Rehoboam and Jeroboam were continually at war with each other. 14:31 Rehoboam passed away ²¹⁷⁰  and was buried with his ancestors in the city of David. His mother was an Ammonite named Naamah. His son Abijah ²¹⁷¹  replaced him as king.

15:1 In the eighteenth year of the reign of Jeroboam son of Nebat, Abijah ²¹⁷²  became king over Judah. 15:2 He ruled for three years in Jerusalem. ²¹⁷³  His mother was Maacah, the daughter of Abishalom. ²¹⁷⁴  15:3 He followed all the sinful practices of his father before him. He was not wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord his God, as his ancestor David had been. ²¹⁷⁵  15:4 Nevertheless for David’s sake the Lord his God maintained his dynasty ²¹⁷⁶  in Jerusalem by giving him a son ²¹⁷⁷  to succeed him ²¹⁷⁸  and by protecting Jerusalem. ²¹⁷⁹  15:5 He did this ²¹⁸⁰  because David had done what he approved ²¹⁸¹  and had not disregarded any of his commandments ²¹⁸²  his entire lifetime, except for the incident involving Uriah the Hittite. 15:6 Rehoboam ²¹⁸³  and Jeroboam were continually at war with each other throughout Abijah’s ²¹⁸⁴  lifetime. 15:7 The rest of the events of Abijah’s reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. ²¹⁸⁵  Abijah and Jeroboam had been at war with each other. 15:8 Abijah passed away ²¹⁸⁶  and was buried ²¹⁸⁷  in the city of David. His son Asa replaced him as king.

15:9 In the twentieth year of Jeroboam’s reign over Israel, Asa became the king of Judah. 15:10 He ruled for forty-one years in Jerusalem. ²¹⁸⁸  His grandmother ²¹⁸⁹  was Maacah daughter of Abishalom. 15:11 Asa did what the Lord approved ²¹⁹⁰  like his ancestor ²¹⁹¹  David had done. 15:12 He removed the male cultic prostitutes from the land and got rid of all the disgusting idols ²¹⁹²  his ancestors ²¹⁹³  had made. 15:13 He also removed Maacah his grandmother ²¹⁹⁴  from her position as queen because she had made a loathsome Asherah pole. Asa cut down her Asherah pole and burned it in the Kidron Valley. 15:14 The high places were not eliminated, yet Asa was wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord throughout his lifetime. ²¹⁹⁵  15:15 He brought the holy items that he and his father had made into the Lord’s temple, including the silver, gold, and other articles. ²¹⁹⁶ 

15:16 Now Asa and King Baasha of Israel were continually at war with each other. ²¹⁹⁷  15:17 King Baasha of Israel attacked Judah and established Ramah as a military outpost to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the land of King Asa of Judah. ²¹⁹⁸  15:18 Asa took all the silver and gold that was left in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and of the royal palace and handed it to his servants. He then told them to deliver it ²¹⁹⁹  to Ben Hadad son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, ruler in Damascus, along with this message: 15:19 “I want to make a treaty with you, like the one our fathers made. ²²⁰⁰  See, I have sent you silver and gold as a present. Break your treaty with King Baasha of Israel, so he will retreat from my land.” ²²⁰¹  15:20 Ben Hadad accepted King Asa’s offer and ordered his army commanders to attack the cities of Israel. ²²⁰²  They conquered ²²⁰³  Ijon, Dan, Abel Beth Maacah, and all the territory of Naphtali, including the region of Kinnereth. ²²⁰⁴  15:21 When Baasha heard the news, he stopped fortifying ²²⁰⁵  Ramah and settled down in Tirzah. 15:22 King Asa ordered all the men of Judah (no exemptions were granted) to carry away the stones and wood that Baasha had used to build Ramah. ²²⁰⁶  King Asa used the materials to build up ²²⁰⁷  Geba (in Benjamin) and Mizpah.

15:23 The rest of the events of Asa’s reign, including all his successes and accomplishments, as well as a record of the cities he built, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. ²²⁰⁸  Yet when he was very old he developed a foot disease. ²²⁰⁹  15:24 Asa passed away ²²¹⁰  and was buried with his ancestors in the city of his ancestor David. His son Jehoshaphat replaced him as king.

15:25 In the second year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Jeroboam’s son Nadab became the king of Israel; he ruled Israel for two years. 15:26 He did evil in the sight of ²²¹¹  the Lord. He followed in his father’s footsteps and encouraged Israel to sin. ²²¹² 

15:27 Baasha son of Ahijah, from the tribe of Issachar, conspired against Nadab ²²¹³  and assassinated him in Gibbethon, which was in Philistine territory. This happened while Nadab and all the Israelite army were besieging Gibbethon. 15:28 Baasha killed him in the third year of Asa’s reign over Judah and replaced him as king. 15:29 When he became king, he executed Jeroboam’s entire family. He wiped out everyone who breathed, ²²¹⁴  just as the Lord had predicted ²²¹⁵  through his servant Ahijah the Shilonite. 15:30 This happened because of the sins which Jeroboam committed and which he made Israel commit. These sins angered the Lord God of Israel. ²²¹⁶ 

15:31 The rest of the events of Nadab’s reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. ²²¹⁷  15:32 Asa and King Nadab of Israel were continually at war with each other.

15:33 In the third year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Baasha son of Ahijah became king over all Israel in Tirzah; he ruled for twenty-four years. 15:34 He did evil in the sight of ²²¹⁸  the Lord; he followed in Jeroboam’s footsteps and encouraged Israel to sin. ²²¹⁹ 

16:1 Jehu son of Hanani received from the Lord this message predicting Baasha’s downfall: ²²²⁰  16:2 “I raised you up ²²²¹  from the dust and made you ruler over my people Israel. Yet you followed in Jeroboam’s footsteps ²²²²  and encouraged my people Israel to sin; their sins have made me angry. ²²²³  16:3 So I am ready to burn up ²²²⁴  Baasha and his family, and make your family ²²²⁵  like the family of Jeroboam son of Nebat. 16:4 Dogs will eat the members of Baasha’s family ²²²⁶  who die in the city, and the birds of the sky will eat the ones who die in the country.”

16:5 The rest of the events of Baasha’s reign, including his accomplishments and successes, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. ²²²⁷  16:6 Baasha passed away ²²²⁸  and was buried in Tirzah. His son Elah replaced him as king. 16:7 The prophet Jehu son of Hanani received from the Lord the message predicting the downfall of Baasha and his family because of all the evil Baasha had done in the sight of the Lord. ²²²⁹  His actions angered the Lord (including the way he had destroyed Jeroboam’s dynasty), so that his family ended up like Jeroboam’s. ²²³⁰ 

16:8 In the twenty-sixth year of King Asa’s reign over Judah, Baasha’s son Elah became king over Israel; he ruled in Tirzah for two years. 16:9 His servant Zimri, a commander of half of his chariot force, conspired against him. While Elah was drinking heavily ²²³¹  at the house of Arza, who supervised the palace in Tirzah, 16:10 Zimri came in and struck him dead. (This happened in the twenty-seventh year of Asa’s reign over Judah.) Zimri replaced Elah as king. ²²³²  16:11 When he became king and occupied the throne, he killed Baasha’s entire family. He did not spare any male belonging to him; he killed his relatives and his friends. ²²³³  16:12 Zimri destroyed Baasha’s entire family, just as the Lord had predicted to Baasha ²²³⁴  through Jehu the prophet. 16:13 This happened because of all the sins which Baasha and his son Elah committed and which they made Israel commit. They angered the Lord God of Israel with their worthless idols. ²²³⁵ 

16:14 The rest of the events of Elah’s reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. ²²³⁶ 

16:15 In the twenty-seventh year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Zimri became king over Israel; he ruled for seven days in Tirzah. Zimri’s revolt took place while the army was deployed ²²³⁷  in Gibbethon, which was in Philistine territory. 16:16 While deployed there, the army received this report: ²²³⁸  “Zimri has conspired against the king and assassinated him.” ²²³⁹  So all Israel made Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel that very day in the camp. 16:17 Omri and all Israel went up from Gibbethon and besieged Tirzah. 16:18 When Zimri saw that the city was captured, he went into the fortified area of the royal palace. He set the palace on fire and died in the flames. ²²⁴⁰  16:19 This happened because of the sins he committed. He did evil in the sight of ²²⁴¹  the Lord and followed in Jeroboam’s footsteps and encouraged Israel to continue sinning. ²²⁴² 

16:20 The rest of the events of Zimri’s reign, including the details of his revolt, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. ²²⁴³ 

16:21 At that time the people of Israel were divided in their loyalties. Half the people supported Tibni son of Ginath and wanted to make him king; the other half supported Omri. 16:22 Omri’s supporters were stronger than those who supported Tibni son of Ginath. Tibni died; Omri became king.

16:23 In the thirty-first year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Omri became king over Israel. He ruled for twelve years, six of them in Tirzah. 16:24 He purchased the hill of Samaria ²²⁴⁴  from Shemer for two talents ²²⁴⁵  of silver. He launched a construction project there ²²⁴⁶  and named the city he built after Shemer, the former owner of the hill of Samaria. 16:25 Omri did more evil in the sight of ²²⁴⁷  the Lord than all who were before him. 16:26 He followed in the footsteps of Jeroboam son of Nebat and encouraged Israel to sin; ²²⁴⁸  they angered the Lord God of Israel with their worthless idols. ²²⁴⁹ 

16:27 The rest of the events of Omri’s reign, including his accomplishments and successes, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. ²²⁵⁰  16:28 Omri passed away ²²⁵¹  and was buried in Samaria. His son Ahab replaced him as king. ²²⁵² 

16:29 In the thirty-eighth year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Omri’s son Ahab became king over Israel. Ahab son of Omri ruled over Israel for twenty-two years in Samaria. ²²⁵³  16:30 Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the sight of ²²⁵⁴  the Lord than all who were before him. 16:31 As if following in the sinful footsteps of Jeroboam son of Nebat were not bad enough, he married Jezebel the daughter of King Ethbaal of the Sidonians. Then he worshiped and bowed to Baal. ²²⁵⁵  16:32 He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal he had built in Samaria. 16:33 Ahab also made an Asherah pole; he ²²⁵⁶  did more to anger the Lord God of Israel than all the kings of Israel who were before him.

16:34 During Ahab’s reign, ²²⁵⁷  Hiel the Bethelite rebuilt Jericho. ²²⁵⁸  Abiram, his firstborn son, died when he laid the foundation; ²²⁵⁹  Segub, his youngest son, died when he erected its gates, ²²⁶⁰  just as the Lord had warned ²²⁶¹  through Joshua son of Nun. ²²⁶² 

17:1 Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As certainly as the Lord God of Israel lives (whom I serve), ²²⁶³  there will be no dew or rain in the years ahead unless I give the command.” ²²⁶⁴  17:2 The Lord told him: ²²⁶⁵  17:3 “Leave here and travel eastward. Hide out in the Kerith Valley near the Jordan. 17:4 Drink from the stream; I have already told ²²⁶⁶  the ravens to bring you food ²²⁶⁷  there.” 17:5 So he did ²²⁶⁸  as the Lord told him; he went and lived in the Kerith Valley near the Jordan. 17:6 The ravens would bring him bread and meat each morning and evening, and he would drink from the stream.

17:7 After a while, ²²⁶⁹  the stream dried up because there had been no rain in the land. 17:8 The Lord told him, ²²⁷⁰  17:9 “Get up, go to Zarephath in Sidonian territory, and live there. I have already told ²²⁷¹  a widow who lives there to provide for you.” 17:10 So he got up and went to Zarephath. When he went through the city gate, there was a widow gathering wood. He called out to her, “Please give me a cup ²²⁷²  of water, so I can take a drink.” 17:11 As she went to get it, he called out to her, “Please bring me a piece of bread.” ²²⁷³  17:12 She said, “As certainly as the Lord your God lives, I have no food, except for a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. Right now I am gathering a couple of sticks for a fire. Then I’m going home to make one final meal for my son and myself. After we have eaten that, we will die of starvation.” ²²⁷⁴  17:13 Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go and do as you planned. ²²⁷⁵  But first make a small cake for me and bring it to me; then make something for yourself and your son. 17:14 For this is what the Lord God of Israel says, ‘The jar of flour will not be empty and the jug of oil will not run out until the day the Lord makes it rain on the surface of the ground.’” 17:15 She went and did as Elijah told her; there was always enough food for Elijah and for her and her family. ²²⁷⁶  17:16 The jar of flour was never empty and the jug of oil never ran out, just as the Lord had promised ²²⁷⁷  through Elijah.

17:17 After this ²²⁷⁸  the son of the woman who owned the house got sick. His illness was so severe he could no longer breathe. 17:18 She asked Elijah, “Why, prophet, have you come ²²⁷⁹  to me to confront me with ²²⁸⁰  my sin and kill my son?” 17:19 He said to her, “Hand me your son.” He took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him down on his bed. 17:20 Then he called out to the Lord, “O Lord, my God, are you also bringing disaster on this widow I am staying with by killing her son?” 17:21 He stretched out over the boy three times and called out to the Lord, “O Lord, my God, please let this boy’s breath return to him.” 17:22 The Lord answered Elijah’s prayer; the boy’s breath returned to him and he lived. 17:23 Elijah took the boy, brought him down from the upper room to the house, and handed him to his mother. Elijah then said, “See, your son is alive!” 17:24 The woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a prophet and that the Lord really does speak through you.” ²²⁸¹ 

18:1 Some time later, in the third year of the famine, the Lord told Elijah, ²²⁸²  “Go, make an appearance before Ahab, so I may send rain on the surface of the ground.” 18:2 So Elijah went to make an appearance before Ahab.

Now the famine was severe in Samaria. ²²⁸³  18:3 So Ahab summoned Obadiah, who supervised the palace. (Now Obadiah was a very loyal follower of the Lord. ²²⁸⁴  18:4 When Jezebel was killing ²²⁸⁵  the Lord’s prophets, Obadiah took one hundred prophets and hid them in two caves in two groups of fifty. He also brought them food and water.) 18:5 Ahab told Obadiah, “Go through the land to all the springs and valleys. Maybe we can find some grazing areas ²²⁸⁶  so we can keep the horses and mules alive and not have to kill ²²⁸⁷  some of the animals.” 18:6 They divided up the land between them; Ahab went ²²⁸⁸  one way and Obadiah went the other.

18:7 As Obadiah was traveling along, Elijah met him. ²²⁸⁹  When he recognized him, he fell facedown to the ground and said, “Is it really you, my master, Elijah?” 18:8 He replied, “Yes, ²²⁹⁰  go and say to your master, ‘Elijah is back.’” ²²⁹¹  18:9 Obadiah ²²⁹²  said, “What sin have I committed that you are ready to hand your servant over to Ahab for execution? ²²⁹³  18:10 As certainly as the Lord your God lives, my master has sent to every nation and kingdom in an effort to find you. When they say, ‘He’s not here,’ he makes them ²²⁹⁴  swear an oath that they could not find you. 18:11 Now you say, ‘Go and say to your master, “Elijah is back.”’ ²²⁹⁵  18:12 But when I leave you, the Lord’s spirit will carry you away so I can’t find you. ²²⁹⁶  If I go tell Ahab I’ve seen you, he won’t be able to find you and he will kill me. ²²⁹⁷  That would not be fair, ²²⁹⁸  because your servant has been a loyal follower of ²²⁹⁹  the Lord from my youth. 18:13 Certainly my master is aware of what I did ²³⁰⁰  when Jezebel was killing the Lord’s prophets. I hid one hundred of the Lord’s prophets in two caves in two groups of fifty and I brought them food and water. 18:14 Now you say, ‘Go and say to your master, “Elijah is back,”’ ²³⁰¹  but he will kill me.” 18:15 But Elijah said, “As certainly as the Lord who rules over all ²³⁰²  lives (whom I serve), ²³⁰³  I will make an appearance before him today.”

18:16 When Obadiah went and informed Ahab, the king went to meet Elijah. ²³⁰⁴  18:17 When Ahab saw Elijah, he ²³⁰⁵  said to him, “Is it really you, the one who brings disaster ²³⁰⁶  on Israel?” 18:18 Elijah ²³⁰⁷  replied, “I have not brought disaster ²³⁰⁸  on Israel. But you and your father’s dynasty have, by abandoning the Lord’s commandments and following the Baals. 18:19 Now send out messengers ²³⁰⁹  and assemble all Israel before me at Mount Carmel, as well as the 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah whom Jezebel supports. ²³¹⁰ 

18:20 Ahab sent messengers to all the Israelites and had the prophets assemble at Mount Carmel. 18:21 Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long are you going to be paralyzed by indecision? ²³¹¹  If the Lord is the true God, ²³¹²  then follow him, but if Baal is, follow him!” But the people did not say a word. 18:22 Elijah said to them: ²³¹³  “I am the only prophet of the Lord who is left, but there are 450 prophets of Baal. 18:23 Let them bring us two bulls. Let them choose one of the bulls for themselves, cut it up into pieces, and place it on the wood. But they must not set it on fire. I will do the same to the other bull and place it on the wood. But I will not set it on fire. 18:24 Then you ²³¹⁴  will invoke the name of your god, and I will invoke the name of the Lord. The god who responds with fire will demonstrate that he is the true God.” ²³¹⁵  All the people responded, “This will be a fair test.” ²³¹⁶ 

18:25 Elijah told the prophets of Baal, “Choose one of the bulls for yourselves and go first, for you are the majority. Invoke the name of your god, but do not light a fire.” ²³¹⁷  18:26 So they took a bull, as he had suggested, ²³¹⁸  and prepared it. They invoked the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “Baal, answer us.” But there was no sound and no answer. They jumped ²³¹⁹  around on the altar they had made. ²³²⁰  18:27 At noon Elijah mocked them, “Yell louder! After all, he is a god; he may be deep in thought, or perhaps he stepped out for a moment or has taken a trip. Perhaps he is sleeping and needs to be awakened.” ²³²¹  18:28 So they yelled louder and, in accordance with their prescribed ritual, ²³²²  mutilated themselves with swords and spears until their bodies were covered with blood. ²³²³  18:29 Throughout the afternoon they were in an ecstatic frenzy, ²³²⁴  but there was no sound, no answer, and no response. ²³²⁵ 

18:30 Elijah then told all the people, “Approach me.” So all the people approached him. He repaired the altar of the Lord that had been torn down. ²³²⁶  18:31 Then Elijah took twelve stones, corresponding to the number of tribes that descended from Jacob, to whom the Lord had said, “Israel will be your new ²³²⁷  name.” ²³²⁸  18:32 With the stones he constructed an altar for the Lord. ²³²⁹  Around the altar he made a trench large enough to contain two seahs ²³³⁰  of seed. 18:33 He arranged the wood, cut up the bull, and placed it on the wood. 18:34 Then he said, “Fill four water jars and pour the water on the offering and the wood.” When they had done so, ²³³¹  he said, “Do it again.” So they did it again. Then he said, “Do it a third time.” So they did it a third time. 18:35 The water flowed down all sides of the altar and filled the trench. 18:36 When it was time for the evening offering, ²³³²  Elijah the prophet approached the altar ²³³³  and prayed: “O Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, prove ²³³⁴  today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. 18:37 Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, O Lord, are the true God ²³³⁵  and that you are winning back their allegiance.” ²³³⁶  18:38 Then fire from the Lord fell from the sky. ²³³⁷  It consumed the offering, the wood, the stones, and the dirt, and licked up the water in the trench. 18:39 When all the people saw this, they threw themselves down with their faces to the ground and said, “The Lord is the true God! ²³³⁸  The Lord is the true God!” 18:40 Elijah told them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Don’t let even one of them escape!” So they seized them, and Elijah led them down to the Kishon Valley and executed ²³³⁹  them there.

18:41 Then Elijah told Ahab, “Go on up and eat and drink, for the sound of a heavy rainstorm can be heard.” ²³⁴⁰  18:42 So Ahab went on up to eat and drink, while Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel. He bent down toward the ground and put his face between his knees. 18:43 He told his servant, “Go on up and look in the direction of the sea.” So he went on up, looked, and reported, “There is nothing.” ²³⁴¹  Seven times Elijah sent him to look. ²³⁴²  18:44 The seventh time the servant ²³⁴³  said, “Look, a small cloud, the size of the palm of a man’s hand, is rising up from the sea.” Elijah ²³⁴⁴  then said, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Hitch up the chariots and go down, so that the rain won’t overtake you.’” ²³⁴⁵  18:45 Meanwhile the sky was covered with dark clouds, the wind blew, and there was a heavy rainstorm. Ahab rode toward ²³⁴⁶  Jezreel. 18:46 Now the Lord energized Elijah with power; ²³⁴⁷  he tucked his robe into his belt ²³⁴⁸  and ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.

19:1 Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, including a detailed account of how he killed all the prophets with the sword. 19:2 Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah with this warning, ²³⁴⁹  “May the gods judge me severely ²³⁵⁰  if by this time tomorrow I do not take your life as you did theirs!” ²³⁵¹ 

19:3 Elijah was afraid, ²³⁵²  so he got up and fled for his life to Beer Sheba in Judah. He left his servant there, 19:4 while he went a day’s journey into the desert. He went and sat down under a shrub ²³⁵³  and asked the Lord to take his life: ²³⁵⁴  “I’ve had enough! Now, O Lord, take my life. After all, I’m no better than my ancestors.” ²³⁵⁵  19:5 He stretched out ²³⁵⁶  and fell asleep under the shrub. All of a sudden an angelic messenger ²³⁵⁷  touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” 19:6 He looked and right there by his head was a cake baking on hot coals and a jug of water. He ate and drank and then slept some more. ²³⁵⁸  19:7 The Lord’s angelic messenger came back again, touched him, and said, “Get up and eat, for otherwise you won’t be able to make the journey.” ²³⁵⁹  19:8 So he got up and ate and drank. That meal gave him the strength to travel forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.

