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2 Chronicles 24-36
New American Standard Bible

Young Joash Influenced by Jehoiada

24 (A)Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned for forty years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Zibiah from Beersheba. 2 (B)Joash did what was right in the sight of the Lord all the days of Jehoiada the priest. 3 Jehoiada took two wives for him, and he fathered sons and daughters.

Faithless Priests

4 Now it came about after this that Joash [a]decided (C)to restore the house of the Lord. 5 He gathered the priests and Levites and said to them, “Go out to the cities of Judah and collect money from all (D)Israel to [b]repair the house of your God annually, and you shall [c]do the work quickly.” But the Levites did not act quickly. 6 So the king summoned Jehoiada, the chief priest, and said to him, “Why have you not required the Levites to bring in from Judah and from Jerusalem (E)the [d]contribution of Moses, the servant of the Lord, and the congregation of Israel, (F)for the tent of the testimony?” 7 For (G)the sons of the wicked Athaliah had broken into the house of God, and even [e]used the holy things of the house of the Lord for the Baals.

Temple Repaired

8 So the king commanded, and (H)they made a chest and set it outside by the gate of the house of the Lord. 9 (I)And they made a proclamation in Judah and Jerusalem to bring to the Lord (J)the [f]contribution commanded by Moses the servant of God on Israel in the wilderness. 10 All the officers and all the people rejoiced, and they brought in their contribution and [g]dropped it into the chest until they had finished. 11 It happened that whenever the chest was brought to the king’s officer by the Levites, and (K)they saw that the money was substantial, the king’s scribe and the chief priest’s officer would come and empty the chest, and pick it up and return it to its place. They did this daily and collected a large amount of money. 12 The king and Jehoiada gave it to those who did the work of the service of the house of the Lord; and they hired masons and carpenters to restore the house of the Lord, and also workers in iron and bronze to repair the house of the Lord. 13 So the workmen labored, and the repair work progressed in their hands, and they [h]restored the house of God according to its [i]specifications and strengthened it. 14 When they had finished, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada; and it was made into utensils for the house of the Lord, utensils for the service and the burnt offerings, and pans and utensils of gold and silver. And they offered burnt offerings in the house of the Lord continually, all the days of Jehoiada.

15 Now Jehoiada [j]reached a good old age and he died; he was 130 years old at his death. 16 And they buried him (L)in the city of David with the kings, because he had done well in (M)Israel and [k]for God and His house.

17 But after the death of Jehoiada the officials of Judah came and bowed down to the king, and the king listened to them. 18 And they abandoned (N)the house of the Lord, the God of their fathers, and (O)served the [l]Asherim and the idols; so (P)wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this guilt of theirs. 19 Yet (Q)He sent prophets to them to bring them back to the Lord; and they testified against them, but they would not listen.

Joash Murders Son of Jehoiada

20 (R)Then the Spirit of God [m]covered Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada the priest like clothing; and he stood above the people and said to them, “This is what God has said, ‘(S)Why do you break the commandments of the Lord and do not prosper? (T)Because you have abandoned the Lord, He has also abandoned you.’” 21 So (U)they conspired against him, and at the command of the king they stoned him [n]to death in the courtyard of the house of the Lord. 22 So Joash the king did not remember the kindness which Zechariah’s father Jehoiada had shown him, but he murdered his son. And as Zechariah died he said, “May (V)the Lord see and [o]avenge!”

Aram Invades and Defeats Judah

23 Now it happened at the turn of the year that (W)the army of the Arameans came up against Joash; and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, destroyed all the officials of the people from among the people, and sent all their spoils to the king of Damascus. 24 Indeed, the army of the Arameans came with a small number of men; yet (X)the Lord handed a very great army over to them, (Y)because [p]Judah and Joash had abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers. So they executed judgment on Joash.

25 (Z)When they left him (for they left him very sick), his own servants conspired against him because of the blood of the [q]son of Jehoiada the priest, and they murdered him on his bed. So he died, and they buried him in the city of David, but they did not bury him in the tombs of the kings. 26 Now these are the men who conspired against him: Zabad the son of Shimeath the Ammonitess, and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith the Moabitess. 27 As to his sons and the many pronouncements against him and (AA)the [r]rebuilding of the house of God, behold, they are written in the [s](AB)treatise of the Book of the Kings. Then his son Amaziah became king in his place.

Amaziah Succeeds Joash in Judah

25 (AC)Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem. 2 He did what was right in the sight of the Lord, (AD)only not wholeheartedly. 3 Now (AE)it came about, as soon as the kingdom was [t]firmly in his grasp, that he killed his servants who had killed his father the king. 4 However, he did not put their children to death, but did as it is written in the Law in the Book of Moses, which the Lord commanded, saying, “(AF)Fathers shall not be put to death for sons, nor sons be put to death for fathers; but each shall be put to death for his own sin.”

Amaziah Defeats Edomites

5 Moreover, Amaziah assembled Judah and appointed them according to their fathers’ households under commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds throughout Judah and Benjamin; and he [u]took a census of those (AG)from twenty years old and upward and found them to be (AH)three hundred thousand choice men, able to go to war and handle spear and shield. 6 He also hired a hundred thousand valiant warriors from Israel for [v]a hundred talents of silver. 7 But (AI)a man of God came to him saying, “O king, do not let the army of Israel come with you, for the Lord is not with Israel nor with any of the sons of Ephraim. 8 But if you do go, do it, be strong for the battle; yet God will [w]bring you down before the enemy, (AJ)for God has the power to help and to [x]bring down.” 9 Amaziah said to the man of God, “But what are we to do about the [y]hundred talents which I have given to the troops of Israel?” And the man of God answered, “(AK)The Lord has much more to give you than this.” 10 Then Amaziah [z]dismissed the troops which came to him from Ephraim, to go home; so their anger burned against Judah, and they returned [aa]home in fierce anger.

11 Now Amaziah gathered his courage and led his people out, and went to (AL)the Valley of Salt, and struck and killed ten thousand of the sons of Seir. 12 The sons of Judah also captured ten thousand alive and brought them to the top of the cliff, and threw them down from the top of the cliff so that they were all dashed to pieces. 13 But the [ab]troops whom Amaziah sent back, those not going with him to battle, raided the cities of Judah from Samaria to Beth-horon, and struck and killed three thousand of them, and plundered a large amount of spoils.

Amaziah Rebuked for Idolatry

14 Now after Amaziah came from slaughtering the Edomites, (AM)he brought the gods of the sons of Seir and set them up as his gods. Then he bowed down before them and burned incense to them. 15 So the anger of the Lord burned against Amaziah, and He sent him a prophet who said to him, “Why have you sought the gods of the people (AN)who have not saved their own people from your hand?” 16 As he was talking with him, [ac]the king said to him, “Have we appointed you to be a royal counselor? Stop! Why should [ad]you be put to death?” Then the prophet stopped and said, “I know that God has planned to destroy you, because you have done this and have not listened to my counsel.”

Amaziah Defeated by Joash of Israel

17 (AO)Then Amaziah king of Judah took counsel and sent word to Joash the son of Jehoahaz the son of Jehu, the king of Israel, saying, “Come, let’s face each other.” 18 But Joash the king of Israel sent a reply to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, “(AP)The thorn bush that was in Lebanon sent word to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son in marriage.’ But a wild beast that was in Lebanon passed by and trampled the thorn bush. 19 You said, ‘Behold, you have [ae]defeated Edom.’ And (AQ)your heart has lifted you up in boasting. Now stay home; why should you provoke trouble so that you, would fall, you and Judah with you?”

20 But Amaziah would not listen, for it was from God, so that He might hand them over to Joash, because they had sought the gods of Edom. 21 So Joash king of Israel went up, and he and Amaziah king of Judah faced each other at Beth-shemesh, which belonged to Judah. 22 And Judah was defeated [af]by Israel, and they fled, every man to his tent. 23 Then Joash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash the son of (AR)Jehoahaz, at Beth-shemesh, and brought him to Jerusalem and tore down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate, [ag]four hundred cubits. 24 He took all the gold and silver and all the utensils which were found in the house of God with (AS)Obed-edom, and the treasures of the king’s house, the hostages too, and returned to Samaria.

25 (AT)And Amaziah, the son of Joash king of Judah, lived fifteen years after the death of Joash, son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel. 26 Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, from the first to the last, behold, are they not written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel? 27 From the time that Amaziah turned away from following the Lord they conspired against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish; but they sent men after him to Lachish, and they killed him there. 28 Then they brought him on horses and buried him with his fathers in the city of Judah.

Uzziah Succeeds Amaziah in Judah

26 Now all the people of Judah took [ah]Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah. 2 He built Eloth and restored it to Judah after the king [ai]lay down with his fathers. 3 Uzziah was (AU)sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned for fifty-two years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was [aj]Jechiliah of Jerusalem. 4 He did what was right in the sight of the Lord, in accordance with everything that his father Amaziah had done. 5 (AV)He continued to seek God in the days of Zechariah, (AW)who had understanding [ak]through the vision of God; and [al](AX)as long as he sought the Lord, God made him successful.

Uzziah Succeeds in War

6 Now he went out and (AY)fought against the Philistines, and broke down the wall of Gath, the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod; and he built cities in the area of Ashdod and among the Philistines. 7 (AZ)God helped him against the Philistines, and against the Arabians who lived in Gur-baal, and the Meunites. 8 The Ammonites gave (BA)tribute to Uzziah, and his [am]fame extended to the border of Egypt, for he became very strong. 9 Moreover, Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at (BB)the Corner Gate, the (BC)Valley Gate, and at the corner buttress, and he fortified them. 10 He also built towers in the wilderness and (BD)carved out many cisterns, for he had much livestock, both in the [an]lowland and in the plain. He also had plowmen and vinedressers in the hill country and the fertile fields, for he loved the soil. 11 Moreover, Uzziah had an army ready for battle, which [ao]entered combat by divisions according to the number of their muster, [ap]recorded by Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the official, under the direction of Hananiah, one of the king’s officers. 12 The total number of the heads of the [aq]households, of valiant warriors, was 2,600. 13 Under their direction was an army of (BE)307,500, who could wage war with great power, to help the king against the enemy. 14 Moreover, Uzziah prepared [ar]for all the army shields, spears, helmets, body armor, bows, and slingstones. 15 In Jerusalem he made machines of war invented by skillful workmen to be on the towers and the corners, for the purpose of shooting arrows and great stones. So his [as]fame spread far, for he was marvelously helped until he was strong.

Pride Is Uzziah’s Undoing

16 But (BF)when he became strong, his heart was so [at]proud that he acted corruptly, and he was untrue to the Lord his God, for (BG)he entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense. 17 Then (BH)Azariah the priest entered after him, and with him eighty priests of the Lord, valiant men. 18 (BI)They opposed Uzziah the king and said to him, “(BJ)It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord, (BK)but for the priests, the sons of Aaron who have been consecrated to burn incense. Leave the sanctuary, for you have been untrue and will have no honor from the Lord God.” 19 But Uzziah, with a censer in his hand for burning incense, was enraged; and while he was enraged with the priests, (BL)leprosy broke out on his forehead in the presence of the priests in the house of the Lord, beside the altar of incense. 20 Azariah the chief priest and all the priests looked at him, and behold, he was leprous on his forehead; and they quickly removed him from there, and he himself also hurried to get out because the Lord had stricken him. 21 (BM)King Uzziah had leprosy to the day of his death; and he lived in (BN)a separate house, afflicted as he was with leprosy, for he was cut off from the house of the Lord. And his son Jotham was over the king’s house, judging the people of the land.

22 Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, the first to the last, the prophet (BO)Isaiah, the son of Amoz, has written. 23 So Uzziah [au]lay down with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers (BP)in the field of the grave which belonged to the kings, for they said, “He had leprosy.” And his son Jotham became king in his place.

Jotham Succeeds Uzziah in Judah

27 (BQ)Jotham was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jerushah the daughter of Zadok. 2 He did what was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father Uzziah had done; (BR)however he did not enter the temple of the Lord. But the people continued acting corruptly. 3 He built the upper gate of the house of the Lord, and he built the wall of (BS)Ophel extensively. 4 Moreover, he built (BT)cities in the hill country of Judah, and he built fortresses and towers on the wooded hills. 5 He fought with the king of the Ammonites and prevailed over them so that during that year the Ammonites gave him [av]a hundred talents of silver, [aw]ten thousand kors of wheat, and ten thousand of barley. The Ammonites also paid him this amount in the second year and in the third. 6 (BU)So Jotham became powerful because he directed his ways before the Lord his God. 7 (BV)Now the rest of the acts of Jotham, all his wars and his ways, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. 8 He was (BW)twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for sixteen years. 9 And Jotham [ax]lay down with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David; and his son Ahaz became king in his place.

