New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Jehu Reigns over Israel

1 Now Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets and said to him, “Gird up your loins, and take this flask of oil in your hand and go to Ramoth-gilead.

2 When you arrive there, search out Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi, and go in and bid him arise from among his brothers, and bring him to an inner room.

3 Then take the flask of oil and pour it on his head and say, ‘Thus says the Lord, “I have anointed you king over Israel.”‘ Then open the door and flee and do not wait.”

4 So the young man, the servant of the prophet, went to Ramoth-gilead.

5 When he came, behold, the captains of the army were sitting, and he said, “I have a word for you, O captain.” And Jehu said, “For whichoneof us?” And he said, “For you, O captain.”

6 He arose and went into the house, and he poured the oil on his head and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I have anointed you king over the people of the Lord,evenover Israel.

7 You shall strike the house of Ahab your master, that I may avenge the blood of My servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord, at the hand of Jezebel.

8 For the whole house of Ahab shall perish, and I will cut off from Ahab every male person both bond and free in Israel.

9 I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah.

10 The dogs shall eat Jezebel in the territory of Jezreel, and none shall buryher.'” Then he opened the door and fled.

11 Now Jehu came out to the servants of his master, and one said to him, “Is all well? Why did this mad fellow come to you?” And he said to them, “You knowvery wellthe man and his talk.”

12 They said, “It is a lie, tell us now.” And he said, “Thus and thus he said to me, ‘Thus says the Lord, “I have anointed you king over Israel.”‘”

13 Then they hurried and each man took his garment and placed it under him on the bare steps, and blew the trumpet, saying, “Jehu is king!”

Jehoram (Joram) Is Assassinated

14 So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi conspired against Joram. Now Joram with all Israel was defending Ramoth-gilead against Hazael king of Aram,

15 but KingJoram had returned to Jezreel to be healed of the wounds which the Arameans had inflicted on him when he fought with Hazael king of Aram. So Jehu said, “If this is your mind,thenlet no one escapeorleave the city to go tellitin Jezreel.”

16 Then Jehu rode in a chariot and went to Jezreel, for Joram was lying there. Ahaziah king of Judah had come down to see Joram.

17 Now the watchman was standing on the tower in Jezreel and he saw the company of Jehu as he came, and said, “I see a company.” And Joram said, “Take a horseman and send him to meet them and let him say, ‘Is it peace?'”

18 So a horseman went to meet him and said, “Thus says the king, ‘Is it peace?'” And Jehu said, “What have you to do with peace? Turn behind me.” And the watchman reported, “The messenger came to them, but he did not return.”

19 Then he sent out a second horseman, who came to them and said, “Thus says the king, ‘Is it peace?'” And Jehu answered, “What have you to do with peace? Turn behind me.”

20 The watchman reported, “He came even to them, and he did not return; and the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi, for he drives furiously.”

21 Then Joram said, “Get ready.” And they made his chariot ready. Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his chariot, and they went out to meet Jehu and found him in the property of Naboth the Jezreelite.

22 When Joram saw Jehu, he said, “Is it peace, Jehu?” And he answered, “What peace, so long as the harlotries of your mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many?”

23 So Joram reined about and fled and said to Ahaziah, “There istreachery, O Ahaziah!”

24 And Jehu drew his bow with his full strength and shot Joram between his arms; and the arrow went through his heart and he sank in his chariot.

25 ThenJehusaid to Bidkar his officer, “Takehimup and cast him into theproperty of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite, for I remember when you and I were riding together after Ahab his father, that the Lordlaid this oracle against him:

26 ‘Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons,’ says the Lord, ‘and I will repay you in thisproperty,’ says the Lord. Now then, take and cast him into the property, according to the word of the Lord.”

Jehu Assassinates Ahaziah

27 When Ahaziah the king of Judah sawthis,he fled by the way of the garden house. And Jehu pursued him and said, “Shoot him too, in the chariot.”So they shot himat the ascent of Gur, which is at Ibleam. But he fled to Megiddo and died there.

28 Then his servants carried him in a chariot to Jerusalem and buried him in his grave with his fathers in the city of David.

29 Now in the eleventh year of Joram, the son of Ahab, Ahaziah became king over Judah.

30 When Jehu came to Jezreel, Jezebel heardof it,and she painted her eyes and adorned her head and looked out the window.

31 As Jehu entered the gate, she said, “Is it well, Zimri, your master’s murderer?”

32 Then he lifted up his face to the window and said, “Who is on my side? Who?” And two or three officials looked down at him.

Jezebel Is Slain

33 He said, “Throw her down.” So they threw her down, and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall and on the horses, and he trampled her under foot.

34 When he came in, he ate and drank; and he said, “See now to this cursed woman and bury her, for she is a king’s daughter.”

