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2 Chronicles 10-28
New English Translation

The Northern Tribes Rebel

10 Rehoboam traveled to Shechem, for all Israel had gathered in[a] Shechem to make Rehoboam[b] king. 2 When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard the news, he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon. Jeroboam returned from Egypt. 3 They sent for him,[c] and Jeroboam and all Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, 4 “Your father made us work too hard![d] Now if you lighten the demands he made and don’t make us work as hard, we will serve you.”[e] 5 He said to them, “Go away for three days, then return to me.” So the people went away.

6 King Rehoboam consulted with the older advisers who had served[f] his father Solomon when he had been alive. He asked them,[g] “How do you advise me to answer these people?” 7 They said to him, “If you are fair to these people, grant their request, and are cordial to them, they will be your servants from this time forward.”[h] 8 But Rehoboam rejected their advice and consulted the young advisers who served him, with whom he had grown up.[i] 9 He asked them, “How do you advise me to respond to these people who said to me, ‘Lessen the demands your father placed on us’?”[j] 10 The young advisers with whom Rehoboam[k] had grown up said to him, “Say this to these people who have said to you, ‘Your father made us work hard, but now lighten our burden’[l]—say this to them: ‘I am a lot harsher than my father![m] 11 My father imposed heavy demands on you; I will make them even heavier.[n] My father punished you with ordinary whips; I will punish you with whips that really sting your flesh.’”[o]

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

16 When all Israel saw[v] that the king refused to listen to them, the people answered the king, “We have no portion in David—no share in the son of Jesse![w] Return to your homes, O Israel![x] Now, look after your own dynasty, O David!”[y] So all Israel returned to their homes.[z] 17 (Rehoboam continued to rule over the Israelites who lived in the cities of Judah.) 18 King Rehoboam sent Hadoram,[aa] the supervisor of the work crews, out after them, but the Israelites stoned him to death. King Rehoboam managed to jump into his chariot and escape to Jerusalem. 19 So Israel has been in rebellion against the Davidic dynasty to this very day.

11 When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he summoned 180,000 skilled warriors from Judah and Benjamin[ab] to attack Israel and restore the kingdom to Rehoboam. 2 But the Lord’s message came to the prophet[ac] Shemaiah, 3 “Say this to King Rehoboam son of Solomon of Judah and to all the Israelites in Judah and Benjamin, 4 ‘The Lord says this: “Do not attack and make war with your brothers. Each of you go home, for I have caused this to happen.”’”[ad] They obeyed the Lord and called off the attack against Jeroboam.[ae]

Rehoboam’s Reign

5 Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem; he built up these fortified cities throughout Judah: 6 Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa, 7 Beth Zur, Soco, Adullam, 8 Gath, Mareshah, Ziph, 9 Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah, 10 Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron. These were the fortified cities in Judah and Benjamin. 11 He fortified these cities and placed officers in them, as well as storehouses of food, olive oil, and wine. 12 In each city there were shields and spears; he strongly fortified them.[af] Judah and Benjamin belonged to him.

13 The priests and Levites who lived throughout Israel supported him, no matter where they resided.[ag] 14 The Levites even left their pasturelands and their property behind and came to Judah and Jerusalem, for Jeroboam and his sons prohibited them from serving as the Lord’s priests. 15 Jeroboam[ah] appointed his own priests to serve at the worship centers[ai] and to lead in the worship of the goat idols and calf idols he had made.[aj] 16 Those among all the Israelite tribes who were determined to worship the Lord God of Israel followed them to Jerusalem[ak] to sacrifice to the Lord God of their ancestors.[al] 17 They supported[am] the kingdom of Judah and were loyal to[an] Rehoboam son of Solomon for three years; they followed the edicts of[ao] David and Solomon for three years.

18 Rehoboam married[ap] Mahalath the daughter of David’s son Jerimoth and of[aq] Abihail, the daughter of Jesse’s son Eliab. 19 She bore him sons named Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham. 20 He later married Maacah the daughter of Absalom. She bore to him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith. 21 Rehoboam loved Maacah daughter of Absalom more than his other wives and concubines.[ar] He had eighteen wives and sixty concubines; he fathered twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.

22 Rehoboam appointed Abijah son of Maacah as the leader over his brothers, for he intended to name him his successor.[as] 23 He wisely placed some of his many sons throughout the regions of Judah and Benjamin in the various fortified cities.[at] He supplied them with abundant provisions and acquired many wives for them.[au]

12 After Rehoboam’s rule was established and solidified, he and all Israel rejected the law of the Lord. 2 Because they were unfaithful to the Lord, in King Rehoboam’s fifth year, King Shishak of Egypt attacked Jerusalem. 3 He had 1,200 chariots, 60,000 horsemen, and an innumerable number of soldiers who accompanied him from Egypt, including Libyans, Sukkites, and Cushites. 4 He captured the fortified cities of Judah and marched against Jerusalem.

5 Shemaiah the prophet visited Rehoboam and the leaders of Judah who were assembled in Jerusalem because of Shishak. He said to them, “This is what the Lord says: ‘You have rejected me, so I have rejected you and will hand you over to Shishak.’”[av] 6 The leaders of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, “The Lord is just.”[aw] 7 When the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, the Lord’s message came to Shemaiah: “They have humbled themselves, so I will not destroy them. I will deliver them soon.[ax] My anger will not be unleashed against[ay] Jerusalem through Shishak. 8 Yet they will become his subjects, so they can experience how serving me differs from serving the surrounding nations.”[az]

9 King Shishak of Egypt attacked Jerusalem and took away the treasures of the Lord’s temple and of the royal palace; he took everything, including the gold shields that Solomon had made. 10 King Rehoboam made bronze shields to replace them and assigned them to the officers of the royal guard[ba] who protected the entrance to the royal palace. 11 Whenever the king visited the Lord’s temple, the royal guards carried them and then brought them back to the guardroom.[bb]

12 So when Rehoboam[bc] humbled himself, the Lord relented from his anger and did not annihilate him;[bd] Judah experienced some good things.[be] 13 King Rehoboam solidified his rule in Jerusalem;[bf] he[bg] was forty-one years old when he became king, and he ruled for seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city the Lord chose from all the tribes of Israel to be his home.[bh] Rehoboam’s[bi] mother was an Ammonite named Naamah. 14 He did evil because he was not determined to follow the Lord.[bj]

15 The events of Rehoboam’s reign, from start to finish, are recorded[bk] in the Annals of Shemaiah the Prophet and of Iddo the Seer that include genealogical records. There were wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually. 16 Then Rehoboam passed away[bl] and was buried in the City of David.[bm] His son Abijah replaced him as king.