19:9 He went into a cave there and spent the night. All of a sudden the Lord spoke to him, “Why are you here, Elijah?” 19:10 He answered, “I have been absolutely loyal ²³⁶⁰  to the Lord, the sovereign God, ²³⁶¹  even though the Israelites have abandoned the agreement they made with you, ²³⁶²  torn down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left and now they want to take my life.” ²³⁶³  19:11 The Lord ²³⁶⁴  said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord. Look, the Lord is ready to pass by.”

A very powerful wind went before the Lord, digging into the mountain and causing landslides, ²³⁶⁵  but the Lord was not in the wind. After the windstorm there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 19:12 After the earthquake, there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. After the fire, there was a soft whisper. ²³⁶⁶  19:13 When Elijah heard it, he covered his face with his robe and went out and stood at the entrance to the cave. All of a sudden ²³⁶⁷  a voice asked him, “Why are you here, Elijah?” 19:14 He answered, “I have been absolutely loyal ²³⁶⁸  to the Lord, the sovereign God, ²³⁶⁹  even though the Israelites have abandoned the agreement they made with you, ²³⁷⁰  torn down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left and now they want to take my life.” ²³⁷¹  19:15 The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came and then head for the Desert of Damascus. Go and anoint Hazael king over Syria. 19:16 You must anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to take your place as prophet. 19:17 Jehu will kill anyone who escapes Hazael’s sword, and Elisha will kill anyone who escapes Jehu’s sword. 19:18 I still have left in Israel seven thousand followers who have not bowed their knees to Baal or kissed the images of him.” ²³⁷² 

19:19 Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve pairs of oxen; he was near the twelfth pair. Elijah passed by him and threw his robe over him. 19:20 He left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, “Please let me kiss my father and mother goodbye, then I will follow you.” Elijah ²³⁷³  said to him, “Go back! Indeed, what have I done to you?” 19:21 Elisha ²³⁷⁴  went back and took his pair of oxen and slaughtered them. He cooked the meat over a fire that he made by burning the harness and yoke. ²³⁷⁵  He gave the people meat and they ate. Then he got up and followed Elijah and became his assistant.

20:1 Now King Ben Hadad of Syria assembled all his army, along with thirty-two other kings with their horses and chariots. He marched against Samaria ²³⁷⁶  and besieged and attacked it. ²³⁷⁷  20:2 He sent messengers to King Ahab of Israel, who was in the city. ²³⁷⁸  20:3 He said to him, “This is what Ben Hadad says, ‘Your silver and your gold are mine, as well as the best of your wives and sons.’” 20:4 The king of Israel replied, “It is just as you say, my master, O king. I and all I own belong to you.”

20:5 The messengers came again and said, “This is what Ben Hadad says, ‘I sent this message to you, “You must give me your silver, gold, wives, and sons.” 20:6 But now at this time tomorrow I will send my servants to you and they will search through your palace and your servants’ houses. They will carry away all your valuables.” ²³⁷⁹  20:7 The king of Israel summoned all the leaders ²³⁸⁰  of the land and said, “Notice how this man is looking for trouble. ²³⁸¹  Indeed, he demanded my wives, sons, silver, and gold, and I did not resist him.” 20:8 All the leaders and people said to him, “Do not give in or agree to his demands.” ²³⁸²  20:9 So he said to the messengers of Ben Hadad, “Say this to my master, the king, ‘I will give you everything you demanded at first from your servant, but I am unable to agree to this latest demand.’” ²³⁸³  So the messengers went back and gave their report.

20:10 Ben Hadad sent another message to him, “May the gods judge me severely ²³⁸⁴  if there is enough dirt left in Samaria for my soldiers to scoop up in their hands.” ²³⁸⁵  20:11 The king of Israel replied, “Tell him the one who puts on his battle gear should not boast like one who is taking it off.” ²³⁸⁶  20:12 When Ben Hadad received this reply, ²³⁸⁷  he and the other kings were drinking in their quarters. ²³⁸⁸  He ordered his servants, “Get ready to attack!” So they got ready to attack the city.

20:13 Now a prophet visited King Ahab of Israel and said, “This is what the Lord says, ‘Do you see this huge army? ²³⁸⁹  Look, I am going to hand it over to you this very day. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’” 20:14 Ahab asked, “By whom will this be accomplished?” ²³⁹⁰  He answered, “This is what the Lord says, ‘By the servants of the district governors.’” Ahab ²³⁹¹  asked, “Who will launch the attack?” He answered, “You will.”

20:15 So Ahab ²³⁹²  assembled the 232 servants of the district governors. After that he assembled all the Israelite army, numbering 7,000. ²³⁹³  20:16 They marched out at noon, while Ben Hadad and the thirty-two kings allied with him were drinking heavily ²³⁹⁴  in their quarters. ²³⁹⁵  20:17 The servants of the district governors led the march. When Ben Hadad sent messengers, they reported back to him, “Men are marching out of Samaria.” ²³⁹⁶  20:18 He ordered, “Whether they come in peace or to do battle, take them alive.” ²³⁹⁷  20:19 They marched out of the city with the servants of the district governors in the lead and the army behind them. 20:20 Each one struck down an enemy soldier; ²³⁹⁸  the Syrians fled and Israel chased them. King Ben Hadad of Syria escaped on horseback with some horsemen. 20:21 Then the king of Israel marched out and struck down the horses and chariots; he thoroughly defeated ²³⁹⁹  Syria.

20:22 The prophet ²⁴⁰⁰  visited the king of Israel and instructed him, “Go, fortify your defenses. ²⁴⁰¹  Determine ²⁴⁰²  what you must do, for in the spring ²⁴⁰³  the king of Syria will attack ²⁴⁰⁴  you.” 20:23 Now the advisers ²⁴⁰⁵  of the king of Syria said to him: “Their God is a god of the mountains. That’s why they overpowered us. But if we fight them in the plains, we will certainly overpower them. 20:24 So do this: Dismiss the kings from their command, and replace them with military commanders. 20:25 Muster an army like the one you lost, with the same number of horses and chariots. ²⁴⁰⁶  Then we will fight them in the plains; we will certainly overpower them.” He approved their plan and did as they advised. ²⁴⁰⁷ 

20:26 In the spring ²⁴⁰⁸  Ben Hadad mustered the Syrian army ²⁴⁰⁹  and marched to Aphek to fight Israel. ²⁴¹⁰  20:27 When the Israelites had mustered and had received their supplies, they marched out to face them in battle. When the Israelites deployed opposite them, they were like two small flocks ²⁴¹¹  of goats, but the Syrians filled the land. 20:28 The prophet ²⁴¹²  visited the king of Israel and said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Because the Syrians said, “The Lord is a god of the mountains and not a god of the valleys,” I will hand over to you this entire huge army. ²⁴¹³  Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”

20:29 The armies were deployed opposite each other for seven days. On the seventh day the battle began, and the Israelites killed 100,000 Syrian foot soldiers in one day. 20:30 The remaining 27,000 ran to Aphek and went into the city, but the wall fell on them. ²⁴¹⁴  Now Ben Hadad ran into the city and hid in an inner room. ²⁴¹⁵  20:31 His advisers ²⁴¹⁶  said to him, “Look, we have heard that the kings of the Israelite dynasty are kind. ²⁴¹⁷  Allow us to put sackcloth around our waists and ropes on our heads ²⁴¹⁸  and surrender ²⁴¹⁹  to the king of Israel. Maybe he will spare our lives.” 20:32 So they put sackcloth around their waists and ropes on their heads and went to the king of Israel. They said, “Your servant ²⁴²⁰  Ben Hadad says, ‘Please let me live!’” Ahab ²⁴²¹  replied, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.” ²⁴²²  20:33 The men took this as a good omen and quickly accepted his offer, saying, “Ben Hadad is your brother.” Ahab ²⁴²³  then said, “Go, get him.” So Ben Hadad came out to him, and Ahab pulled him up into his chariot. 20:34 Ben Hadad ²⁴²⁴  said, “I will return the cities my father took from your father. You may set up markets ²⁴²⁵  in Damascus, just as my father did in Samaria.” ²⁴²⁶  Ahab then said, “I want to make a treaty with you before I dismiss you.” ²⁴²⁷  So he made a treaty with him and then dismissed him.

20:35 One of the members of the prophetic guild, speaking with divine authority, ordered his companion, “Wound me!” ²⁴²⁸  But the man refused to wound him. 20:36 So the prophet ²⁴²⁹  said to him, “Because you have disobeyed the Lord, as soon as you leave me a lion will kill you.” When he left him, a lion attacked and killed him. 20:37 He found another man and said, “Wound me!” So the man wounded him severely. ²⁴³⁰  20:38 The prophet then went and stood by the road, waiting for the king. He also disguised himself by putting a bandage down over his eyes. 20:39 When the king passed by, he called out to the king, “Your servant went out into the heat ²⁴³¹  of the battle, and then a man turned aside and brought me a prisoner. ²⁴³²  He told me, ‘Guard this prisoner. If he ends up missing for any reason, ²⁴³³  you will pay with your life or with a talent ²⁴³⁴  of silver.’ ²⁴³⁵  20:40 Well, it just so happened that while your servant was doing this and that, he disappeared.” The king of Israel said to him, “Your punishment is already determined by your own testimony.” ²⁴³⁶  20:41 The prophet ²⁴³⁷  quickly removed the bandage from his eyes and the king of Israel recognized he was one of the prophets. 20:42 The prophet ²⁴³⁸  then said to him, “This is what the Lord says, ‘Because you released a man I had determined should die, you will pay with your life and your people will suffer instead of his people.’” ²⁴³⁹  20:43 The king of Israel went home to Samaria ²⁴⁴⁰  bitter and angry.

21:1 After this the following episode took place. ²⁴⁴¹  Naboth the Jezreelite owned a vineyard in Jezreel adjacent to the palace of King Ahab of Samaria. ²⁴⁴²  21:2 Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard so I can make a vegetable garden out of it, for it is adjacent to my palace. I will give you an even better vineyard in its place, or if you prefer, ²⁴⁴³  I will pay you silver for it.” ²⁴⁴⁴  21:3 But Naboth replied to Ahab, “The Lord forbid that I should sell you my ancestral inheritance.” ²⁴⁴⁵ 

21:4 So Ahab went into his palace, bitter and angry that Naboth the Jezreelite had said, ²⁴⁴⁶  “I will not sell to you my ancestral inheritance.” ²⁴⁴⁷  He lay down on his bed, pouted, ²⁴⁴⁸  and would not eat. 21:5 Then his wife Jezebel came in and said to him, “Why do you have a bitter attitude and refuse to eat?” 21:6 He answered her, “While I was talking to Naboth the Jezreelite, I said to him, ‘Sell me your vineyard for silver, or if you prefer, I will give you another vineyard in its place.’ But he said, ‘I will not sell you my vineyard.’” ²⁴⁴⁹  21:7 His wife Jezebel said to him, “You are the king of Israel! ²⁴⁵⁰  Get up, eat some food, and have a good time. ²⁴⁵¹  I will get the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite for you.”

21:8 She wrote out orders, ²⁴⁵²  signed Ahab’s name to them, ²⁴⁵³  and sealed them with his seal. She then sent the orders ²⁴⁵⁴  to the leaders ²⁴⁵⁵  and to the nobles who lived in Naboth’s city. ²⁴⁵⁶  21:9 This is what she wrote: ²⁴⁵⁷  “Observe a time of fasting and seat Naboth in front of the people. 21:10 Also seat two villains opposite him and have them testify, ‘You cursed God and the king.’ Then take him out and stone him to death.”

21:11 The men of the ²⁴⁵⁸  city, the leaders ²⁴⁵⁹  and the nobles who lived there, ²⁴⁶⁰  followed the written orders Jezebel had sent them. ²⁴⁶¹  21:12 They observed a time of fasting and put Naboth in front of the people. 21:13 The two villains arrived and sat opposite him. Then the villains testified against Naboth right before the people, saying, “Naboth cursed God and the king.” So they dragged him ²⁴⁶²  outside the city and stoned him to death. ²⁴⁶³  21:14 Then they reported to Jezebel, “Naboth has been stoned to death.” ²⁴⁶⁴ 

21:15 When Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned to death, she ²⁴⁶⁵  said to Ahab, “Get up, take possession of the vineyard Naboth the Jezreelite refused to sell you for silver, for Naboth is no longer alive; he’s dead.” 21:16 When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, ²⁴⁶⁶  he got up and went down to take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.

21:17 The Lord told Elijah the Tishbite: ²⁴⁶⁷  21:18 “Get up, go down and meet King Ahab of Israel who lives in Samaria. He is at the vineyard of Naboth; he has gone down there to take possession of it. 21:19 Say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: “Haven’t you committed murder and taken possession of the property of the deceased?”’ Then say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: “In the spot where dogs licked up Naboth’s blood they will also lick up your blood – yes, yours!”’”

21:20 When Elijah arrived, Ahab said to him, ²⁴⁶⁸  “So, you have found me, my enemy!” Elijah ²⁴⁶⁹  replied, “I have found you, because you are committed ²⁴⁷⁰  to doing evil in the sight of ²⁴⁷¹  the Lord. 21:21 The Lord says, ²⁴⁷²  ‘Look, I am ready to bring disaster ²⁴⁷³  on you. I will destroy you ²⁴⁷⁴  and cut off every last male belonging to Ahab in Israel, including even the weak and incapacitated. ²⁴⁷⁵  21:22 I will make your dynasty ²⁴⁷⁶  like those of Jeroboam son of Nebat and Baasha son of Ahijah because you angered me and made Israel sin.’ ²⁴⁷⁷  21:23 The Lord says this about Jezebel, ‘Dogs will devour Jezebel by the outer wall ²⁴⁷⁸  of Jezreel.’ 21:24 As for Ahab’s family, dogs will eat the ones ²⁴⁷⁹  who die in the city, and the birds of the sky will eat the ones who die in the country.” 21:25 (There had never been anyone like Ahab, who was firmly committed ²⁴⁸⁰  to doing evil in the sight of ²⁴⁸¹  the Lord, urged on by his wife Jezebel. ²⁴⁸²  21:26 He was so wicked he worshiped the disgusting idols, ²⁴⁸³  just like the Amorites ²⁴⁸⁴  whom the Lord had driven out from before the Israelites.)

21:27 When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and fasted. He slept in sackcloth and walked around dejected. 21:28 The Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, ²⁴⁸⁵  21:29 “Have you noticed how Ahab shows remorse ²⁴⁸⁶  before me? Because he shows remorse before me, I will not bring disaster on his dynasty during his lifetime, but during the reign of his son.” ²⁴⁸⁷ 

22:1 There was no war between Syria and Israel for three years. ²⁴⁸⁸  22:2 In the third year King Jehoshaphat of Judah came down to visit ²⁴⁸⁹  the king of Israel. 22:3 The king of Israel said to his servants, “Surely you recognize that Ramoth Gilead belongs to us, though we are hesitant to reclaim it from the king of Syria.” ²⁴⁹⁰  22:4 Then he said to Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to attack Ramoth Gilead?” Jehoshaphat replied to the king of Israel, “I will support you; my army and horses are at your disposal.” ²⁴⁹¹  22:5 Then Jehoshaphat added, ²⁴⁹²  “First seek an oracle from the Lord.” ²⁴⁹³  22:6 So the king of Israel assembled about four hundred prophets and asked them, “Should I attack Ramoth Gilead or not?” ²⁴⁹⁴  They said, “Attack! The sovereign one ²⁴⁹⁵  will hand it over to the king.” 22:7 But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there not a prophet of the Lord still here, that we may ask him?” 22:8 The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man through whom we can seek the Lord’s will. ²⁴⁹⁶  But I despise ²⁴⁹⁷  him because he does not prophesy prosperity for me, but disaster. His name is Micaiah son of Imlah. ²⁴⁹⁸  Jehoshaphat said, “The king should not say such things.” 22:9 The king of Israel summoned an official and said, “Quickly bring Micaiah son of Imlah.”

22:10 Now the king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah were sitting on their respective thrones, ²⁴⁹⁹  dressed in their robes, at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria. ²⁵⁰⁰  All the prophets were prophesying before them. 22:11 Zedekiah son of Kenaanah made iron horns and said, “This is what the Lord says, ‘With these you will gore Syria until they are destroyed.’” 22:12 All the prophets were prophesying the same, saying, “Attack Ramoth Gilead! You will succeed; the Lord will hand it over to the king.” 22:13 Now the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, “Look, the prophets are in complete agreement that the king will succeed. ²⁵⁰¹  Your words must agree with theirs; you must predict success.” ²⁵⁰²  22:14 But Micaiah said, “As certainly as the Lord lives, I will say what the Lord tells me to say.”

22:15 When he came before the king, the king asked him, “Micaiah, should we attack Ramoth Gilead or not?” He answered him, “Attack! You will succeed; the Lord will hand it over to the king.” ²⁵⁰³  22:16 The king said to him, “How many times must I make you solemnly promise in ²⁵⁰⁴  the name of the Lord to tell me only the truth?” 22:17 Micaiah ²⁵⁰⁵  said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains like sheep that have no shepherd. Then the Lord said, ‘They have no master. They should go home in peace.’” 22:18 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn’t I tell you he does not prophesy prosperity for me, but disaster?” 22:19 Micaiah ²⁵⁰⁶  said, “That being the case, hear the word of the Lord. I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, with all the heavenly assembly standing on his right and on his left. 22:20 The Lord said, ‘Who will deceive Ahab, so he will attack Ramoth Gilead and die ²⁵⁰⁷  there?’ One said this and another that. 22:21 Then a spirit ²⁵⁰⁸  stepped forward and stood before the Lord. He said, ‘I will deceive him.’ The Lord asked him, ‘How?’ 22:22 He replied, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ The Lord ²⁵⁰⁹  said, ‘Deceive and overpower him. ²⁵¹⁰  Go out and do as you have proposed.’ 22:23 So now, look, the Lord has placed a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours; but the Lord has decreed disaster for you.” 22:24 Zedekiah son of Kenaanah approached, hit Micaiah on the jaw, and said, “Which way did the Lord’s spirit go when he went from me to speak to you?” 22:25 Micaiah replied, “Look, you will see in the day when you go into an inner room to hide.” 22:26 Then the king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the city official and Joash the king’s son. 22:27 Say, ‘This is what the king says, “Put this man in prison. Give him only a little bread and water ²⁵¹¹  until I safely return.”’” ²⁵¹²  22:28 Micaiah said, “If you really do safely return, then the Lord has not spoken through me.” Then he added, “Take note, ²⁵¹³  all you people.”

22:29 The king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah attacked Ramoth Gilead. 22:30 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and then enter ²⁵¹⁴  into the battle; but you wear your royal robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and then entered into the battle. 22:31 Now the king of Syria had ordered his thirty-two chariot commanders, “Do not fight common soldiers or high-ranking officers; ²⁵¹⁵  fight only the king of Israel.” 22:32 When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “He must be the king of Israel.” So they turned and attacked him, but Jehoshaphat cried out. 22:33 When the chariot commanders realized he was not the king of Israel, they turned away from him. 22:34 Now an archer shot an arrow at random, ²⁵¹⁶  and it struck the king of Israel between the plates of his armor. The king ²⁵¹⁷  ordered his charioteer, “Turn around and take me from the battle line, ²⁵¹⁸  because I’m wounded.” 22:35 While the battle raged throughout the day, the king stood propped up in his chariot opposite the Syrians. He died in the evening; the blood from the wound ran down into the bottom of the chariot. 22:36 As the sun was setting, a cry went through the camp, “Each one should return to his city and to his homeland.” 22:37 So the king died and was taken to Samaria, where they buried him. ²⁵¹⁹  22:38 They washed off the chariot at the pool of Samaria (this was where the prostitutes bathed); ²⁵²⁰  dogs licked his blood, just as the Lord had said would happen. ²⁵²¹ 

22:39 The rest of the events of Ahab’s reign, including a record of his accomplishments and how he built a luxurious palace and various cities, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. ²⁵²²  22:40 Ahab passed away. ²⁵²³  His son Ahaziah replaced him as king.

22:41 In the fourth year of King Ahab’s reign over Israel, Asa’s son Jehoshaphat became king over Judah. 22:42 Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he became king and he reigned for twenty-five years in Jerusalem. ²⁵²⁴  His mother was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi. 22:43 He followed in his father Asa’s footsteps and was careful to do what the Lord approved. ²⁵²⁵  (22:44) ²⁵²⁶  However, the high places were not eliminated; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense on the high places. 22:44 (22:45) Jehoshaphat was also at peace with the king of Israel.