35 They went to bury her, but they found nothing more of her than the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands.

36 Therefore they returned and told him. And he said, “This is the word of the Lord, which He spoke by His servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ‘In the property of Jezreel the dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel;

37 and the corpse of Jezebel will be as dung on the face of the field in the property of Jezreel, so they cannot say, “This is Jezebel.”‘”

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/2KI/9-37768d393c8fbff5f83394ad386e4e6a.mp3?version_id=100—

Judgment upon Ahab’s House

1 Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote letters and sentthemto Samaria, to the rulers of Jezreel, the elders, and to the guardians ofthe children ofAhab, saying,

2 “Now, when this letter comes to you, since your master’s sons are with you, as well as the chariots and horses and a fortified city and the weapons,

3 select the best andfittest of your master’s sons, and sethimon his father’s throne, and fight for your master’s house.”

4 But they feared greatly and said, “Behold, the two kings did not stand before him; how then can we stand?”

5 And the one whowasover the household, and he whowasover the city, the elders, and the guardians ofthe children,sentwordto Jehu, saying, “We are your servants, all that you say to us we will do, we will not make any man king; do what is good in your sight.”

6 Then he wrote a letter to them a second time saying, “If you are on my side, and you will listen to my voice, take the heads of the men, your master’s sons, and come to me at Jezreel tomorrow about this time.” Now the king’s sons, seventy persons,werewith the great men of the city,whowere rearing them.

7 When the letter came to them, they took the king’s sons and slaughteredthem,seventy persons, and put their heads in baskets, and sentthemto him at Jezreel.

8 When the messenger came and told him, saying, “They have brought the heads of the king’s sons,” he said, “Put them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until morning.”

9 Now in the morning he went out and stood and said to all the people, “You are innocent; behold, I conspired against my master and killed him, but who killed all these?

10 Know then that there shall fall to the earth nothing of the word of the Lord, which the Lordspoke concerning the house of Ahab, for the Lordhas done what He spoke through His servant Elijah.”

11 So Jehu killed all who remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men and his acquaintances and his priests, until he left him without a survivor.

12 Then he arose and departed and went to Samaria. On the way while he was atBeth-eked of the shepherds,

13 Jehu met the relatives of Ahaziah king of Judah and said, “Who are you?” And they answered, “We are the relatives of Ahaziah; and we have come down to greet the sons of the king and the sons of the queen mother.”

14 He said, “Take them alive.” So they took them alive and killed them at the pit of Beth-eked, forty-two men; and he left none of them.

15 Now when he had departed from there, he met Jehonadab the son of Rechabcomingto meet him; and he greeted him and said to him, “Is your heart right, as my heart is with your heart?” And Jehonadab answered, “It is.”Jehu said,”If it is, givemeyour hand.” And he gave him his hand, and he took him up to him into the chariot.

16 He said, “Come with me and see my zeal for the Lord.” So he made him ride in his chariot.

17 When he came to Samaria, he killed all who remained to Ahab in Samaria, until he had destroyed him, according to the word of the Lordwhich He spoke to Elijah.

Jehu Destroys Baal Worshipers

18 Then Jehu gathered all the people and said to them, “Ahab served Baal a little; Jehu will serve him much.

19 Now, summon all the prophets of Baal, all his worshipers and all his priests; let no one be missing, for I have a great sacrifice for Baal; whoever is missing shall not live.” But Jehu did it in cunning, so that he might destroy the worshipers of Baal.

20 And Jehu said, “Sanctify a solemn assembly for Baal.” And they proclaimedit.

21 Then Jehu sent throughout Israel and all the worshipers of Baal came, so that there was not a man left who did not come. And when they went into the house of Baal, the house of Baal was filled from one end to the other.

22 He said to the one whowasin charge of the wardrobe, “Bring out garments for all the worshipers of Baal.” So he brought out garments for them.

23 Jehu went into the house of Baal with Jehonadab the son of Rechab; and he said to the worshipers of Baal, “Search and see that there is here with you none of the servants of the Lord, but only the worshipers of Baal.”

24 Then they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings.

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

25 Then it came about, as soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, that Jehu said to the guard and to the royal officers, “Go in, kill them; let none come out.” And they killed them with the edge of the sword; and the guard and the royal officers threwthemout, and went to the inner room of the house of Baal.

26 They brought out thesacredpillars of the house of Baal and burned them.

27 They also broke down thesacredpillar of Baal and broke down the house of Baal, and made it a latrine to this day.

28 Thus Jehu eradicated Baal out of Israel.

29 However,as forthe sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel sin, from these Jehu did not depart,eventhe golden calves thatwereat Bethel and thatwereat Dan.