Ahaz Succeeds Jotham in Judah

28 (BX)Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for sixteen years. (BY)He did not do what was right in the sight of the Lord as his father David had done. 2 (BZ)But he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel; he also (CA)made cast metal images for the Baals. 3 Furthermore, (CB)he burned incense in the Valley of Ben-hinnom, and (CC)burned his sons in fire, (CD)according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord had driven out from the sons of Israel. 4 He sacrificed and (CE)burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.

Judah Is Invaded

5 Therefore (CF)the Lord his God handed him over to the king of Aram; and they [ay]defeated him and carried from him a great number of captives, and brought them to Damascus. And he was also handed over to the king of Israel, who struck him with heavy casualties. 6 For (CG)Pekah the son of Remaliah killed 120,000 in Judah in one day, all valiant men, because they had abandoned the Lord God of their fathers. 7 And Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, killed Maaseiah the king’s son, Azrikam the ruler of the house, and Elkanah the second to the king.

8 (CH)The sons of Israel led away captive two hundred thousand of (CI)their relatives, women, sons, and daughters; and they also [az]took a great deal of spoils from them, and brought the spoils to Samaria. 9 But a prophet of the Lord was there, whose name was Oded; and (CJ)he went out to meet the army which came to Samaria and said to them, “Behold, because the Lord, the God of your fathers, (CK)was angry with Judah, He has handed them over to you, and you have killed them in a rage (CL)which has even reached heaven. 10 Now you are proposing to (CM)subjugate the people of Judah and Jerusalem as male and female slaves for yourselves. Are you not, however guilty yourselves of offenses against the Lord your God? 11 Now then, listen to me and return the captives (CN)whom you captured from your brothers, (CO)for the burning anger of the Lord is against you.” 12 Then some of the leading men of the sons of Ephraim—Azariah the son of Johanan, Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai—rose up against those who were coming from the battle, 13 and said to them, “You must not bring the captives in here, for you are proposing to bring guilt upon us before the Lord, adding to our sins and our guilt; for our guilt is great, and His burning anger is against Israel.” 14 So the armed men left the captives and the spoils before the officers and all the assembly. 15 Then (CP)the men who were designated by name got up, took the captives, and they clothed all their naked people from the spoils; they gave them clothes and sandals, fed them and (CQ)gave them drink, anointed them with oil, led all their feeble ones on donkeys, and brought them to Jericho, (CR)the city of palm trees, to their brothers; then they returned to Samaria.

Compromise with Assyria

16 (CS)At that time King Ahaz sent word to the [ba]kings of Assyria for help. 17 (CT)For the Edomites had come again and attacked Judah, and led away captives. 18 (CU)The Philistines had also invaded the cities of the [bb]lowland and of the Negev of Judah, and had taken Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, and Soco with its villages, Timnah with its villages, and Gimzo with its villages; and they had settled there. 19 For the Lord had humbled Judah because of Ahaz king of (CV)Israel, for he had brought about a lack of restraint in Judah and was very unfaithful to the Lord. 20 So (CW)Tilgath-pilneser king of Assyria came against him and afflicted him instead of strengthening him. 21 (CX)Although Ahaz took a portion out of the house of the Lord and out of the palace of the king and of the princes, and gave it to the king of Assyria, it did not help him.

22 Now during the time of his distress, this same King Ahaz (CY)became even more unfaithful to the Lord. 23 (CZ)For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus who had [bc]defeated him, and said, “(DA)Because the gods of the kings of Aram helped them, I will sacrifice to them so that they may help me.” But they became the [bd]downfall of him and all Israel. 24 Moreover, when Ahaz gathered together the utensils of the house of God, he (DB)cut the utensils of the house of God in pieces; and he (DC)closed the doors of the house of the Lord, and (DD)made altars for himself in every corner of Jerusalem. 25 In every city of Judah he made high places to burn incense to other gods, and provoked the Lord, the God of his fathers, to anger. 26 (DE)Now the rest of his acts and all his ways, from the first to the last, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 27 (DF)So Ahaz [be]lay down with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, in Jerusalem, for they did not bring him to the tombs of the kings of (DG)Israel; and his son Hezekiah reigned in his place.

Hezekiah Succeeds Ahaz in Judah

29 (DH)Hezekiah became king when he was twenty-five years old; and he reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. 2 (DI)He did what was right in the sight of the Lord, in accordance with everything that his father David had done.

3 In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he (DJ)opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them. 4 He brought in the priests and the Levites and gathered them into the public square on the east.

Reforms Begun

5 Then he said to them, “Listen to me, you Levites. (DK)Consecrate yourselves now, and consecrate the house of the Lord, the God of your fathers, and carry the uncleanness out of the holy place. 6 For our fathers have been unfaithful and have done evil in the sight of the Lord our God, and they have abandoned Him and (DL)turned their faces away from the dwelling place of the Lord, and have [bf]turned their backs. 7 They have also (DM)shut the doors of the porch and extinguished the lamps, and have not burned incense nor offered burnt offerings in the holy place to the God of Israel. 8 Therefore (DN)the wrath of the Lord was against Judah and Jerusalem, and He has made them an object of terror, of horror, and of (DO)hissing, as you see with your own eyes. 9 For behold, (DP)our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons, our daughters, and our wives are in captivity because of this. 10 Now it is in my heart (DQ)to make a covenant with the Lord God of Israel, so that His burning anger may turn away from us. 11 My sons, do not be negligent now, for (DR)the Lord has chosen you to stand before Him, to serve Him, and to be His ministers and burn incense.”

12 Then the Levites arose: (DS)Mahath the son of Amasai and Joel the son of Azariah, from the sons of (DT)the Kohathites; and from the sons of Merari, Kish the son of Abdi and Azariah the son of Jehallelel; and from the Gershonites, Joah the son of Zimmah and Eden the son of Joah; 13 and from the sons of Elizaphan, Shimri and [bg]Jeiel; and from the sons of Asaph, Zechariah and Mattaniah; 14 and from the sons of Heman, [bh]Jehiel and Shimei; and from the sons of Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel. 15 They assembled their brothers, (DU)consecrated themselves, and went in (DV)to cleanse the house of the Lord, according to the commandment of the king (DW)by the words of the Lord. 16 So the priests went into the inner part of the house of the Lord to cleanse it, and they brought every unclean thing which they found in the temple of the Lord out to the courtyard of the house of the Lord. Then the Levites received it to carry out to (DX)the Kidron [bi]Valley. 17 Now they began [bj]the consecration (DY)on the first day of the first month, and on the eighth day of the month they entered the porch of the Lord. Then they consecrated the house of the Lord in eight days, and finished on the sixteenth day of the first month. 18 Then they went in to King Hezekiah and said, “We have cleansed the whole house of the Lord, the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the table of the showbread with all of its utensils. 19 Moreover, (DZ)all the utensils which King Ahaz had discarded during his reign in his unfaithfulness, we have prepared and consecrated; and behold, they are before the altar of the Lord.”

Hezekiah Restores Temple Worship

20 Then King Hezekiah got up early and assembled the princes of the city, and went up to the house of the Lord. 21 They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats (EA)as a sin offering for the kingdom, the sanctuary, and Judah. And he ordered the priests, the sons of Aaron, to offer them on the altar of the Lord. 22 So they slaughtered the bulls, and the priests took the blood and sprinkled it on the altar. They also slaughtered the rams and sprinkled the blood on the altar; they slaughtered the lambs as well, and (EB)sprinkled the blood on the altar. 23 Then they brought the male goats of the sin offering before the king and the assembly, and (EC)they laid their hands on them. 24 The priests slaughtered them and purified the altar with their blood (ED)to atone for all Israel, because the king ordered the burnt offering and the sin offering for all Israel.

25 (EE)He then stationed the Levites in the house of the Lord with cymbals, harps, and lyres, (EF)according to the command of David and of (EG)Gad, the king’s seer, and of (EH)Nathan the prophet; for the command was from the Lord through His prophets. 26 The Levites stood with (EI)the musical instruments of David, and (EJ)the priests with the trumpets. 27 Then Hezekiah gave the order to offer the burnt offering on the altar. When the burnt offering began, (EK)the song to the Lord also began with the trumpets, [bk]accompanied by the instruments of David, king of Israel. 28 While the whole assembly worshiped, the singers also sang and the trumpets sounded; all this continued until the burnt offering was finished.

29 Now at the completion of the burnt offerings, (EL)the king and all who were present with him bowed down and worshiped. 30 Moreover, King Hezekiah and the officials ordered the Levites to sing praises to the Lord with the words of David and Asaph the seer. (EM)So they sang praises with joy, and bowed down and worshiped.

31 Then Hezekiah said, “(EN)Now that you have [bl]consecrated yourselves to the Lord, come forward and bring sacrifices and thanksgiving offerings to the house of the Lord.” So the assembly brought sacrifices and thanksgiving offerings, and (EO)everyone who was [bm]willing brought burnt offerings. 32 The number of the burnt offerings which the assembly brought was seventy bulls, a hundred rams, and two hundred lambs; all of these were for a burnt offering to the Lord. 33 The consecrated offerings were six hundred bulls and three thousand sheep. 34 But the priests were too few, so that they were unable to skin all the burnt offerings; (EP)therefore their brothers the Levites helped them until the work was finished and the other priests had consecrated themselves. For (EQ)the Levites were more [bn]conscientious to consecrate themselves than the priests. 35 There were also [bo](ER)many burnt offerings with (ES)the fat of the peace offerings and (ET)the drink offerings for the burnt offerings. So the service of the house of the Lord was established again. 36 Then Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced over what God had prepared for the people, because the thing came about suddenly.

All Israel Invited to the Passover

30 Now Hezekiah sent word to all Israel and Judah and also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the Lord in Jerusalem to [bp]celebrate the Passover to the Lord God of Israel. 2 For the king and his princes and all the assembly in Jerusalem had decided (EU)to celebrate the Passover in the second month, 3 since they could not celebrate it (EV)at that time, because the priests had not consecrated themselves in sufficient numbers, nor had the people been gathered to Jerusalem. 4 So the [bq]decision was right in the sight of the king and all the assembly. 5 So they established a decree to circulate a [br]proclamation throughout Israel (EW)from Beersheba to Dan, that they are to come to celebrate the Passover to the Lord God of Israel in Jerusalem. For they had not celebrated it in great numbers as was written. 6 (EX)The [bs]couriers went throughout Israel and Judah with the letters from the hand of the king and his princes, even according to the command of the king, saying, “Sons of Israel, return to the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, that He may return to those of you who escaped and are left from (EY)the [bt]hand of the kings of Assyria. 7 (EZ)Do not be like your fathers and your brothers, who were untrue to the Lord God of their fathers, so that (FA)He made them an object of horror, just as you see. 8 Now do not (FB)stiffen your neck like your fathers, but [bu]yield to the Lord and enter His sanctuary which He has consecrated forever, and serve the Lord your God, (FC)that His burning anger may turn away from you. 9 For (FD)if you return to the Lord, your brothers and your sons will find compassion in the presence of those who led them captive, and will return to this land. (FE)For the Lord your God is gracious and compassionate, and will not turn His face away from you if you return to Him.”

10 So the [bv]couriers passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, and as far as Zebulun, but (FF)they laughed at them with scorn and mocked them. 11 Nevertheless, (FG)some men of Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. 12 The (FH)hand of God was also on Judah to give them one heart to do what the king and the princes commanded by the word of the Lord.

Passover Reinstituted

13 Now many people were gathered at Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread (FI)in the second month, a very large assembly. 14 They got up and removed the altars which were in Jerusalem; they also (FJ)removed all the incense altars and (FK)threw them into the brook Kidron. 15 Then (FL)they slaughtered the Passover lambs on the fourteenth of the second month. And (FM)the priests and Levites were ashamed of themselves, and consecrated themselves and brought burnt offerings to the house of the Lord. 16 (FN)They stood at their stations following their custom, according to the Law of Moses the man of God; the priests sprinkled the blood which they received from the hand of the Levites. 17 For there were many in the assembly who had not consecrated themselves; therefore, (FO)the Levites were in charge of the slaughter of the Passover lambs for everyone who was unclean, in order to consecrate them to the Lord. 18 For a multitude of the people, (FP)many from Ephraim and Manasseh, and Issachar and Zebulun, had not purified themselves, (FQ)yet they ate the Passover (FR)contrary to what was written. For Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May the good Lord pardon 19 (FS)everyone who prepares his heart to seek God, the Lord God of his fathers, though not according to the purification rules of the sanctuary.” 20 So the Lord heard Hezekiah and (FT)healed the people. 21 The sons of Israel present in Jerusalem (FU)celebrated the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days with great joy, and the Levites and the priests were praising the Lord day after day with loud instruments to the Lord. 22 Then Hezekiah (FV)spoke [bw]encouragingly to all the Levites who showed good insight in the things of the Lord. So they ate for the appointed seven days, sacrificing peace offerings and (FW)giving thanks to the Lord God of their fathers.