22:45 The rest of the events of Jehoshaphat’s reign, including his successes and military exploits, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. ²⁵²⁷  22:46 He removed from the land any male cultic prostitutes who had managed to survive the reign of his father Asa. ²⁵²⁸  22:47 There was no king in Edom at this time; a governor ruled. 22:48 Jehoshaphat built a fleet of large merchant ships ²⁵²⁹  to travel to Ophir for gold, but they never made the voyage because they were shipwrecked in Ezion Geber. 22:49 Then Ahaziah son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “Let my sailors join yours in the fleet,” ²⁵³⁰  but Jehoshaphat refused.

22:50 Jehoshaphat passed away ²⁵³¹  and was buried with his ancestors in the city of his ancestor ²⁵³²  David. His son Jehoram replaced him as king.

22:51 In the seventeenth year of King Jehoshaphat’s reign over Judah, Ahab’s son Ahaziah became king over Israel in Samaria. ²⁵³³  He ruled for two years over Israel. 22:52 He did evil in the sight of ²⁵³⁴  the Lord and followed in the footsteps ²⁵³⁵  of his father and mother; like Jeroboam son of Nebat, he encouraged Israel to sin. ²⁵³⁶  22:53 He worshiped and bowed down to Baal, ²⁵³⁷  angering the Lord God of Israel just as his father had done. ²⁵³⁸ 

2 Raja-raja 1:1--25:30

Konteks

1:1 After Ahab died, Moab rebelled against Israel. ²⁵³⁹  1:2 Ahaziah fell through a window lattice in his upper chamber in Samaria ²⁵⁴⁰  and was injured. He sent messengers with these orders, ²⁵⁴¹  “Go, ask ²⁵⁴²  Baal Zebub, ²⁵⁴³  the god of Ekron, if I will survive this injury.”

1:3 But the Lord’s angelic messenger told Elijah the Tishbite, “Get up, go to meet the messengers from the king of Samaria. Say this to them: ‘You must think there is no God in Israel! That explains why you are on your way to seek an oracle from Baal Zebub the god of Ekron. ²⁵⁴⁴  1:4 Therefore this is what the Lord says, “You will not leave the bed you lie on, for you will certainly die!”’” So Elijah went on his way.

1:5 When the messengers returned to the king, ²⁵⁴⁵  he asked them, “Why have you returned?” 1:6 They replied, ²⁵⁴⁶  “A man came up to meet us. He told us, “Go back to the king who sent you and tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: “You must think there is no God in Israel! That explains why you are sending for an oracle from Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron. ²⁵⁴⁷  Therefore you will not leave the bed you lie on, for you will certainly die.”’” 1:7 The king ²⁵⁴⁸  asked them, “Describe the appearance ²⁵⁴⁹  of this man who came up to meet you and told you these things.” 1:8 They replied, ²⁵⁵⁰  “He was a hairy man ²⁵⁵¹  and had a leather belt ²⁵⁵²  tied around his waist.” The king ²⁵⁵³  said, “He is Elijah the Tishbite.”

1:9 The king ²⁵⁵⁴  sent a captain and his fifty soldiers ²⁵⁵⁵  to retrieve Elijah. ²⁵⁵⁶  The captain ²⁵⁵⁷  went up to him, while he was sitting on the top of a hill. ²⁵⁵⁸  He told him, “Prophet, ²⁵⁵⁹  the king says, ‘Come down!’” 1:10 Elijah replied to the captain, ²⁵⁶⁰  “If I am indeed a prophet, may fire come down from the sky and consume you and your fifty soldiers!” Fire then came down ²⁵⁶¹  from the sky and consumed him and his fifty soldiers.

1:11 The king ²⁵⁶²  sent another captain and his fifty soldiers to retrieve Elijah. He went up and told him, ²⁵⁶³  “Prophet, this is what the king says, ‘Come down at once!’” ²⁵⁶⁴  1:12 Elijah replied to them, ²⁵⁶⁵  “If I am indeed a prophet, may fire come down from the sky and consume you and your fifty soldiers!” Fire from God ²⁵⁶⁶  came down from the sky and consumed him and his fifty soldiers.

1:13 The king ²⁵⁶⁷  sent a third captain and his fifty soldiers. This third captain went up and fell ²⁵⁶⁸  on his knees before Elijah. He begged for mercy, “Prophet, please have respect for my life and for the lives of these fifty servants of yours. 1:14 Indeed, ²⁵⁶⁹  fire came down from the sky and consumed the two captains who came before me, along with their men. ²⁵⁷⁰  So now, please have respect for my life.” 1:15 The Lord’s angelic messenger said to Elijah, “Go down with him. Don’t be afraid of him.” So he got up and went down ²⁵⁷¹  with him to the king.

1:16 Elijah ²⁵⁷²  said to the king, ²⁵⁷³  “This is what the Lord says, ‘You sent messengers to seek an oracle from Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron. You must think there is no God in Israel from whom you can seek an oracle! ²⁵⁷⁴  Therefore you will not leave the bed you lie on, for you will certainly die.’” ²⁵⁷⁵ 

1:17 He died just as the Lord had prophesied through Elijah. ²⁵⁷⁶  In the second year of the reign of King Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat over Judah, Ahaziah’s brother Jehoram replaced him as king of Israel, because he had no son. ²⁵⁷⁷  1:18 The rest of the events of Ahaziah’s reign, including his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. ²⁵⁷⁸ 

2:1 Just before ²⁵⁷⁹  the Lord took Elijah up to heaven in a windstorm, Elijah and Elisha were traveling from Gilgal. 2:2 Elijah told Elisha, “Stay here, for the Lord has sent me to Bethel.” ²⁵⁸⁰  But Elisha said, “As certainly as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. 2:3 Some members of the prophetic guild ²⁵⁸¹  in Bethel came out to Elisha and said, “Do you know that today the Lord is going to take your master from you?” ²⁵⁸²  He answered, “Yes, I know. Be quiet.”

2:4 Elijah said to him, “Elisha, stay here, for the Lord has sent me to Jericho.” ²⁵⁸³  But he replied, “As certainly as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went to Jericho. 2:5 Some members of the prophetic guild in Jericho approached Elisha and said, “Do you know that today the Lord is going to take your master from you?” He answered, “Yes, I know. Be quiet.”

2:6 Elijah said to him, “Stay here, for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.” But he replied, “As certainly as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they traveled on together. 2:7 The fifty members of the prophetic guild went and stood opposite them at a distance, while Elijah and Elisha ²⁵⁸⁴  stood by the Jordan. 2:8 Elijah took his cloak, folded it up, and hit the water with it. The water divided, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground.

2:9 When they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, “What can I do for you, ²⁵⁸⁵  before I am taken away from you?” Elisha answered, “May I receive a double portion of the prophetic spirit that energizes you.” ²⁵⁸⁶  2:10 Elijah ²⁵⁸⁷  replied, “That’s a difficult request! ²⁵⁸⁸  If you see me taken from you, may it be so, but if you don’t, it will not happen.”

2:11 As they were walking along and talking, suddenly a fiery chariot ²⁵⁸⁹  pulled by fiery horses appeared. ²⁵⁹⁰  They went between Elijah and Elisha, ²⁵⁹¹  and Elijah went up to heaven in a windstorm. 2:12 While Elisha was watching, he was crying out, “My father, my father! The chariot and horsemen of Israel!” ²⁵⁹²  Then he could no longer see him. He grabbed his clothes and tore them in two. 2:13 He picked up Elijah’s cloak, which had fallen off him, and went back and stood on the shore of the Jordan. 2:14 He took the cloak that had fallen off Elijah, ²⁵⁹³  hit the water with it, and said, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” When he hit the water, it divided and Elisha crossed over.

2:15 When the members of the prophetic guild in Jericho, ²⁵⁹⁴  who were standing at a distance, ²⁵⁹⁵  saw him do this, they said, “The spirit that energized Elijah ²⁵⁹⁶  rests upon Elisha.” They went to meet him and bowed down to the ground before him. 2:16 They said to him, “Look, there are fifty capable men with your servants. Let them go and look for your master, for the wind sent from the Lord ²⁵⁹⁷  may have carried him away and dropped him on one of the hills or in one of the valleys.” But Elisha ²⁵⁹⁸  replied, “Don’t send them out.” 2:17 But they were so insistent, he became embarrassed. So he said, “Send them out.” They sent the fifty men out and they looked for three days, but could not find Elijah. ²⁵⁹⁹  2:18 When they came back, Elisha ²⁶⁰⁰  was staying in Jericho. He said to them, “Didn’t I tell you, ‘Don’t go’?”

2:19 The men of the city said to Elisha, “Look, the city has a good location, as our ²⁶⁰¹  master can see. But the water is bad and the land doesn’t produce crops.” ²⁶⁰²  2:20 Elisha ²⁶⁰³  said, “Get me a new jar and put some salt in it.” So they got it. 2:21 He went out to the spring and threw the salt in. Then he said, “This is what the Lord says, ‘I have purified ²⁶⁰⁴  this water. It will no longer cause death or fail to produce crops.” ²⁶⁰⁵  2:22 The water has been pure to this very day, just as Elisha prophesied. ²⁶⁰⁶ 

2:23 He went up from there to Bethel. ²⁶⁰⁷  As he was traveling up the road, some young boys ²⁶⁰⁸  came out of the city and made fun of him, saying, “Go on up, baldy! Go on up, baldy!” 2:24 When he turned around and saw them, he called God’s judgment down on them. ²⁶⁰⁹  Two female bears came out of the woods and ripped forty-two of the boys to pieces. 2:25 From there he traveled to Mount Carmel and then back to Samaria. ²⁶¹⁰ 

3:1 In the eighteenth year of King Jehoshaphat’s reign over Judah, Ahab’s son Jehoram became king over Israel in Samaria; ²⁶¹¹  he ruled for twelve years. 3:2 He did evil in the sight of ²⁶¹²  the Lord, but not to the same degree as his father and mother. He did remove the sacred pillar of Baal that his father had made. 3:3 Yet he persisted in ²⁶¹³  the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who encouraged Israel to sin; he did not turn from them. ²⁶¹⁴ 

3:4 Now King Mesha of Moab was a sheep breeder. ²⁶¹⁵  He would send as tribute ²⁶¹⁶  to the king of Israel 100,000 male lambs and the wool of 100,000 rams. 3:5 When Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. 3:6 At that time King Jehoram left Samaria and assembled all Israel for war. 3:7 He sent ²⁶¹⁷  this message to King Jehoshaphat of Judah: “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you fight with me against Moab?” Jehoshaphat ²⁶¹⁸  replied, “I will join you in the campaign; my army and horses are at your disposal.” ²⁶¹⁹  3:8 He then asked, “Which invasion route are we going to take?” ²⁶²⁰  Jehoram ²⁶²¹  answered, “By the road through the Desert of Edom.” 3:9 So the kings of Israel, Judah, and Edom ²⁶²²  set out together. They wandered around on the road for seven days and finally ran out of water for the men and animals they had with them. 3:10 The king of Israel said, “Oh no! ²⁶²³  Certainly the Lord has summoned these three kings so that he can hand them over to the king of Moab!” 3:11 Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no prophet of the Lord here that we might seek the Lord’s direction?” ²⁶²⁴  One of the servants of the king of Israel answered, “Elisha son of Shapat is here; he used to be Elijah’s servant.” ²⁶²⁵  3:12 Jehoshaphat said, “The Lord speaks through him.” ²⁶²⁶  So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to visit him.

3:13 Elisha said to the king of Israel, “Why are you here? ²⁶²⁷  Go to your father’s prophets or your mother’s prophets!” The king of Israel replied to him, “No, for the Lord is the one who summoned these three kings so that he can hand them over to Moab.” 3:14 Elisha said, “As certainly as the Lord who rules over all ²⁶²⁸  lives (whom I serve), ²⁶²⁹  if I did not respect King Jehoshaphat of Judah, ²⁶³⁰  I would not pay attention to you or acknowledge you. ²⁶³¹  3:15 But now, get me a musician.” ²⁶³²  When the musician played, the Lord energized him, ²⁶³³  3:16 and he said, “This is what the Lord says, ‘Make many cisterns in this valley,’ ²⁶³⁴  3:17 for this is what the Lord says, ‘You will not feel ²⁶³⁵  any wind or see any rain, but this valley will be full of water and you and your cattle and animals will drink.’ 3:18 This is an easy task for the Lord; ²⁶³⁶  he will also hand Moab over to you. 3:19 You will defeat every fortified city and every important ²⁶³⁷  city. You must chop down ²⁶³⁸  every productive ²⁶³⁹  tree, stop up all the springs, and cover all the cultivated land with stones.” ²⁶⁴⁰ 

3:20 Sure enough, the next morning, at the time of the morning sacrifice, water came flowing down from Edom and filled the land. ²⁶⁴¹  3:21 Now all Moab had heard that the kings were attacking, ²⁶⁴²  so everyone old enough to fight was mustered and placed at the border. ²⁶⁴³  3:22 When they got up early the next morning, the sun was shining on the water. To the Moabites, who were some distance away, the water looked red like blood. 3:23 The Moabites ²⁶⁴⁴  said, “It’s blood! The kings are totally destroyed! ²⁶⁴⁵  They have struck one another down! Now, Moab, seize the plunder!” 3:24 When they approached the Israelite camp, the Israelites rose up and struck down the Moabites, who then ran from them. The Israelites ²⁶⁴⁶  thoroughly defeated ²⁶⁴⁷  Moab. 3:25 They tore down the cities and each man threw a stone into every cultivated field until they were covered. ²⁶⁴⁸  They stopped up every spring and chopped down every productive tree.

Only Kir Hareseth was left intact, ²⁶⁴⁹  but the slingers surrounded it and attacked it. 3:26 When the king of Moab realized he was losing the battle, ²⁶⁵⁰  he and 700 swordsmen tried to break through and attack ²⁶⁵¹  the king of Edom, but they failed. 3:27 So he took his firstborn son, who was to succeed him as king, and offered him up as a burnt sacrifice on the wall. There was an outburst of divine anger against Israel, ²⁶⁵²  so they broke off the attack ²⁶⁵³  and returned to their homeland.

4:1 Now a wife of one of the prophets ²⁶⁵⁴  appealed ²⁶⁵⁵  to Elisha for help, saying, “Your servant, my husband is dead. You know that your servant was a loyal follower of the Lord. ²⁶⁵⁶  Now the creditor is coming to take away my two boys to be his servants.” 4:2 Elisha said to her, “What can I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” She answered, “Your servant has nothing in the house except a small jar of olive oil.” 4:3 He said, “Go and ask all your neighbors for empty containers. ²⁶⁵⁷  Get as many as you can. ²⁶⁵⁸  4:4 Go and close the door behind you and your sons. Pour the olive oil into all the containers; ²⁶⁵⁹  set aside each one when you have filled it.” 4:5 So she left him and closed the door behind her and her sons. As they were bringing the containers to her, she was pouring the olive oil. 4:6 When the containers were full, she said to one of her sons, ²⁶⁶⁰  “Bring me another container.” But he answered her, “There are no more.” Then the olive oil stopped flowing. 4:7 She went and told the prophet. ²⁶⁶¹  He said, “Go, sell the olive oil. Repay your creditor, and then you and your sons can live off the rest of the profit.”

4:8 One day Elisha traveled to Shunem, where a prominent ²⁶⁶²  woman lived. She insisted that he stop for a meal. ²⁶⁶³  So whenever he was passing through, he would stop in there for a meal. ²⁶⁶⁴  4:9 She said to her husband, “Look, I’m sure ²⁶⁶⁵  that the man who regularly passes through here is a very special prophet. ²⁶⁶⁶  4:10 Let’s make a small private upper room ²⁶⁶⁷  and furnish it with ²⁶⁶⁸  a bed, table, chair, and lamp. When he visits us, he can stay there.”

4:11 One day Elisha ²⁶⁶⁹  came for a visit; he went ²⁶⁷⁰  into the upper room and rested. ²⁶⁷¹  4:12 He told his servant Gehazi, “Ask the Shunammite woman to come here.” ²⁶⁷²  So he did so and she came to him. ²⁶⁷³  4:13 Elisha said to Gehazi, ²⁶⁷⁴  “Tell her, ‘Look, you have treated us with such great respect. ²⁶⁷⁵  What can I do for you? Can I put in a good word for you with the king or the commander of the army?’” She replied, “I’m quite secure.” ²⁶⁷⁶  4:14 So he asked Gehazi, ²⁶⁷⁷  “What can I do for her?” Gehazi replied, “She has no son, and her husband is old.” 4:15 Elisha told him, “Ask her to come here.” ²⁶⁷⁸  So he did so ²⁶⁷⁹  and she came and stood in the doorway. ²⁶⁸⁰  4:16 He said, “About this time next year ²⁶⁸¹  you will be holding a son.” She said, “No, my master! O prophet, do not lie to your servant!” 4:17 The woman did conceive, and at the specified time the next year she gave birth to a son, just as Elisha had told her.

4:18 The boy grew and one day he went out to see his father who was with the harvest workers. ²⁶⁸²  4:19 He said to his father, “My head! My head!” His father ²⁶⁸³  told a servant, “Carry him to his mother.” 4:20 So he picked him up and took him to his mother. He sat on her lap ²⁶⁸⁴  until noon and then died. 4:21 She went up and laid him down on the prophet’s ²⁶⁸⁵  bed. She shut the door behind her and left. 4:22 She called to her husband, “Send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys, so I can go see the prophet quickly and then return.” 4:23 He said, “Why do you want to go see him today? It is not the new moon ²⁶⁸⁶  or the Sabbath.” She said, “Everything’s fine.” ²⁶⁸⁷  4:24 She saddled the donkey and told her servant, “Lead on. ²⁶⁸⁸  Do not stop unless I say so.” ²⁶⁸⁹ 

4:25 So she went to visit ²⁶⁹⁰  the prophet at Mount Carmel. When he ²⁶⁹¹  saw her at a distance, he said to his servant Gehazi, “Look, it’s the Shunammite woman. 4:26 Now, run to meet her and ask her, ‘Are you well? Are your husband and the boy well?’” She told Gehazi, ²⁶⁹²  “Everything’s fine.” 4:27 But when she reached the prophet on the mountain, she grabbed hold of his feet. Gehazi came near to push her away, but the prophet said, “Leave her alone, for she is very upset. ²⁶⁹³  The Lord has kept the matter hidden from me; he didn’t tell me about it.” 4:28 She said, “Did I ask my master for a son? Didn’t I say, ‘Don’t mislead me?’” 4:29 Elisha ²⁶⁹⁴  told Gehazi, “Tuck your robes into your belt, take my staff, ²⁶⁹⁵  and go! Don’t stop to exchange greetings with anyone! ²⁶⁹⁶  Place my staff on the child’s face.” 4:30 The mother of the child said, “As certainly as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So Elisha ²⁶⁹⁷  got up and followed her back.

4:31 Now Gehazi went on ahead of them. He placed the staff on the child’s face, but there was no sound or response. When he came back to Elisha ²⁶⁹⁸  he told him, “The child did not wake up.” 4:32 When Elisha arrived at the house, there was ²⁶⁹⁹  the child lying dead on his bed. 4:33 He went in by himself and closed the door. ²⁷⁰⁰  Then he prayed to the Lord. 4:34 He got up on the bed and spread his body out over ²⁷⁰¹  the boy; he put his mouth on the boy’s ²⁷⁰²  mouth, his eyes over the boy’s eyes, and the palms of his hands against the boy’s palms. He bent down over him, and the boy’s skin ²⁷⁰³  grew warm. 4:35 Elisha ²⁷⁰⁴  went back and walked around in the house. ²⁷⁰⁵  Then he got up on the bed again ²⁷⁰⁶  and bent down over him. The child sneezed seven times and opened his eyes. 4:36 Elisha ²⁷⁰⁷  called to Gehazi and said, “Get the Shunammite woman.” So he did so ²⁷⁰⁸  and she came to him. He said to her, “Take your son.” 4:37 She came in, fell at his feet, and bowed down. Then she picked up her son and left.

4:38 Now Elisha went back to Gilgal, while there was famine in the land. Some of the prophets were visiting him ²⁷⁰⁹  and he told his servant, “Put the big pot on the fire ²⁷¹⁰  and boil some stew for the prophets.” ²⁷¹¹  4:39 Someone went out to the field to gather some herbs and found a wild vine. ²⁷¹²  He picked some of its fruit, ²⁷¹³  enough to fill up the fold of his robe. He came back, cut it up, and threw the slices ²⁷¹⁴  into the stew pot, not knowing they were harmful. ²⁷¹⁵  4:40 The stew was poured out ²⁷¹⁶  for the men to eat. When they ate some of the stew, they cried out, “Death is in the pot, O prophet!” They could not eat it. 4:41 He said, “Get some flour.” Then he threw it into the pot and said, “Now pour some out for the men so they may eat.” ²⁷¹⁷  There was no longer anything harmful in the pot.

4:42 Now a man from Baal Shalisha brought some food for the prophet ²⁷¹⁸  – twenty loaves of bread made from the firstfruits of the barley harvest, as well as fresh ears of grain. ²⁷¹⁹  Elisha ²⁷²⁰  said, “Set it before the people so they may eat.” 4:43 But his attendant said, “How can I feed a hundred men with this?” ²⁷²¹  He replied, “Set it before the people so they may eat, for this is what the Lord says, ‘They will eat and have some left over.’” ²⁷²²  4:44 So he set it before them; they ate and had some left over, just as the Lord predicted. ²⁷²³ 

5:1 Now Naaman, the commander of the king of Syria’s army, was esteemed and respected by his master, ²⁷²⁴  for through him the Lord had given Syria military victories. But this great warrior had a skin disease. ²⁷²⁵  5:2 Raiding parties went out from Syria and took captive from the land of Israel a young girl, who became a servant to Naaman’s wife. 5:3 She told her mistress, “If only my master were in the presence of the prophet who is in Samaria! ²⁷²⁶  Then he would cure him of his skin disease.”