30 The Lordsaid to Jehu, “Because you have done well in executing what is right in My eyes,andhave done to the house of Ahab according to all thatwasin My heart, your sons of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.”

31 But Jehu was not careful to walk in the law of the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam, which he made Israel sin.

32 In those days the Lordbegan to cut offportionsfrom Israel; and Hazael defeated them throughout the territory of Israel:

33 from the Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites and the Reubenites and the Manassites, from Aroer, which is by the valley of the Arnon, even Gilead and Bashan.

Jehoahaz Succeeds Jehu

34 Now the rest of the acts of Jehu and all that he did and all his might, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

35 And Jehu slept with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria. And Jehoahaz his son became king in his place.

36 Now the time which Jehu reigned over Israel in Samariawastwenty-eight years.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/2KI/10-df2a92a4e5a0ac52243b6b959e1f76b9.mp3?version_id=100—

Athaliah Queen of Judah

1 When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she rose and destroyed all the royal offspring.

2 But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah and stole him from among the king’s sons who were being put to death, and placed him and his nurse in the bedroom. So they hid him from Athaliah, and he was not put to death.

3 So he was hidden with her in the house of the Lordsix years, while Athaliah was reigning over the land.

4 Now in the seventh year Jehoiada sent and brought the captains of hundreds of the Carites and of theguard, and brought them to him in the house of the Lord. Then he made a covenant with them and put them under oath in the house of the Lord, and showed them the king’s son.

5 He commanded them, saying, “This is the thing that you shall do: one third of you, who come in on the sabbath and keep watch over the king’s house

6 (one third alsoshall beat the gate Sur, and one third at the gate behind theguards), shall keep watch over the house for defense.

7 Two parts of you,evenall who go out on the sabbath, shall also keep watch over the house of the Lordfor the king.

8 Then you shall surround the king, each with his weapons in his hand; and whoever comes within the ranks shall be put to death. And be with the king when he goes out and when he comes in.”

9 So the captains of hundreds did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded. And each one of them took his men who were to come in on the sabbath, with those who were to go out on the sabbath, and came to Jehoiada the priest.

10 The priest gave to the captains of hundreds the spears and shields thathad beenKing David’s, whichwerein the house of the Lord.

11 The guards stood each with his weapons in his hand, from the right side of the house to the left side of the house, by the altar and by the house, around the king.

12 Then he brought the king’s son out and put the crown on him andgave himthe testimony; and they made him king and anointed him, and they clapped their hands and said, “Longlive the king!”

13 When Athaliah heard the noise of the guardand ofthe people, she came to the people in the house of the Lord.

14 She looked and behold, the king was standing by the pillar, according to the custom, with the captains and the trumpeters beside the king; and all the people of the land rejoiced and blew trumpets. Then Athaliah tore her clothes and cried, “Treason! Treason!”

15 And Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains of hundreds who were appointed over the army and said to them, “Bring her out between the ranks, and whoever follows her put to death with the sword.” For the priest said, “Let her not be put to death in the house of the Lord.”

16 So they seized her, and when she arrived at the horses’ entrance of the king’s house, she was put to death there.

17 Then Jehoiada made a covenant between the Lordand the king and the people, that they would be the Lord’speople, also between the king and the people.

18 All the people of the land went to the house of Baal, and tore it down; his altars and his images they broke in pieces thoroughly, and killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. And the priest appointed officers over the house of the Lord.

19 He took the captains of hundreds and the Carites and the guards and all the people of the land; and they brought the king down from the house of the Lord, and came by the way of the gate of the guards to the king’s house. And he sat on the throne of the kings.

20 So all the people of the land rejoiced and the city was quiet. For they had put Athaliah to death with the sword at the king’s house.

21 Jehoash was seven years old when he became king.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/2KI/11-10dae9b7fd3bc6255190f292a3485c83.mp3?version_id=100—

Joash (Jehoash) Reigns over Judah

1 In the seventh year of Jehu, Jehoash became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Zibiah of Beersheba.

2 Jehoash did right in the sight of the Lordall his days in which Jehoiada the priest instructed him.

3 Only the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.

The Temple to Be Repaired

4 Then Jehoash said to the priests, “All the money of the sacred things which is brought into the house of the Lord, in current money,boththe money of each man’s assessmentandall the money which any man’s heart prompts him to bring into the house of the Lord,

5 let the priests take it for themselves, each from his acquaintance; and they shall repair thedamages of the house wherever any damage may be found.”

6 But it came about that in the twenty-third year of King Jehoash the priests had not repaired the damages of the house.

7 Then King Jehoash called for Jehoiada the priest, and for theotherpriests and said to them, “Why do you not repair the damages of the house? Now therefore take nomoremoney from your acquaintances, but pay it for the damages of the house.”