Abijah’s Reign

13 In the eighteenth year of the reign of King Jeroboam, Abijah became king over Judah. 2 He ruled for three years in Jerusalem. His mother[bn] was Michaiah, the daughter of Uriel from Gibeah.[bo]

There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. 3 Abijah launched the attack with 400,000 well-trained warriors,[bp] while Jeroboam deployed against him 800,000 well-trained warriors.[bq]

4 Abijah ascended Mount Zemaraim, in the Ephraimite hill country, and said: “Listen to me, Jeroboam and all Israel! 5 Don’t you realize that the Lord God of Israel has given David and his dynasty lasting dominion over Israel by a formal covenant?[br] 6 Jeroboam son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon son of David, rose up and rebelled against his master. 7 Lawless good-for-nothing men[bs] gathered around him and conspired[bt] against Rehoboam son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was an inexperienced young man[bu] and could not resist them. 8 Now you are declaring that you will resist the Lord’s rule through the Davidic dynasty.[bv] You have a huge army,[bw] and bring with you the gold calves that Jeroboam made for you as gods. 9 But you banished[bx] the Lord’s priests, Aaron’s descendants, and the Levites, and appointed your own priests just as the surrounding nations do! Anyone who comes to consecrate himself with a young bull or seven rams becomes a priest of these fake gods![by] 10 But as for us, the Lord is our God and we have not rejected him. Aaron’s descendants serve as the Lord’s priests, and the Levites assist them with the work.[bz] 11 They offer burnt sacrifices to the Lord every morning and every evening, along with fragrant incense. They arrange the Bread of the Presence on a ritually clean table and light the lamps on the gold lampstand every evening. Certainly[ca] we are observing the Lord our God’s regulations, but you have rejected him. 12 Now look, God is with us as our leader. His priests are ready to blow the trumpets to signal the attack against you.[cb] You Israelites, don’t fight against the Lord God of your ancestors,[cc] for you will not win!”

13 Now Jeroboam had sent some men to ambush the Judahite army from behind.[cd] The main army was in front of the Judahite army;[ce] the ambushers were behind it. 14 The men of Judah turned around and realized they were being attacked from the front and the rear.[cf] So they cried out to the Lord for help. The priests blew their trumpets, 15 and the men of Judah gave the battle cry. As the men of Judah gave the battle cry, God struck down Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. 16 The Israelites fled from before the Judahite army,[cg] and God handed them over to the men of Judah.[ch] 17 Abijah and his army thoroughly defeated them;[ci] 500,000 well-trained Israelite men fell dead.[cj] 18 That day[ck] the Israelites were defeated; the men of Judah prevailed because they relied on the Lord God of their ancestors.

19 Abijah chased Jeroboam; he seized from him these cities: Bethel and its surrounding towns, Jeshanah and its surrounding towns, and Ephron and its surrounding towns. 20 Jeroboam did not regain power during the reign of Abijah.[cl] The Lord struck him down and he died. 21 Abijah’s power grew; he had[cm] fourteen wives and fathered twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.

22 The rest of the events of Abijah’s reign, including his deeds and sayings,[cn] are recorded in the writings of the prophet Iddo.

14 (13:23)[co] Abijah passed away[cp] and was buried in the City of David.[cq] His son Asa replaced him as king. During his reign[cr] the land had rest for ten years.

Asa’s Religious and Military Accomplishments

2 (14:1) Asa did what the Lord his God desired and approved.[cs] 3 He removed the pagan altars[ct] and the high places, smashed the sacred pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles.[cu] 4 He ordered Judah to seek the Lord God of their ancestors[cv] and to observe his law and commands.[cw] 5 He removed the high places and the incense altars from all the towns of Judah. The kingdom had rest under his rule.[cx]

6 He built fortified cities throughout Judah, for the land was at rest and there was no war during those years; the Lord gave him peace. 7 He said to the people of Judah:[cy] “Let’s build these cities and fortify them with walls, towers, and barred gates.[cz] The land remains ours because we have followed[da] the Lord our God; we have followed him, and he has made us secure on all sides.”[db] So they built the cities[dc] and prospered.

8 Asa had an army of 300,000 men from Judah, equipped with large shields and spears. He also had 280,000 men from Benjamin who carried small shields and were adept archers; they were all skilled warriors. 9 Zerah the Cushite marched against them with an army of 1,000,000 men[dd] and 300 chariots . He arrived at Mareshah, 10 and Asa went out to oppose him. They deployed for battle in the Valley of Zephathah near Mareshah.

11 Asa prayed[de] to the Lord his God: “O Lord, there is no one but you who can help the weak when they are vastly outnumbered.[df] Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on you and have marched on your behalf against this huge army.[dg] O Lord, you are our God; don’t let men prevail against you!”[dh] 12 The Lord struck down the Cushites before Asa and Judah. The Cushites fled, 13 and Asa and his army chased them as far as Gerar. The Cushites were wiped out;[di] they were shattered before the Lord and his army. The men of Judah[dj] carried off a huge amount of plunder. 14 They defeated all the towns surrounding Gerar, for the Lord caused them to panic.[dk] The men of Judah[dl] looted all the towns, for they contained a huge amount of goods.[dm] 15 They also attacked the tents of the herdsmen in charge of the livestock.[dn] They carried off many sheep and camels and then returned to Jerusalem.