5:4 Naaman ²⁷²⁷  went and told his master what the girl from the land of Israel had said. 5:5 The king of Syria said, “Go! I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman ²⁷²⁸  went, taking with him ten talents ²⁷²⁹  of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, ²⁷³⁰  and ten suits of clothes. 5:6 He brought the letter to king of Israel. It read: “This is a letter of introduction for my servant Naaman, ²⁷³¹  whom I have sent to be cured of his skin disease.” 5:7 When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God? Can I kill or restore life? Why does he ask me to cure a man of his skin disease? ²⁷³²  Certainly you must see that he is looking for an excuse to fight me!” ²⁷³³ 

5:8 When Elisha the prophet ²⁷³⁴  heard that the king had torn his clothes, he sent this message to the king, “Why did you tear your clothes? Send him ²⁷³⁵  to me so he may know there is a prophet in Israel.” 5:9 So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood in the doorway of Elisha’s house. 5:10 Elisha sent out a messenger who told him, “Go and wash seven times in the Jordan; your skin will be restored ²⁷³⁶  and you will be healed.” 5:11 Naaman went away angry. He said, “Look, I thought for sure he would come out, stand there, invoke the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the area, and cure the skin disease. 5:12 The rivers of Damascus, the Abana and Pharpar, are better than any of the waters of Israel! ²⁷³⁷  Could I not wash in them and be healed?” So he turned around and went away angry. 5:13 His servants approached and said to him, “O master, ²⁷³⁸  if the prophet had told you to do some difficult task, ²⁷³⁹  you would have been willing to do it. ²⁷⁴⁰  It seems you should be happy that he simply said, “Wash and you will be healed.” ²⁷⁴¹  5:14 So he went down and dipped in the Jordan seven times, as the prophet had instructed. ²⁷⁴²  His skin became as smooth as a young child’s ²⁷⁴³  and he was healed.

5:15 He and his entire entourage returned to the prophet. Naaman ²⁷⁴⁴  came and stood before him. He said, “For sure ²⁷⁴⁵  I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel! Now, please accept a gift from your servant.” 5:16 But Elisha ²⁷⁴⁶  replied, “As certainly as the Lord lives (whom I serve), ²⁷⁴⁷  I will take nothing from you.” Naaman ²⁷⁴⁸  insisted that he take it, but he refused. 5:17 Naaman said, “If not, then please give your servant a load of dirt, enough for a pair of mules to carry, ²⁷⁴⁹  for your servant will never again offer a burnt offering or sacrifice to a god other than the Lord. ²⁷⁵⁰  5:18 May the Lord forgive your servant for this one thing: When my master enters the temple of Rimmon to worship, and he leans on my arm and I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the Lord forgive your servant for this.” ²⁷⁵¹  5:19 Elisha ²⁷⁵²  said to him, “Go in peace.”

When he had gone a short distance, ²⁷⁵³  5:20 Gehazi, the prophet Elisha’s servant, thought, ²⁷⁵⁴  “Look, my master did not accept what this Syrian Naaman offered him. ²⁷⁵⁵  As certainly as the Lord lives, I will run after him and accept something from him.” 5:21 So Gehazi ran after Naaman. When Naaman saw someone running after him, he got down from his chariot to meet him and asked, “Is everything all right?” ²⁷⁵⁶  5:22 He answered, “Everything is fine. ²⁷⁵⁷  My master sent me with this message, ‘Look, two servants of the prophets just arrived from the Ephraimite hill country. ²⁷⁵⁸  Please give them a talent ²⁷⁵⁹  of silver and two suits of clothes.’” 5:23 Naaman said, “Please accept two talents of silver. ²⁷⁶⁰  He insisted, and tied up two talents of silver in two bags, along with two suits of clothes. He gave them to two of his servants and they carried them for Gehazi. ²⁷⁶¹  5:24 When he arrived at the hill, he took them from the servants ²⁷⁶²  and put them in the house. Then he sent the men on their way. ²⁷⁶³ 

5:25 When he came and stood before his master, Elisha asked him, “Where have you been, Gehazi?” He answered, “Your servant hasn’t been anywhere.” 5:26 Elisha ²⁷⁶⁴  replied, “I was there in spirit when a man turned and got down from his chariot to meet you. ²⁷⁶⁵  This is not the proper time to accept silver or to accept clothes, olive groves, vineyards, sheep, cattle, and male and female servants. ²⁷⁶⁶  5:27 Therefore Naaman’s skin disease will afflict ²⁷⁶⁷  you and your descendants forever!” When Gehazi ²⁷⁶⁸  went out from his presence, his skin was as white as snow. ²⁷⁶⁹ 

6:1 Some of the prophets ²⁷⁷⁰  said to Elisha, “Look, the place where we meet with you ²⁷⁷¹  is too cramped ²⁷⁷²  for us. 6:2 Let’s go to the Jordan. Each of us will get a log from there and we will build a meeting place for ourselves there.” He said, “Go.” 6:3 One of them said, “Please come along with your servants.” He replied, “All right, I’ll come.” 6:4 So he went with them. When they arrived at the Jordan, they started cutting down trees. 6:5 As one of them was felling a log, the ax head ²⁷⁷³  dropped into the water. He shouted, “Oh no, ²⁷⁷⁴  my master! It was borrowed!” 6:6 The prophet ²⁷⁷⁵  asked, “Where did it drop in?” When he showed him the spot, Elisha ²⁷⁷⁶  cut off a branch, threw it in at that spot, and made the ax head float. 6:7 He said, “Lift it out.” So he reached out his hand and grabbed it.

6:8 Now the king of Syria was at war with Israel. He consulted his advisers, who said, “Invade ²⁷⁷⁷  at such and such ²⁷⁷⁸  a place.” 6:9 But the prophet sent this message to the king of Israel, “Make sure you don’t pass through this place because Syria is invading there.” 6:10 So the king of Israel sent a message to the place the prophet had pointed out, warning it ²⁷⁷⁹  to be on its guard. This happened on several occasions. ²⁷⁸⁰  6:11 This made the king of Syria upset. ²⁷⁸¹  So he summoned his advisers ²⁷⁸²  and said to them, “One of us must be helping the king of Israel.” ²⁷⁸³  6:12 One of his advisers said, “No, my master, O king. The prophet Elisha who lives in Israel keeps telling the king of Israel the things you say in your bedroom.” 6:13 The king ²⁷⁸⁴  ordered, “Go, find out where he is, so I can send some men to capture him.” ²⁷⁸⁵  The king was told, “He is in Dothan.” 6:14 So he sent horses and chariots there, along with a good-sized army. ²⁷⁸⁶  They arrived during the night and surrounded the city.

6:15 The prophet’s ²⁷⁸⁷  attendant got up early in the morning. When he went outside there was an army surrounding the city, along with horses and chariots. He said to Elisha, ²⁷⁸⁸  “Oh no, my master! What will we do?” 6:16 He replied, “Don’t be afraid, for our side outnumbers them.” ²⁷⁸⁹  6:17 Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes so he can see.” The Lord opened the servant’s eyes and he saw that ²⁷⁹⁰  the hill was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 6:18 As they approached him, ²⁷⁹¹  Elisha prayed to the Lord, “Strike these people ²⁷⁹²  with blindness.” ²⁷⁹³  The Lord ²⁷⁹⁴  struck them with blindness as Elisha requested. ²⁷⁹⁵  6:19 Then Elisha said to them, “This is not the right road or city. Follow me, and I will lead you to the man you’re looking for.” He led them to Samaria. ²⁷⁹⁶ 

6:20 When they had entered Samaria, Elisha said, “O Lord, open their eyes, so they can see.” The Lord opened their eyes and they saw that they were in the middle of Samaria. ²⁷⁹⁷  6:21 When the king of Israel saw them, he asked Elisha, “Should I strike them down, ²⁷⁹⁸  my master?” ²⁷⁹⁹  6:22 He replied, “Do not strike them down! You did not capture them with your sword or bow, so what gives you the right to strike them down? ²⁸⁰⁰  Give them some food and water, so they can eat and drink and then go back to their master.” 6:23 So he threw a big banquet ²⁸⁰¹  for them and they ate and drank. Then he sent them back ²⁸⁰²  to their master. After that no Syrian raiding parties again invaded the land of Israel.

6:24 Later King Ben Hadad of Syria assembled his entire army and attacked ²⁸⁰³  and besieged Samaria. ²⁸⁰⁴  6:25 Samaria’s food supply ran out. ²⁸⁰⁵  They laid siege to it so long that ²⁸⁰⁶  a donkey’s head was selling for eighty shekels of silver ²⁸⁰⁷  and a quarter of a kab ²⁸⁰⁸  of dove’s droppings ²⁸⁰⁹  for five shekels of silver. ²⁸¹⁰ 

6:26 While the king of Israel was passing by on the city wall, a woman shouted to him, “Help us, my master, O king!” 6:27 He replied, “No, let the Lord help you. How can I help you? The threshing floor and winepress are empty.” ²⁸¹¹  6:28 Then the king asked her, “What’s your problem?” She answered, “This woman said to me, ‘Hand over your son; we’ll eat him today and then eat my son tomorrow.’ 6:29 So we boiled my son and ate him. Then I said to her the next day, ‘Hand over your son and we’ll eat him.’ But she hid her son!” 6:30 When the king heard what the woman said, he tore his clothes. As he was passing by on the wall, the people could see he was wearing sackcloth under his clothes. ²⁸¹²  6:31 Then he said, “May God judge me severely ²⁸¹³  if Elisha son of Shaphat still has his head by the end of the day!” ²⁸¹⁴ 

6:32 Now Elisha was sitting in his house with the community leaders. ²⁸¹⁵  The king ²⁸¹⁶  sent a messenger on ahead, but before he arrived, ²⁸¹⁷  Elisha ²⁸¹⁸  said to the leaders, ²⁸¹⁹  “Do you realize this assassin intends to cut off my head?” ²⁸²⁰  Look, when the messenger arrives, shut the door and lean against it. His master will certainly be right behind him.” ²⁸²¹  6:33 He was still talking to them when ²⁸²²  the messenger approached ²⁸²³  and said, “Look, the Lord is responsible for this disaster! ²⁸²⁴  Why should I continue to wait for the Lord to help?” 7:1 Elisha replied, “Hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Lord says, ‘About this time tomorrow a seah ²⁸²⁵  of finely milled flour will sell for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria.’” 7:2 An officer who was the king’s right-hand man ²⁸²⁶  responded to the prophet, ²⁸²⁷  “Look, even if the Lord made it rain by opening holes in the sky, could this happen so soon?” ²⁸²⁸  Elisha ²⁸²⁹  said, “Look, you will see it happen with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of the food!” ²⁸³⁰ 

7:3 Now four men with a skin disease ²⁸³¹  were sitting at the entrance of the city gate. They said to one another, “Why are we just sitting here waiting to die? ²⁸³²  7:4 If we go into the city, we’ll die of starvation, ²⁸³³  and if we stay here we’ll die! So come on, let’s defect ²⁸³⁴  to the Syrian camp! If they spare us, ²⁸³⁵  we’ll live; if they kill us – well, we were going to die anyway.” ²⁸³⁶  7:5 So they started toward ²⁸³⁷  the Syrian camp at dusk. When they reached the edge of the Syrian camp, there was no one there. 7:6 The Lord had caused the Syrian camp to hear the sound of chariots and horses and a large army. Then they said to one another, “Look, the king of Israel has paid the kings of the Hittites and Egypt to attack us!” 7:7 So they got up and fled at dusk, leaving behind their tents, horses, and donkeys. They left the camp as it was and ran for their lives. 7:8 When the men with a skin disease reached the edge of the camp, they entered a tent and had a meal. ²⁸³⁸  They also took some silver, gold, and clothes and went and hid it all. ²⁸³⁹  Then they went back and entered another tent. They looted it ²⁸⁴⁰  and went and hid what they had taken. 7:9 Then they said to one another, “It’s not right what we’re doing! This is a day to celebrate, but we haven’t told anyone. ²⁸⁴¹  If we wait until dawn, ²⁸⁴²  we’ll be punished. ²⁸⁴³  So come on, let’s go and inform the royal palace.” 7:10 So they went and called out to the gatekeepers ²⁸⁴⁴  of the city. They told them, “We entered the Syrian camp and there was no one there. We didn’t even hear a man’s voice. ²⁸⁴⁵  But the horses and donkeys are still tied up, and the tents remain up.” ²⁸⁴⁶  7:11 The gatekeepers relayed the news to the royal palace. ²⁸⁴⁷ 

7:12 The king got up in the night and said to his advisers, ²⁸⁴⁸  “I will tell you what the Syrians have done to us. They know we are starving, so they left the camp and hid in the field, thinking, ‘When they come out of the city, we will capture them alive and enter the city.’” 7:13 One of his advisers replied, “Pick some men and have them take five of the horses that are left in the city. (Even if they are killed, their fate will be no different than that of all the Israelite people – we’re all going to die!) ²⁸⁴⁹  Let’s send them out so we can know for sure what’s going on.” ²⁸⁵⁰  7:14 So they picked two horsemen and the king sent them out to track the Syrian army. ²⁸⁵¹  He ordered them, “Go and find out what’s going on.” ²⁸⁵²  7:15 So they tracked them ²⁸⁵³  as far as the Jordan. The road was filled with clothes and equipment that the Syrians had discarded in their haste. ²⁸⁵⁴  The scouts ²⁸⁵⁵  went back and told the king. 7:16 Then the people went out and looted the Syrian camp. A seah ²⁸⁵⁶  of finely milled flour sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, just as the Lord had said they would. ²⁸⁵⁷ 

7:17 Now the king had placed the officer who was his right-hand man ²⁸⁵⁸  at the city gate. When the people rushed out, they trampled him to death in the gate. ²⁸⁵⁹  This fulfilled the prophet’s word which he had spoken when the king tried to arrest him. ²⁸⁶⁰  7:18 The prophet told the king, “Two seahs of barley will sell for a shekel, and a seah of finely milled flour for a shekel; this will happen about this time tomorrow in the gate of Samaria.” 7:19 But the officer replied to the prophet, “Look, even if the Lord made it rain by opening holes in the sky, could this happen so soon?” ²⁸⁶¹  Elisha ²⁸⁶²  said, “Look, you will see it happen with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of the food!” ²⁸⁶³  7:20 This is exactly what happened to him. The people trampled him to death in the city gate.

8:1 Now Elisha advised the woman whose son he had brought back to life, “You and your family should go and live somewhere else for a while, ²⁸⁶⁴  for the Lord has decreed that a famine will overtake the land for seven years.” 8:2 So the woman did as the prophet said. ²⁸⁶⁵  She and her family went and lived in the land of the Philistines for seven years. 8:3 After seven years the woman returned from the land of the Philistines and went to ask the king to give her back her house and field. ²⁸⁶⁶  8:4 Now the king was talking to Gehazi, the prophet’s ²⁸⁶⁷  servant, and said, “Tell me all the great things which Elisha has done.” 8:5 While Gehazi ²⁸⁶⁸  was telling the king how Elisha ²⁸⁶⁹  had brought the dead back to life, the woman whose son he had brought back to life came to ask the king for her house and field. ²⁸⁷⁰  Gehazi said, “My master, O king, this is the very woman and this is her son whom Elisha brought back to life!” 8:6 The king asked the woman about it, and she gave him the details. ²⁸⁷¹  The king assigned a eunuch to take care of her request and ordered him, ²⁸⁷²  “Give her back everything she owns, as well as the amount of crops her field produced from the day she left the land until now.”

8:7 Elisha traveled to Damascus while King Ben Hadad of Syria was sick. The king ²⁸⁷³  was told, “The prophet ²⁸⁷⁴  has come here.” 8:8 So the king told Hazael, “Take a gift ²⁸⁷⁵  and go visit the prophet. Request from him an oracle from the Lord. Ask him, ²⁸⁷⁶  ‘Will I recover from this sickness?’” 8:9 So Hazael went to visit Elisha. ²⁸⁷⁷  He took along a gift, ²⁸⁷⁸  as well as ²⁸⁷⁹  forty camel loads of all the fine things of Damascus. When he arrived, he stood before him and said, “Your son, ²⁸⁸⁰  King Ben Hadad of Syria, has sent me to you with this question, ²⁸⁸¹  ‘Will I recover from this sickness?’” 8:10 Elisha said to him, “Go and tell him, ‘You will surely recover,’ ²⁸⁸²  but the Lord has revealed to me that he will surely die.” 8:11 Elisha ²⁸⁸³  just stared at him until Hazael became uncomfortable. ²⁸⁸⁴  Then the prophet started crying. 8:12 Hazael asked, “Why are you crying, my master?” He replied, “Because I know the trouble you will cause the Israelites. You will set fire to their fortresses, kill their young men with the sword, smash their children to bits, and rip open their pregnant women.” 8:13 Hazael said, “How could your servant, who is as insignificant as a dog, accomplish this great military victory?” ²⁸⁸⁵  Elisha answered, “The Lord has revealed to me that you will be the king of Syria.” ²⁸⁸⁶  8:14 He left Elisha and went to his master. Ben Hadad ²⁸⁸⁷  asked him, “What did Elisha tell you?” Hazael ²⁸⁸⁸  replied, “He told me you would surely recover.” 8:15 The next day Hazael ²⁸⁸⁹  took a piece of cloth, dipped it in water, and spread it over Ben Hadad’s ²⁸⁹⁰  face until he died. Then Hazael replaced him as king.

8:16 In the fifth year of the reign of Israel’s King Joram, son of Ahab, Jehoshaphat’s son Jehoram became king over Judah. ²⁸⁹¹  8:17 He was thirty-two years old when he became king and he reigned for eight years in Jerusalem. ²⁸⁹²  8:18 He followed in the footsteps of the kings of Israel, just as Ahab’s dynasty had done, for he married Ahab’s daughter. ²⁸⁹³  He did evil in the sight of ²⁸⁹⁴  the Lord. 8:19 But the Lord was unwilling to destroy Judah. He preserved Judah for the sake of ²⁸⁹⁵  his servant David to whom he had promised a perpetual dynasty. ²⁸⁹⁶ 

8:20 During his reign Edom freed themselves from Judah’s control and set up their own king. ²⁸⁹⁷  8:21 Joram ²⁸⁹⁸  crossed over to Zair with all his chariots. The Edomites, who had surrounded him, attacked at night and defeated him and his chariot officers. ²⁸⁹⁹  The Israelite army retreated to their homeland. ²⁹⁰⁰  8:22 So Edom has remained free from Judah’s control to this very day. ²⁹⁰¹  At that same time Libnah also rebelled.

8:23 The rest of the events of Joram’s reign, including a record of his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. ²⁹⁰²  8:24 Joram passed away ²⁹⁰³  and was buried with his ancestors in the city of David. His son Ahaziah replaced him as king.

8:25 In the twelfth year of the reign of Israel’s King Joram, son of Ahab, Jehoram’s son Ahaziah became king over Judah. 8:26 Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king and he reigned for one year in Jerusalem. ²⁹⁰⁴  His mother was Athaliah, the granddaughter ²⁹⁰⁵  of King Omri of Israel. 8:27 He followed in the footsteps of Ahab’s dynasty and did evil in the sight of ²⁹⁰⁶  the Lord, like Ahab’s dynasty, for he was related to Ahab’s family. ²⁹⁰⁷ 

8:28 He joined Ahab’s son Joram in a battle against King Hazael of Syria at Ramoth Gilead in which the Syrians defeated Joram. 8:29 King Joram returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds he received from the Syrians ²⁹⁰⁸  in Ramah when he fought against King Hazael of Syria. King Ahaziah son of Jehoram of Judah went down to visit ²⁹⁰⁹  Joram son of Ahab in Jezreel, for he was ill.

9:1 Now Elisha the prophet summoned a member of the prophetic guild ²⁹¹⁰  and told him, “Tuck your robes into your belt, take this container ²⁹¹¹  of olive oil in your hand, and go to Ramoth Gilead. 9:2 When you arrive there, look for Jehu son of Jehoshaphat son of Nimshi and take him aside into an inner room. ²⁹¹²  9:3 Take the container of olive oil, pour it over his head, and say, ‘This is what the Lord says, “I have designated ²⁹¹³  you as king over Israel.”’ Then open the door and run away quickly!” ²⁹¹⁴ 

9:4 So the young prophet ²⁹¹⁵  went to Ramoth Gilead. 9:5 When he arrived, the officers of the army were sitting there. ²⁹¹⁶  So he said, “I have a message for you, O officer.” ²⁹¹⁷  Jehu asked, “For which one of us?” ²⁹¹⁸  He replied, “For you, O officer.” 9:6 So Jehu ²⁹¹⁹  got up and went inside. Then the prophet ²⁹²⁰  poured the olive oil on his head and said to him, “This is what the Lord God of Israel says, ‘I have designated you as king over the Lord’s people Israel. 9:7 You will destroy the family of your master Ahab. ²⁹²¹  I will get revenge against Jezebel for the shed blood of my servants the prophets and for the shed blood of all the Lord’s servants. ²⁹²²  9:8 Ahab’s entire family will die. I ²⁹²³  will cut off every last male belonging to Ahab in Israel, including even the weak and incapacitated. ²⁹²⁴  9:9 I will make Ahab’s dynasty ²⁹²⁵  like those of Jeroboam son of Nebat and Baasha son of Ahijah. 9:10 Dogs will devour Jezebel on the plot of ground in Jezreel; she will not be buried.’” ²⁹²⁶  Then he opened the door and ran away.