8 So the priests agreed that they would take nomoremoney from the people, nor repair the damages of the house.

9 But Jehoiada the priest took a chest and bored a hole in its lid and put it beside the altar, on the right side as one comes into the house of the Lord; and the priests who guarded the threshold put in it all the money which was brought into the house of the Lord.

10 When they saw that there was much money in the chest, the king’s scribe and the high priest came up and tieditin bags and counted the money which was found in the house of the Lord.

11 They gave the money which was weighed out into the hands of those who did the work, who had the oversight of the house of the Lord; and they paid it out to the carpenters and the builders who worked on the house of the Lord;

12 and to the masons and the stonecutters, and for buying timber and hewn stone to repair the damages to the house of the Lord, and for all that was laid out for the house to repair it.

13 But there were not made for the house of the Lordsilver cups, snuffers, bowls, trumpets, any vessels of gold, or vessels of silver from the money which was brought into the house of the Lord;

14 for they gave that to those who did the work, and with it they repaired the house of the Lord.

15 Moreover, they did not require an accounting from the men into whose hand they gave the money to pay to those who did the work, for they dealt faithfully.

16 The money from the guilt offerings and the money from the sin offerings was not brought into the house of the Lord; it was for the priests.

17 Then Hazael king of Aram went up and fought against Gath and captured it, and Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem.

18 Jehoash king of Judah took all the sacred things that Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own sacred things and all the gold that was found among the treasuries of the house of the Lordand of the king’s house, and sentthemto Hazael king of Aram. Then he went away from Jerusalem.

Joash (Jehoash) Succeeded by Amaziah in Judah

19 Now the rest of the acts of Joash and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

20 His servants arose and made a conspiracy and struck down Joash at the house of Milloas he wasgoing down to Silla.

21 For Jozacar the son of Shimeath and Jehozabad the son of Shomer, his servants, struckhimand he died; and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David, and Amaziah his son became king in his place.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/2KI/12-7202f8ae4763239a4fbe6e5511710dde.mp3?version_id=100—

Kings of Israel: Jehoahaz and Jehoash

1 In the twenty-third year of Joash the son of Ahaziah, king of Judah, Jehoahaz the son of Jehu became king over Israel at Samaria,and he reignedseventeen years.

2 He did evil in the sight of the Lord, and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, with which he made Israel sin; he did not turn from them.

3 So the anger of the Lordwas kindled against Israel, and He gave them continually into the hand of Hazael king of Aram, and into the hand of Ben-hadad the son of Hazael.

4 Then Jehoahaz entreated the favor of the Lord, and the Lordlistened to him; for He saw the oppression of Israel, how the king of Aram oppressed them.

5 The Lordgave Israel adeliverer, so that they escaped from under the hand of the Arameans; and the sons of Israel lived in their tents as formerly.

6 Nevertheless they did not turn away from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, with which he made Israel sin, but walked in them; and the Asherah also remained standing in Samaria.

7 For he left to Jehoahaz of the army not more than fifty horsemen and ten chariots and 10,000 footmen, for the king of Aram had destroyed them and made them like the dust at threshing.

8 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz, and all that he did and his might, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

9 And Jehoahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria; and Joash his son became king in his place.

10 In the thirty-seventh year of Joash king of Judah, Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz became king over Israel in Samaria,and reignedsixteen years.

11 He did evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not turn away from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, with which he made Israel sin, but he walked in them.

12 Now the rest of the acts of Joash and all that he did and his might with which he fought against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

13 So Joash slept with his fathers, and Jeroboam sat on his throne; and Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.

Death of Elisha

14 When Elisha became sick with the illness of which he was to die, Joash the king of Israel came down to him and wept over him and said, “My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!”

15 Elisha said to him, “Take a bow and arrows.” So he took a bow and arrows.

16 Then he said to the king of Israel, “Put your hand on the bow.” And he put his handon it,then Elisha laid his hands on the king’s hands.

17 He said, “Open the window toward the east,” and he openedit.Then Elisha said, “Shoot!” And he shot. And he said, “The Lord’sarrow of victory, even the arrow of victory over Aram; for you will defeat the Arameans at Aphek until you have destroyedthem.”

18 Then he said, “Take the arrows,” and he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground,” and he struckitthree times and stopped.

19 So the man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck five or six times, then you would have struck Aram until you would have destroyedit.But now you shall strike Aramonlythree times.”

20 Elisha died, and they buried him. Now the bands of the Moabites would invade the land in the spring of the year.

21 As they were burying a man, behold, they saw a marauding band; and they cast the man into the grave of Elisha. And when the man touched the bones of Elisha he revived and stood up on his feet.