15 God’s Spirit came upon Azariah son of Oded. 2 He met[do] Asa and told him, “Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin! The Lord is with you when you are loyal to him.[dp] If you seek him, he will respond to you,[dq] but if you reject him, he will reject you. 3 For a long time[dr] Israel had not sought the one true God, or a priest to instruct them, or the law. 4 Because of their distress, they turned back to the Lord God of Israel. They sought him and he responded to them.[ds] 5 In those days[dt] no one could travel safely,[du] for total chaos had overtaken all the people of the surrounding lands.[dv] 6 One nation was crushed by another, and one city by another, for God caused them to be in great turmoil.[dw] 7 But as for you, be strong and don’t get discouraged,[dx] for your work will be rewarded.”[dy]

8 When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he was encouraged.[dz] He removed the detestable idols from the entire land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities he had seized in the Ephraimite hill country. He repaired the altar of the Lord in front of the porch of the Lord’s temple.[ea]

9 He assembled all Judah and Benjamin, as well as the settlers[eb] from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who had come to live with them. Many people from Israel had come there to live[ec] when they saw that the Lord his God was with him. 10 They assembled in Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign. 11 At that time[ed] they sacrificed to the Lord some of the plunder they had brought back, including 700 head of cattle and 7,000 sheep.[ee] 12 They solemnly agreed[ef] to seek the Lord God of their ancestors[eg] with their whole heart and being. 13 Anyone who would not seek the Lord God of Israel would be executed, whether they were young or old,[eh] male or female. 14 They swore their allegiance to the Lord, shouting their approval loudly and sounding trumpets and horns.[ei] 15 All Judah was happy about the oath, because they made the vow with their whole heart. They willingly sought the Lord and he responded to them.[ej] He made them secure on every side.[ek]

16 King Asa also removed Maacah his grandmother[el] from her position as queen mother[em] because she had made a loathsome Asherah pole. Asa cut down her loathsome pole and crushed and burned it in the Kidron Valley. 17 The high places were not eliminated from Israel, yet Asa was wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord throughout his lifetime.[en] 18 He brought the holy items that his father and he had made into God’s temple, including the silver, gold, and other articles.[eo]

Asa’s Failures

19 There was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign. 16 1 In the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign, King Baasha of Israel attacked Judah, and he established Ramah as a military outpost to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the land of King Asa of Judah.[ep] 2 Asa took all the silver and gold that was left in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and of the royal palace and sent it to King Ben Hadad of Syria, ruler in Damascus, along with this message: 3 “I want to make a treaty with you, like the one our fathers made.[eq] See, I have sent you silver and gold. Break your treaty with King Baasha of Israel, so he will retreat from my land.”[er] 4 Ben Hadad accepted King Asa’s offer and ordered his army commanders to attack the cities of Israel.[es] They conquered[et] Ijon, Dan, Abel Maim,[eu] and all the storage cities of Naphtali. 5 When Baasha heard the news, he stopped fortifying[ev] Ramah and abandoned the project.[ew] 6 King Asa ordered all the men of Judah to carry away the stones and wood that Baasha had used to build Ramah.[ex] He used the materials to build up[ey] Geba and Mizpah.

7 At that time Hanani the prophet[ez] visited King Asa of Judah and said to him: “Because you relied on the king of Syria and did not rely on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Syria has escaped from your hand. 8 Did not the Cushites and Libyans have a huge army with chariots and a very large number of horsemen? But when you relied on the Lord, he handed them over to you! 9 Certainly[fa] the Lord watches the whole earth carefully[fb] and is ready to strengthen those who are devoted to him.[fc] You have acted foolishly in this matter; from now on you will have war.” 10 Asa was so angry at the prophet, he put him in jail.[fd] Asa also oppressed some of the people at that time.

Asa’s Reign Ends

11 The events of Asa’s reign, from start to finish, are recorded in the Scroll of the Kings of Judah and Israel.[fe] 12 In the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa developed a foot disease and his disease became severe. Yet even in his disease, he did not seek the Lord, but only the doctors. 13 Asa passed away[ff] in the forty-first year of his reign. 14 He was buried in the tomb he had carved out in the City of David.[fg] They laid him to rest on a platform[fh] covered with spices and assorted mixtures of ointments. They made a huge bonfire to honor him.[fi]

Jehoshaphat Becomes King

17 His son Jehoshaphat replaced him as king and solidified his rule over Israel.[fj] 2 He placed troops in all Judah’s fortified cities and posted garrisons[fk] throughout the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim that his father Asa had seized.

3 The Lord was with Jehoshaphat because he followed in his ancestor[fl] David’s footsteps at the beginning of his reign.[fm] He did not seek the Baals, 4 but instead sought the God of his ancestors[fn] and obeyed[fo] his commands, unlike the Israelites.[fp] 5 The Lord made his kingdom secure;[fq] all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he became very wealthy and greatly respected.[fr] 6 He was committed to following the Lord;[fs] he even removed the high places and Asherah poles from Judah.

7 In the third year of his reign he sent his officials Ben Hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah to teach in the cities of Judah. 8 They were accompanied by the Levites Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tob-Adonijah, and by the priests Elishama and Jehoram. 9 They taught throughout Judah, taking with them the scroll of the law of the Lord. They traveled to all the cities of Judah and taught the people.

10 The Lord put fear into all the kingdoms surrounding Judah;[ft] they did not make war with Jehoshaphat. 11 Some of the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat tribute, including a load of silver. The Arabs brought him 7,700 rams and 7,700 goats from their flocks.