23 Then the whole assembly (FX)decided to celebrate the feast another seven days, so they celebrated the seven days with joy. 24 For (FY)Hezekiah king of Judah had contributed to the assembly a thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep, and the princes had contributed to the assembly a thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep; and (FZ)a large number of priests consecrated themselves. 25 All the assembly of Judah rejoiced, with the priests and the Levites and (GA)all the assembly that came from Israel, both the strangers who came from the land of Israel and those living in Judah. 26 So there was great joy in Jerusalem, because there was nothing like this in Jerusalem (GB)since the days of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel. 27 Then (GC)the Levitical priests stood and (GD)blessed the people; and their voice was heard and their prayer came to (GE)His holy dwelling place, to heaven.

Idols Are Destroyed

31 Now when all this was finished, all Israel who were present went out to the cities of Judah, (GF)broke the memorial stones in pieces, cut down the [bx]Asherim and pulled down the high places and the altars throughout Judah and Benjamin, as well as in Ephraim and Manasseh, until [by]they had destroyed them all. Then all the sons of Israel returned to their cities, each to his possession.

2 And Hezekiah appointed (GG)the divisions of the priests and the Levites by their divisions, each according to his service, both the priests and the Levites, (GH)for burnt offerings and for peace offerings, to serve and to give thanks and to praise in the gates of the camp of the Lord.

Reforms Continued

3 He also appointed (GI)the king’s portion of his property for the burnt offerings, namely, for the morning and evening burnt offerings, and the burnt offerings for the Sabbaths and for the new moons and for the appointed festivals, (GJ)as it is written in the Law of the Lord. 4 Also he told the people who lived in Jerusalem to give (GK)the portion due to the priests and the Levites, so that they might devote themselves to (GL)the Law of the Lord. 5 As soon as the [bz]order spread, the sons of Israel abundantly provided the first fruits of grain, new wine, oil, honey, and of all the produce of the field; and they brought in abundantly (GM)the tithe of everything. 6 The sons of Israel and Judah who lived in the cities of Judah also brought in the tithe of oxen and sheep, and (GN)the tithe of [ca]sacred gifts which were consecrated to the Lord their God, and placed them in heaps. 7 In the third month they began to [cb]make the heaps, and they finished them by the seventh month. 8 When Hezekiah and the rulers came and saw the heaps, they blessed the Lord and (GO)His people Israel. 9 Then Hezekiah questioned the priests and the Levites concerning the heaps. 10 Azariah, the chief priest (GP)of the house of Zadok, said to [cc]him, “(GQ)Since the contributions started coming into the house of the Lord, we have had enough to eat with plenty left over, for the Lord has blessed His people, and this great quantity is left over.”

11 Then Hezekiah commanded them to prepare (GR)rooms in the house of the Lord, and they prepared them. 12 They faithfully brought in the contributions, the tithes, and the consecrated things; and Conaniah the Levite was the officer in charge (GS)of them, and his brother Shimei was second. 13 Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismachiah, Mahath, and Benaiah were overseers [cd]under the authority of Conaniah and his brother Shimei by the appointment of King Hezekiah, and (GT)Azariah was the chief officer of the house of God. 14 Kore the son of Imnah the Levite, the keeper of the eastern gate, was in charge of the [ce]voluntary offerings for God, to distribute the contributions for the Lord and the most holy things. 15 [cf]Under his authority were (GU)Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah, in (GV)the cities of the priests, to distribute their portions faithfully to their brothers by divisions, whether great or small, 16 without regard to their genealogical enrollment, to the males from [cg](GW)thirty years old and upward—everyone who entered the house of the Lord (GX)for his daily obligations—for their work in their duties according to their divisions; 17 as well as the priests who were enrolled genealogically according to their fathers’ households, and the Levites (GY)from twenty years old and upward, by their duties and their divisions. 18 The genealogical enrollment included [ch]all their little children, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, for the whole assembly, for they consecrated themselves [ci]faithfully in holiness. 19 Also for the sons of Aaron, the priests, who were in (GZ)the pasture lands of their cities, or in each and every city, (HA)there were men who were designated by name to distribute portions to every male among the priests and to everyone genealogically enrolled among the Levites.

20 Hezekiah did this throughout Judah; and (HB)he did what was good, right, and true before the Lord his God. 21 Every work which he began in the service of the house of God in the Law and in the commandment, seeking his God, he did with all his heart and (HC)prospered.

Sennacherib Invades Judah

32 After these [cj]acts of faithfulness (HD)Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah and besieged the fortified cities, and [ck]intended to break into them for himself. 2 Now when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and that [cl]he intended to wage war against Jerusalem, 3 he decided with his officers and his warriors to cut off the supply of water from the springs which were outside the city, and they helped him. 4 So many people assembled (HE)and stopped up all the springs and (HF)the stream which flowed [cm]through the region, saying, “Why should the kings of Assyria come and find abundant water?” 5 And he resolutely set to work and (HG)rebuilt all of the wall that had been broken down and [cn]erected towers on it, and built (HH)another outside wall and strengthened the [co](HI)Millo in the city of David, and made weapons and shields in great numbers. 6 He appointed military officers over the people and gathered them to him in the public square at the city gate, and (HJ)spoke [cp]encouragingly to them, saying, 7 “(HK)Be strong and courageous, do not fear or be dismayed because of the king of Assyria nor because of all the horde that is with him; (HL)for the One with us is greater than the one with him. 8 With him is only (HM)an arm of flesh, but (HN)with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people relied on the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

Sennacherib Undermines Hezekiah

9 After this (HO)Sennacherib king of Assyria sent his servants to Jerusalem while he was [cq]besieging Lachish with all his forces with him, against Hezekiah king of Judah and against all of Judah who were in Jerusalem, saying, 10 “This is what Sennacherib king of Assyria says: ‘On what are you trusting that you are staying in Jerusalem under siege? 11 Is Hezekiah not misleading you to give yourselves over to die by hunger and by thirst, saying, “The Lord our God will save us from the [cr]hand of the king of Assyria”? 12 (HP)Is it not the same Hezekiah who removed His high places and His altars, and said to Judah and [cs]Jerusalem, “You shall worship before one altar, and on it you shall [ct]burn incense”? 13 Do you not know what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of the lands? (HQ)Were the gods of the nations of those lands at all able to save their land from my hand? 14 (HR)Who was there among all the gods of those nations which my fathers utterly destroyed who could save his people from my hand, that your God would be able to save you from my hand? 15 Now then, do not let Hezekiah deceive you or mislead you like this, and do not believe him, for (HS)no god of any nation or kingdom was able to save his people from my hand or from the hand of my fathers. How much less will your God save you from my hand?’”

16 His servants spoke further against the Lord God and against His servant Hezekiah. 17 He also wrote letters to insult the Lord God of Israel, and to speak against Him, saying, “(HT)As the gods of the nations of the lands [cu]have not saved their people from my hand, so the God of Hezekiah will not save His people from my hand.” 18 (HU)They called this out with a loud voice in the language of Judah to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to frighten and terrify them, so that they might take the city. 19 They spoke [cv]of the God of Jerusalem as they did against (HV)the gods of the peoples of the earth, the work of human hands.

Hezekiah’s Prayer Is Answered

20 But King Hezekiah and Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, prayed about this and called out to heaven for help. 21 And the Lord sent an angel who destroyed every warrior, commander, and officer in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned [cw]in shame to his own land. And when he had entered the temple of his god, some of his own sons killed him there with the sword. 22 So the Lord (HW)saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria and from the hand of all others, and [cx]guided them on every side. 23 And (HX)many were bringing gifts to the Lord at Jerusalem and valuable presents to Hezekiah king of Judah; so thereafter (HY)he rose in the sight of all nations.

24 (HZ)In those days Hezekiah became [cy]mortally ill; and he prayed to the Lord, and [cz]the Lord spoke to him and gave him a sign. 25 But Hezekiah did nothing in return for the benefit [da]he received, (IA)because his heart was [db]proud; (IB)therefore wrath came upon him and upon Judah and Jerusalem. 26 However, (IC)Hezekiah [dc]humbled the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the Lord did not come on them in the days of Hezekiah.

27 Now Hezekiah had immense riches and honor; and he made for himself treasuries for silver, gold, precious stones, spices, shields, and all kinds of valuable articles, 28 also storehouses for the produce of grain, wine, and oil; stalls for all kinds of cattle, and [dd]sheepfolds for the flocks. 29 He made cities for himself and acquired flocks and herds in abundance, because (ID)God had given him very great [de]wealth. 30 It was Hezekiah who (IE)stopped the upper outlet of the waters of (IF)Gihon and directed them to the west side of the city of David. And Hezekiah was successful in everything that he did. 31 Even in the matter of (IG)the messengers of the rulers of Babylon, who were sent to him to inquire about (IH)the wonder that had happened in the land; God left him alone only (II)to test him, so that He might know everything that was in his heart.

32 Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah and his deeds of devotion, behold, they are written in the vision of Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 33 So Hezekiah [df]lay down with his fathers, and they buried him in the [dg]upper section of the tombs of the sons of David; and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem (IJ)honored him at his death. And his son Manasseh became king in his place.

Manasseh Succeeds Hezekiah in Judah

33 (IK)Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned for fifty-five years in Jerusalem. 2 (IL)He did evil in the sight of the Lord according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord dispossessed before the sons of Israel. 3 For (IM)he rebuilt the high places which his father Hezekiah had torn down; (IN)he also set up altars for the Baals and made [dh]Asherim, and he worshiped all the heavenly [di]lights and served them. 4 (IO)He built altars in the house of the Lord of which the Lord had said, “My name shall be (IP)in Jerusalem forever.” 5 He built altars for all the heavenly [dj]lights in (IQ)the two courtyards of the house of the Lord. 6 (IR)He also made his sons pass through the fire in the Valley of Ben-hinnom; and he practiced witchcraft, used divination, practiced sorcery, and (IS)dealt with mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking Him to anger. 7 Then he put (IT)the carved image of the idol which he had made in the house of God, of which God had said to David and his son Solomon, “(IU)In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel, I will put My name forever; 8 and I will not remove the foot of Israel again from the land (IV)which I have appointed for your fathers, if only they will take care to do everything that I have commanded them according to all the Law, the statutes, and the ordinances given through Moses.” 9 So Manasseh encouraged Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to do more evil than the nations whom the Lord destroyed before the sons of Israel.

Manasseh’s Idolatry Rebuked

10 So the Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but (IW)they paid no attention. 11 (IX)Therefore the Lord brought the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria against them, and they captured Manasseh with hooks, (IY)bound him with bronze chains, and led him to Babylon. 12 When (IZ)he was in distress, he appeased the Lord his God and (JA)humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. 13 When he prayed to Him, (JB)He was moved by him and heard his pleading, and brought him back to Jerusalem to his kingdom. Then Manasseh (JC)knew that the Lord alone is God.

14 Now after this he built the outer wall of the city of David on the west side of (JD)Gihon, in the valley, up to the entrance of the (JE)Fish Gate; and he encircled the (JF)Ophel with it and made it very high. Then he put army commanders in all the fortified cities in Judah. 15 He also (JG)removed the foreign gods and the idol from the house of the Lord, as well as all the altars which he had built on the mountain of the house of the Lord and in Jerusalem, and he threw them outside the city. 16 He set up the altar of the Lord and sacrificed (JH)peace offerings and thanksgiving offerings on it; and he ordered Judah to serve the Lord God of Israel. 17 However, (JI)the people still sacrificed on the high places, although only to the Lord their God.

18 Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh and (JJ)his prayer to his God, and the words of (JK)the seers who spoke to him in the name of the Lord God of Israel, behold, they are among the records of the kings of (JL)Israel. 19 His prayer also and (JM)how God was moved by him, and all his sin, his unfaithfulness, and (JN)the sites on which he built high places and erected the [dk]Asherim and the carved images, before he humbled himself, behold, they are written in the records of [dl]Hozai. 20 So Manasseh [dm]lay down with his fathers, and they buried him in his own house. And his son Amon became king in his place.

Amon Becomes King in Judah

21 (JO)Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned for two years in Jerusalem. 22 He did evil in the sight of the Lord, just as his father Manasseh (JP)had done, and Amon sacrificed to all (JQ)the carved images which his father Manasseh had made, and he served them. 23 Furthermore, he did not humble himself before the Lord (JR)as his father Manasseh had [dn]done, but Amon multiplied his guilt. 24 Finally, (JS)his servants conspired against him and put him to death in his own house. 25 But the people of the land [do]killed all the conspirators against King Amon, and the people of the land made his son Josiah king in his place.

Josiah Succeeds Amon in Judah

34 (JT)Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned for thirty-one years in Jerusalem. 2 (JU)He did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the ways of his father David and did not turn aside to the right or the left. 3 For in the eighth year of his reign while he was still a youth, he began to (JV)seek the God of his father David; and in the twelfth year he began (JW)to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the [dp]Asherim, the carved images, and the cast metal images. 4 They tore down the altars of the Baals in his presence, and he chopped down (JX)the incense altars that were high above them; also he broke in pieces the Asherim, the carved images, and the cast metal images, and (JY)ground them to powder, and scattered it on the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. 5 Then (JZ)he burned the bones of the priests on their altars and purged Judah and Jerusalem. 6 (KA)In the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, Simeon, and as far as Naphtali, in their surrounding spaces, 7 he also tore down the altars and (KB)crushed the [dq]Asherim and the carved images into powder, and chopped down all the incense altars throughout the land of Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem.