22 Now Hazael king of Aram had oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz.

23 But the Lordwas gracious to them and had compassion on them and turned to them because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not destroy them or cast them from His presence until now.

24 When Hazael king of Aram died, Ben-hadad his son became king in his place.

25 Then Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz took again from the hand of Ben-hadad the son of Hazael the cities which he had taken in war from the hand of Jehoahaz his father. Three times Joash defeated him and recovered the cities of Israel.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/2KI/13-e9d8b84a55c6593f6443b2edfc9ffa5c.mp3?version_id=100—

Amaziah Reigns over Judah

1 In the second year of Joash son of Joahaz king of Israel, Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah became king.

2 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jehoaddin of Jerusalem.

3 He did right in the sight of the Lord, yet not like David his father; he did according to all that Joash his father had done.

4 Only the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.

5 Now it came about, as soon as the kingdom was firmly in his hand, that he killed his servants who had slain the king his father.

6 But the sons of the slayers he did not put to death, according to what is written in the book of the Law of Moses, as the Lordcommanded, saying, “The fathers shall not be put to death for the sons, nor the sons be put to death for the fathers; but each shall be put to death for his own sin.”

7 He killedofEdom in the Valley of Salt 10,000 and took Sela by war, and named it Joktheel to this day.

8 Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, “Come, let us face each other.”

9 Jehoash king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, “The thorn bush which was in Lebanon sent to the cedar which was in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son in marriage.’ But there passed by a wild beast that was in Lebanon, and trampled the thorn bush.

10 You have indeed defeated Edom, and your heart has become proud. Enjoy your glory and stay at home; for why should you provoke trouble so that you, even you, would fall, and Judah with you?”

11 But Amaziah would not listen. So Jehoash king of Israel went up; and he and Amaziah king of Judah faced each other at Beth-shemesh, which belongs to Judah.

12 Judah was defeated by Israel, and they fled each to his tent.

13 Then Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash the son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh, and came to Jerusalem and tore down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate, 400 cubits.

14 He took all the gold and silver and all the utensils which were found in the house of the Lord, and in the treasuries of the king’s house, the hostages also, and returned to Samaria.

Jeroboam II Succeeds Jehoash in Israel

15 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoash which he did, and his might and how he fought with Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

16 So Jehoash slept with his fathers and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel; and Jeroboam his son became king in his place.

Azariah (Uzziah) Succeeds Amaziah in Judah

17 Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah lived fifteen years after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel.

18 Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

19 They conspired against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish; but they sent after him to Lachish and killed him there.

20 Then they brought him on horses and he was buried at Jerusalem with his fathers in the city of David.

21 All the people of Judah took Azariah, whowassixteen years old, and made him king in the place of his father Amaziah.

22 He built Elath and restored it to Judah after the king slept with his fathers.

23 In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah, Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel became king in Samaria,and reignedforty-one years.

24 He did evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel sin.

25 He restored the border of Israel from the entrance of Hamath as far as the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the Lord, the God of Israel, which He spoke through His servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was of Gath-hepher.

26 For the Lordsaw the affliction of Israel,which wasvery bitter; for there was neither bond nor free, nor was there any helper for Israel.

27 The Lorddid not say that He would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven, but He saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.

Zechariah Reigns over Israel

28 Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam and all that he did and his might, how he fought and how he recovered for Israel, Damascus and Hamath,which had belongedto Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

29 And Jeroboam slept with his fathers, even with the kings of Israel, and Zechariah his son became king in his place.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/2KI/14-ab7bfed677130fb12b978f5d6e45253a.mp3?version_id=100—

Series of Kings: Azariah (Uzziah) over Judah

1 In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Azariah son of Amaziah king of Judah became king.

2 He was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Jecoliah of Jerusalem.

3 He did right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father Amaziah had done.

4 Only the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.

5 The Lordstruck the king, so that he was a leper to the day of his death. And he lived in a separate house, while Jotham the king’s son was over the household, judging the people of the land.

6 Now the rest of the acts of Azariah and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

7 And Azariah slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David, and Jotham his son became king in his place.

Zechariah over Israel

8 In the thirty-eighth year of Azariah king of Judah, Zechariah the son of Jeroboam became king over Israel in Samariaforsix months.

9 He did evil in the sight of the Lord, as his fathers had done; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel sin.

10 Then Shallum the son of Jabesh conspired against him and struck him before the people and killed him, and reigned in his place.

11 Now the rest of the acts of Zechariah, behold they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

12 This is the word of the Lordwhich He spoke to Jehu, saying, “Your sons to the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.” And so it was.

13 Shallum son of Jabesh became king in the thirty-ninth year of Uzziah king of Judah, and he reigned one month in Samaria.

14 Then Menahem son of Gadi went up from Tirzah and came to Samaria, and struck Shallum son of Jabesh in Samaria, and killed him and became king in his place.