12 Jehoshaphat’s power kept increasing. He built fortresses and storage cities throughout Judah. 13 He had many supplies stored in the cities of Judah and an army of skilled warriors stationed in Jerusalem.[fu] 14 These were their divisions by families:

There were 1,000 officers from Judah.[fv] Adnah the commander led 300,000 skilled warriors, 15 Jehochanan the commander led 280,000, 16 and Amasiah son of Zikri, who volunteered to serve the Lord, led 200,000 skilled warriors.

17 From Benjamin, Eliada, a skilled warrior, led 200,000 men who were equipped with bows and shields, 18 and Jehozabad led 180,000 trained warriors.

19 These were the ones who served the king, besides those whom the king placed in the fortified cities throughout Judah.

Jehoshaphat Allies with Ahab

18 Jehoshaphat was very wealthy and greatly respected. He made an alliance by marriage with Ahab, 2 and after several years[fw] went down to visit[fx] Ahab in Samaria. Ahab slaughtered many sheep and cattle to honor Jehoshaphat and those who came with him.[fy] He persuaded him to join in an attack[fz] against Ramoth Gilead. 3 King Ahab of Israel said to King Jehoshaphat of Judah, “Will you go with me to attack Ramoth Gilead?” He replied, “I will support you; my army is at your disposal and will support you in battle.”[ga] 4 Then Jehoshaphat said further to the king of Israel,[gb] “First,[gc] please seek an oracle from the Lord.”[gd] 5 So the king of Israel assembled 400 prophets and asked them, “Should we attack Ramoth Gilead or not?”[ge] They said, “Attack! God[gf] will hand it over to the king.” 6 But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there not a prophet of the Lord still here, that we may ask him?” 7 The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man through whom we can seek the Lord’s will,[gg] but I despise[gh] him because he does not prophesy prosperity for me, but always[gi] disaster—Micaiah son of Imlah.” Jehoshaphat said, “The king should not say such things!” 8 The king of Israel summoned an officer and said, “Quickly bring Micaiah son of Imlah.”

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

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

28 The king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah attacked Ramoth Gilead. 29 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and then enter[gw] the battle, but you wear your royal attire.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and they entered the battle. 30 Now the king of Syria had ordered his chariot commanders, “Do not fight common soldiers or high ranking officers;[gx] fight only the king of Israel!” 31 When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “He must be the king of Israel!” So they turned and attacked him, but Jehoshaphat cried out. The Lord helped him; God lured them away from him. 32 When the chariot commanders realized he was not the king of Israel, they turned away from him. 33 Now an archer shot an arrow at random,[gy] and it struck the king of Israel between the plates of his armor. The king[gz] ordered his charioteer, “Turn around and take me from the battle line,[ha] for I am wounded.” 34 While the battle raged throughout the day, the king of Israel stood propped up in his chariot opposite the Syrians. He died in the evening as the sun was setting.

19 When King Jehoshaphat of Judah returned home safely to Jerusalem, 2 the prophet[hb] Jehu son of Hanani confronted him;[hc] he said to King Jehoshaphat, “Is it right to help the wicked and be an ally of those who oppose the Lord?[hd] Because you have done this, the Lord is angry with you![he] 3 Nevertheless you have done some good things;[hf] you removed[hg] the Asherah poles from the land and you were determined to follow God.”[hh]

Jehoshaphat Appoints Judges

4 Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem. He went out among the people from Beer Sheba to the hill country of Ephraim and encouraged them to follow[hi] the Lord God of their ancestors.[hj] 5 He appointed judges throughout the land and in each of the fortified cities of Judah.[hk] 6 He told the judges, “Be careful what you do,[hl] for you are not judging for men, but for the Lord, who will be with you when you make judicial decisions. 7 Respect the Lord and make careful decisions, for the Lord our God disapproves of injustice, partiality, and bribery.”[hm]

8 In Jerusalem Jehoshaphat appointed some Levites, priests, and Israelite family leaders to judge on behalf of the Lord[hn] and to settle disputes among the residents of Jerusalem.[ho] 9 He commanded them: “Carry out your duties with respect for the Lord, with honesty, and with pure motives.[hp] 10 Whenever your countrymen who live in the cities bring a case before you[hq] (whether it involves a violent crime[hr] or other matters related to the law, commandments, rules, and regulations), warn them that they must not sin against the Lord. If you fail to do so, God will be angry with you and your colleagues, but if you obey, you will be free of guilt.[hs] 11 Take note, Amariah the chief priest will oversee[ht] you in every matter pertaining to the Lord and Zebadiah son of Ishmael, the leader of the family of Judah, in every matter pertaining to the king. The Levites will serve as officials before you. Act courageously,[hu] and may the Lord be with those who do well!”

The Lord Gives Jehoshaphat Military Success

20 Later the Moabites and Ammonites, along with some of the Meunites,[hv] attacked Jehoshaphat. 2 Messengers[hw] arrived and reported to Jehoshaphat, “A huge army is attacking you from the other side of the Dead Sea,[hx] from the direction of Edom.[hy] Look, they are in Hazazon Tamar (that is, En Gedi).” 3 Jehoshaphat was afraid, so he decided to seek the Lord’s advice.[hz] He decreed that all Judah should observe a fast. 4 The people of Judah[ia] assembled to ask for the Lord’s help;[ib] they came from all the cities of Judah to ask for the Lord’s help.[ic]