9:11 When Jehu rejoined ²⁹²⁷  his master’s servants, they ²⁹²⁸  asked him, “Is everything all right? ²⁹²⁹  Why did this madman visit you?” He replied, “Ah, it’s not important. You know what kind of man he is and the kinds of things he says.” ²⁹³⁰  9:12 But they said, “You’re lying! Tell us what he said.” So he told them what he had said. He also related how he had said, ²⁹³¹  “This is what the Lord says, ‘I have designated you as king over Israel.’” 9:13 Each of them quickly took off his cloak and they spread them out at Jehu’s ²⁹³²  feet on the steps. ²⁹³³  The trumpet was blown ²⁹³⁴  and they shouted, “Jehu is ²⁹³⁵  king!” 9:14 Then Jehu son of Jehoshaphat son of Nimshi conspired against Joram.

Now Joram had been in Ramoth Gilead with the whole Israelite army, ²⁹³⁶  guarding against an invasion by King Hazael of Syria. 9:15 But King Joram had returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds he received from the Syrians ²⁹³⁷  when he fought against King Hazael of Syria. ²⁹³⁸  Jehu told his supporters, ²⁹³⁹  “If you really want me to be king, ²⁹⁴⁰  then don’t let anyone escape from the city to go and warn Jezreel.” 9:16 Jehu drove his chariot ²⁹⁴¹  to Jezreel, for Joram was recuperating ²⁹⁴²  there. (Now King Ahaziah of Judah had come down to visit ²⁹⁴³  Joram.)

9:17 Now the watchman was standing on the tower in Jezreel and saw Jehu’s troops approaching. ²⁹⁴⁴  He said, “I see troops!” ²⁹⁴⁵  Jehoram ordered, ²⁹⁴⁶  “Send a rider out to meet them and have him ask, ‘Is everything all right?’” ²⁹⁴⁷  9:18 So the horseman ²⁹⁴⁸  went to meet him and said, “This is what the king says, ‘Is everything all right?’” ²⁹⁴⁹  Jehu replied, “None of your business! ²⁹⁵⁰  Follow me.” The watchman reported, “The messenger reached them, but hasn’t started back.” 9:19 So he sent a second horseman out to them ²⁹⁵¹  and he said, “This is what the king says, ‘Is everything all right?’” ²⁹⁵²  Jehu replied, “None of your business! Follow me.” 9:20 The watchman reported, “He reached them, but hasn’t started back. The one who drives the lead chariot drives like Jehu son of Nimshi; ²⁹⁵³  he drives recklessly.” 9:21 Jehoram ordered, “Hitch up my chariot.” ²⁹⁵⁴  When his chariot had been hitched up, ²⁹⁵⁵  King Jehoram of Israel and King Ahaziah of Judah went out in their respective chariots ²⁹⁵⁶  to meet Jehu. They met up with him ²⁹⁵⁷  in the plot of land that had once belonged to Naboth of Jezreel.

9:22 When Jehoram saw Jehu, he asked, “Is everything all right, Jehu?” He replied, “How can everything be all right as long as your mother Jezebel promotes idolatry and pagan practices?” ²⁹⁵⁸  9:23 Jehoram turned his chariot around and took off. ²⁹⁵⁹  He said to Ahaziah, “It’s a trap, ²⁹⁶⁰  Ahaziah!” 9:24 Jehu aimed his bow and shot an arrow right between Jehoram’s shoulders. ²⁹⁶¹  The arrow went through ²⁹⁶²  his heart and he fell to his knees in his chariot. 9:25 Jehu ordered ²⁹⁶³  his officer Bidkar, “Pick him up and throw him into the part of the field that once belonged to Naboth of Jezreel. Remember, you and I were riding together behind his father Ahab, when the Lord pronounced this judgment on him, 9:26 ‘“Know for sure that I saw the shed blood of Naboth and his sons yesterday,” says the Lord, “and that I will give you what you deserve right here in this plot of land,” ²⁹⁶⁴  says the Lord.’ So now pick him up and throw him into this plot of land, just as the Lord said.” ²⁹⁶⁵ 

9:27 When King Ahaziah of Judah saw what happened, he took off ²⁹⁶⁶  up the road to Beth Haggan. Jehu chased him and ordered, “Shoot him too.” They shot him while he was driving his chariot up the ascent of Gur near Ibleam. ²⁹⁶⁷  He fled to Megiddo ²⁹⁶⁸  and died there. 9:28 His servants took his body ²⁹⁶⁹  back to Jerusalem ²⁹⁷⁰  and buried him in his tomb with his ancestors in the city of David. 9:29 Ahaziah had become king over Judah in the eleventh year of Joram son of Ahab.

9:30 Jehu approached Jezreel. When Jezebel heard the news, she put on some eye liner, ²⁹⁷¹  fixed up her hair, and leaned out the window. 9:31 When Jehu came through the gate, she said, “Is everything all right, Zimri, murderer of his master?” ²⁹⁷²  9:32 He looked up at the window and said, “Who is on my side? Who?” Two or three ²⁹⁷³  eunuchs looked down at him. 9:33 He said, “Throw her down!” So they threw her down, and when she hit the ground, ²⁹⁷⁴  her blood splattered against the wall and the horses, and Jehu drove his chariot over her. ²⁹⁷⁵  9:34 He went inside and had a meal. ²⁹⁷⁶  Then he said, “Dispose of this accursed woman’s corpse. Bury her, for after all, she was a king’s daughter.” ²⁹⁷⁷  9:35 But when they went to bury her, they found nothing left but ²⁹⁷⁸  the skull, feet, and palms of the hands. 9:36 When they went back and told him, he said, “The Lord’s word through his servant, Elijah the Tishbite, has come to pass. He warned, ²⁹⁷⁹  ‘In the plot of land at Jezreel, dogs will devour Jezebel’s flesh. 9:37 Jezebel’s corpse will be like manure on the surface of the ground in the plot of land at Jezreel. People will not be able to even recognize her.’” ²⁹⁸⁰ 

10:1 Ahab had seventy sons living in Samaria. ²⁹⁸¹  So Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria to the leading officials of Jezreel and to the guardians of Ahab’s dynasty. This is what the letters said, ²⁹⁸²  10:2 “You have with you the sons of your master, chariots and horses, a fortified city, and weapons. So when this letter arrives, ²⁹⁸³  10:3 pick the best and most capable ²⁹⁸⁴  of your master’s sons, place him on his father’s throne, and defend ²⁹⁸⁵  your master’s dynasty.”

10:4 They were absolutely terrified ²⁹⁸⁶  and said, “Look, two kings could not stop him! ²⁹⁸⁷  How can we?” ²⁹⁸⁸  10:5 So the palace supervisor, ²⁹⁸⁹  the city commissioner, ²⁹⁹⁰  the leaders, ²⁹⁹¹  and the guardians sent this message to Jehu, “We are your subjects! ²⁹⁹²  Whatever you say, we will do. We will not make anyone king. Do what you consider proper.” ²⁹⁹³ 

10:6 He wrote them a second letter, saying, “If you are really on my side and are willing to obey me, ²⁹⁹⁴  then take the heads of your master’s sons and come to me in Jezreel at this time tomorrow.” ²⁹⁹⁵  Now the king had seventy sons, and the prominent ²⁹⁹⁶  men of the city were raising them. 10:7 When they received the letter, they seized the king’s sons and executed all seventy of them. ²⁹⁹⁷  They put their heads in baskets and sent them to him in Jezreel. 10:8 The messenger came and told Jehu, ²⁹⁹⁸  “They have brought the heads of the king’s sons.” Jehu ²⁹⁹⁹  said, “Stack them in two piles at the entrance of the city gate until morning.” 10:9 In the morning he went out and stood there. Then he said to all the people, “You are innocent. I conspired against my master and killed him. But who struck down all of these men? 10:10 Therefore take note that not one of the judgments the Lord announced against Ahab’s dynasty has failed to materialize. The Lord had done what he announced through his servant Elijah.” ³⁰⁰⁰  10:11 Then Jehu killed all who were left of Ahab’s family in Jezreel, and all his nobles, close friends, and priests. He left no survivors.

10:12 Jehu then left there and set out for Samaria. ³⁰⁰¹  While he was traveling through Beth Eked of the Shepherds, 10:13 Jehu encountered ³⁰⁰²  the relatives ³⁰⁰³  of King Ahaziah of Judah. He asked, “Who are you?” They replied, “We are Ahaziah’s relatives. We have come down to see how ³⁰⁰⁴  the king’s sons and the queen mother’s sons are doing.” 10:14 He said, “Capture them alive!” So they captured them alive and then executed all forty-two of them in the cistern at Beth Eked. He left no survivors.

10:15 When he left there, he met ³⁰⁰⁵  Jehonadab, son of Rekab, who had been looking for him. ³⁰⁰⁶  Jehu greeted him and asked, ³⁰⁰⁷  “Are you as committed to me as I am to you?” ³⁰⁰⁸  Jehonadab answered, “I am!” Jehu replied, “If so, give me your hand.” ³⁰⁰⁹  So he offered his hand and Jehu ³⁰¹⁰  pulled him up into the chariot. 10:16 Jehu ³⁰¹¹  said, “Come with me and see how zealous I am for the Lord’s cause.” ³⁰¹²  So he ³⁰¹³  took him along in his chariot. 10:17 He went to Samaria and exterminated all the members of Ahab’s family who were still alive in Samaria, ³⁰¹⁴  just as the Lord had announced to Elijah. ³⁰¹⁵ 

10:18 Jehu assembled all the people and said to them, “Ahab worshiped ³⁰¹⁶  Baal a little; Jehu will worship ³⁰¹⁷  him with great devotion. ³⁰¹⁸  10:19 So now, bring to me all the prophets of Baal, as well as all his servants and priests. ³⁰¹⁹  None of them must be absent, for I am offering a great sacrifice to Baal. Any of them who fail to appear will lose their lives.” But Jehu was tricking them ³⁰²⁰  so he could destroy the servants of Baal. 10:20 Then Jehu ordered, “Make arrangements for ³⁰²¹  a celebration for Baal.” So they announced it. 10:21 Jehu sent invitations throughout Israel, and all the servants of Baal came; not one was absent. They arrived at the temple of Baal and filled it up from end to end. ³⁰²²  10:22 Jehu ordered the one who was in charge of the wardrobe, ³⁰²³  “Bring out robes for all the servants of Baal.” So he brought out robes for them. 10:23 Then Jehu and Jehonadab son of Rekab went to the temple of Baal. Jehu ³⁰²⁴  said to the servants of Baal, “Make sure there are no servants of the Lord here with you; there must be only servants of Baal.” ³⁰²⁵  10:24 They went inside to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had stationed eighty men outside. He had told them, “If any of the men inside get away, you will pay with your lives!” ³⁰²⁶ 

10:25 When he finished offering the burnt sacrifice, Jehu ordered the royal guard ³⁰²⁷  and officers, “Come in and strike them down! Don’t let any escape!” So the royal guard and officers struck them down with the sword and left their bodies lying there. ³⁰²⁸  Then they entered the inner sanctuary of the temple of Baal. ³⁰²⁹  10:26 They hauled out the sacred pillar of the temple of Baal and burned it. 10:27 They demolished ³⁰³⁰  the sacred pillar of Baal and ³⁰³¹  the temple of Baal; it is used as ³⁰³²  a latrine ³⁰³³  to this very day. 10:28 So Jehu eradicated Baal worship ³⁰³⁴  from Israel.

10:29 However, Jehu did not repudiate the sins which Jeroboam son of Nebat had encouraged Israel to commit; the golden calves remained in Bethel ³⁰³⁵  and Dan. ³⁰³⁶  10:30 The Lord said to Jehu, “You have done well. You have accomplished my will and carried out my wishes with regard to Ahab’s dynasty. Therefore four generations of your descendants will rule over Israel.” ³⁰³⁷  10:31 But Jehu did not carefully and wholeheartedly obey the law of the Lord God of Israel. ³⁰³⁸  He did not repudiate the sins which Jeroboam had encouraged Israel to commit. ³⁰³⁹ 

10:32 In those days the Lord began to reduce the size of Israel’s territory. ³⁰⁴⁰  Hazael attacked their eastern border. ³⁰⁴¹  10:33 He conquered all the land of Gilead, including the territory of Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh, extending all the way from the Aroer in the Arnon Valley through Gilead to Bashan. ³⁰⁴² 

10:34 The rest of the events of Jehu’s reign, including all his accomplishments and successes, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. ³⁰⁴³  10:35 Jehu passed away ³⁰⁴⁴  and was buried in Samaria. ³⁰⁴⁵  His son Jehoahaz replaced him as king. 10:36 Jehu reigned over Israel for twenty-eight years in Samaria.

11:1 When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she was determined to destroy the entire royal line. ³⁰⁴⁶  11:2 So Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram and sister of Ahaziah, took Ahaziah’s son Joash and sneaked ³⁰⁴⁷  him away from the rest of the royal descendants who were to be executed. She hid him and his nurse in the room where the bed covers were stored. ³⁰⁴⁸  So he was hidden from Athaliah and escaped execution. ³⁰⁴⁹  11:3 He hid out with his nurse in the Lord’s temple ³⁰⁵⁰  for six years, while Athaliah was ruling over the land.

11:4 In the seventh year Jehoiada summoned ³⁰⁵¹  the officers of the units of hundreds of the Carians ³⁰⁵²  and the royal bodyguard. ³⁰⁵³  He met with them ³⁰⁵⁴  in the Lord’s temple. He made an agreement ³⁰⁵⁵  with them and made them swear an oath of allegiance in the Lord’s temple. Then he showed them the king’s son. 11:5 He ordered them, “This is what you must do. One third of the unit that is on duty during the Sabbath will guard the royal palace. 11:6 Another third of you will be stationed at the Foundation ³⁰⁵⁶  Gate. Still another third of you will be stationed at the gate behind the royal guard. ³⁰⁵⁷  You will take turns guarding the palace. ³⁰⁵⁸  11:7 The two units who are off duty on the Sabbath will guard the Lord’s temple and protect the king. ³⁰⁵⁹  11:8 You must surround the king. Each of you must hold his weapon in his hand. Whoever approaches your ranks must be killed. You must accompany the king wherever he goes.” ³⁰⁶⁰ 

11:9 The officers of the units of hundreds did just as ³⁰⁶¹  Jehoiada the priest ordered. Each of them took his men, those who were on duty during the Sabbath as well as those who were off duty on the Sabbath, and reported ³⁰⁶²  to Jehoiada the priest. 11:10 The priest gave to the officers of the units of hundreds King David’s spears and the shields that were kept in the Lord’s temple. 11:11 The royal bodyguard ³⁰⁶³  took their stations, each holding his weapon in his hand. They lined up from the south side of the temple to the north side and stood near the altar and the temple, surrounding the king. ³⁰⁶⁴  11:12 Jehoiada ³⁰⁶⁵  led out the king’s son and placed on him the crown and the royal insignia. ³⁰⁶⁶  They proclaimed him king and poured olive oil on his head. ³⁰⁶⁷  They clapped their hands and cried out, “Long live the king!”

11:13 When Athaliah heard the royal guard ³⁰⁶⁸  shout, she joined the crowd ³⁰⁶⁹  at the Lord’s temple. 11:14 Then she saw ³⁰⁷⁰  the king standing by the pillar, according to custom. The officers stood beside the king with their trumpets and all the people of the land were celebrating and blowing trumpets. Athaliah tore her clothes and screamed, “Treason, treason!” ³⁰⁷¹  11:15 Jehoiada the priest ordered the officers of the units of hundreds, who were in charge of the army, ³⁰⁷²  “Bring her outside the temple to the guards. ³⁰⁷³  Put the sword to anyone who follows her.” The priest gave this order because he had decided she should not be executed in the Lord’s temple. ³⁰⁷⁴  11:16 They seized her and took her into the precincts of the royal palace through the horses’ entrance. ³⁰⁷⁵  There she was executed.

11:17 Jehoiada then drew up a covenant between the Lord and the king and people, stipulating that they should be loyal to the Lord. ³⁰⁷⁶  11:18 All the people of the land went and demolished ³⁰⁷⁷  the temple of Baal. They smashed its altars and idols ³⁰⁷⁸  to bits. ³⁰⁷⁹  They killed Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altar. Jehoiada the priest ³⁰⁸⁰  then placed guards at the Lord’s temple. 11:19 He took the officers of the units of hundreds, the Carians, the royal bodyguard, and all the people of land, and together they led the king down from the Lord’s temple. They entered the royal palace through the Gate of the Royal Bodyguard, ³⁰⁸¹  and the king ³⁰⁸²  sat down on the royal throne. 11:20 All the people of the land celebrated, for the city had rest now that they had killed Athaliah with the sword in the royal palace.

11:21 (12:1) ³⁰⁸³  Jehoash ³⁰⁸⁴  was seven years old when he began to reign. 12:1 (12:2) In Jehu’s seventh year Jehoash became king; he reigned for forty years in Jerusalem. ³⁰⁸⁵  His mother was Zibiah, who was from Beer Sheba. 12:2 Throughout his lifetime Jehoash did what the Lord approved, ³⁰⁸⁶  just as ³⁰⁸⁷  Jehoiada the priest taught him. 12:3 But the high places were not eliminated; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense on the high places.

12:4 Jehoash said to the priests, “I place at your disposal ³⁰⁸⁸  all the consecrated silver that has been brought to the Lord’s temple, including the silver collected from the census tax, ³⁰⁸⁹  the silver received from those who have made vows, ³⁰⁹⁰  and all the silver that people have voluntarily contributed to the Lord’s temple. ³⁰⁹¹  12:5 The priests should receive the silver they need from the treasurers and repair any damage to the temple they discover.” ³⁰⁹² 

12:6 By the twenty-third year of King Jehoash’s reign the priests had still not repaired the damage to the temple. 12:7 So King Jehoash summoned Jehoiada the priest along with the other priests, and said to them, “Why have you not repaired the damage to the temple? Now, take no more silver from your treasurers unless you intend to use it to repair the damage.” ³⁰⁹³  12:8 The priests agreed ³⁰⁹⁴  not to collect silver from the people and relieved themselves of personal responsibility for the temple repairs. ³⁰⁹⁵ 

12:9 Jehoiada the priest took a chest and drilled a hole in its lid. He placed it on the right side of the altar near the entrance of ³⁰⁹⁶  the Lord’s temple. The priests who guarded the entrance would put into it all the silver brought to the Lord’s temple. 12:10 When they saw the chest was full of silver, the royal secretary ³⁰⁹⁷  and the high priest counted the silver that had been brought to the Lord’s temple and bagged it up. ³⁰⁹⁸  12:11 They would then hand over ³⁰⁹⁹  the silver that had been weighed to the construction foremen ³¹⁰⁰  assigned to the Lord’s temple. They hired carpenters and builders to work on the Lord’s temple, 12:12 as well as masons and stonecutters. They bought wood and chiseled stone to repair the damage to the Lord’s temple and also paid for all the other expenses. ³¹⁰¹  12:13 The silver brought to the Lord’s temple was not used for silver bowls, trimming shears, basins, trumpets, or any kind of gold or silver implements. 12:14 It was handed over ³¹⁰²  to the foremen who used it to repair the Lord’s temple. 12:15 They did not audit the treasurers who disbursed ³¹⁰³  the funds to the foremen, for they were honest. ³¹⁰⁴  12:16 (The silver collected in conjunction with reparation offerings and sin offerings was not brought to the Lord’s temple; it belonged to the priests.)

12:17 At that time King Hazael of Syria attacked ³¹⁰⁵  Gath and captured it. Hazael then decided to attack Jerusalem. ³¹⁰⁶  12:18 King Jehoash of Judah collected all the sacred items that his ancestors Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah, kings of Judah, had consecrated, as well as his own sacred items and all the gold that could be found in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and the royal palace. He sent it all ³¹⁰⁷  to King Hazael of Syria, who then withdrew ³¹⁰⁸  from Jerusalem.

12:19 The rest of the events of Joash’s reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. ³¹⁰⁹  12:20 His servants conspired against him ³¹¹⁰  and murdered Joash at Beth-Millo, on the road that goes down to Silla. ³¹¹¹  12:21 His servants Jozabad son of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer murdered him. ³¹¹²  He was buried ³¹¹³  with his ancestors in the city of David. His son Amaziah replaced him as king.