15 Now the rest of the acts of Shallum and his conspiracy which he made, behold they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

16 Then Menahem struck Tiphsah and all who were in it and its borders from Tirzah, because they did not opento him;therefore he struckitand ripped up all its women who were with child.

Menahem over Israel

17 In the thirty-ninth year of Azariah king of Judah, Menahem son of Gadi became king over Israeland reignedten years in Samaria.

18 He did evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not depart all his days from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel sin.

19 Pul, king of Assyria, came against the land, and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver so that his hand might be with him to strengthen the kingdom under his rule.

20 Then Menahem exacted the money from Israel, even from all the mighty men of wealth, from each man fifty shekels of silver to pay the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria returned and did not remain there in the land.

21 Now the rest of the acts of Menahem and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

22 And Menahem slept with his fathers, and Pekahiah his son became king in his place.

Pekahiah over Israel

23 In the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekahiah son of Menahem became king over Israel in Samaria,and reignedtwo years.

24 He did evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he made Israel sin.

25 Then Pekah son of Remaliah, his officer, conspired against him and struck him in Samaria, in the castle of the king’s house with Argob and Arieh; and with him were fifty men of the Gileadites, and he killed him and became king in his place.

26 Now the rest of the acts of Pekahiah and all that he did, behold they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

Pekah over Israel

27 In the fifty-second year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekah son of Remaliah became king over Israel in Samaria,and reignedtwenty years.

28 He did evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he made Israel sin.

29 In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came and captured Ijon and Abel-beth-maacah and Janoah and Kedesh and Hazor and Gilead and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali; and he carried them captive to Assyria.

30 And Hoshea the son of Elah made a conspiracy against Pekah the son of Remaliah, and struck him and put him to death and became king in his place, in the twentieth year of Jotham the son of Uzziah.

31 Now the rest of the acts of Pekah and all that he did, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

Jotham over Judah

32 In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah king of Israel, Jotham the son of Uzziah king of Judah became king.

33 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s namewasJerusha the daughter of Zadok.

34 He did what was right in the sight of the Lord; he did according to all that his father Uzziah had done.

35 Only the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. He built the upper gate of the house of the Lord.

36 Now the rest of the acts of Jotham and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

37 In those days the Lordbegan to send Rezin king of Aram and Pekah the son of Remaliah against Judah.

38 And Jotham slept with his fathers, and he was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father; and Ahaz his son became king in his place.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/2KI/15-4cb32790ee4d95a6ab1018de4aad20e8.mp3?version_id=100—

Ahaz Reigns over Judah

1 In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, Ahaz the son of Jotham, king of Judah, became king.

2 Ahazwastwenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and he did not do what was right in the sight of the Lordhis God, as his father Davidhad done.

3 But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and even made his son pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lordhad driven out from before the sons of Israel.

4 He sacrificed and burned incense on the high places and on the hills and under every green tree.

5 Then Rezin king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah, king of Israel, came up to Jerusalem towagewar; and they besieged Ahaz, but could not overcome him.

6 At that time Rezin king of Aram recovered Elath for Aram, and cleared the Judeans out of Elath entirely; and the Arameans came to Elath and have lived there to this day.

Ahaz Seeks Help of Aram

7 So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your son; come up and deliver me from the hand of the king of Aram and from the hand of the king of Israel, who are rising up against me.”

8 Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the Lordand in the treasuries of the king’s house, and sent a present to the king of Assyria.

9 So the king of Assyria listened to him; and the king of Assyria went up against Damascus and captured it, and carriedthe people ofit away into exile to Kir, and put Rezin to death.

Damascus Falls

10 Now King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, and saw the altar whichwasat Damascus; and King Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the pattern of the altar and its model, according to all its workmanship.

11 So Urijah the priest built an altar; according to all that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus, thus Urijah the priest madeit,before the coming of King Ahaz from Damascus.

12 When the king came from Damascus, the king saw the altar; then the king approached the altar and went up to it,

13 and burned his burnt offering and his meal offering, and poured his drink offering and sprinkled the blood of his peace offerings on the altar.

14 The bronze altar, whichwasbefore the Lord, he brought from the front of the house, from betweenhisaltar and the house of the Lord, and he put it on the north side ofhisaltar.

15 Then King Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying, “Upon the great altar burn the morning burnt offering and the evening meal offering and the king’s burnt offering and his meal offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land and their meal offering and their drink offerings; and sprinkle on it all the blood of the burnt offering and all the blood of the sacrifice. But the bronze altar shall be for me to inquireby.”

16 So Urijah the priest did according to all that King Ahaz commanded.

17 Then King Ahaz cut off the borders of the stands, and removed the laver from them; he also took down the sea from the bronze oxen which were under it and put it on a pavement of stone.