5 Jehoshaphat stood before the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem at the Lord’s temple, in front of the new courtyard. 6 He prayed: “O Lord God of our ancestors,[id] you are the God who lives in heaven[ie] and rules over all the kingdoms of the nations. You possess strength and power; no one can stand against you. 7 Our God, you drove out[if] the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and gave it as a permanent possession[ig] to the descendants of your friend[ih] Abraham. 8 They settled down in it and built in it a temple[ii] to honor you,[ij] saying, 9 ‘If disaster comes on us in the form of military attack,[ik] judgment, plague, or famine, we will stand in front of this temple before you, for you are present in this temple.[il] We will cry out to you for help in our distress, so that you will[im] hear and deliver us.’ 10 Now the Ammonites, Moabites, and men from Mount Seir are coming![in] When Israel came from the land of Egypt, you did not allow them to invade these lands.[io] They bypassed them and did not destroy them. 11 Look how they are repaying us! They come to drive us out of our allotted land which you assigned to us! 12 Our God, will you not judge them? For we are powerless against this huge army that attacks us. We don’t know what we should do; we look to you for help.”[ip]

13 All the men of Judah[iq] were standing before the Lord, along with their infants, wives, and children. 14 Then in the midst of the assembly, the Lord’s Spirit came upon Jachaziel son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite and descendant of Asaph. 15 He said: “Pay attention, all you people of Judah,[ir] residents of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Don’t be afraid and don’t panic[is] because of this huge army! For the battle is not yours, but God’s. 16 Tomorrow march down against them as[it] they come up the Ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the ravine in front of the wilderness of Jeruel. 17 You will not fight in this battle. Take your positions, stand, and watch the Lord deliver you,[iu] O Judah and Jerusalem. Don’t be afraid and don’t panic![iv] Tomorrow march out toward them; the Lord is with you!’”

18 Jehoshaphat bowed down with his face toward the ground, and all the people of Judah[iw] and the residents of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord and worshiped him.[ix] 19 Then some Levites, from the Kohathites and Korahites, got up and loudly praised the Lord God of Israel.[iy]

20 Early the next morning they marched out to the wilderness of Tekoa. When they were ready to march, Jehoshaphat stood up and said: “Listen to me, you people of Judah[iz] and residents of Jerusalem! Trust in the Lord your God and you will be safe![ja] Trust in the message of his prophets and you will win.” 21 He met[jb] with the people and appointed musicians to play before the Lord and praise his majestic splendor. As they marched ahead of the warriors they said: “Give thanks to the Lord, for his loyal love endures.”[jc]

22 When they began to shout and praise, the Lord suddenly attacked[jd] the Ammonites, Moabites, and men from Mount Seir[je] who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. 23 The Ammonites and Moabites attacked the men from Mount Seir[jf] and annihilated them.[jg] When they had finished off the men[jh] of Seir, they attacked and destroyed one another.[ji] 24 When the men of Judah[jj] arrived at the observation post overlooking the wilderness and looked at[jk] the huge army, they saw dead bodies on the ground; there were no survivors. 25 Jehoshaphat and his men[jl] went to gather the plunder; they found a huge amount of supplies, clothing,[jm] and valuable items. They carried away everything they could.[jn] There was so much plunder, it took them three days to haul it off.[jo]

26 On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Berachah, where[jp] they praised the Lord. So that place is called the Valley of Berachah[jq] to this very day. 27 Then all the men of Judah and Jerusalem returned joyfully to Jerusalem with Jehoshaphat leading them; the Lord had given them reason to rejoice over their enemies. 28 They entered Jerusalem to the sound of stringed instruments and trumpets and proceeded to the temple of the Lord. 29 All the kingdoms of the surrounding lands were afraid of God[jr] when they heard how the Lord had fought against Israel’s enemies. 30 Jehoshaphat’s kingdom enjoyed peace; his God made him secure on every side.[js]

Jehoshaphat’s Reign Ends

31 Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he became king and he reigned for twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother[jt] was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi. 32 He followed in his father Asa’s footsteps and was careful to do what the Lord approved.[ju] 33 However, the high places were not eliminated; the people were still not devoted to the God of their ancestors.[jv]

34 The rest of the events of Jehoshaphat’s reign, from start to finish, are recorded in the Annals of Jehu son of Hanani, which are included in the Scroll of the Kings of Israel.[jw]

35 Later King Jehoshaphat of Judah made an alliance with King Ahaziah of Israel, who[jx] did evil. 36 They agreed[jy] to make large seagoing merchant ships;[jz] they built the ships in Ezion Geber. 37 Eliezer son of Dodavahu from Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, “Because[ka] you made an alliance with Ahaziah, the Lord will shatter what you have made.” The ships were wrecked and unable to go to sea.[kb]

21 Jehoshaphat passed away[kc] and was buried with his ancestors[kd] in the City of David.[ke] His son Jehoram[kf] replaced him as king.

Jehoram’s Reign

2 His brothers, Jehoshaphat’s sons, were Azariah, Jechiel, Zechariah, Azariahu, Michael, and Shephatiah. All these were sons of King Jehoshaphat of Israel.[kg] 3 Their father gave them many presents, including silver, gold, and other precious items, along with fortified cities in Judah. But he gave the kingdom to Jehoram because he was the firstborn.

4 Jehoram took control of his father’s kingdom and became powerful.[kh] Then he killed all his brothers,[ki] as well as some of the officials of Israel. 5 Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned for eight years in Jerusalem. 6 He followed in the footsteps of the kings of Israel, just as Ahab’s dynasty had done, for he married Ahab’s daughter.[kj] He did evil in the sight of[kk] the Lord. 7 But the Lord was unwilling to destroy David’s dynasty[kl] because of the promise[km] he had made to give David a perpetual dynasty.[kn]

8 During Jehoram’s[ko] reign Edom freed themselves from Judah’s control and set up their own king.[kp] 9 Jehoram crossed over with his officers and all his chariots. The Edomites, who had surrounded him, attacked at night and defeated him and his chariot officers.[kq] 10 So Edom has remained free from Judah’s control to this very day.[kr] At that same time Libnah also rebelled and freed themselves from Judah’s control[ks] because Jehoram[kt] rejected the Lord God of his ancestors. 11 He also built high places on the hills of Judah; he encouraged the residents of Jerusalem to be unfaithful to the Lord[ku] and led Judah away from the Lord.[kv]