13:1 In the twenty-third year of the reign of Judah’s King Joash son of Ahaziah, Jehu’s son Jehoahaz became king over Israel. He reigned in Samaria ³¹¹⁴  for seventeen years. 13:2 He did evil in the sight of ³¹¹⁵  the Lord. He continued in ³¹¹⁶  the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat who had encouraged Israel to sin; he did not repudiate those sins. ³¹¹⁷  13:3 The Lord was furious with ³¹¹⁸  Israel and handed them over to ³¹¹⁹  King Hazael of Syria and to Hazael’s son Ben Hadad for many years. ³¹²⁰ 

13:4 Jehoahaz asked for the Lord’s mercy ³¹²¹  and the Lord responded favorably, ³¹²²  for he saw that Israel was oppressed by the king of Syria. ³¹²³  13:5 The Lord provided a deliverer ³¹²⁴  for Israel and they were freed from Syria’s power. ³¹²⁵  The Israelites once more lived in security. ³¹²⁶  13:6 But they did not repudiate ³¹²⁷  the sinful ways of the family ³¹²⁸  of Jeroboam, who encouraged Israel to sin; they continued in those sins. ³¹²⁹  There was even an Asherah pole ³¹³⁰  standing in Samaria. 13:7 Jehoahaz had no army left ³¹³¹  except for fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and 10,000 foot soldiers. The king of Syria had destroyed his troops ³¹³²  and trampled on them like dust. ³¹³³ 

13:8 The rest of the events of Jehoahaz’s reign, including all his accomplishments and successes, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. ³¹³⁴  13:9 Jehoahaz passed away ³¹³⁵  and was buried ³¹³⁶  in Samaria. His son Joash replaced him as king.

13:10 In the thirty-seventh year of King Joash’s reign over Judah, Jehoahaz’s son Jehoash became king over Israel. He reigned in Samaria ³¹³⁷  for sixteen years. 13:11 He did evil in the sight of ³¹³⁸  the Lord. He did not repudiate ³¹³⁹  the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat who encouraged Israel to sin; he continued in those sins. ³¹⁴⁰  13:12 The rest of the events of Joash’s ³¹⁴¹  reign, including all his accomplishments and his successful war with King Amaziah of Judah, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. ³¹⁴²  13:13 Joash passed away ³¹⁴³  and Jeroboam succeeded him on the throne. ³¹⁴⁴  Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.

13:14 Now Elisha had a terminal illness. ³¹⁴⁵  King Joash of Israel went down to visit him. ³¹⁴⁶  He wept before him and said, “My father, my father! The chariot ³¹⁴⁷  and horsemen of Israel!” ³¹⁴⁸  13:15 Elisha told him, “Take a bow and some arrows,” and he did so. ³¹⁴⁹  13:16 Then Elisha ³¹⁵⁰  told the king of Israel, “Aim the bow.” ³¹⁵¹  He did so, ³¹⁵²  and Elisha placed his hands on the king’s hands. 13:17 Elisha ³¹⁵³  said, “Open the east window,” and he did so. ³¹⁵⁴  Elisha said, “Shoot!” and

he did so. ³¹⁵⁵  Elisha ³¹⁵⁶  said, “This arrow symbolizes the victory the Lord will give you over Syria. ³¹⁵⁷  You will annihilate Syria in Aphek!” ³¹⁵⁸  13:18 Then Elisha ³¹⁵⁹  said, “Take the arrows,” and he did so. ³¹⁶⁰  He told the king of Israel, “Strike the ground!” He struck the ground three times and stopped. 13:19 The prophet ³¹⁶¹  got angry at him and said, “If you had struck the ground five or six times, you would have annihilated Syria! ³¹⁶²  But now, you will defeat Syria only three times.”

13:20 Elisha died and was buried. ³¹⁶³  Moabite raiding parties invaded ³¹⁶⁴  the land at the beginning of the year. ³¹⁶⁵  13:21 One day some men ³¹⁶⁶  were burying a man when they spotted ³¹⁶⁷  a raiding party. So they threw the dead man ³¹⁶⁸  into Elisha’s tomb. When the body ³¹⁶⁹  touched Elisha’s bones, the dead man ³¹⁷⁰  came to life and stood on his feet.

13:22 Now King Hazael of Syria oppressed Israel throughout Jehoahaz’s reign. ³¹⁷¹  13:23 But the Lord had mercy on them and felt pity for them. ³¹⁷²  He extended his favor to them ³¹⁷³  because of the promise he had made ³¹⁷⁴  to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He has been unwilling to destroy them or remove them from his presence to this very day. ³¹⁷⁵  13:24 When King Hazael of Syria died, his son Ben Hadad replaced him as king. 13:25 Jehoahaz’s son Jehoash took back from ³¹⁷⁶  Ben Hadad son of Hazael the cities that he had taken from his father Jehoahaz in war. Joash defeated him three times and recovered the Israelite cities.

14:1 In the second year of the reign of Israel’s King Joash son of Joahaz, ³¹⁷⁷  Joash’s ³¹⁷⁸  son Amaziah became king over Judah. 14:2 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. ³¹⁷⁹  His mother ³¹⁸⁰  was Jehoaddan, who was from Jerusalem. 14:3 He did what the Lord approved, ³¹⁸¹  but not like David his father. He followed the example of his father Joash. ³¹⁸²  14:4 But the high places were not eliminated; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense on the high places.

14:5 When he had secured control of the kingdom, ³¹⁸³  he executed the servants who had assassinated his father. ³¹⁸⁴  14:6 But he did not execute the sons of the assassins. He obeyed the Lord’s commandment as recorded in the law scroll of Moses, ³¹⁸⁵  “Fathers must not be put to death for what their sons do, ³¹⁸⁶  and sons must not be put to death for what their fathers do. ³¹⁸⁷  A man must be put to death only for his own sin.” ³¹⁸⁸ 

14:7 He defeated ³¹⁸⁹  10,000 Edomites in the Salt Valley; he captured Sela in battle and renamed it Joktheel, a name it has retained to this very day. 14:8 Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of Israel. He said, “Come, let’s meet face to face.” ³¹⁹⁰  14:9 King Jehoash of Israel sent this message back to King Amaziah of Judah, “A thornbush in Lebanon sent this message to a cedar in Lebanon, ‘Give your daughter to my son as a wife.’ Then a wild animal ³¹⁹¹  of Lebanon came by and trampled down the thorn. ³¹⁹²  14:10 You thoroughly defeated Edom ³¹⁹³  and it has gone to your head! ³¹⁹⁴  Gloat over your success, ³¹⁹⁵  but stay in your palace. Why bring calamity on yourself? Why bring down yourself and Judah along with you?” ³¹⁹⁶  14:11 But Amaziah would not heed the warning, ³¹⁹⁷  so King Jehoash of Israel attacked. ³¹⁹⁸  He and King Amaziah of Judah met face to face ³¹⁹⁹  in Beth Shemesh of Judah. 14:12 Judah was defeated by Israel, and each man ran back home. ³²⁰⁰  14:13 King Jehoash of Israel captured King Amaziah of Judah, son of Jehoash son of Ahaziah, in Beth Shemesh. He ³²⁰¹  attacked ³²⁰²  Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate – a distance of about six hundred feet. ³²⁰³  14:14 He took away all the gold and silver, all the items found in the Lord’s temple and in the treasuries of the royal palace, and some hostages. ³²⁰⁴  Then he went back to Samaria. ³²⁰⁵ 

( 14:15 The rest of the events of Jehoash’s ³²⁰⁶  reign, including all his accomplishments and his successful war with King Amaziah of Judah, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. ³²⁰⁷  14:16 Jehoash passed away ³²⁰⁸  and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. His son Jeroboam replaced him as king.)

14:17 King Amaziah son of Joash of Judah lived for fifteen years after the death of King Jehoash son of Jehoahaz of Israel. 14:18 The rest of the events of Amaziah’s reign are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. ³²⁰⁹  14:19 Conspirators plotted against him in Jerusalem, ³²¹⁰  so he fled to Lachish. But they sent assassins after him ³²¹¹  and they killed him there. 14:20 His body was carried back by horses ³²¹²  and he was buried in Jerusalem with his ancestors in the city of David. 14:21 All the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in his father Amaziah’s place. 14:22 Azariah ³²¹³  built up Elat and restored it to Judah after the king ³²¹⁴  had passed away. ³²¹⁵ 

14:23 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Judah’s King Amaziah, son of Joash, Jeroboam son of Joash became king over Israel. He reigned for forty-one years in Samaria. ³²¹⁶  14:24 He did evil in the sight of ³²¹⁷  the Lord; he did not repudiate ³²¹⁸  the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat who encouraged Israel to sin. 14:25 He restored the border of Israel from Lebo Hamath in the north to the sea of the Arabah in the south, ³²¹⁹  in accordance with the word of the Lord God of Israel announced through ³²²⁰  his servant Jonah son of Amittai, the prophet from Gath Hepher. 14:26 The Lord saw Israel’s intense suffering; ³²²¹  everyone was weak and incapacitated and Israel had no deliverer. ³²²²  14:27 The Lord had not decreed that he would blot out Israel’s memory ³²²³  from under heaven, ³²²⁴  so he delivered them through Jeroboam son of Joash.

14:28 The rest of the events of Jeroboam’s reign, including all his accomplishments, his military success in restoring Israelite control over Damascus and Hamath, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. ³²²⁵  14:29 Jeroboam passed away ³²²⁶  and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. ³²²⁷  His son Zechariah replaced him as king.

15:1 In the twenty-seventh year of King Jeroboam’s reign over Israel, Amaziah’s son Azariah became king over Judah. 15:2 He was sixteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for fifty-two years in Jerusalem. ³²²⁸  His mother’s name was Jecholiah, who was from Jerusalem. 15:3 He did what the Lord approved, just as his father Amaziah had done. ³²²⁹  15:4 But the high places were not eliminated; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense on the high places. 15:5 The Lord afflicted the king with an illness; he suffered from a skin disease ³²³⁰  until the day he died. He lived in separate quarters, ³²³¹  while his son Jotham was in charge of the palace and ruled over the people of the land.

15:6 The rest of the events of Azariah’s reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. ³²³²  15:7 Azariah passed away ³²³³  and was buried ³²³⁴  with his ancestors in the city of David. His son Jotham replaced him as king.

15:8 In the thirty-eighth year of King Azariah’s reign over Judah, Jeroboam’s son Zechariah became king over Israel. He reigned in Samaria ³²³⁵  for six months. 15:9 He did evil in the sight of ³²³⁶  the Lord, as his ancestors had done. He did not repudiate ³²³⁷  the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat who encouraged Israel to sin. 15:10 Shallum son of Jabesh conspired against him; he assassinated him in Ibleam ³²³⁸  and took his place as king. 15:11 The rest of the events of Zechariah’s reign are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. ³²³⁹  15:12 His assassination brought to fulfillment the Lord’s word to Jehu, ³²⁴⁰  “Four generations of your descendants will rule over Israel.” ³²⁴¹  That is exactly what happened. ³²⁴² 

15:13 Shallum son of Jabesh became king in the thirty-ninth year of King Uzziah’s ³²⁴³  reign over Judah. He reigned for one month ³²⁴⁴  in Samaria. 15:14 Menahem son of Gadi went up from Tirzah to ³²⁴⁵  Samaria and attacked Shallum son of Jabesh. ³²⁴⁶  He killed him and took his place as king. 15:15 The rest of the events of Shallum’s reign, including the conspiracy he organized, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. ³²⁴⁷  15:16 At that time Menahem came from Tirzah and attacked Tiphsah. He struck down all who lived in the city and the surrounding territory, because they would not surrender. ³²⁴⁸  He even ripped open the pregnant women.

15:17 In the thirty-ninth year of King Azariah’s reign over Judah, Menahem son of Gadi became king over Israel. He reigned for twelve years in Samaria. ³²⁴⁹  15:18 He did evil in the sight of ³²⁵⁰  the Lord; he did not repudiate ³²⁵¹  the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat who encouraged Israel to sin. ³²⁵² 

During his reign, 15:19 Pul ³²⁵³  king of Assyria invaded the land, and Menahem paid ³²⁵⁴  him ³²⁵⁵  a thousand talents ³²⁵⁶  of silver to gain his support ³²⁵⁷  and to solidify his control of the kingdom. ³²⁵⁸  15:20 Menahem got this silver by taxing all the wealthy men in Israel; he took fifty shekels of silver from each one of them and paid it to the king of Assyria. ³²⁵⁹  Then the king of Assyria left; he did not stay there in the land.

15:21 The rest of the events of Menahem’s reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. ³²⁶⁰  15:22 Menahem passed away ³²⁶¹  and his son Pekahiah replaced him as king.

15:23 In the fiftieth year of King Azariah’s reign over Judah, Menahem’s son Pekahiah became king over Israel. He reigned in Samaria ³²⁶²  for two years. 15:24 He did evil in the sight of ³²⁶³  the Lord; he did not repudiate ³²⁶⁴  the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat who encouraged Israel to sin. 15:25 His officer Pekah son of Remaliah conspired against him. He and fifty Gileadites assassinated Pekahiah, as well as Argob and Arieh, in Samaria in the fortress of the royal palace. ³²⁶⁵  Pekah then took his place as king.

15:26 The rest of the events of Pekahiah’s reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. ³²⁶⁶ 

15:27 In the fifty-second year of King Azariah’s reign over Judah, Pekah son of Remaliah became king over Israel. He reigned in Samaria ³²⁶⁷  for twenty years. 15:28 He did evil in the sight of ³²⁶⁸  the Lord; he did not repudiate ³²⁶⁹  the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat who encouraged Israel to sin. 15:29 During Pekah’s reign over Israel, King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria came and captured Ijon, Abel Beth Maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, ³²⁷⁰  Gilead, and Galilee, including all the territory of Naphtali. He deported the people ³²⁷¹  to Assyria. 15:30 Hoshea son of Elah conspired against Pekah son of Remaliah. He assassinated him ³²⁷²  and took his place as king, in the twentieth year of the reign of Jotham son of Uzziah.

15:31 The rest of the events of Pekah’s reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. ³²⁷³ 

15:32 In the second year of the reign of Israel’s King Pekah son of Remaliah, Uzziah’s son Jotham became king over Judah. 15:33 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. ³²⁷⁴  His mother was Jerusha the daughter of Zadok. 15:34 He did what the Lord approved, just as his father Uzziah had done. ³²⁷⁵  15:35 But the high places were not eliminated; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense on the high places. He built the Upper Gate to the Lord’s temple.

15:36 The rest of the events of Jotham’s reign, including his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. ³²⁷⁶  15:37 In those days the Lord prompted King Rezin of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah to attack Judah. ³²⁷⁷  15:38 Jotham passed away ³²⁷⁸  and was buried with his ancestors in the city of his ancestor David. His son Ahaz replaced him as king.

16:1 In the seventeenth year of the reign of Pekah son of Remaliah, Jotham’s son Ahaz became king over Judah. 16:2 Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. ³²⁷⁹  He did not do what pleased the Lord his God, in contrast to his ancestor David. ³²⁸⁰  16:3 He followed in the footsteps of ³²⁸¹  the kings of Israel. He passed his son through the fire, ³²⁸²  a horrible sin practiced by the nations ³²⁸³  whom the Lord drove out from before the Israelites. 16:4 He offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.

16:5 At that time King Rezin of Syria and King Pekah son of Remaliah of Israel attacked Jerusalem. ³²⁸⁴  They besieged Ahaz, ³²⁸⁵  but were unable to conquer him. ³²⁸⁶  16:6 (At that time King Rezin of Syria ³²⁸⁷  recovered Elat for Syria; he drove the Judahites from there. ³²⁸⁸  Syrians ³²⁸⁹  arrived in Elat and live there to this very day.) 16:7 Ahaz sent messengers to King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your dependent. ³²⁹⁰  March up and rescue me from the power ³²⁹¹  of the king of Syria and the king of Israel, who have attacked ³²⁹²  me.” 16:8 Then Ahaz took the silver and gold that were ³²⁹³  in the Lord’s temple and in the treasuries of the royal palace and sent it as tribute ³²⁹⁴  to the king of Assyria. 16:9 The king of Assyria responded favorably to his request; ³²⁹⁵  he ³²⁹⁶  attacked Damascus and captured it. He deported the people ³²⁹⁷  to Kir and executed Rezin.

16:10 When King Ahaz went to meet with King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria in Damascus, he saw the altar there. ³²⁹⁸  King Ahaz sent to Uriah the priest a drawing of the altar and a blueprint for its design. ³²⁹⁹  16:11 Uriah the priest built an altar in conformity to the plans King Ahaz had sent from Damascus. ³³⁰⁰  Uriah the priest finished it before King Ahaz arrived back from Damascus. ³³⁰¹  16:12 When the king arrived back from Damascus and ³³⁰²  saw the altar, he approached it ³³⁰³  and offered a sacrifice on it. ³³⁰⁴  16:13 He offered his burnt sacrifice and his grain offering. He poured out his libation and sprinkled the blood from his peace offerings on the altar. 16:14 He moved the bronze altar that stood in the Lord’s presence from the front of the temple (between the altar and the Lord’s temple) and put it on the north side of the new ³³⁰⁵  altar. 16:15 King Ahaz ordered Uriah the priest, “On the large altar ³³⁰⁶  offer the morning burnt sacrifice, the evening grain offering, the royal burnt sacrifices and grain offering, the burnt sacrifice for all the people of Israel, their grain offering, and their libations. Sprinkle all the blood of the burnt sacrifice and other sacrifices on it. The bronze altar will be for my personal use.” ³³⁰⁷  16:16 So Uriah the priest did exactly as ³³⁰⁸  King Ahaz ordered.

16:17 King Ahaz took off the frames of the movable stands, and removed the basins from them. He took “The Sea” ³³⁰⁹  down from the bronze bulls that supported it ³³¹⁰  and put it on the pavement. 16:18 He also removed the Sabbath awning ³³¹¹  that had been built ³³¹²  in the temple and the king’s outer entranceway, on account of the king of Assyria. ³³¹³ 

16:19 The rest of the events of Ahaz’s reign, including his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. ³³¹⁴  16:20 Ahaz passed away ³³¹⁵  and was buried with his ancestors in the city of David. His son Hezekiah replaced him as king.

17:1 In the twelfth year of King Ahaz’s reign over Judah, Hoshea son of Elah became king over Israel. He reigned in Samaria ³³¹⁶  for nine years. 17:2 He did evil in the sight of ³³¹⁷  the Lord, but not to the same degree as the Israelite kings who preceded him. 17:3 King Shalmaneser of Assyria threatened ³³¹⁸  him; Hoshea became his subject and paid him tribute. 17:4 The king of Assyria discovered that Hoshea was planning a revolt. ³³¹⁹  Hoshea had sent messengers to King So ³³²⁰  of Egypt and had not sent his annual tribute to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria arrested him and imprisoned him. ³³²¹  17:5 The king of Assyria marched through ³³²²  the whole land. He attacked Samaria and besieged it for three years. 17:6 In the ninth year of Hoshea’s reign, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and deported the people of Israel ³³²³  to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, along the Habor (the river of Gozan), and in the cities of the Medes.

17:7 This happened because the Israelites sinned against the Lord their God, who brought them up from the land of Egypt and freed them from the power of ³³²⁴  Pharaoh king of Egypt. They worshiped ³³²⁵  other gods; 17:8 they observed the practices ³³²⁶  of the nations whom the Lord had driven out from before Israel, and followed the example of the kings of Israel. ³³²⁷  17:9 The Israelites said things about the Lord their God that were not right. ³³²⁸  They built high places in all their cities, from the watchtower to the fortress. ³³²⁹  17:10 They set up sacred pillars and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree. 17:11 They burned incense on all the high places just like the nations whom the Lord had driven away from before them. Their evil practices made the Lord angry. ³³³⁰  17:12 They worshiped ³³³¹  the disgusting idols ³³³²  in blatant disregard of the Lord’s command. ³³³³ 

17:13 The Lord solemnly warned Israel and Judah through all his prophets and all the seers, “Turn back from your evil ways; obey my commandments and rules that are recorded in the law. I ordered your ancestors to keep this law and sent my servants the prophets to remind you of its demands.” ³³³⁴  17:14 But they did not pay attention and were as stubborn as their ancestors, ³³³⁵  who had not trusted the Lord their God. 17:15 They rejected his rules, the covenant he had made with their ancestors, and the laws he had commanded them to obey. ³³³⁶  They paid allegiance to ³³³⁷  worthless idols, and so became worthless to the Lord. ³³³⁸  They copied the practices of the surrounding nations in blatant disregard of the Lord’s command. ³³³⁹  17:16 They abandoned all the commandments of the Lord their God; they made two metal calves and an Asherah pole, bowed down to all the stars in the sky, ³³⁴⁰  and worshiped ³³⁴¹  Baal. 17:17 They passed their sons and daughters through the fire, ³³⁴²  and practiced divination and omen reading. They committed themselves to doing evil in the sight of the Lord and made him angry. ³³⁴³ 

17:18 So the Lord was furious ³³⁴⁴  with Israel and rejected them; ³³⁴⁵  only the tribe of Judah was left. 17:19 Judah also failed to keep the commandments of the Lord their God; they followed Israel’s example. ³³⁴⁶  17:20 So the Lord rejected all of Israel’s descendants; he humiliated ³³⁴⁷  them and handed them over to robbers, until he had thrown them from his presence. 17:21 He tore Israel away from David’s dynasty, and Jeroboam son of Nebat became their king. ³³⁴⁸  Jeroboam drove Israel away ³³⁴⁹  from the Lord and encouraged them to commit a serious sin. ³³⁵⁰  17:22 The Israelites followed in the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat and did not repudiate ³³⁵¹  them. 17:23 Finally ³³⁵²  the Lord rejected Israel ³³⁵³  just as he had warned he would do ³³⁵⁴  through all his servants the prophets. Israel was deported from its land to Assyria and remains there to this very day.