18 The covered way for the sabbath which they had built in the house, and the outer entry of the king, he removed from the house of the Lordbecause of the king of Assyria.

Hezekiah Reigns over Judah

19 Now the rest of the acts of Ahaz which he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

20 So Ahaz slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David; and his son Hezekiah reigned in his place.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/2KI/16-ec6cc15109160f5cc5bb65699bdf3612.mp3?version_id=100—

Hoshea Reigns over Israel

1 In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea the son of Elah became king over Israel in Samaria,and reignednine years.

2 He did evil in the sight of the Lord, only not as the kings of Israel who were before him.

3 Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against him, and Hoshea became his servant and paid him tribute.

4 But the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea, who had sent messengers to So king of Egypt and had offered no tribute to the king of Assyria, ashe had doneyear by year; so the king of Assyria shut him up and bound him in prison.

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

Israel Captive

6 In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and carried Israel away into exile to Assyria, and settled them in Halah and Habor,onthe river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.

Why Israel Fell

7 Nowthiscame about because the sons of Israel had sinned against the Lordtheir God, who had brought them up from the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and they hadfeared other gods

8 and walked in the customs of the nations whom the Lordhad driven out before the sons of Israel, andin the customsof the kings of Israel which they had introduced.

9 The sons of Israel did things secretly which were not right against the Lordtheir God. Moreover, they built for themselves high places in all their towns, from watchtower to fortified city.

10 They set for themselvessacredpillars andAsherim on every high hill and under every green tree,

11 and there they burned incense on all the high places as the nationsdidwhich the Lordhad carried away to exile before them; and they did evil things provoking the Lord.

12 They served idols, concerning which the Lordhad said to them, “You shall not do this thing.”

13 Yet the Lordwarned Israel and Judah through all His prophetsandevery seer, saying, “Turn from your evil ways and keep My commandments, My statutes according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you through My servants the prophets.”

14 However, they did not listen, but stiffened their neck like their fathers, who did not believe in the Lordtheir God.

15 They rejected His statutes and His covenant which He made with their fathers and His warnings with which He warned them. And they followed vanity and became vain, andwentafter the nations which surrounded them, concerning which the Lordhad commanded them not to do like them.

16 They forsook all the commandments of the Lordtheir God and made for themselves molten images,eventwo calves, and made an Asherah and worshiped all the host of heaven and served Baal.

17 Then they made their sons and their daughters pass through the fire, and practiced divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking Him.

18 So the Lordwas very angry with Israel and removed them from His sight; none was left except the tribe of Judah.

19 Also Judah did not keep the commandments of the Lordtheir God, but walked in the customs which Israel had introduced.

20 The Lordrejected all the descendants of Israel and afflicted them and gave them into the hand of plunderers, until He had cast them out of His sight.

21 When He had torn Israel from the house of David, they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king. Then Jeroboam drove Israel away from following the Lordand made them commit a great sin.

22 The sons of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they did not depart from them

23 until the Lordremoved Israel from His sight, as He spoke through all His servants the prophets. So Israel was carried away into exile from their own land to Assyria until this day.

Cities of Israel Filled with Strangers

24 The king of Assyria broughtmenfrom Babylon and from Cuthah and from Avva and from Hamath and Sepharvaim, and settledthemin the cities of Samaria in place of the sons of Israel. So they possessed Samaria and lived in its cities.

25 At the beginning of their living there, they did not fear the Lord; therefore the Lordsent lions among them which killed some of them.

26 So they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, “The nations whom you have carried away into exile in the cities of Samaria do not know the custom of the god of the land; so he has sent lions among them, and behold, they kill them because they do not know the custom of the god of the land.”

27 Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, “Take there one of the priests whom you carried away into exile and let him go and live there; and let him teach them the custom of the god of the land.”

28 So one of the priests whom they had carried away into exile from Samaria came and lived at Bethel, and taught them how they should fear the Lord.

29 But every nation still made gods of its own and put them in the houses of the high places which the people of Samaria had made, every nation in their cities in which they lived.

30 The men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, the men of Cuth made Nergal, the men of Hamath made Ashima,

31 and the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech the gods of Sepharvaim.

32 They also feared the Lordand appointed from among themselves priests of the high places, who acted for them in the houses of the high places.

33 They feared the Lordand served their own gods according to the custom of the nations from among whom they had been carried away into exile.

34 To this day they do according to the earlier customs: they do not fear the Lord, nor do they follow their statutes or their ordinances or the law, or the commandments which the Lordcommanded the sons of Jacob, whom He named Israel;

35 with whom the Lordmade a covenant and commanded them, saying, “You shall not fear other gods, nor bow down yourselves to them nor serve them nor sacrifice to them.