12 Jehoram[kw] received this letter from Elijah the prophet: “This is what the Lord God of your ancestor David says: ‘You[kx] have not followed in the footsteps[ky] of your father Jehoshaphat and of[kz] King Asa of Judah, 13 but have instead followed in the footsteps of the kings of Israel. You encouraged the people of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem to be unfaithful to the Lord, just as the family of Ahab does in Israel.[la] You also killed your brothers, members of your father’s family,[lb] who were better than you. 14 So look, the Lord is about to severely afflict[lc] your people, your sons, your wives, and all you own. 15 And you will get a serious, chronic intestinal disease which will cause your intestines to come out.’”[ld]

16 The Lord stirred up against Jehoram the Philistines[le] and the Arabs who lived beside the Cushites. 17 They attacked Judah and swept through it.[lf] They carried off everything they found in the royal palace,[lg] including his sons and wives. None of his sons was left, except for his youngest, Ahaziah. 18 After all this happened, the Lord afflicted him with an incurable intestinal disease.[lh] 19 After about two years his intestines came out because of the disease, so that he died a very painful death.[li] His people did not make a bonfire to honor him, as they had done for his ancestors.[lj]

20 Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. No one regretted his death;[lk] he was buried in the City of David,[ll] but not in the royal tombs.

Ahaziah’s Reign

22 The residents of Jerusalem made his youngest son Ahaziah king in his place, for the raiding party that invaded the camp with the Arabs had killed all the older sons.[lm] So Ahaziah son of Jehoram became king of Judah. 2 Ahaziah was twenty-two[ln] years old when he became king, and he reigned for one year in Jerusalem. His mother[lo] was Athaliah, the granddaughter[lp] of Omri. 3 He followed in the footsteps of Ahab’s dynasty,[lq] for his mother gave him evil advice.[lr] 4 He did evil in the sight of[ls] the Lord like Ahab’s dynasty because, after his father’s death, they[lt] gave him advice that led to his destruction. 5 He followed their advice and joined Ahab’s son King Joram[lu] of Israel in a battle against King Hazael of Syria[lv] at Ramoth Gilead in which the Syrians defeated Joram. 6 Joram[lw] returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds he received from the Syrians[lx] in Ramah when he fought against King Hazael of Syria. Ahaziah[ly] son of King Jehoram of Judah went down to visit Joram son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he had been wounded.[lz]

7 God brought about Ahaziah’s downfall through his visit to Joram.[ma] When Ahaziah[mb] arrived, he went out with Joram to meet Jehu son of Nimshi, whom the Lord had commissioned[mc] to wipe out Ahab’s family.[md] 8 While Jehu was dishing out punishment to Ahab’s family, he discovered the officials of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah’s relatives who were serving Ahaziah and killed them. 9 He looked for Ahaziah, who was captured while hiding in Samaria. They brought him to Jehu and then executed him. They did give him a burial, for they reasoned,[me] “He is the son of Jehoshaphat, who sought the Lord with his whole heart.” There was no one in Ahaziah’s family strong enough to rule in his place.[mf]

Athaliah is Eliminated

10 When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she was determined to destroy the entire royal line[mg] of Judah.[mh] 11 So Jehoshabeath,[mi] the daughter of King Jehoram,[mj] took Ahaziah’s son Joash and stole him away from the rest of the royal descendants who were to be executed. She hid him and his nurse in the room where the bed covers were stored. So Jehoshabeath the daughter of King Jehoram, wife of Jehoiada the priest and sister of Ahaziah, hid him from Athaliah so she could not execute him. 12 He remained in hiding in God’s temple[mk] for six years while Athaliah was ruling over the land.

23 In the seventh year Jehoiada made a bold move. He made a pact[ml] with the officers of the units of hundreds: Azariah son of Jehoram, Ishmael son of Jehochanan, Azariah son of Obed, Maaseiah son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat son of Zikri. 2 They traveled throughout Judah and assembled the Levites from all the cities of Judah, as well as the Israelite family leaders.

They came to Jerusalem, 3 and the whole assembly made a covenant with the king in the temple of God. Jehoiada[mm] said to them, “The king’s son will rule, just as the Lord promised David’s descendants. 4 This is what you must do. One-third of you priests and Levites who are on duty during the Sabbath will guard the doors. 5 Another third of you will be stationed at the royal palace and still another third at the Foundation Gate. All the others[mn] will stand in the courtyards of the Lord’s temple. 6 No one must enter the Lord’s temple except the priests and Levites who are on duty. They may enter because they are ceremonially pure. All the others should carry out their assigned service to the Lord. 7 The Levites must surround the king. Each of you must hold his weapon in his hand. Whoever tries to enter the temple[mo] must be killed. You must accompany the king wherever he goes.”[mp]

8 The Levites and all the men of Judah[mq] did just as Jehoiada the priest ordered. Each of them took his men, those who were on duty during the Sabbath as well as those who were off duty on the Sabbath. Jehoiada the priest did not release his divisions from their duties. 9 Jehoiada the priest gave to the officers of the units of hundreds King David’s spears and shields[mr] that were kept in God’s temple. 10 He placed the men at their posts, each holding his weapon in his hand. They lined up from the south side of the temple to the north side and stood near the altar and the temple, surrounding the king.[ms] 11 Jehoiada and his sons led out the king’s son and placed on him the crown and the royal insignia.[mt] They proclaimed him king and poured olive oil on his head.[mu] They declared, “Long live the king!”