Josiah Repairs the Temple

8 (KC)Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land and the house, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, Maaseiah (KD)an official of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the secretary, to repair the house of the Lord his God. 9 They came to (KE)Hilkiah the high priest and gave him the money that was brought into the house of God, which the Levites, the [dr]doorkeepers, had collected [ds]from (KF)Manasseh and Ephraim, and from all the remnant of Israel, from all Judah and Benjamin and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 10 Then they handed it over to the workmen who had the oversight of the house of the Lord, and the workmen who were working in the house of the Lord [dt]used it to restore and repair the house. 11 They in turn gave it to the carpenters and the builders to buy quarried stone and timber for couplings, and to make beams for the houses (KG)which the kings of Judah had let go to ruin. 12 (KH)The men did the work faithfully with foremen over them to supervise: Jahath and Obadiah, the Levites of the sons of Merari, Zechariah and Meshullam of the sons of the Kohathites, and (KI)the Levites, all who were skillful with musical instruments. 13 They were also in charge of (KJ)the burden bearers, and supervised all the workmen from job to job; and some of the Levites were scribes, and officials, and gatekeepers.

Hilkiah Discovers the Lost Book of the Law

14 When they were bringing out the money which had been brought into the house of the Lord, (KK)Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the Lord given by Moses. 15 Hilkiah responded and said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the Lord.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan. 16 Then Shaphan brought the book to the king and [du]reported further word to the king, saying, “Everything that was [dv]entrusted to your servants, they are doing. 17 They have also emptied out the money which was found in the house of the Lord, and have handed it over to the supervisors and the workmen.” 18 Moreover, Shaphan the scribe informed the king, saying, “Hilkiah the priest gave me a book.” And Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king.

19 When the king heard (KL)the words of the Law, (KM)he tore his clothes. 20 Then the king commanded Hilkiah, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, [dw]Abdon the son of Micah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king’s servant, saying, 21 “Go, inquire of the Lord for me and for those who are left in Israel and Judah, concerning the words of the book which has been found; for (KN)the wrath of the Lord which has poured out on us is great, because our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord, to act in accordance with everything that is written in this book.”

Huldah, the Prophetess, Speaks

22 So Hilkiah and those [dx]whom the king had told went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of [dy]Tokhath, the son of Hasrah, the keeper of the wardrobe (she lived in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter); and they spoke to her regarding this. 23 Then she said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘Tell the man who sent you to Me, 24 this is what the Lord says: “Behold, (KO)I am bringing [dz]evil on this place and on its inhabitants, all (KP)the curses written in the book which they have read in the presence of the king of Judah. 25 (KQ)Since they have abandoned Me and have burned incense to other gods, so that they may provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands, My wrath will be poured out on this place and it will not be quenched.”’ 26 But to the king of Judah who sent you to inquire of the Lord, this is what you shall say to him: ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: In regard to the words which you have heard, 27 “(KR)Because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and its inhabitants, and because you humbled yourself before Me, tore your clothes, and wept before Me, I have indeed heard you,” declares the Lord. 28 “Behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you will be gathered to your grave in peace, so your eyes will not see all the evil which I am bringing on this place and its inhabitants.”’” And they brought back word to the king.

29 (KS)Then the king sent word and gathered all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 30 The king went up to the house of the Lord [ea]with (KT)all the men of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests, the Levites, and all the people, from the greatest to the least; and he read in their [eb]presence all the words of the Book of the Covenant which was found in the house of the Lord.

Josiah’s Good Reign

31 Then the king (KU)stood [ec]in his place and (KV)made a covenant before the Lord to walk after the Lord, and to keep His commandments, His testimonies, and His statutes with all his heart and with all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant that are written in this book. 32 Furthermore, he made all who were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin stand with him. So the inhabitants of Jerusalem acted in accordance with the covenant of God, the God of their fathers. 33 Josiah (KW)removed all the abominations from all the lands belonging to the sons of Israel, and made all who were present in Israel serve the Lord their God. Throughout his [ed]lifetime they did not turn from following the Lord God of their fathers.

The Passover Held Again

35 Then Josiah (KX)celebrated the Passover to the Lord in Jerusalem, and (KY)they slaughtered the Passover animals on the fourteenth day of the first month. 2 He appointed the priests to their offices and (KZ)encouraged them in the service of the house of the Lord. 3 He also said to (LA)the Levites who taught all Israel and who were holy to the Lord, “Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David king of Israel built; (LB)it will not be a burden on your shoulders. Now serve the Lord your God and His people Israel. 4 (LC)Prepare yourselves by your fathers’ households in your divisions, according to the writing of David king of Israel and (LD)according to the writing of his son Solomon. 5 Furthermore, (LE)stand in the holy place according to the sections of the fathers’ households of your countrymen, the [ee]lay people, and according to the Levites, by division of a father’s household. 6 Now (LF)slaughter the Passover animals, (LG)keep one another consecrated, and prepare for your countrymen to act in accordance with the word of the Lord by Moses.”

7 Josiah contributed to the lay people, to all who were present, flocks of lambs and young goats, all for the Passover offerings, numbering thirty thousand, plus three thousand bulls; these were from the king’s property. 8 His officers also contributed a [ef]voluntary offering to the people, the priests, and the Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, (LH)the officials of the house of God, gave the priests 2,600 from the flocks and three hundred bulls, for the Passover offerings. 9 (LI)Conaniah also, and his brothers Shemaiah and Nethanel, and Hashabiah and Jeiel and Jozabad, the officers of the Levites, contributed five thousand from the flocks and five hundred bulls to the Levites for the Passover offerings.

10 So the service was prepared, and (LJ)the priests stood at their positions and the Levites by their divisions according to the king’s command. 11 [eg](LK)They slaughtered the Passover animals, and while (LL)the priests [eh]sprinkled the blood received from their hand, (LM)the Levites skinned the animals. 12 Then they removed the burnt offerings so that they might give them to the sections of the fathers’ households of the lay people to present to the Lord, as it is written in the Book of Moses. They did this with the bulls as well. 13 So (LN)they roasted the Passover animals on the fire according to the ordinance, and they boiled (LO)the holy things in pots, in kettles, and in pans and carried them quickly to all the lay people. 14 Afterward they prepared for themselves and for the priests, because the priests, the sons of Aaron, were offering the burnt offerings and the fat until night; so the Levites prepared for themselves and for the priests, the sons of Aaron. 15 The singers, the sons of Asaph, were also at their positions (LP)according to the command of David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king’s seer; and (LQ)the gatekeepers at each gate did not have to leave their service, because their kinsmen the Levites prepared for them.

16 So all the service of the Lord was prepared on that day to celebrate the Passover, and to offer burnt offerings on the altar of the Lord according to the command of King Josiah. 17 And (LR)the sons of Israel who were present celebrated the Passover at that time, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days. 18 (LS)There had not been a Passover celebrated like it in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet; nor had any of the kings of Israel celebrated such a Passover as Josiah did with the priests, the Levites, all Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 19 In the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign this Passover was celebrated.

Josiah Dies in Battle

20 (LT)After all this, when Josiah had set the [ei]temple in order, Neco king of Egypt came up to wage war at (LU)Carchemish on the Euphrates, and Josiah went out to engage him. 21 But [ej]Neco sent messengers to him, saying, “[ek](LV)What business do you have with me, King of Judah? I am not coming against you today, but against the house with which I am at war, and God has told me to hurry. For your own sake, stop interfering with God who is with me, so that He does not destroy you.” 22 However, Josiah would not turn [el]away from him, but (LW)disguised himself in order to fight against him; nor did he listen to the words of Neco (LX)from the mouth of God, but he came to wage war on the plain of (LY)Megiddo. 23 The archers shot King Josiah, and the king said to his servants, “Take me away, for I am badly wounded.” 24 So his servants took him out of the chariot and carried him on the second chariot which he had, and brought him to Jerusalem [em]where he died and was buried in the tombs of his fathers. (LZ)All Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah. 25 Then (MA)Jeremiah chanted a song of mourning for Josiah. And all the male and female singers speak about Josiah in their songs of mourning to this day. And they made them an ordinance in Israel; behold, they are also written in the Lamentations. 26 Now the rest of the acts of Josiah and his deeds of devotion as written in the Law of the Lord, 27 and his acts, the first to the last, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah.

Joahaz, Jehoiakim, Then Jehoiachin Rule

36 (MB)Then the people of the land took [en](MC)Joahaz the son of Josiah and made him king in place of his father in Jerusalem. 2 Joahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned for three months in Jerusalem. 3 Then the king of Egypt deposed him in Jerusalem, and imposed a fine on the land of [eo]a hundred talents of silver and [ep]one talent of gold. 4 The king of Egypt made [eq]Joahaz’s brother Eliakim king over Judah and Jerusalem, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. But (MD)Neco took his brother Joahaz and brought him to Egypt.

5 (ME)Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem; and he did evil in the sight of the Lord his God. 6 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up (MF)against him and (MG)bound him with bronze chains to take him to Babylon. 7 (MH)Nebuchadnezzar also brought some of the articles of the house of the Lord to Babylon, and he put them in his temple in Babylon. 8 (MI)Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim and [er]the abominations which he committed, and what was found against him, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. And his son Jehoiachin became king in his place.

9 (MJ)Jehoiachin was [es]eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned for three months and ten days in Jerusalem. He did evil in the sight of the Lord.

Captivity in Babylon Begun

10 (MK)At the turn of the year King Nebuchadnezzar sent men and had him brought to Babylon with the valuable articles of the house of the Lord; and he made his relative (ML)Zedekiah king over Judah and Jerusalem.

Zedekiah Rules in Judah

11 (MM)Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem. 12 He did evil in the sight of the Lord his God; (MN)he did not humble himself (MO)before Jeremiah the prophet [et]who spoke for the Lord. 13 (MP)He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear allegiance by God. But (MQ)he stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the Lord God of Israel. 14 Furthermore, all the officials of the priests and the people were very unfaithful, following all the abominations of the nations; and they defiled the house of the Lord which He had sanctified in Jerusalem.

15 Yet the Lord, the God of their fathers, (MR)sent word to them again and again by His messengers, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place; 16 but they continually (MS)mocked the messengers of God, (MT)despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, (MU)until the wrath of the Lord rose against His people, until there was no remedy. 17 (MV)So He brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man or virgin, old man or frail; He handed them all over to him. 18 (MW)He brought all the articles of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king and his officers, to Babylon. 19 Then (MX)they burned the house of God and broke down the wall of Jerusalem, and burned all its fortified buildings with fire and destroyed all its valuable articles. 20 He (MY)took into exile those who had escaped from the sword to Babylon; and (MZ)they were servants to him and to his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia, 21 (NA)to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until (NB)the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths. (NC)All the days of its desolation it kept the Sabbath [eu](ND)until seventy years were complete.

Cyrus Permits Return

22 (NE)Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia—in order to fulfill the word of the Lord (NF)by the mouth of Jeremiah—the Lord (NG)stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia so that he sent a proclamation throughout his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying, 23 “This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: ‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and He has appointed me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever there is among you of all His people, may the Lord his God be with him; [ev]go up then!’”