36 But the Lord, who brought you up from the land of Egypt with great power and with an outstretched arm, Him you shall fear, and to Him you shall bow yourselves down, and to Him you shall sacrifice.

37 The statutes and the ordinances and the law and the commandment which He wrote for you, you shall observe to do forever; and you shall not fear other gods.

38 The covenant that I have made with you, you shall not forget, nor shall you fear other gods.

39 But the Lordyour God you shall fear; and He will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.”

40 However, they did not listen, but they did according to their earlier custom.

41 So while these nations feared the Lord, they also served their idols; their children likewise and their grandchildren, as their fathers did, so they do to this day.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/2KI/17-abeced3a2c081695ada7d4111a3efa21.mp3?version_id=100—

Hezekiah Reigns over Judah

1 Now it came about in the third year of Hoshea, the son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah became king.

2 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah.

3 He did right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father David had done.

4 He removed the high places and broke down thesacredpillars and cut down theAsherah. He also broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the sons of Israel burned incense to it; and it was calledNehushtan.

5 He trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel; so that after him there was none like him among all the kings of Judah, noramong thosewho were before him.

6 For he clung to the Lord; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the Lordhad commanded Moses.

Hezekiah Victorious

7 And the Lordwas with him; wherever he went he prospered. And he rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him.

8 He defeated the Philistines as far as Gaza and its territory, from watchtower to fortified city.

9 Now in the fourth year of King Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria and besieged it.

10 At the end of three years they captured it; in the sixth year of Hezekiah, which was the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was captured.

11 Then the king of Assyria carried Israel away into exile to Assyria, and put them in Halah and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes,

12 because they did not obey the voice of the Lordtheir God, but transgressed His covenant,evenall that Moses the servant of the Lordcommanded; they would neither listen nor doit.

Invasion of Judah

13 Now in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and seized them.

14 Then Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, “I have done wrong. Withdraw from me; whatever you impose on me I will bear.” So the king of Assyria required of Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.

15 Hezekiah gavehimall the silver which was found in the house of the Lord, and in the treasuries of the king’s house.

16 At that time Hezekiah cut offthe gold fromthe doors of the temple of the Lord, andfromthe doorposts which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria.

17 Then the king of Assyria sent Tartan and Rab-saris and Rabshakeh from Lachish to King Hezekiah with a large army to Jerusalem. So they went up and came to Jerusalem. And when they went up, they came and stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which is on the highway of thefuller’s field.

18 When they called to the king, Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebnah the scribe and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder, came out to them.

19 Then Rabshakeh said to them, “Say now to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria, “What is this confidence that you have?

20 You say (butthey areonly empty words), ‘I havecounsel and strength for the war.’ Now on whom do you rely, that you have rebelled against me?

21 Now behold, you rely on the staff of this crushed reed,evenon Egypt; on which if a man leans, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who rely on him.

22 But if you say to me, ‘We trust in the Lordour God,’ is it not He whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away, and has said to Judah and to Jerusalem, ‘You shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem’?

23 Now therefore, come, make a bargain with my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to set riders on them.

24 How then can you repulse one official of the least of my master’s servants, and rely on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?

25 Have I now come up without the Lord’sapproval against this place to destroy it? The Lordsaid to me, ‘Go up against this land and destroy it.'”‘”

26 Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, and Shebnah and Joah, said to Rabshakeh, “Speak now to your servants in Aramaic, for we understandit;and do not speak with us in Judean in the hearing of the people who are on the wall.”

27 But Rabshakeh said to them, “Has my master sent me only to your master and to you to speak these words,andnot to the men who sit on the wall,doomedto eat their own dung and drink their own urine with you?”

28 Then Rabshakeh stood and cried with a loud voice in Judean, saying, “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria.

29 Thus says the king, ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you from my hand;

30 nor let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord, saying, “The Lordwill surely deliver us, and this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.”

31 Do not listen to Hezekiah, for thus says the king of Assyria, “Make your peace with me and come out to me, and eat each of his vine and each of his fig tree and drink each of the waters of his own cistern,

32 until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey, that you may live and not die.” But do not listen to Hezekiah when he misleads you, saying, “The Lordwill deliver us.”

33 Has any one of the gods of the nations delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria?

34 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivvah? Have they delivered Samaria from my hand?

35 Who among all the gods of the lands have delivered their land from my hand, that the Lordshould deliver Jerusalem from my hand?'”

36 But the people were silent and answered him not a word, for the king’s commandment was, “Do not answer him.”

37 Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn and told him the words of Rabshakeh.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/2KI/18-f2d63f2da3fcb2cde2316e0dd7d034c9.mp3?version_id=100—