12 When Athaliah heard the royal guard[mv] shouting and praising the king, she joined the crowd[mw] at the Lord’s temple. 13 Then she saw[mx] the king standing by his pillar at the entrance. The officers and trumpeters stood beside the king and all the people of the land were celebrating and blowing trumpets, and the musicians with various instruments were leading the celebration. Athaliah tore her clothes and yelled, “Treason! Treason!”[my] 14 Jehoiada the priest sent out the officers of the units of hundreds, who were in charge of the army, and ordered them, “Bring her outside the temple to the guards.[mz] Put the sword to anyone who follows her.” The priest gave this order because he had decided she should not be executed in the Lord’s temple.[na] 15 They seized her and took her into the precincts of the royal palace through the horses’ entrance.[nb] There they executed her.

16 Jehoiada then drew up a covenant stipulating that he, all the people, and the king should be loyal to the Lord.[nc] 17 All the people went and demolished[nd] the temple of Baal. They smashed its altars and idols.[ne] They killed Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altars. 18 Jehoiada then assigned the duties of the Lord’s temple to the priests, the Levites whom David had assigned to the Lord’s temple. They were responsible for offering burnt sacrifices to the Lord with joy and music, according to[nf] the law of Moses and the edict of David. 19 He posted guards at the gates of the Lord’s temple, so no one who was ceremonially unclean in any way could enter. 20 He summoned[ng] the officers of the units of hundreds, the nobles, the rulers of the people, and all the people of the land, and he then led the king down from the Lord’s temple. They entered the royal palace through the Upper Gate and seated the king on the royal throne. 21 All the people of the land celebrated, for the city had rest now that they had killed Athaliah.[nh]

Joash’s Reign

24 Joash was seven years old when he began to reign. He reigned for forty years in Jerusalem. His mother[ni] was Zibiah, who was from Beer Sheba. 2 Joash did what the Lord approved[nj] throughout the lifetime[nk] of Jehoiada the priest. 3 Jehoiada chose two wives for him who gave him sons and daughters.

4 Later, Joash was determined to repair the Lord’s temple.[nl] 5 He assembled the priests and Levites and ordered them, “Go out to the cities of Judah and collect the annual quota of silver from all Israel for repairs on the temple of your God. Be quick about it!” But the Levites delayed.

6 So the king summoned Jehoiada the chief priest,[nm] and said to him, “Why have you not made[nn] the Levites collect[no] from Judah and Jerusalem the tax authorized by Moses the Lord’s servant and by the assembly of Israel at the tent containing the tablets of the law?”[np] 7 (Wicked Athaliah and her sons had broken into God’s temple and used all the holy items of the Lord’s temple in their worship of the Baals.) 8 The king ordered a chest to be made and placed outside the gate of the Lord’s temple.[nq] 9 An edict was sent throughout Judah and Jerusalem requiring the people to bring to the Lord the tax that Moses, God’s servant, imposed on Israel in the wilderness.[nr] 10 All the officials and all the people gladly brought their silver and threw it into the chest until it was full. 11 Whenever the Levites brought the chest to the royal accountant and they saw there was a lot of silver, the royal scribe and the accountant of the high priest emptied the chest and then took it back to its place. They went through this routine every day and collected a large amount of silver.

12 The king and Jehoiada gave it to the construction foremen[ns] assigned to the Lord’s temple. They hired carpenters and craftsmen to repair the Lord’s temple, as well as those skilled in working with iron and bronze to restore the Lord’s temple. 13 They worked hard and made the repairs.[nt] They followed the measurements specified for God’s temple and restored it.[nu] 14 When they were finished, they brought the rest of the silver to the king and Jehoiada. They used it to make items for the Lord’s temple, including items used in the temple service and for burnt sacrifices, pans, and various other gold and silver items. Throughout Jehoiada’s lifetime, burnt sacrifices were offered regularly in the Lord’s temple.

15 Jehoiada grew old and died at the age of 130. 16 He was buried in the City of David[nv] with the kings, because he had accomplished good in Israel and for God and his temple.

17 After Jehoiada died, the officials of Judah visited the king and declared their loyalty to him.[nw] The king listened to their advice.[nx] 18 They abandoned the temple of the Lord God of their ancestors[ny] and worshiped[nz] the Asherah poles and idols. Because of this sinful activity, God was angry with Judah and Jerusalem. 19 The Lord sent prophets among them to lead them back to him.[oa] They warned[ob] the people, but they would not pay attention. 20 God’s Spirit energized[oc] Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood up before the people and said to them, “This is what God says: ‘Why are you violating the commands of the Lord? You will not be prosperous. Because you have rejected the Lord, he has rejected you!’” 21 They plotted against him and by royal decree stoned him to death in the courtyard of the Lord’s temple. 22 King Joash disregarded[od] the loyalty Zechariah’s father Jehoiada had shown him and killed Jehoiada’s[oe] son. As Zechariah[of] was dying, he said, “May the Lord take notice and seek vengeance!”[og]

23 At the beginning[oh] of the year the Syrian army attacked[oi] Joash[oj] and invaded Judah and Jerusalem. They wiped out all the leaders of the people and sent all the plunder they gathered to the king of Damascus. 24 Even though the invading Syrian army was relatively weak, the Lord handed over to them Judah’s very large army,[ok] for the people of Judah[ol] had abandoned the Lord God of their ancestors. The Syrians[om] gave Joash what he deserved.[on] 25 When they withdrew, they left Joash[oo] badly wounded. His servants plotted against him because of what he had done to[op] the son[oq] of Jehoiada the priest. They murdered him on his bed. Thus[or] he died and was buried in the City of David,[os] but not in the tombs of the kings. 26 The conspirators were Zabad son of Shimeath (an Ammonite woman) and Jehozabad son of Shimrith (a Moabite woman).

27 The list of Joash’s[ot] sons, the many prophetic oracles about him, and the account of his building project on God’s temple are included in the record of the Scroll of the Kings.[ou] His son Amaziah replaced him as king.