17:24 The king of Assyria brought foreigners ³³⁵⁵  from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim and settled them in the cities of Samaria ³³⁵⁶  in place of the Israelites. They took possession of Samaria and lived in its cities. 17:25 When they first moved in, ³³⁵⁷  they did not worship ³³⁵⁸  the Lord. So the Lord sent lions among them and the lions were killing them. 17:26 The king of Assyria was told, ³³⁵⁹  “The nations whom you deported and settled in the cities of Samaria do not know the requirements of the God of the land, so he has sent lions among them. They are killing the people ³³⁶⁰  because they do not know the requirements of the God of the land.” 17:27 So the king of Assyria ordered, “Take back one of the priests whom you ³³⁶¹  deported from there. He must settle there and teach them the requirements of the God of the land.” ³³⁶²  17:28 So one of the priests whom they had deported from Samaria went back and settled in Bethel. ³³⁶³  He taught them how to worship ³³⁶⁴  the Lord.

17:29 But each of these nations made ³³⁶⁵  its own gods and put them in the shrines on the high places that the people of Samaria ³³⁶⁶  had made. Each nation did this in the cities where they lived. 17:30 The people from Babylon made Succoth Benoth, ³³⁶⁷  the people from Cuth made Nergal, ³³⁶⁸  the people from Hamath made Ashima, ³³⁶⁹  17:31 the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, ³³⁷⁰  and the Sepharvites burned their sons in the fire as an offering to Adrammelech and Anammelech, ³³⁷¹  the gods of Sepharvaim. 17:32 At the same time they worshiped ³³⁷²  the Lord. They appointed some of their own people to serve as priests in the shrines on the high places. ³³⁷³  17:33 They were worshiping ³³⁷⁴  the Lord and at the same time serving their own gods in accordance with the practices of the nations from which they had been deported.

17:34 To this very day they observe their earlier practices. They do not worship ³³⁷⁵  the Lord; they do not obey the rules, regulations, law, and commandments that the Lord gave ³³⁷⁶  the descendants of Jacob, whom he renamed Israel. 17:35 The Lord made an agreement ³³⁷⁷  with them ³³⁷⁸  and instructed them, “You must not worship other gods. Do not bow down to them, serve them, or offer sacrifices to them. 17:36 Instead you must worship the Lord, who brought you up from the land of Egypt by his great power and military ability; ³³⁷⁹  bow down to him and offer sacrifices to him. 17:37 You must carefully obey at all times the rules, regulations, law, and commandments he wrote down for you. You must not worship other gods. 17:38 You must never forget the agreement I made with you, and you must not worship other gods. 17:39 Instead you must worship the Lord your God; then he will rescue you from the power of all your enemies.” 17:40 But they ³³⁸⁰  pay no attention; instead they observe their earlier practices. 17:41 These nations are worshiping the Lord and at the same time serving their idols; their sons and grandsons do just as their fathers have done, to this very day.

18:1 In the third year of the reign of Israel’s King Hoshea son of Elah, Ahaz’s son Hezekiah became king over Judah. 18:2 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. ³³⁸¹  His mother ³³⁸²  was Abi, ³³⁸³  the daughter of Zechariah. 18:3 He did what the Lord approved, just as his ancestor David had done. ³³⁸⁴  18:4 He eliminated the high places, smashed the sacred pillars to bits, and cut down the Asherah pole. ³³⁸⁵  He also demolished the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for up to that time ³³⁸⁶  the Israelites had been offering incense to it; it was called Nehushtan. ³³⁸⁷  18:5 He trusted in the Lord God of Israel; in this regard there was none like him among the kings of Judah either before or after. ³³⁸⁸  18:6 He was loyal to ³³⁸⁹  the Lord and did not abandon him. ³³⁹⁰  He obeyed the commandments which the Lord had given to ³³⁹¹  Moses. 18:7 The Lord was with him; he succeeded in all his endeavors. ³³⁹²  He rebelled against the king of Assyria and refused to submit to him. ³³⁹³  18:8 He defeated the Philistines as far as Gaza and its territory, from the watchtower to the city fortress. ³³⁹⁴ 

18:9 In the fourth year of King Hezekiah’s reign (it was the seventh year of the reign of Israel’s King Hoshea, son of Elah), King Shalmaneser of Assyria marched ³³⁹⁵  up against Samaria ³³⁹⁶  and besieged it. 18:10 After three years he captured it (in the sixth year of Hezekiah’s reign); in the ninth year of King Hoshea’s reign over Israel Samaria was captured. 18:11 The king of Assyria deported the people of Israel ³³⁹⁷  to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, along the Habor (the river of Gozan), and in the cities of the Medes. 18:12 This happened because they did not obey ³³⁹⁸  the Lord their God and broke his agreement with them. ³³⁹⁹  They did not pay attention to and obey all that Moses, the Lord’s servant, had commanded. ³⁴⁰⁰ 

18:13 In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah’s reign, King Sennacherib of Assyria marched up against all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. 18:14 King Hezekiah of Judah sent this message to the king of Assyria, who was at Lachish, “I have violated our treaty. ³⁴⁰¹  If you leave, I will do whatever you demand.” ³⁴⁰²  So the king of Assyria demanded that King Hezekiah of Judah pay three hundred talents ³⁴⁰³  of silver and thirty talents of gold. 18:15 Hezekiah gave him all the silver in ³⁴⁰⁴  the Lord’s temple and in the treasuries of the royal palace. 18:16 At that time King Hezekiah of Judah stripped the metal overlays from the doors of the Lord’s temple and from the posts which he had plated ³⁴⁰⁵  and gave them to the king of Assyria.

18:17 The king of Assyria sent his commanding general, the chief eunuch, and the chief adviser ³⁴⁰⁶  from Lachish to King Hezekiah in Jerusalem, ³⁴⁰⁷  along with a large army. They went up and arrived at Jerusalem. They went ³⁴⁰⁸  and stood at the conduit of the upper pool which is located on the road to the field where they wash and dry cloth. ³⁴⁰⁹  18:18 They summoned the king, so Eliakim son of Hilkiah, the palace supervisor, accompanied by Shebna the scribe and Joah son of Asaph, the secretary, went out to meet them.

18:19 The chief adviser said to them, “Tell Hezekiah: ‘This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: “What is your source of confidence? ³⁴¹⁰  18:20 Your claim to have a strategy and military strength is just empty talk. ³⁴¹¹  In whom are you trusting that you would dare to rebel against me? 18:21 Now look, you must be trusting in Egypt, that splintered reed staff. If a man leans for support on it, it punctures his hand and wounds him. That is what Pharaoh king of Egypt does to all who trust in him. 18:22 Perhaps you will tell me, ‘We are trusting in the Lord our God.’ But Hezekiah is the one who eliminated his high places and altars and then told the people of Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You must worship at this altar in Jerusalem.’ 18:23 Now make a deal ³⁴¹²  with my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses, provided you can find enough riders for them. 18:24 Certainly you will not refuse one of my master’s minor officials and trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen. ³⁴¹³  18:25 Furthermore it was by the command of the Lord that I marched up against this place to destroy it. The Lord told me, ‘March ³⁴¹⁴  up against this land and destroy it.’”’” ³⁴¹⁵ 

18:26 Eliakim son of Hilkiah, Shebna, and Joah said to the chief adviser, “Speak to your servants in Aramaic, ³⁴¹⁶  for we understand it. Don’t speak with us in the Judahite dialect ³⁴¹⁷  in the hearing of the people who are on the wall.” 18:27 But the chief adviser said to them, “My master did not send me to speak these words only to your master and to you. ³⁴¹⁸  His message is also for the men who sit on the wall, for they will eat their own excrement and drink their own urine along with you.” ³⁴¹⁹ 

18:28 The chief adviser then stood there and called out loudly in the Judahite dialect, ³⁴²⁰  “Listen to the message of the great king, the king of Assyria. 18:29 This is what the king says: ‘Don’t let Hezekiah mislead you, for he is not able to rescue you from my hand! ³⁴²¹  18:30 Don’t let Hezekiah talk you into trusting in the Lord when he says, “The Lord will certainly rescue us; this city will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.” 18:31 Don’t listen to Hezekiah!’ For this is what the king of Assyria says, ‘Send me a token of your submission and surrender to me. ³⁴²²  Then each of you may eat from his own vine and fig tree and drink water from his own cistern, 18:32 until I come and take you to a land just like your own – a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey. Then you will live and not die. Don’t listen to Hezekiah, for he is misleading you when he says, “The Lord will rescue us.” 18:33 Have any of the gods of the nations actually rescued his land from the power of the king of Assyria? ³⁴²³  18:34 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? ³⁴²⁴  Indeed, did any gods rescue Samaria ³⁴²⁵  from my power? ³⁴²⁶  18:35 Who among all the gods of the lands has rescued their lands from my power? So how can the Lord rescue Jerusalem from my power?’” ³⁴²⁷  18:36 The people were silent and did not respond, for the king had ordered, “Don’t respond to him.”

18:37 Eliakim son of Hilkiah, the palace supervisor, accompanied by Shebna the scribe and Joah son of Asaph, the secretary, went to Hezekiah with their clothes torn ³⁴²⁸  and reported to him what the chief adviser had said. 19:1 When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and went to the Lord’s temple. 19:2 He sent Eliakim the palace supervisor, Shebna the scribe, and the leading priests, ³⁴²⁹  clothed in sackcloth, with this message to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz: 19:3 “This is what Hezekiah says: ³⁴³⁰  ‘This is a day of distress, insults, ³⁴³¹  and humiliation, ³⁴³²  as when a baby is ready to leave the birth canal, but the mother lacks the strength to push it through. ³⁴³³  19:4 Perhaps the Lord your God will hear all these things the chief adviser has spoken on behalf of his master, the king of Assyria, who sent him to taunt the living God. ³⁴³⁴  When the Lord your God hears, perhaps he will punish him for the things he has said. ³⁴³⁵  So pray for this remnant that remains.’” ³⁴³⁶ 

19:5 When King Hezekiah’s servants came to Isaiah, 19:6 Isaiah said to them, “Tell your master this: ‘This is what the Lord says: “Don’t be afraid because of the things you have heard – these insults the king of Assyria’s servants have hurled against me. ³⁴³⁷  19:7 Look, I will take control of his mind; ³⁴³⁸  he will receive ³⁴³⁹  a report and return to his own land. I will cut him down ³⁴⁴⁰  with a sword in his own land.”’”

19:8 When the chief adviser heard the king of Assyria had departed from Lachish, he left and went to Libnah, where the king was campaigning. ³⁴⁴¹  19:9 The king ³⁴⁴²  heard that King Tirhakah of Ethiopia was marching out to fight him. ³⁴⁴³  He again sent messengers to Hezekiah, ordering them: 19:10 “Tell King Hezekiah of Judah this: ‘Don’t let your God in whom you trust mislead you when he says, “Jerusalem will not be handed over ³⁴⁴⁴  to the king of Assyria.” 19:11 Certainly you have heard how the kings of Assyria have annihilated all lands. ³⁴⁴⁵  Do you really think you will be rescued? ³⁴⁴⁶  19:12 Were the nations whom my ancestors destroyed – the nations of Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden in Telassar – rescued by their gods? ³⁴⁴⁷  19:13 Where are the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, and the king of Lair, ³⁴⁴⁸  Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?’”

19:14 Hezekiah took the letter ³⁴⁴⁹  from the messengers and read it. ³⁴⁵⁰  Then Hezekiah went up to the Lord’s temple and spread it out before the Lord. 19:15 Hezekiah prayed before the Lord: “Lord God of Israel, who is enthroned on the cherubs! ³⁴⁵¹  You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the sky ³⁴⁵²  and the earth. 19:16 Pay attention, Lord, and hear! Open your eyes, Lord, and observe! Listen to the message Sennacherib sent and how he taunts the living God! ³⁴⁵³  19:17 It is true, Lord, that the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands. 19:18 They have burned the gods of the nations, ³⁴⁵⁴  for they are not really gods, but only the product of human hands manufactured from wood and stone. That is why the Assyrians could destroy them. ³⁴⁵⁵  19:19 Now, O Lord our God, rescue us from his power, so that all the kingdoms of the earth will know that you, Lord, are the only God.”

19:20 Isaiah son of Amoz sent this message to Hezekiah: “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I have heard your prayer concerning King Sennacherib of Assyria. ³⁴⁵⁶  19:21 This is what the Lord says about him: ³⁴⁵⁷ 

“The virgin daughter Zion ³⁴⁵⁸ 

despises you, she makes fun of you;

Daughter Jerusalem

shakes her head after you. ³⁴⁵⁹ 

19:22 Whom have you taunted and hurled insults at?

At whom have you shouted, ³⁴⁶⁰ 

and looked so arrogantly? ³⁴⁶¹ 

At the Holy One of Israel! ³⁴⁶² 

19:23 Through your messengers you taunted the sovereign master, ³⁴⁶³ 

‘With my many chariots ³⁴⁶⁴ 

I climbed up the high mountains,

the slopes of Lebanon.

I cut down its tall cedars,

and its best evergreens.

I invaded its most remote regions, ³⁴⁶⁵ 

its thickest woods.

19:24 I dug wells and drank

water in foreign lands. ³⁴⁶⁶ 

With the soles of my feet I dried up

all the rivers of Egypt.’

19:25 ³⁴⁶⁷ Certainly you must have heard! ³⁴⁶⁸ 

Long ago I worked it out,

In ancient times I planned ³⁴⁶⁹  it;

and now I am bringing it to pass.

The plan is this:

Fortified cities will crash

into heaps of ruins. ³⁴⁷⁰ 

19:26 Their residents are powerless, ³⁴⁷¹ 

they are terrified and ashamed.

They are as short-lived as plants in the field,

or green vegetation. ³⁴⁷² 

They are as short-lived as grass on the rooftops ³⁴⁷³ 

when it is scorched by the east wind. ³⁴⁷⁴ 

19:27 I know where you live,

and everything you do. ³⁴⁷⁵ 

19:28 Because you rage against me,

and the uproar you create has reached my ears; ³⁴⁷⁶ 

I will put my hook in your nose, ³⁴⁷⁷ 

and my bridle between your lips,

and I will lead you back the way

you came.”

19:29 ³⁴⁷⁸ This will be your confirmation that I have spoken the truth: ³⁴⁷⁹  This year you will eat what grows wild, ³⁴⁸⁰  and next year ³⁴⁸¹  what grows on its own from that. But in the third year you will plant seed and harvest crops; you will plant vines and consume their produce. ³⁴⁸²  19:30 Those who remain in Judah will take root in the ground and bear fruit. ³⁴⁸³ 

19:31 For a remnant will leave Jerusalem;

survivors will come out of Mount Zion.

The intense devotion of the sovereign Lord ³⁴⁸⁴  to his people ³⁴⁸⁵  will accomplish this.

19:32 So this is what the Lord says about the king of Assyria:

“He will not enter this city,

nor will he shoot an arrow here. ³⁴⁸⁶ 

He will not attack it with his shield-carrying warriors, ³⁴⁸⁷ 

nor will he build siege works against it.

19:33 He will go back the way he came.

He will not enter this city,” says the Lord.

19:34 I will shield this city and rescue it for the sake of my reputation and because of my promise to David my servant.’” ³⁴⁸⁸ 

19:35 That very night the Lord’s messenger went out and killed 185,000 men in the Assyrian camp. When they ³⁴⁸⁹  got up early the next morning, there were all the corpses. ³⁴⁹⁰  19:36 So King Sennacherib of Assyria broke camp and went on his way. He went home and stayed in Nineveh. ³⁴⁹¹  19:37 One day, ³⁴⁹²  as he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, ³⁴⁹³  his sons ³⁴⁹⁴  Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword. ³⁴⁹⁵  They escaped to the land of Ararat; his son Esarhaddon replaced him as king.

20:1 In those days Hezekiah was stricken with a terminal illness. ³⁴⁹⁶  The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz visited him and told him, “This is what the Lord says, ‘Give your household instructions, for you are about to die; you will not get well.’” ³⁴⁹⁷  20:2 He turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 20:3 “Please, Lord. Remember how I have served you ³⁴⁹⁸  faithfully and with wholehearted devotion, ³⁴⁹⁹  and how I have carried out your will.” ³⁵⁰⁰  Then Hezekiah wept bitterly. ³⁵⁰¹ 

20:4 Isaiah was still in the middle courtyard when the Lord told him, ³⁵⁰²  20:5 “Go back and tell Hezekiah, the leader of my people: ‘This is what the Lord God of your ancestor David says: “I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Look, I will heal you. The day after tomorrow ³⁵⁰³  you will go up to the Lord’s temple. 20:6 I will add fifteen years to your life and rescue you and this city from the king of Assyria. I will shield this city for the sake of my reputation and because of my promise to David my servant.”’” ³⁵⁰⁴  20:7 Isaiah ordered, “Get a fig cake.” So they did as he ordered ³⁵⁰⁵  and placed it on the ulcerated sore, and he recovered. ³⁵⁰⁶ 

20:8 Hezekiah had said to Isaiah, “What is the confirming sign that the Lord will heal me and that I will go up to the Lord’s temple the day after tomorrow?” 20:9 Isaiah replied, “This is your sign from the Lord confirming that the Lord will do what he has said. Do you want the shadow to move ahead ten steps or to go back ten steps?” ³⁵⁰⁷  20:10 Hezekiah answered, “It is easy for the shadow to lengthen ten steps, but not for it ³⁵⁰⁸  to go back ten steps.” 20:11 Isaiah the prophet called out to the Lord, and the Lord ³⁵⁰⁹  made the shadow go back ten steps on the stairs of Ahaz. ³⁵¹⁰ 

20:12 At that time Merodach-Baladan ³⁵¹¹  son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah, for he had heard that Hezekiah was ill. 20:13 Hezekiah welcomed ³⁵¹²  them and showed them his whole storehouse, with its silver, gold, spices, and high quality olive oil, as well as his armory and everything in his treasuries. Hezekiah showed them everything in his palace and in his whole kingdom. ³⁵¹³  20:14 Isaiah the prophet visited King Hezekiah and asked him, “What did these men say? Where do they come from?” Hezekiah replied, “They come from the distant land of Babylon.” 20:15 Isaiah ³⁵¹⁴  asked, “What have they seen in your palace?” Hezekiah replied, “They have seen everything in my palace. I showed them everything ³⁵¹⁵  in my treasuries.” 20:16 Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Listen to the word of the Lord, 20:17 ‘Look, a time is ³⁵¹⁶  coming when everything in your palace and the things your ancestors have accumulated to this day will be carried away to Babylon; nothing will be left,’ says the Lord. 20:18 ‘Some of your very own descendants whom you father ³⁵¹⁷  will be taken away and will be made eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.’” 20:19 Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The Lord’s word which you have announced is appropriate.” ³⁵¹⁸  Then he added, ³⁵¹⁹  “At least there will be peace and stability during my lifetime.” ³⁵²⁰ 

20:20 The rest of the events of Hezekiah’s reign and all his accomplishments, including how he built a pool and conduit to bring ³⁵²¹  water into the city, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. ³⁵²²  20:21 Hezekiah passed away ³⁵²³  and his son Manasseh replaced him as king.

21:1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned for fifty-five years in Jerusalem. ³⁵²⁴  His mother ³⁵²⁵  was Hephzibah. 21:2 He did evil in the sight of ³⁵²⁶  the Lord and committed the same horrible sins practiced by the nations ³⁵²⁷  whom the Lord drove out from before the Israelites. 21:3 He rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had destroyed; he set up altars for Baal and made an Asherah pole just like King Ahab of Israel had done. He bowed down to all the stars in the sky ³⁵²⁸  and worshiped ³⁵²⁹  them. 21:4 He built altars in the Lord’s temple, about which the Lord had said, “Jerusalem will be my home.” ³⁵³⁰  21:5 In the two courtyards of the Lord’s temple he built altars for all the stars in the sky. 21:6 He passed his son ³⁵³¹  through the fire ³⁵³²  and practiced divination and omen reading. He set up a ritual pit to conjure up underworld spirits, and appointed magicians to supervise it. ³⁵³³  He did a great amount of evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger. ³⁵³⁴  21:7 He put an idol of Asherah he had made in the temple, about which the Lord had said to David and to his son Solomon, “This temple in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, will be my permanent home. ³⁵³⁵  21:8 I will not make Israel again leave the land I gave to their ancestors, ³⁵³⁶  provided that they carefully obey all I commanded them, the whole law my servant Moses ordered them to obey.” 21:9 But they did not obey, ³⁵³⁷  and Manasseh misled them so that they sinned more than the nations whom the Lord had destroyed from before the Israelites.