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 24:4 Lit was with a heart
  2. 2 Chronicles 24:5 Lit strengthen
  3. 2 Chronicles 24:5 Lit hasten to the thing
  4. 2 Chronicles 24:6 Or mandatory offering
  5. 2 Chronicles 24:7 Lit made
  6. 2 Chronicles 24:9 Or mandatory offering
  7. 2 Chronicles 24:10 Lit threw
  8. 2 Chronicles 24:13 Lit set up
  9. 2 Chronicles 24:13 Lit measurement
  10. 2 Chronicles 24:15 Lit became old and satisfied with days
  11. 2 Chronicles 24:16 Lit with
  12. 2 Chronicles 24:18 I.e., wooden symbols of a female deity (Asherah)
  13. 2 Chronicles 24:20 Lit clothed
  14. 2 Chronicles 24:21 Lit with stones
  15. 2 Chronicles 24:22 Lit seek; or require
  16. 2 Chronicles 24:24 Lit they
  17. 2 Chronicles 24:25 As in some ancient versions; MT sons
  18. 2 Chronicles 24:27 Lit founding
  19. 2 Chronicles 24:27 Heb midrash
  20. 2 Chronicles 25:3 Lit firm upon him
  21. 2 Chronicles 25:5 Lit mustered
  22. 2 Chronicles 25:6 About 3.75 tons or 3.4 metric tons
  23. 2 Chronicles 25:8 Lit cause you to stumble
  24. 2 Chronicles 25:8 Lit cause to stumble
  25. 2 Chronicles 25:9 About 3.75 tons or 3.4 metric tons
  26. 2 Chronicles 25:10 Lit separated
  27. 2 Chronicles 25:10 Lit to their own place
  28. 2 Chronicles 25:13 Lit sons of the troops
  29. 2 Chronicles 25:16 Lit he
  30. 2 Chronicles 25:16 Lit they strike and kill you
  31. 2 Chronicles 25:19 Lit struck
  32. 2 Chronicles 25:22 Lit before
  33. 2 Chronicles 25:23 About 600 ft. or 183 m
  34. 2 Chronicles 26:1 In 2 Kin 14:21, Azariah
  35. 2 Chronicles 26:2 I.e., died
  36. 2 Chronicles 26:3 In 2 Kin 15:2, Jecoliah
  37. 2 Chronicles 26:5 Many mss in the fear of God
  38. 2 Chronicles 26:5 Lit in the days of his seeking
  39. 2 Chronicles 26:8 Lit name went to the entering of Egypt
  40. 2 Chronicles 26:10 Heb shephelah
  41. 2 Chronicles 26:11 Lit was going out to
  42. 2 Chronicles 26:11 Lit by the hand of
  43. 2 Chronicles 26:12 Lit fathers
  44. 2 Chronicles 26:14 Lit for them, for all
  45. 2 Chronicles 26:15 Lit name
  46. 2 Chronicles 26:16 Lit high
  47. 2 Chronicles 26:23 I.e., died
  48. 2 Chronicles 27:5 About 3.75 tons or 3.4 metric tons
  49. 2 Chronicles 27:5 About 77,000 cubic feet or 2,180 cubic meters
  50. 2 Chronicles 27:9 I.e., died
  51. 2 Chronicles 28:5 Lit struck
  52. 2 Chronicles 28:8 Lit plundered
  53. 2 Chronicles 28:16 Ancient versions king
  54. 2 Chronicles 28:18 Heb shephelah
  55. 2 Chronicles 28:23 Lit struck
  56. 2 Chronicles 28:23 Lit stumbling
  57. 2 Chronicles 28:27 I.e., died
  58. 2 Chronicles 29:6 Lit given
  59. 2 Chronicles 29:13 Or Jeuel
  60. 2 Chronicles 29:14 Another reading is Jehuel
  61. 2 Chronicles 29:16 Or wadi
  62. 2 Chronicles 29:17 Lit to consecrate
  63. 2 Chronicles 29:27 Lit and on the hands of
  64. 2 Chronicles 29:31 Lit filled your hands
  65. 2 Chronicles 29:31 Lit willing of heart
  66. 2 Chronicles 29:34 Lit upright of heart
  67. 2 Chronicles 29:35 Lit the burnt offerings to an abundance
  68. 2 Chronicles 30:1 Lit do, and so throughout the ch
  69. 2 Chronicles 30:4 Lit word
  70. 2 Chronicles 30:5 Lit voice
  71. 2 Chronicles 30:6 Lit runners
  72. 2 Chronicles 30:6 Lit palm
  73. 2 Chronicles 30:8 Lit give a hand
  74. 2 Chronicles 30:10 Lit runners
  75. 2 Chronicles 30:22 Lit to the heart of
  76. 2 Chronicles 31:1 I.e., wooden symbols of a female deity (Asherah)
  77. 2 Chronicles 31:1 Lit to completion
  78. 2 Chronicles 31:5 Lit word
  79. 2 Chronicles 31:6 Lit consecrated things
  80. 2 Chronicles 31:7 Lit lay
  81. 2 Chronicles 31:10 Lit him, and he said
  82. 2 Chronicles 31:13 Lit from the hand of
  83. 2 Chronicles 31:14 Or freewill offerings
  84. 2 Chronicles 31:15 Lit On his hand
  85. 2 Chronicles 31:16 Heb three
  86. 2 Chronicles 31:18 Lit with all
  87. 2 Chronicles 31:18 Lit in their faithfulness
  88. 2 Chronicles 32:1 Lit things and this faithfulness
  89. 2 Chronicles 32:1 Lit said
  90. 2 Chronicles 32:2 Lit he set his face for war
  91. 2 Chronicles 32:4 Lit in the midst of
  92. 2 Chronicles 32:5 Lit raised on the towers
  93. 2 Chronicles 32:5 I.e., terraced structure
  94. 2 Chronicles 32:6 Lit upon their hearts
  95. 2 Chronicles 32:9 Lit against
  96. 2 Chronicles 32:11 Lit palm
  97. 2 Chronicles 32:12 Lit Jerusalem, saying,
  98. 2 Chronicles 32:12 Lit offer up in smoke
  99. 2 Chronicles 32:17 Lit who have
  100. 2 Chronicles 32:19 Lit to
  101. 2 Chronicles 32:21 Lit in shame of face
  102. 2 Chronicles 32:22 Another reading is gave them rest
  103. 2 Chronicles 32:24 Lit sick to the point of death
  104. 2 Chronicles 32:24 Lit He
  105. 2 Chronicles 32:25 Lit to Him
  106. 2 Chronicles 32:25 Lit high
  107. 2 Chronicles 32:26 Lit humbled himself in
  108. 2 Chronicles 32:28 As in ancient versions; MT herds for the stables
  109. 2 Chronicles 32:29 Lit possessions; or property
  110. 2 Chronicles 32:33 I.e., died
  111. 2 Chronicles 32:33 Or ascent to
  112. 2 Chronicles 33:3 I.e., wooden symbols of a female deity (Asherah)
  113. 2 Chronicles 33:3 Lit host
  114. 2 Chronicles 33:5 Lit host
  115. 2 Chronicles 33:19 I.e., wooden symbols of a female deity (Asherah)
  116. 2 Chronicles 33:19 LXX seers
  117. 2 Chronicles 33:20 I.e., died
  118. 2 Chronicles 33:23 Lit humbled himself
  119. 2 Chronicles 33:25 Lit struck
  120. 2 Chronicles 34:3 I.e., wooden symbols of a female deity (Asherah)
  121. 2 Chronicles 34:7 I.e., wooden symbols of a female deity (Asherah)
  122. 2 Chronicles 34:9 Lit guardians of the threshold
  123. 2 Chronicles 34:9 Lit from the hand of
  124. 2 Chronicles 34:10 Lit gave
  125. 2 Chronicles 34:16 Lit returned
  126. 2 Chronicles 34:16 Lit given into the hand of
  127. 2 Chronicles 34:20 In 2 Kin 22:12, Achbor, son of Micaiah
  128. 2 Chronicles 34:22 As in LXX; MT who were the king’s men
  129. 2 Chronicles 34:22 In 2 Kin 22:14, Tikvah, son of Harhas
  130. 2 Chronicles 34:24 Or disaster
  131. 2 Chronicles 34:30 Lit and
  132. 2 Chronicles 34:30 Lit ears
  133. 2 Chronicles 34:31 LXX by a pillar
  134. 2 Chronicles 34:33 Lit days
  135. 2 Chronicles 35:5 Lit sons of the people, and so throughout the ch
  136. 2 Chronicles 35:8 Or freewill offering
  137. 2 Chronicles 35:11 I.e., the Levites
  138. 2 Chronicles 35:11 As in LXX; MT sprinkled from their hand
  139. 2 Chronicles 35:20 Lit house
  140. 2 Chronicles 35:21 Lit he
  141. 2 Chronicles 35:21 Lit What to me and to you, an ancient idiom
  142. 2 Chronicles 35:22 Lit his face
  143. 2 Chronicles 35:24 Lit and
  144. 2 Chronicles 36:1 I.e., short form of Jehoahaz
  145. 2 Chronicles 36:3 About 3.75 tons or 3.4 metric tons
  146. 2 Chronicles 36:3 About 75 lb. or 34 kg
  147. 2 Chronicles 36:4 Lit his
  148. 2 Chronicles 36:8 Lit his
  149. 2 Chronicles 36:9 As in LXX and some Heb mss; MT eight years
  150. 2 Chronicles 36:12 Lit from the mouth of the Lord
  151. 2 Chronicles 36:21 Lit to fulfill seventy years
  152. 2 Chronicles 36:23 Lit and he is to go up; i.e., go to Jerusalem
Close TLB

2 Chronicles 24-36
Living Bible

24 Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah, from Beersheba. 2 Joash tried hard to please the Lord all during the lifetime of Jehoiada the priest. 3 Jehoiada arranged two marriages for him, and he had sons and daughters.

4 Later on Joash decided to repair and recondition the Temple. 5 He summoned the priests and Levites and gave them these instructions:

“Go to all the cities of Judah and collect offerings for the building fund so that we can maintain the Temple in good repair. Get at it right away. Don’t delay.” But the Levites took their time.

6 So the king called for Jehoiada the High Priest and asked him, “Why haven’t you demanded that the Levites go out and collect the Temple taxes from the cities of Judah and from Jerusalem? The tax law enacted by Moses the servant of the Lord must be enforced so that the Temple can be repaired.”

7-8 (The followers of wicked Athaliah had ravaged the Temple, and everything dedicated to the worship of God had been removed to the temple of Baalim.) So now the king instructed that a chest be made and set outside the Temple gate. 9 Then a proclamation was sent to all the cities of Judah and throughout Jerusalem telling the people to bring to the Lord the tax that Moses the servant of God had assessed upon Israel. 10 And all the leaders and the people were glad, and brought the money and placed it in the chest until it was full.

11 Then the Levites carried the chest to the king’s accounting office, where the recording secretary and the representative of the High Priest counted the money and took the chest back to the Temple again. This went on day after day, and money continued to pour in. 12 The king and Jehoiada gave the money to the building superintendents, who hired masons and carpenters to restore the Temple, and to foundrymen, who made articles of iron and brass. 13 So the work went forward, and finally the Temple was in much better condition than before. 14 When all was finished, the remaining money was brought to the king and Jehoiada, and it was agreed to use it for making the gold and silver spoons and bowls used for incense, and for making the instruments used in the sacrifices and offerings.

Burnt offerings were sacrificed continually during the lifetime of Jehoiada the priest. 15 He lived to a very old age, finally dying at 130. 16 He was buried in the City of David among the kings because he had done so much good for Israel, for God, and for the Temple.

17-18 But after his death, the leaders of Judah came to King Joash and induced him to abandon the Temple of the God of their ancestors and to worship shameful idols instead! So the wrath of God came down upon Judah and Jerusalem again. 19 God sent prophets to bring them back to the Lord, but the people wouldn’t listen.

20 Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah, Jehoiada’s son. He called a meeting of all the people. Standing before them upon a platform, he said to them, “God wants to know why you are disobeying his commandments. For when you do, everything you try fails. You have forsaken the Lord, and now he has forsaken you.”

21 Then the leaders plotted to kill Zechariah, and finally King Joash himself ordered him executed in the court of the Temple. 22 That was how King Joash repaid Jehoiada for his love and loyalty—by killing his son. Zechariah’s last words as he died were, “Lord, see what they are doing and pay them back.”

23 A few months later the Syrian army arrived and conquered Judah and Jerusalem, killing all the leaders of the nation and sending back great quantities of booty to the king of Damascus. 24 It was a great triumph for the tiny Syrian army, but the Lord let the great army of Judah be conquered by them because they had forsaken the Lord God of their ancestors. In that way God executed judgment upon Joash. 25 When the Syrians left—leaving Joash severely wounded—his own officials decided to kill him for murdering the son of Jehoiada the priest. They assassinated him as he lay in bed, and buried him in the City of David, but not in the cemetery of the kings. 26 The conspirators were Zabad, whose mother was Shimeath, a woman from Ammon; and Jehozabad, whose mother was Shimrith, a woman from Moab.

27 If you want to read about the sons of Joash and the curses laid upon Joash, and about the restoration of the Temple, see The Annals of the Kings.

When Joash died, his son Amaziah became the new king.

25 Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan, a native of Jerusalem. 2 He did what was right, but sometimes resented it! 3 When he was well established as the new king, he executed the men who had assassinated his father. 4 However, he didn’t kill their children but followed the command of the Lord written in the law of Moses, that the fathers shall not die for the children’s sins, nor the children for the father’s sins. No, everyone must pay for his own sins.

5-6 Another thing Amaziah did was to organize the army, assigning leaders to each clan from Judah and Benjamin. Then he took a census and found that he had an army of 300,000 men twenty years old and older, all trained and highly skilled in the use of spear and sword. He also paid $200,000 to hire 100,000 experienced mercenaries from Israel.

7 But a prophet arrived with this message from the Lord: “Sir, do not hire troops from Israel, for the Lord is not with them. 8 If you let them go with your troops to battle, you will be defeated no matter how well you fight; for God has power to help or to frustrate.”

9 “But the money!” Amaziah whined. “What shall I do about that?”

And the prophet replied, “The Lord is able to give you much more than this!”

10 So Amaziah sent them home again to Ephraim, which made them very angry and insulted. 11 Then Amaziah took courage and led his army to Salt Valley and there killed 10,000 men from Seir. 12 Another 10,000 were taken alive to the top of a cliff and thrown over so that they were crushed upon the rocks below.

13 Meanwhile, the army of Israel that had been sent home raided several of the cities of Judah in the vicinity of Beth-horon toward Samaria, killing 3,000 people and carrying off great quantities of booty.

14 When King Amaziah returned from this slaughter of the Edomites, he brought with him idols taken from the people of Seir, set them up as gods, bowed before them, and burned incense to them! 15 This made the Lord very angry, and he sent a prophet to demand, “Why have you worshiped gods who couldn’t even save their own people from you?”

16 “Since when have I asked your advice?” the king retorted. “Be quiet now before I have you killed.”

The prophet left with this parting warning: “I know that God has determined to destroy you because you have worshiped these idols and have not accepted my counsel.”

17 King Amaziah of Judah now took the advice of his counselors and declared war on King Joash of Israel (son of Jehoahaz, grandson of Jehu).

18 King Joash replied with this parable: “Out in the Lebanon mountains a thistle demanded of a cedar tree, ‘Give your daughter in marriage to my son.’ Just then a wild animal came by and stepped on the thistle, crushing it! 19 You are very proud about your conquest of Edom, but my advice is to stay home and don’t meddle with me, lest you and all Judah get badly hurt.”

20 But Amaziah wouldn’t listen for God was arranging to destroy him for worshiping the gods of Edom. 21 The armies met at Beth-shemesh in Judah, 22 and Judah was defeated and its army fled home. 23 King Joash of Israel captured the defeated King Amaziah of Judah and took him as a prisoner to Jerusalem. Then King Joash ordered 200 yards of the walls of Jerusalem dismantled, from the gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate. 24 He carried off all the treasures and gold bowls from the Temple, as well as the treasures from the palace; and he took hostages, including Obed-edom, and returned to Samaria.

25 However, King Amaziah of Judah lived on for fifteen years after the death of King Joash of Israel. 26 The complete biography of King Amaziah is written in The Annals of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 27 This account includes a report of Amaziah’s turning away from God, how his people conspired against him in Jerusalem, and how he fled to Lachish—but they went after him and killed him there. 28 And they brought him back on horses to Jerusalem and buried him in the royal cemetery.

26 The people of Judah now crowned sixteen-year-old Uzziah as their new king. 2 After his father’s death, he rebuilt the city of Eloth and restored it to Judah. 3 In all, he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecoliah, from Jerusalem. 4 He followed in the footsteps of his father Amaziah and was, in general, a good king in the Lord’s sight.

5 While Zechariah was alive Uzziah was always eager to please God. Zechariah was a man who had special revelations from God. And as long as the king followed the paths of God, he prospered, for God blessed him.

6 He declared war on the Philistines and captured the city of Gath and broke down its walls, also those of Jabneh and Ashdod. Then he built new cities in the Ashdod area and in other parts of the Philistine country. 7 God helped him not only with his wars against the Philistines but also in his battles with the Arabs of Gur-baal and in his wars with the Meunites. 8 The Ammonites paid annual tribute to him, and his fame spread even to Egypt, for he was very powerful.

9 He built fortified towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, and the Valley Gate, and at the turning of the wall. 10 He also constructed forts in the Negeb and made many water reservoirs, for he had great herds of cattle out in the valleys and on the plains. He was a man who loved the soil and had many farms and vineyards, both on the hillsides and in the fertile valleys.

11 He organized his army into regiments to which men were drafted under quotas set by Jeiel, the secretary of the army, and his assistant, Maaseiah. The commander-in-chief was General Hananiah. 12 Twenty-six hundred brave clan leaders commanded these regiments. 13 The army consisted of 307,500 men, all elite troops. 14 Uzziah issued to them shields, spears, helmets, coats of mail, bows, and sling stones. 15 And he produced engines of war manufactured in Jerusalem, invented by brilliant men to shoot arrows and huge stones from the towers and battlements. So he became very famous, for the Lord helped him wonderfully until he was very powerful.

16 But at that point he became proud—and corrupt. He sinned against the Lord his God by entering the forbidden sanctuary of the Temple and personally burning incense upon the altar. 17-18 Azariah the High Priest went in after him with eighty other priests, all brave men, and demanded that he get out.

“It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense,” they declared. “That is the work of the priests alone, the sons of Aaron who are consecrated to this work. Get out, for you have trespassed, and the Lord is not going to honor you for this!”

19 Uzziah was furious and refused to set down the incense burner he was holding. But look! Suddenly—leprosy appeared on his forehead! 20 When Azariah and the others saw it, they rushed him out; in fact, he himself was as anxious to get out as they were to get him out because the Lord had struck him.

21 So King Uzziah was a leper until the day of his death and lived in isolation, cut off from his people and from the Temple. His son Jotham became vice-regent, in charge of the king’s affairs and of the judging of the people of the land.

22 The other details of Uzziah’s reign from first to last are recorded by the prophet Isaiah (son of Amoz). 23 When Uzziah died, he was buried in the royal cemetery even though he was a leper, and his son Jotham became the new king.

27 Jotham was twenty-five years old at the time he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother was Jerushah, daughter of Zadok. 2 He followed the generally good example of his father, Uzziah—who had, however, sinned by invading the Temple—but even so his people became very corrupt.

3 He built the Upper Gate of the Temple and also did extensive rebuilding of the walls on the hill where the Temple was situated. 4 And he built cities in the hill country of Judah and erected fortresses and towers on the wooded hills.

5 His war against the Ammonites was successful so that for the next three years he received from them an annual tribute of $200,000 in silver, 10,000 sacks of wheat, and 10,000 sacks of barley. 6 King Jotham became powerful because he was careful to follow the path of the Lord his God.

7 The remainder of his history, including his wars and other activities, is written in The Annals of the Kings of Israel and Judah. 8 In summary, then, he was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. 9 When he died, he was buried in Jerusalem, and his son Ahaz became the new king.

28 Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. But he was an evil king, unlike his ancestor King David. 2 For he followed the example of the kings over in Israel and worshiped the idols of Baal. 3 He even went out to the valley of Hinnom, and it was not just to burn incense to the idols, for he even sacrificed his own children in the fire, just like the heathen nations that were thrown out of the land by the Lord to make room for Israel. 4 Yes, he sacrificed and burned incense at the idol shrines on the hills and under every green tree.

5 That is why the Lord God allowed the king of Syria to defeat him and deport large numbers of his people to Damascus. The armies from Israel also slaughtered great numbers of his troops. 6 On a single day Pekah, the son of Remaliah, killed 120,000 of his bravest soldiers because they had turned away from the Lord God of their fathers. 7 Then Zichri, a great warrior from Ephraim, killed the king’s son Maaseiah, the king’s administrator Azrikam, and the king’s second-in-command Elkanah. 8 The armies from Israel also captured 200,000 Judean women and children and tremendous amounts of booty, which they took to Samaria.

9 But Oded, a prophet of the Lord, was there in Samaria, and he went out to meet the returning army.

“Look!” he exclaimed. “The Lord God of your fathers was angry with Judah and let you capture them, but you have butchered them without mercy, and all heaven is disturbed. 10 And now are you going to make slaves of these people from Judah and Jerusalem? What about your own sins against the Lord your God? 11 Listen to me and return these relatives of yours to their homes, for now the fierce anger of the Lord is upon you.”

12 Some of the top leaders of Ephraim also added their opposition. These men were Azariah the son of Johanan, Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai.

13 “You must not bring the captives here!” they declared. “If you do, the Lord will be angry, and this sin will be added to our many others. We are in enough trouble with God as it is.”

14 So the army officers turned over the captives and booty to the political leaders to decide what to do. 15 Then the four men already mentioned distributed captured stores of clothing to the women and children who needed it and gave them shoes, food, and wine, and put those who were sick and old on donkeys, and took them back to their families in Jericho, the City of Palm Trees. Then their escorts returned to Samaria.

16 About that time King Ahaz of Judah asked the king of Assyria to be his ally in his war against the armies of Edom. For Edom was invading Judah and capturing many people as slaves. 17-18 Meanwhile, the Philistines had invaded the lowland cities and the Negeb and had already captured Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Soco, Timnah, and Gimzo with their surrounding villages, and were living there. 19 For the Lord brought Judah very low on account of the evil deeds of King Ahaz of Israel,[a] for he had destroyed the spiritual fiber of Judah and had been faithless to the Lord. 20 But when Tilgath-pilneser, king of Assyria, arrived, he caused trouble for King Ahaz instead of helping him. 21 So even though Ahaz had given him the Temple gold and the palace treasures, it did no good.

22 In this time of deep trial, King Ahaz collapsed spiritually. 23 He sacrificed to the gods of the people of Damascus who had defeated him, for he felt that since these gods had helped the kings of Syria, they would help him too if he sacrificed to them. But instead, they were his ruin, and that of all his people. 24 The king took the gold bowls from the Temple and slashed them to pieces, and nailed the door of the Temple shut so that no one could worship there, and made altars to the heathen gods in every corner of Jerusalem. 25 And he did the same in every city of Judah, thus angering the Lord God of his fathers.

26 The other details of his life and activities are recorded in The Annals of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 27 When King Ahaz died, he was buried in Jerusalem but not in the royal tombs, and his son Hezekiah became the new king.

29 Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he became the king of Judah, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. 2 His reign was generally good in the Lord’s sight, just as his ancestor David’s had been.

3 In the very first month of the first year of his reign, he reopened the doors of the Temple and repaired them. 4-5 He summoned the priests and Levites to meet him at the open space east of the Temple and addressed them thus:

“Listen to me, you Levites. Sanctify yourselves and sanctify the Temple of the Lord God of your ancestors—clean all the debris from the holy place. 6 For our fathers have committed a deep sin before the Lord our God; they abandoned the Lord and his Temple and turned their backs on it. 7 The doors have been shut tight, the perpetual flame has been put out, and the incense and burnt offerings have not been offered. 8 Therefore, the wrath of the Lord has been upon Judah and Jerusalem. He has caused us to be objects of horror, amazement, and contempt, as you see us today. 9 Our fathers have been killed in war, and our sons and daughters and wives are in captivity because of this.

10 “But now I want to make a covenant with the Lord God of Israel so that his fierce anger will turn away from us. 11 My children, don’t neglect your duties any longer, for the Lord has chosen you to minister to him and to burn incense.”

12-14 Then the Levites went into action:

From the Kohath clan, Mahath (son of Amasai) and Joel (son of Azariah);

From the Merari clan, Kish (son of Abdi) and Azariah (son of Jehallelel);

From the Gershon clan, Joah (son of Zimmah) and Eden (son of Joah).

From the Elizaphan clan, Shimri and Jeuel;

From the Asaph clan, Zechariah and Mattaniah;

From the Hemanite clan, Jehuel and Shimei;

From the Jeduthun clan, Shemaiah and Uzziel.

15 They in turn summoned their fellow Levites and sanctified themselves, and began to clean up and sanctify the Temple, as the king (who was speaking for the Lord) had commanded them. 16 The priests cleaned up the inner room of the Temple and brought out into the court all the filth and decay they found there. The Levites then carted it out to Kidron Brook. 17 This all began on the first day of April, and by the eighth day they had reached the outer court, which took eight days to clean up, so the entire job was completed in sixteen days.

18 Then they went back to the palace and reported to King Hezekiah, “We have completed the cleansing of the Temple and of the altar of burnt offerings and of its accessories, also the table of the Bread of the Presence and its equipment. 19 What’s more, we have recovered and sanctified all the utensils thrown away by King Ahaz when he closed the Temple. They are beside the altar of the Lord.”

20 Early the next morning King Hezekiah went to the Temple with the city officials, 21 taking seven young bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats for a sin offering for the nation and for the Temple.

He instructed the priests, the sons of Aaron, to sacrifice them on the altar of the Lord. 22 So they killed the young bulls, and the priests took the blood and sprinkled it on the altar, and they killed the rams and sprinkled their blood upon the altar, and did the same with the lambs. 23 The male goats for the sin offering were then brought before the king and his officials, who laid their hands upon them. 24 Then the priests killed the animals and made a sin offering with their blood upon the altar to make atonement for all Israel, as the king had commanded—for the king had specified that the burnt offering and sin offering must be sacrificed for the entire nation.

25-26 He organized Levites at the Temple into an orchestral group, using cymbals, psalteries, and harps. This was in accordance with the directions of David and the prophets Gad and Nathan, who had received their instructions from the Lord. The priests formed a trumpet corps. 27 Then Hezekiah ordered the burnt offering to be placed upon the altar, and as the sacrifice began, the instruments of music began to play the songs of the Lord, accompanied by the trumpets. 28 Throughout the entire ceremony everyone worshiped the Lord as the singers sang and the trumpets blew. 29 Afterwards the king and his aides bowed low before the Lord in worship. 30 Then King Hezekiah ordered the Levites to sing before the Lord some of the psalms of David and of the prophet Asaph, which they gladly did, and bowed their heads and worshiped.