21:10 So the Lord announced through ³⁵³⁸  his servants the prophets: 21:11 “King Manasseh of Judah has committed horrible sins. ³⁵³⁹  He has sinned more than the Amorites before him and has encouraged Judah to sin by worshiping his disgusting idols. ³⁵⁴⁰  21:12 So this is what the Lord God of Israel says, ‘I am about to bring disaster on Jerusalem and Judah. The news will reverberate in the ears of those who hear about it. ³⁵⁴¹  21:13 I will destroy Jerusalem the same way I did Samaria ³⁵⁴²  and the dynasty of Ahab. ³⁵⁴³  I will wipe Jerusalem clean, just as one wipes a plate on both sides. ³⁵⁴⁴  21:14 I will abandon this last remaining tribe among my people ³⁵⁴⁵  and hand them over to their enemies; they will be plundered and robbed by all their enemies, ³⁵⁴⁶  21:15 because they have done evil in my sight ³⁵⁴⁷  and have angered me from the time their ancestors left Egypt right up to this very day!’”

21:16 Furthermore Manasseh killed so many innocent people, he stained Jerusalem with their blood from end to end, ³⁵⁴⁸  in addition to encouraging Judah to sin by doing evil in the sight of the Lord. ³⁵⁴⁹ 

21:17 The rest of the events of Manasseh’s reign and all his accomplishments, as well as the sinful acts he committed, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. ³⁵⁵⁰  21:18 Manasseh passed away ³⁵⁵¹  and was buried in his palace garden, the garden of Uzzah, and his son Amon replaced him as king.

21:19 Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned for two years in Jerusalem. ³⁵⁵²  His mother ³⁵⁵³  was Meshullemeth, the daughter of Haruz, from Jotbah. 21:20 He did evil in the sight of ³⁵⁵⁴  the Lord, just like his father Manasseh had done. 21:21 He followed in the footsteps of his father ³⁵⁵⁵  and worshiped and bowed down to the disgusting idols ³⁵⁵⁶  which his father had worshiped. ³⁵⁵⁷  21:22 He abandoned the Lord God of his ancestors and did not follow the Lord’s instructions. ³⁵⁵⁸  21:23 Amon’s servants conspired against him and killed the king in his palace. 21:24 The people of the land executed all those who had conspired against King Amon, and they ³⁵⁵⁹  made his son Josiah king in his place.

21:25 The rest of Amon’s accomplishments are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. ³⁵⁶⁰  21:26 He was buried ³⁵⁶¹  in his tomb in the garden of Uzzah, and his son Josiah replaced him as king.

22:1 Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned for thirty-one years in Jerusalem. ³⁵⁶²  His mother ³⁵⁶³  was Jedidah, daughter of Adaiah, from Bozkath. 22:2 He did what the Lord approved ³⁵⁶⁴  and followed in his ancestor David’s footsteps; ³⁵⁶⁵  he did not deviate to the right or the left.

22:3 In the eighteenth year of King Josiah’s reign, the king sent the scribe Shaphan son of Azaliah, son of Meshullam, to the Lord’s temple with these orders: ³⁵⁶⁶  22:4 “Go up to Hilkiah the high priest and have him melt down ³⁵⁶⁷  the silver that has been brought by the people to the Lord’s temple and has been collected by the guards at the door. 22:5 Have them hand it over to the construction foremen ³⁵⁶⁸  assigned to the Lord’s temple. They in turn should pay the temple workers to repair it, ³⁵⁶⁹  22:6 including craftsmen, builders, and masons, and should buy wood and chiseled stone for the repair work. ³⁵⁷⁰  22:7 Do not audit the foremen who disburse the silver, for they are honest.” ³⁵⁷¹ 

22:8 Hilkiah the high priest informed Shaphan the scribe, “I found the law scroll in the Lord’s temple.” Hilkiah gave the scroll to Shaphan and he read it. 22:9 Shaphan the scribe went to the king and reported, ³⁵⁷²  “Your servants melted down the silver in the temple ³⁵⁷³  and handed it over to the construction foremen assigned to the Lord’s temple.” 22:10 Then Shaphan the scribe told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a scroll.” Shaphan read it out loud before the king. 22:11 When the king heard the words of the law scroll, he tore his clothes. 22:12 The king ordered Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Acbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king’s servant, 22:13 “Go, seek an oracle from ³⁵⁷⁴  the Lord for me and the people – for all Judah. Find out about ³⁵⁷⁵  the words of this scroll that has been discovered. For the Lord’s fury has been ignited against us, ³⁵⁷⁶  because our ancestors have not obeyed the words of this scroll by doing all that it instructs us to do.” ³⁵⁷⁷ 

22:14 So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Acbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shullam son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, the supervisor of the wardrobe. ³⁵⁷⁸  (She lived in Jerusalem in the Mishneh ³⁵⁷⁹  district.) They stated their business, ³⁵⁸⁰  22:15 and she said to them: “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘Say this to the man who sent you to me: 22:16 “This is what the Lord says: ‘I am about to bring disaster on this place and its residents, the details of which are recorded in the scroll which the king of Judah has read. ³⁵⁸¹  22:17 This will happen because they have abandoned me and offered sacrifices ³⁵⁸²  to other gods, angering me with all the idols they have made. ³⁵⁸³  My anger will ignite against this place and will not be extinguished!’” 22:18 Say this to the king of Judah, who sent you to seek an oracle from the Lord: “This is what the Lord God of Israel says concerning the words you have heard: 22:19 ‘You displayed a sensitive spirit ³⁵⁸⁴  and humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard how I intended to make this place and its residents into an appalling example of an accursed people. ³⁵⁸⁵  You tore your clothes and wept before me, and I have heard you,’ says the Lord. 22:20 ‘Therefore I will allow you to die and be buried in peace. ³⁵⁸⁶  You will not have to witness ³⁵⁸⁷  all the disaster I will bring on this place.’”’” Then they reported back to the king.

23:1 The king summoned all the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem. ³⁵⁸⁸  23:2 The king went up to the Lord’s temple, accompanied by all the people of Judah, all the residents of Jerusalem, the priests, and the prophets. All the people were there, from the youngest to the oldest. He read aloud ³⁵⁸⁹  all the words of the scroll of the covenant that had been discovered in the Lord’s temple. 23:3 The king stood by the pillar and renewed ³⁵⁹⁰  the covenant before the Lord, agreeing to follow ³⁵⁹¹  the Lord and to obey his commandments, laws, and rules with all his heart and being, ³⁵⁹²  by carrying out the terms ³⁵⁹³  of this covenant recorded on this scroll. All the people agreed to keep the covenant. ³⁵⁹⁴ 

23:4 The king ordered Hilkiah the high priest, the high-ranking priests, ³⁵⁹⁵  and the guards ³⁵⁹⁶  to bring out of the Lord’s temple all the items that were used in the worship of ³⁵⁹⁷  Baal, Asherah, and all the stars of the sky. ³⁵⁹⁸  The king ³⁵⁹⁹  burned them outside of Jerusalem in the terraces ³⁶⁰⁰  of Kidron, and carried their ashes to Bethel. ³⁶⁰¹  23:5 He eliminated ³⁶⁰²  the pagan priests whom the kings of Judah had appointed to offer sacrifices ³⁶⁰³  on the high places in the cities of Judah and in the area right around Jerusalem. (They offered sacrifices ³⁶⁰⁴  to Baal, the sun god, the moon god, the constellations, and all the stars in the sky.) 23:6 He removed the Asherah pole from the Lord’s temple and took it outside Jerusalem to the Kidron Valley, where he burned it. ³⁶⁰⁵  He smashed it to dust and then threw the dust in the public graveyard. ³⁶⁰⁶  23:7 He tore down the quarters ³⁶⁰⁷  of the male cultic prostitutes in the Lord’s temple, where women were weaving shrines ³⁶⁰⁸  for Asherah.

23:8 He brought all the priests from the cities of Judah and ruined ³⁶⁰⁹  the high places where the priests had offered sacrifices, from Geba to Beer Sheba. ³⁶¹⁰  He tore down the high place of the goat idols ³⁶¹¹  situated at the entrance of the gate of Joshua, the city official, on the left side of the city gate. 23:9 (Now the priests of the high places did not go up to the altar of the Lord in Jerusalem, but they did eat unleavened cakes among their fellow priests.) ³⁶¹²  23:10 The king ³⁶¹³  ruined Topheth in the Valley of Ben Hinnom so that no one could pass his son or his daughter through the fire to Molech. ³⁶¹⁴  23:11 He removed from the entrance to the Lord’s temple the statues of horses ³⁶¹⁵  that the kings of Judah had placed there in honor of the sun god. (They were kept near the room of Nathan Melech the eunuch, which was situated among the courtyards.) ³⁶¹⁶  He burned up the chariots devoted to the sun god. ³⁶¹⁷  23:12 The king tore down the altars the kings of Judah had set up on the roof of Ahaz’s upper room, as well as the altars Manasseh had set up in the two courtyards of the Lord’s temple. He crushed them up ³⁶¹⁸  and threw the dust in the Kidron Valley. 23:13 The king ruined the high places east of Jerusalem, south of the Mount of Destruction, ³⁶¹⁹  that King Solomon of Israel had built for the detestable Sidonian goddess Astarte, the detestable Moabite god Chemosh, and the horrible Ammonite god Milcom. 23:14 He smashed the sacred pillars to bits, cut down the Asherah pole, and filled those shrines ³⁶²⁰  with human bones.

23:15 He also tore down the altar in Bethel ³⁶²¹  at the high place made by Jeroboam son of Nebat, who encouraged Israel to sin. ³⁶²²  He burned all the combustible items at that high place and crushed them to dust; including the Asherah pole. ³⁶²³  23:16 When Josiah turned around, he saw the tombs there on the hill. So he ordered the bones from the tombs to be brought; ³⁶²⁴  he burned them on the altar and defiled it. This fulfilled the Lord’s announcement made by the prophet while Jeroboam stood by the altar during a festival. King Josiah ³⁶²⁵  turned and saw the grave of the prophet who had foretold this. ³⁶²⁶  23:17 He asked, “What is this grave marker I see?” The men from the city replied, “It’s the grave of the prophet ³⁶²⁷  who came from Judah and foretold these very things you have done to the altar of Bethel.” 23:18 The king ³⁶²⁸  said, “Leave it alone! No one must touch his bones.” So they left his bones undisturbed, as well as the bones of the Israelite prophet buried beside him. ³⁶²⁹ 

23:19 Josiah also removed all the shrines on the high places in the cities of Samaria. The kings of Israel had made them and angered the Lord. ³⁶³⁰  He did to them what he had done to the high place in Bethel. ³⁶³¹  23:20 He sacrificed all the priests of the high places on the altars located there, and burned human bones on them. Then he returned to Jerusalem.

23:21 The king ordered all the people, “Observe the Passover of the Lord your God, as prescribed in this scroll of the covenant.” 23:22 He issued this edict because ³⁶³²  a Passover like this had not been observed since the days of the judges; it was neglected for the entire period of the kings of Israel and Judah. ³⁶³³  23:23 But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah’s reign, such a Passover of the Lord was observed in Jerusalem.

23:24 Josiah also got rid of ³⁶³⁴  the ritual pits used to conjure up spirits, ³⁶³⁵  the magicians, personal idols, disgusting images, ³⁶³⁶  and all the detestable idols that had appeared in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem. In this way he carried out the terms of the law ³⁶³⁷  recorded on the scroll that Hilkiah the priest had discovered in the Lord’s temple. 23:25 No king before or after repented before the Lord as he did, with his whole heart, soul, and being in accordance with the whole law of Moses. ³⁶³⁸ 

23:26 Yet the Lord’s great anger against Judah did not subside; he was still infuriated by all the things Manasseh had done. ³⁶³⁹  23:27 The Lord announced, “I will also spurn Judah, ³⁶⁴⁰  just as I spurned Israel. I will reject this city that I chose – both Jerusalem and the temple, about which I said, “I will live there.” ³⁶⁴¹ 

23:28 The rest of the events of Josiah’s reign and all his accomplishments are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. ³⁶⁴²  23:29 During Josiah’s reign Pharaoh Necho king of Egypt marched toward ³⁶⁴³  the Euphrates River to help the king of Assyria. King Josiah marched out to fight him, but Necho ³⁶⁴⁴  killed him at Megiddo ³⁶⁴⁵  when he saw him. 23:30 His servants transported his dead body ³⁶⁴⁶  from Megiddo in a chariot and brought it to Jerusalem, where they buried him in his tomb. The people of the land took Josiah’s son Jehoahaz, poured olive oil on his head, ³⁶⁴⁷  and made him king in his father’s place.

23:31 Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. ³⁶⁴⁸  His mother ³⁶⁴⁹  was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah, from Libnah. 23:32 He did evil in the sight of ³⁶⁵⁰  the Lord as his ancestors had done. ³⁶⁵¹  23:33 Pharaoh Necho imprisoned him in Riblah in the land of Hamath and prevented him from ruling in Jerusalem. ³⁶⁵²  He imposed on the land a special tax ³⁶⁵³  of one hundred talents ³⁶⁵⁴  of silver and a talent of gold. 23:34 Pharaoh Necho made Josiah’s son Eliakim king in Josiah’s place, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. He took Jehoahaz to Egypt, where he died. ³⁶⁵⁵  23:35 Jehoiakim paid Pharaoh the required amount of silver and gold, but to meet Pharaoh’s demands Jehoiakim had to tax the land. He collected an assessed amount from each man among the people of the land in order to pay Pharaoh Necho. ³⁶⁵⁶ 

23:36 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem. ³⁶⁵⁷  His mother was Zebidah the daughter of Pedaiah, from Rumah. 23:37 He did evil in the sight of ³⁶⁵⁸  the Lord as his ancestors had done.

24:1 During Jehoiakim’s reign, ³⁶⁵⁹  King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacked. ³⁶⁶⁰  Jehoiakim was his subject for three years, but then he rebelled against him. ³⁶⁶¹  24:2 The Lord sent against him Babylonian, Syrian, Moabite, and Ammonite raiding bands; he sent them to destroy Judah, as he had warned he would do through his servants the prophets. ³⁶⁶²  24:3 Just as the Lord had announced, he rejected Judah because of all the sins which Manasseh had committed. ³⁶⁶³  24:4 Because he killed innocent people and stained Jerusalem with their blood, the Lord was unwilling to forgive them. ³⁶⁶⁴ 

24:5 The rest of the events of Jehoiakim’s reign and all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. ³⁶⁶⁵  24:6 He passed away ³⁶⁶⁶  and his son Jehoiachin replaced him as king. 24:7 The king of Egypt did not march out from his land again, for the king of Babylon conquered all the territory that the king of Egypt had formerly controlled between the Brook of Egypt and the Euphrates River.

24:8 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. ³⁶⁶⁷  His mother ³⁶⁶⁸  was Nehushta the daughter of Elnathan, from Jerusalem. 24:9 He did evil in the sight of ³⁶⁶⁹  the Lord as his ancestors had done.

24:10 At that time the generals ³⁶⁷⁰  of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon marched to Jerusalem and besieged the city. ³⁶⁷¹  24:11 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to the city while his generals were besieging it. 24:12 King Jehoiachin of Judah, along with his mother, his servants, his officials, and his eunuchs surrendered ³⁶⁷²  to the king of Babylon. The king of Babylon, in the eighth year of his reign, ³⁶⁷³  took Jehoiachin ³⁶⁷⁴  prisoner. 24:13 Nebuchadnezzar ³⁶⁷⁵  took from there all the riches in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and of the royal palace. He removed all the gold items which King Solomon of Israel had made for the Lord’s temple, just as the Lord had warned. 24:14 He deported all the residents of Jerusalem, including all the officials and all the soldiers (10,000 people in all). This included all the craftsmen and those who worked with metal. No one was left except for the poorest among the people of the land. 24:15 He deported Jehoiachin from Jerusalem to Babylon, along with the king’s mother and wives, his eunuchs, and the high-ranking officials of the land. ³⁶⁷⁶  24:16 The king of Babylon deported to Babylon all the soldiers (there were 7,000), as well as 1,000 craftsmen and metal workers. This included all the best warriors. ³⁶⁷⁷  24:17 The king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s ³⁶⁷⁸  uncle, king in Jehoiachin’s place. He renamed him Zedekiah.

24:18 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he ruled for eleven years in Jerusalem. ³⁶⁷⁹  His mother ³⁶⁸⁰  was Hamutal, ³⁶⁸¹  the daughter of Jeremiah, from Libnah. 24:19 He did evil in the sight of ³⁶⁸²  the Lord, as Jehoiakim had done. ³⁶⁸³ 

24:20 What follows is a record of what happened to Jerusalem and Judah because of the Lord’s anger; he finally threw them out of his presence. ³⁶⁸⁴  Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. 25:1 So King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came against Jerusalem with his whole army and set up camp outside ³⁶⁸⁵  it. They built siege ramps all around it. He arrived on the tenth day of the tenth month in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign. ³⁶⁸⁶  25:2 The city remained under siege until King Zedekiah’s eleventh year. 25:3 By the ninth day of the fourth month ³⁶⁸⁷  the famine in the city was so severe the residents ³⁶⁸⁸  had no food. 25:4 The enemy broke through the city walls, ³⁶⁸⁹  and all the soldiers tried to escape. They left the city during the night. ³⁶⁹⁰  They went through the gate between the two walls that is near the king’s garden. ³⁶⁹¹  (The Babylonians were all around the city.) Then they headed for the Jordan Valley. ³⁶⁹²  25:5 But the Babylonian army chased after the king. They caught up with him in the plains of Jericho, ³⁶⁹³  and his entire army deserted him. 25:6 They captured the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, ³⁶⁹⁴  where he ³⁶⁹⁵  passed sentence on him. 25:7 Zedekiah’s sons were executed while Zedekiah was forced to watch. ³⁶⁹⁶  The king of Babylon ³⁶⁹⁷  then had Zedekiah’s eyes put out, bound him in bronze chains, and carried him off to Babylon.

25:8 On the seventh ³⁶⁹⁸  day of the fifth month, ³⁶⁹⁹  in the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard ³⁷⁰⁰  who served the king of Babylon, arrived in Jerusalem. ³⁷⁰¹  25:9 He burned down the Lord’s temple, the royal palace, and all the houses in Jerusalem, including every large house. ³⁷⁰²  25:10 The whole Babylonian army that came with the captain of the royal guard tore down the walls that surrounded Jerusalem. 25:11 Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard, deported the rest of the people who were left in the city, those who had deserted to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the craftsmen. ³⁷⁰³  25:12 But he ³⁷⁰⁴  left behind some of the poor of the land and gave them fields and vineyards.

25:13 The Babylonians broke the two bronze pillars in the Lord’s temple, as well as the movable stands and the big bronze basin called the “The Sea.” ³⁷⁰⁵  They took the bronze to Babylon. 25:14 They also took the pots, shovels, ³⁷⁰⁶  trimming shears, ³⁷⁰⁷  pans, and all the bronze utensils used by the priests. ³⁷⁰⁸  25:15 The captain of the royal guard took the golden and silver censers ³⁷⁰⁹  and basins. 25:16 The bronze of the items that King Solomon made for the Lord’s temple – including the two pillars, the big bronze basin called “The Sea,” the twelve bronze bulls under “The Sea,” ³⁷¹⁰  and the movable stands – was too heavy to be weighed. 25:17 Each of the pillars was about twenty-seven feet ³⁷¹¹  high. The bronze top of one pillar was about four and a half feet ³⁷¹²  high and had bronze latticework and pomegranate shaped ornaments all around it. The second pillar with its latticework was like it.

25:18 The captain of the royal guard took Seraiah the chief priest and Zephaniah, the priest who was second in rank, and the three doorkeepers. 25:19 From the city he took a eunuch who was in charge of the soldiers, five ³⁷¹³  of the king’s advisers ³⁷¹⁴  who were discovered in the city, an official army secretary who drafted citizens ³⁷¹⁵  for military service, and sixty citizens from the people of the land who were discovered in the city. 25:20 Nebuzaradan, captain of the royal guard, took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 25:21 The king of Babylon ordered them to be executed ³⁷¹⁶  at Riblah in the territory ³⁷¹⁷  of Hamath. So Judah was deported from its land.

25:22 Now King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, as governor over the people whom he allowed to remain in the land of Judah. ³⁷¹⁸  25:23 All of the officers of the Judahite army ³⁷¹⁹  and their troops heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah to govern. So they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah. The officers who came were Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan son of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah son of the Maacathite. 25:24 Gedaliah took an oath so as to give them and their troops some assurance of safety. ³⁷²⁰  He said, “You don’t need to be afraid to submit to the Babylonian officials. Settle down in the land and submit to the king of Babylon. Then things will go well for you.” 25:25 But in the seventh month ³⁷²¹  Ishmael son of Nethaniah, son of Elishama, who was a member of the royal family, ³⁷²²  came with ten of his men and murdered Gedaliah, ³⁷²³  as well as the Judeans and Babylonians who were with him at Mizpah. 25:26 Then all the people, from the youngest to the oldest, as well as the army officers, left for ³⁷²⁴  Egypt, because they were afraid of what the Babylonians might do.

25:27 In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of King Jehoiachin of Judah, on the twenty-seventh ³⁷²⁵  day of the twelfth month, ³⁷²⁶  King Evil-Merodach of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, pardoned ³⁷²⁷  King Jehoiachin of Judah and released him ³⁷²⁸  from prison. 25:28 He spoke kindly to him and gave him a more prestigious position than ³⁷²⁹  the other kings who were with him in Babylon. 25:29 Jehoiachin ³⁷³⁰  took off his prison clothes and ate daily in the king’s presence for the rest of his life. 25:30 He was given daily provisions by the king for the rest of his life until the day he died. ³⁷³¹