31 “The consecration ceremony is now ended,” Hezekiah said. “Now bring your sacrifices and thank offerings.” So the people from every part of the nation brought their sacrifices and thank offerings, and those who wished to brought burnt offerings too. 32-33 In all, there were 70 young bulls for burnt offerings, 100 rams, and 200 lambs. In addition, 600 oxen and 3,000 sheep were brought as holy gifts. 34 But there were too few priests to prepare the burnt offerings, so their brothers the Levites helped them until the work was finished—and until more priests had reported to work—for the Levites were much more ready to sanctify themselves than the priests were. 35 There was an abundance of burnt offerings, and the usual drink offering with each, and many peace offerings. So it was that the Temple was restored to service, and the sacrifices offered again. 36 And Hezekiah and all the people were very happy because of what God had accomplished so quickly.

30 King Hezekiah now sent letters throughout all of Israel, Judah, Ephraim, and Manasseh, inviting everyone to come to the Temple at Jerusalem for the annual Passover celebration. 2-3 The king, his aides, and all the assembly of Jerusalem had voted to celebrate the Passover in May this time, rather than at the normal time in April, because not enough priests were sanctified at the earlier date, and there wasn’t enough time to get notices out. 4 The king and his advisors were in complete agreement in this matter, 5 so they sent a Passover proclamation throughout Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, inviting everyone. They had not kept it in great numbers as prescribed.[b]

6 “Come back to the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel,” the king’s letter said, “so that he will return to us who have escaped from the power of the kings of Assyria. 7 Do not be like your fathers and brothers who sinned against the Lord God of their fathers and were destroyed. 8 Do not be stubborn, as they were, but yield yourselves to the Lord and come to his Temple which he has sanctified forever, and worship the Lord your God so that his fierce anger will turn away from you. 9 For if you turn to the Lord again, your brothers and your children will be treated mercifully by their captors, and they will be able to return to this land. For the Lord your God is full of kindness and mercy and will not continue to turn away his face from you if you return to him.”

10 So the messengers went from city to city throughout Ephraim and Manasseh and as far as Zebulun. But for the most part they were received with laughter and scorn! 11 However, some from the tribes of Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun turned to God and came to Jerusalem. 12 But in Judah the entire nation felt a strong, God-given desire to obey the Lord’s direction as commanded by the king and his officers. 13 And so it was that a very large crowd assembled at Jerusalem in the month of May for the Passover celebration. 14 They set to work and destroyed the heathen altars in Jerusalem, and knocked down all the incense altars, and threw them into Kidron Brook.

15 On the first day of May the people killed their Passover lambs. Then the priests and Levites became ashamed of themselves for not taking a more active part, so they sanctified themselves and brought burnt offerings into the Temple. 16 They stood at their posts as instructed by the law of Moses the man of God; and the priests sprinkled the blood received from the Levites.

17-19 Since many of the people arriving from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun were ceremonially impure because they had not undergone the purification rites, the Levites killed their Passover lambs for them, to sanctify them. Then King Hezekiah prayed for them, and they were permitted to eat the Passover anyway, even though this was contrary to God’s rules. But Hezekiah said, “May the good Lord pardon everyone who determines to follow the Lord God of his fathers, even though he is not properly sanctified for the ceremony.” 20 And the Lord listened to Hezekiah’s prayer and did not destroy them.

21 So the people of Israel celebrated the Passover at Jerusalem for seven days with great joy.

Meanwhile the Levites and priests praised the Lord with music and cymbals day after day. 22 (King Hezekiah spoke very appreciatively to the Levites of their excellent music.)

So for seven days the observance continued, and peace offerings were sacrificed, and the people confessed their sins to the Lord God of their fathers. 23 The enthusiasm continued, so it was unanimously decided to continue the observance for another seven days. 24 King Hezekiah gave the people 1,000 young bulls for offerings and 7,000 sheep; and the princes donated 1,000 young bulls and 10,000 sheep. And at this time another large group of priests stepped forward and sanctified themselves.

25 Then the people of Judah, together with the priests, the Levites, the foreign residents, and the visitors from Israel, were filled with deep joy. 26 For Jerusalem hadn’t seen a celebration like this one since the days of King David’s son Solomon. 27 Then the priests and Levites stood and blessed the people, and the Lord heard their prayers from his holy temple in heaven.

31 Afterwards a massive campaign against idol worship was begun. Those who were at Jerusalem for the Passover went out to the cities of Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh and tore down the idol altars, the obelisks, the shameful images, and other heathen centers of worship. Then the people who had come to the Passover from the northern tribes returned again to their own homes.

2 Hezekiah now organized the priests and Levites into service corps to offer the burnt offerings and peace offerings, and to worship and give thanks and praise to the Lord. 3 He also made a personal contribution of animals for the daily morning and evening burnt offerings, as well as for the weekly Sabbath and monthly new moon festivals, and for the other annual feasts as required in the law of God.

4 In addition, he required the people in Jerusalem to bring their tithes to the priests and Levites so that they wouldn’t need other employment but could apply themselves fully to their duties as required in the law of God. 5-6 The people responded immediately and generously with the first of their crops and grain, new wine, olive oil, honey, and everything else—a tithe of all they owned, as required by law to be given to the Lord their God. Everything was laid out in great piles. The people who had moved to Judah from the northern tribes and the people of Judah living in the provinces also brought in the tithes of their cattle and sheep, and brought a tithe of the dedicated things to give to the Lord, and piled them up in great heaps. 7-8 The first of these tithes arrived in June, and the piles continued to grow until October. When Hezekiah and his officials came and saw these huge piles, how they blessed the Lord and praised his people!

9 “Where did all this come from?” Hezekiah asked the priests and Levites.

10 And Azariah the High Priest from the clan of Zadok replied, “These are tithes! We have been eating from these stores of food for many weeks, but all this is left over, for the Lord has blessed his people.”

11 Hezekiah decided to prepare storerooms in the Temple. 12-13 All the dedicated supplies were brought into the Lord’s house. Conaniah the Levite was put in charge, assisted by his brother Shimei and the following aides: Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismachiah, Mahath, Benaiah.

These appointments were made by King Hezekiah and Azariah the High Priest.

14-15 Kore (son of Imnah, the Levite), who was the gatekeeper at the East Gate, was put in charge of distributing the offerings to the priests. His faithful assistants were Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah. They distributed the gifts to the clans of priests in their cities, dividing them to young and old alike. 16 However, the priests on duty at the Temple and their families[c] were supplied directly from there, so they were not included in this distribution. 17-18 The priests were listed in the genealogical register by clans, and the Levites twenty years old and older were listed under the names of their work corps. A regular food allotment was given to all families of properly registered priests, for they had no other source of income because their time and energies were devoted to the service of the Temple. 19 One of the priests was appointed in each of the cities of the priests to issue food and other supplies to all priests in the area and to all registered Levites.

20 In this way King Hezekiah handled the distribution throughout all Judah, doing what was just and fair in the sight of the Lord his God. 21 He worked very hard to encourage respect for the Temple, the law, and godly living, and was very successful.

32 Some time later after this good work of King Hezekiah, King Sennacherib of Assyria invaded Judah and laid siege to the fortified cities, planning to place them under tribute. 2 When it was clear that Sennacherib was intending to attack Jerusalem, 3 Hezekiah summoned his princes and officers for a council of war, and it was decided to plug the springs outside the city. 4 They organized a huge work crew to block them and to cut off the brook running through the fields.

“Why should the king of Assyria come and find water?” they asked.

5 Then Hezekiah further strengthened his defenses by repairing the wall wherever it was broken down, and by adding to the fortifications, and constructing a second wall outside it. He also reinforced Fort Millo in the City of David and manufactured large numbers of weapons and shields. 6 He recruited an army and appointed officers, and summoned them to the plains before the city, and encouraged them with this address:

7 “Be strong, be brave, and do not be afraid of the king of Assyria or his mighty army, for there is someone with us who is far greater than he is! 8 He has a great army, but they are all mere men, while we have the Lord our God to fight our battles for us!” This greatly encouraged them.

9 Then King Sennacherib of Assyria, while still besieging the city of Lachish, sent ambassadors with this message to King Hezekiah and the citizens of Jerusalem:

10 “King Sennacherib of Assyria asks, ‘Do you think you can survive my siege of Jerusalem? 11 King Hezekiah is trying to persuade you to commit suicide by staying there—to die by famine and thirst—while he promises that “the Lord our God will deliver us from the king of Assyria”! 12 Don’t you realize that Hezekiah is the very person who destroyed all the idols, and commanded Judah and Jerusalem to use only the one altar at the Temple, and to burn incense upon it alone? 13 Don’t you realize that I and the other kings of Assyria before me have never yet failed to conquer a nation we attacked? The gods of those nations weren’t able to do a thing to save their lands! 14 Name just one time when anyone, anywhere, was able to resist us successfully. What makes you think your God can do any better? 15 Don’t let Hezekiah fool you! Don’t believe him. I say it again—no god of any nation has ever yet been able to rescue his people from me or my ancestors; how much less your God!’” 16 Thus the ambassador mocked the Lord God and God’s servant Hezekiah, heaping up insults.

17 King Sennacherib also sent letters scorning the Lord God of Israel.

“The gods of all the other nations failed to save their people from my hand, and the God of Hezekiah will fail too,” he wrote.

18 The messengers who brought the letters shouted threats in the Jewish language to the people gathered on the walls of the city, trying to frighten and dishearten them. 19 These messengers talked about the God of Jerusalem just as though he were one of the heathen gods—a handmade idol!

20 Then King Hezekiah and Isaiah the prophet (son of Amoz) cried out in prayer to God in heaven, 21 and the Lord sent an angel who destroyed the Assyrian army with all its officers and generals! So Sennacherib returned home in deep shame to his own land. And when he arrived at the temple of his god, some of his own sons killed him there. 22 That is how the Lord saved Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem. And now there was peace at last throughout his realm.

23 From then on King Hezekiah became immensely respected among the surrounding nations, and many gifts for the Lord arrived at Jerusalem, with valuable presents for King Hezekiah too.

24 But about that time Hezekiah became deathly sick, and he prayed to the Lord, and the Lord replied with a miracle. 25 However, Hezekiah didn’t respond with true thanksgiving and praise for he had become proud, and so the anger of God was upon him and upon Judah and Jerusalem. 26 But finally Hezekiah and the residents of Jerusalem humbled themselves, so the wrath of the Lord did not fall upon them during Hezekiah’s lifetime.

27 So Hezekiah became very wealthy and was highly honored. He had to construct special treasury buildings for his silver, gold, precious stones, and spices, and for his shields and gold bowls. 28-29 He also built many storehouses for his grain, new wine, and olive oil, with many stalls for his animals and folds for the great flocks of sheep and goats he purchased; and he acquired many towns, for God had given him great wealth. 30 He dammed up Gihon’s Upper Spring and brought the water down through an aqueduct to the west side of the City of David sector in Jerusalem. He prospered in everything he did.

31 However, when ambassadors arrived from Babylon to find out about the miracle of his being healed, God left him to himself in order to test him and to see what he was really like.

32 The rest of the story of Hezekiah and all of the good things he did are written in The Book of Isaiah (the prophet, the son of Amoz), and in The Annals of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 33 When Hezekiah died, he was buried in the royal hillside cemetery among the other kings, and all Judah and Jerusalem honored him at his death. Then his son Manasseh became the new king.

33 Manasseh was only twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. 2 But it was an evil reign, for he encouraged his people to worship the idols of the heathen nations destroyed by the Lord when the people of Israel entered the land. 3 He rebuilt the heathen altars his father Hezekiah had destroyed—the altars of Baal, and of the shameful images, and of the sun, moon, and stars. 4-5 He even constructed heathen altars in both courts of the Temple of the Lord for worshiping the sun, moon, and stars—in the very place where the Lord had said that he would be honored forever. 6 And Manasseh sacrificed his own children as burnt offerings in the valley of Hinnom. He consulted spirit-mediums, too, and fortune-tellers and sorcerers, and encouraged every sort of evil, making the Lord very angry.

7 Think of it! He placed an idol in the very Temple of God, where God had told David and his son Solomon, “I will be honored here in this Temple and in Jerusalem—the city I have chosen to be honored forever above all the other cities of Israel. 8 And if you will only obey my commands—all the laws and instructions given to you by Moses—I won’t ever again exile Israel from this land which I gave your ancestors.”

9 But Manasseh encouraged the people of Judah and Jerusalem to do even more evil than the nations the Lord destroyed when Israel entered the land. 10 Warnings from the Lord were ignored by both Manasseh and his people. 11 So God sent the Assyrian armies, and they seized him with hooks and bound him with bronze chains and carted him away to Babylon. 12 Then at last he came to his senses and cried out humbly to God for help. 13 And the Lord listened and answered his plea by returning him to Jerusalem and to his kingdom! At that point Manasseh finally realized that the Lord was really God!

14 It was after this that he rebuilt the outer wall of the City of David and the wall from west of the spring of Gihon in the Kidron Valley, and then to the Fish Gate, and around Citadel Hill, where it was built very high. And he stationed his army generals in all of the fortified cities of Judah. 15 He also removed the foreign gods from the hills and took his idol from the Temple, and tore down the altars he had built on the mountain, where the Temple stood, and the altars that were in Jerusalem, and dumped them outside the city. 16 Then he rebuilt the altar of the Lord and offered sacrifices upon it—peace offerings and thanksgiving offerings—and demanded that the people of Judah worship the Lord God of Israel. 17 However, the people still sacrificed upon the altars on the hills, but only to the Lord their God.

18 The rest of Manasseh’s deeds, and his prayer to God, and God’s reply through the prophets—this is all written in The Annals of the Kings of Israel. 19 His prayer, and the way God answered, and a frank account of his sins and errors, including a list of the locations where he built idols on the hills and set up shameful and graven images (this of course was before the great change in his attitude), are recorded in The Annals of the Prophets.

20-21 When Manasseh died, he was buried beneath his own palace, and his son Amon became the new king. Amon was twenty-two years old when he began to reign in Jerusalem, but he lasted for only two years. 22 It was an evil reign like the early years of his father Manasseh; for Amon sacrificed to all the idols just as his father had. 23 But he didn’t change as his father did; instead he sinned more and more. 24 At last his own officers assassinated him in his palace. 25 But some public-spirited citizens killed all of those who assassinated him and declared his son Josiah to be the new king.

34 Josiah was only eight years old when he became king. He reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. 2 His was a good reign, as he carefully followed the good example of his ancestor King David. 3 For when he was sixteen years old, in the eighth year of his reign, he began to search for the God of his ancestor David; and four years later he began to clean up Judah and Jerusalem, destroying the heathen altars and the shameful idols on the hills. 4 He went out personally to watch as the altars of Baal were knocked apart, the obelisks above the altars chopped down, and the shameful idols ground into dust and scattered over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. 5 Then he burned the bones of the heathen priests upon their own altars, feeling that this action would clear the people of Judah and Jerusalem from the guilt of their sin of idol worship.

6 Then he went to the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, even to distant Naphtali, and did the same thing there. 7 He broke down the heathen altars, ground to powder the shameful idols, and chopped down the obelisks. He did this everywhere throughout the whole land of Israel before returning to Jerusalem.

8 During the eighteenth year of his reign, after he had purged the land and cleaned up the situation at the Temple, he appointed Shaphan (son of Azaliah) and Maaseiah, governor of Jerusalem, and Joah (son of Joahaz), the city treasurer, to repair the Temple. 9 They set up a collection system for gifts for the Temple. The money was collected at the Temple gates by the Levites on guard duty there. Gifts were brought by the people coming from Manasseh, Ephraim, and other parts of the remnant of Israel, as well as from the people of Jerusalem. The money was taken to Hilkiah the High Priest for accounting, 10-11 and then used by the Levites to pay the carpenters and stonemasons and to purchase building materials—stone building blocks, timber, lumber, and beams. He now rebuilt what earlier kings of Judah had torn down.

12 The workmen were energetic under the leadership of Jahath and Obadiah, Levites of the subclan of Merari. Zechariah and Meshullam, of the subclan of Kohath, were the building superintendents. The Levites who were skilled musicians played background music while the work progressed. 13 Other Levites superintended the unskilled laborers who carried in the materials to the workmen. Still others assisted as accountants, supervisors, and carriers.

14 One day when Hilkiah the High Priest was at the Temple recording the money collected at the gates, he found an old scroll that turned out to be the laws of God as given to Moses!

15-16 “Look!” Hilkiah exclaimed to Shaphan, the king’s secretary. “See what I have found in the Temple! These are the laws of God!” Hilkiah gave the scroll to Shaphan, and Shaphan took it to the king, along with his report that there was good progress being made in the reconstruction of the Temple.

17 “The money chests have been opened and counted, and the money has been put into the hand of the overseers and workmen,” he said to the king.

18 Then he mentioned the scroll and how Hilkiah had discovered it. So he read it to the king. 19 When the king heard what these laws required of God’s people, he ripped his clothing in despair 20 and summoned Hilkiah, Ahikam (son of Shaphan), Abdon (son of Micah), Shaphan the treasurer, and Asaiah, the king’s personal aide.

21 “Go to the Temple and plead with the Lord for me!” the king told them. “Pray for all the remnant of Israel and Judah! For this scroll says that the reason the Lord’s great anger has been poured out upon us is that our ancestors have not obeyed these laws that are written here.”

22 So the men went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum (son of Tokhath, son of Hasrah). (Shallum was the king’s tailor, living in the second ward.) When they told her of the king’s trouble, 23 she replied, “The Lord God of Israel says, Tell the man who sent you,

24 “‘Yes, the Lord will destroy this city and its people. All the curses written in the scroll will come true. 25 For my people have forsaken me and have worshiped heathen gods, and I am very angry with them for their deeds. Therefore, my unquenchable wrath is poured out upon this place.’

26 “But the Lord also says this to the king of Judah who sent you to ask me about this: Tell him, the Lord God of Israel says, 27 ‘Because you are sorry and have humbled yourself before God when you heard my words against this city and its people, and have ripped your clothing in despair and wept before me—I have heard you, says the Lord, 28 and I will not send the promised evil upon this city and its people until after your death.’” So they brought back to the king this word from the Lord. 29 Then the king summoned all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem, 30 and the priests and Levites and all the people great and small, to accompany him to the Temple. There the king read the scroll to them—the covenant of God that was found in the Temple. 31 As the king stood before them, he made a pledge to the Lord to follow his commandments with all his heart and soul and to do what was written in the scroll. 32 And he required everyone in Jerusalem and Benjamin to subscribe to this pact with God, and all of them did.

33 So Josiah removed all idols from the areas occupied by the Jews and required all of them to worship Jehovah their God. And throughout the remainder of his lifetime they continued serving Jehovah, the God of their ancestors.

35 Then Josiah announced that the Passover would be celebrated on the first day of April in Jerusalem. The Passover lambs were slain that evening. 2 He also reestablished the priests in their duties and encouraged them to begin their work at the Temple again. 3 He issued this order to the sanctified Levites, the religious teachers in Israel:

“Since the Ark is now in Solomon’s Temple and you don’t need to carry it back and forth upon your shoulders, spend your time ministering to the Lord and to his people. 4-5 Form yourselves into the traditional service corps of your ancestors, as first organized by King David of Israel and by his son Solomon. Each corps will assist particular clans of the people who bring in their offerings to the Temple. 6 Kill the Passover lambs and sanctify yourselves and prepare to assist the people who come. Follow all of the instructions of the Lord through Moses.”

7 Then the king contributed 30,000 lambs and young goats for the people’s Passover offerings and 3,000 young bulls. 8 The king’s officials made willing contributions to the priests and Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, the overseers of the Temple, gave the priests 2,600 sheep and goats and 300 oxen as Passover offerings. 9 The Levite leaders—Conaniah, Shemaiah, and Nethanel, and his brothers Hashabiah, Jeiel, and Jozabad—gave 5,000 sheep and goats and 500 oxen to the Levites for their Passover offerings.

10 When everything was organized and the priests were standing in their places, and the Levites were formed into service corps as the king had instructed, 11 then the Levites killed the Passover lambs and presented the blood to the priests, who sprinkled it upon the altar as the Levites removed the skins. 12 They piled up the carcasses for each tribe to present its own burnt sacrifices to the Lord, as it is written in the law of Moses. They did the same with the oxen. 13 Then, as directed by the laws of Moses, they roasted the Passover lambs and boiled the holy offerings in pots, kettles, and pans, and hurried them out to the people to eat. 14 Afterwards the Levites prepared a meal for themselves and for the priests, for they had been busy from morning till night offering the fat of the burnt offerings.

15 The singers (the sons of Asaph) were in their places, following directions issued centuries earlier by King David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king’s prophet. The gatekeepers guarded the gates and didn’t need to leave their posts of duty, for their meals were brought to them by their Levite brothers. 16 The entire Passover ceremony was completed in that one day. All the burnt offerings were sacrificed upon the altar of the Lord, as Josiah had instructed.

17 Everyone present in Jerusalem took part in the Passover observance, and this was followed by the Feast of Unleavened Bread for the next seven days. 18 Never since the time of Samuel the prophet had there been such a Passover—not one of the kings of Israel could vie with King Josiah in this respect, involving so many of the priests, Levites, and people from Jerusalem and from all parts of Judah, and from Israel. 19 This all happened in the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah.

20 Afterwards King Neco of Egypt led his army to Carchemish on the Euphrates River, and Josiah declared war on him.

21 But King Neco sent ambassadors to Josiah with this message: “I don’t want a fight with you, O king of Judah! I have come only to fight the power with which I am at war. Leave me alone! God has told me to hurry! Don’t meddle with God or he will destroy you, for he is with me.”

22 But Josiah refused to turn back. Instead he led his army into the battle at the valley of Megiddo. (He laid aside his royal robes so that the enemy wouldn’t recognize him.) Josiah refused to believe that Neco’s message was from God. 23 The enemy archers struck King Josiah with their arrows and fatally wounded him.

“Take me out of the battle,” he exclaimed to his aides.

24-25 So they lifted him out of his chariot and placed him in his second chariot and brought him back to Jerusalem where he died. He was buried there in the royal cemetery. And all Judah and Jerusalem, including even Jeremiah the prophet, mourned for him, as did the Temple choirs. To this day they still sing sad songs about his death, for these songs of sorrow were recorded among the official lamentations.

26 The other activities of Josiah, and his good deeds, and how he followed the laws of the Lord, 27 all are written in The Annals of the Kings of Israel and Judah.

36 Josiah’s son Jehoahaz was selected as the new king. 2 He was twenty-three years old when he began to reign, but lasted only three months. 3 Then he was deposed by the king of Egypt, who demanded an annual tribute from Judah of $230,000.

4 The king of Egypt now appointed Eliakim, the brother of Jehoahaz, as the new king of Judah. (Eliakim’s name was changed to Jehoiakim.) Jehoahaz was taken to Egypt as a prisoner. 5 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem; but his reign was an evil one. 6 Finally Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon conquered Jerusalem and took away the king in chains to Babylon. 7 Nebuchadnezzar also took some of the gold bowls and other items from the Temple, placing them in his own temple in Babylon. 8 The rest of the deeds of Jehoiakim and all the evil he did are written in The Annals of the Kings of Judah; and his son Jehoiachin became the new king.

9 Jehoiachin was eighteen[d] years old when he ascended the throne. But he lasted only three months and ten days, and it was an evil reign as far as the Lord was concerned. 10 The following spring he was summoned to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar. Many treasures from the Temple were taken away to Babylon at that time, and King Nebuchadnezzar appointed Jehoiachin’s brother Zedekiah as the new king of Judah and Jerusalem.

11 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. 12 His reign, too, was evil so far as the Lord was concerned, for he refused to take the counsel of Jeremiah the prophet, who gave him messages from the Lord. 13 He rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, even though he had taken an oath of loyalty. Zedekiah was a hard and stubborn man so far as obeying the Lord God of Israel was concerned, for he refused to follow him.

14 All the important people of the nation, including the High Priests, worshiped the heathen idols of the surrounding nations, thus polluting the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem. 15 Jehovah the God of their fathers sent his prophets again and again to warn them, for he had compassion on his people and on his Temple. 16 But the people mocked these messengers of God and despised their words, scoffing at the prophets until the anger of the Lord could no longer be restrained, and there was no longer any remedy.

17 Then the Lord brought the king of Babylon against them and killed their young men, even going after them right into the Temple, and had no pity upon them, killing even young girls and old men. The Lord used the king of Babylon to destroy them completely. 18 He also took home with him all the items, great and small, used in the Temple, and treasures from both the Temple and the palace, and took with him all the royal princes. 19 Then his army burned the Temple and broke down the walls of Jerusalem and burned all the palaces and destroyed all the valuable Temple utensils. 20 Those who survived were taken away to Babylon as slaves to the king and his sons until the kingdom of Persia conquered Babylon.

21 Thus the word of the Lord spoken through Jeremiah came true, that the land must rest for seventy years to make up for the years when the people refused to observe the Sabbath.

22-23 But in the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus to make this proclamation throughout his kingdom, putting it into writing:

“All the kingdoms of the earth have been given to me by the Lord God of heaven, and he has instructed me to build him a Temple in Jerusalem, in the land of Judah. All among you who are the Lord’s people return to Israel for this task, and the Lord be with you.”

This also fulfilled the prediction of Jeremiah the prophet.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 28:19 King Ahaz of Israel. King Ahaz ruled two tribes of Israel—Judah and Benjamin—and so is referred to here in this unusual way as a king of Israel.
  2. 2 Chronicles 30:5 They had not kept it in great numbers as prescribed, or “The Passover had not been celebrated by the northern tribes of Israel for a long time; only a faithful few had been doing it in the proper way.”
  3. 2 Chronicles 31:16 and their families, literally, “males from three years old and upward.”
  4. 2 Chronicles 36:9 eighteen. Some manuscripts read “eight years old.”
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