Amaziah’s Reign

25 Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother[ov] was Jehoaddan, who was from Jerusalem. 2 He did what the Lord approved,[ow] but not with wholehearted devotion.[ox]

3 When he had secured control of the kingdom,[oy] he executed the servants who had assassinated his father the king. 4 However, he did not execute their sons. He obeyed the Lord’s commandment as recorded in the law scroll of Moses,[oz] “Fathers must not be executed for what their sons do,[pa] and sons must not be executed for what their fathers do.[pb] A man must be executed only for his own sin.”[pc]

5 Amaziah assembled the people of Judah[pd] and assigned them by families to the commanders of units of 1,000 and the commanders of units of 100 for all Judah and Benjamin. He counted those twenty years old and up and discovered there were 300,000 young men of fighting age[pe] equipped with spears and shields.[pf] 6 He hired 100,000 Israelite warriors for 100 talents[pg] of silver.

7 But a prophet[ph] visited him and said: “O king, the Israelite troops must not go with you, for the Lord is not with Israel or any of the Ephraimites.[pi] 8 Even if you go and fight bravely in battle, God will defeat you[pj] before the enemy. God is capable of helping or defeating.”[pk] 9 Amaziah asked the prophet:[pl] “But what should I do about the 100 talents of silver I paid the Israelite troops?” The prophet[pm] replied, “The Lord is capable of giving you more than that.” 10 So Amaziah dismissed the troops that had come to him from Ephraim and sent them home.[pn] They were very angry at Judah and returned home incensed. 11 Amaziah boldly led his army to the Valley of Salt,[po] where he defeated[pp] 10,000 Edomites.[pq] 12 The men[pr] of Judah captured 10,000 men alive. They took them to the top of a cliff and threw them over.[ps] All the captives[pt] fell to their death.[pu] 13 Now the troops Amaziah had dismissed and had not allowed to fight in the battle[pv] raided[pw] the cities of Judah from Samaria to Beth Horon. They killed[px] 3,000 people and carried off a large amount of plunder.

14 When Amaziah returned from defeating the Edomites, he brought back the gods of the people[py] of Seir and made them his personal gods.[pz] He bowed down before them and offered them sacrifices. 15 The Lord was angry at Amaziah and sent a prophet to him, who said, “Why are you following[qa] these gods[qb] that could not deliver their own people from your power?”[qc] 16 While he was speaking, Amaziah[qd] said to him, “Did we appoint you to be a royal counselor? Stop prophesying or else you will be killed!”[qe] So the prophet stopped, but added, “I know that God has decided[qf] to destroy you, because you have done this thing and refused to listen to my advice.”

17 After King Amaziah of Judah consulted with his advisers,[qg] he sent this message to the king of Israel, Joash son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, “Come, face me on the battlefield.”[qh] 18 King Joash of Israel sent this message back to King Amaziah of Judah, “A thorn bush in Lebanon sent this message to a cedar in Lebanon, ‘Give your daughter to my son as a wife.’ Then a wild animal of Lebanon came by and trampled down the thorn bush.[qi] 19 You defeated Edom[qj] and it has gone to your head.[qk] Gloat over your success,[ql] but stay in your palace. Why bring calamity on yourself? Why bring down yourself and Judah along with you?”[qm]

20 But Amaziah did not heed the warning,[qn] for God wanted to hand them over to Joash because they followed the gods of Edom.[qo] 21 So King Joash of Israel attacked. He and King Amaziah of Judah faced each other on the battlefield[qp] in Beth Shemesh of Judah. 22 Judah was defeated by Israel, and each man ran back home.[qq] 23 King Joash of Israel captured King Amaziah of Judah, son of Joash son of Jehoahaz, in Beth Shemesh and brought him to Jerusalem. He broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate—a distance of about 600 feet.[qr] 24 He took away all the gold and silver, all the items found in God’s temple that were in the care of Obed-Edom, the riches in the royal palace, and some hostages. Then he went back to Samaria.

25 King Amaziah son of Joash of Judah lived for fifteen years after the death of King Joash son of Jehoahaz of Israel. 26 The rest of the events of Amaziah’s reign, from start to finish, are recorded in the Scroll of the Kings of Judah and Israel.[qs] 27 From the time Amaziah turned from following the Lord, conspirators plotted against him in Jerusalem,[qt] so he fled to Lachish. But they sent assassins after him[qu] and they killed him there. 28 His body was carried back by horses,[qv] and he was buried with his ancestors[qw] in the City of David.[qx]

Uzziah’s Reign

26 All the people of Judah took Uzziah,[qy] who was sixteen years old, and made him king in his father Amaziah’s place. 2 Uzziah[qz] built up Elat and restored it to Judah after King Amaziah[ra] had passed away.[rb]

3 Uzziah was sixteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecholiah, who was from Jerusalem. 4 He did what the Lord approved, just as his father Amaziah had done.[rc] 5 He followed[rd] God during the lifetime of[re] Zechariah, who taught him how to honor God. As long as he followed[rf] the Lord, God caused him to succeed.[rg]

6 Uzziah attacked[rh] the Philistines and broke down the walls of Gath, Jabneh, and Ashdod. He built cities in the region of Ashdod and throughout Philistine territory.[ri] 7 God helped him in his campaigns[rj] against the Philistines, the Arabs living in Gur Baal, and the Meunites. 8 The Ammonites paid tribute to Uzziah and his fame reached[rk] the border of Egypt, for he grew in power.

9 Uzziah built and fortified towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, Valley Gate, and at the Angle.[rl] 10 He built towers in the wilderness and dug many cisterns, for he owned many herds in the foothills[rm] and on the plain. He had workers in the fields and vineyards in the hills and in Carmel,[rn] for he loved agriculture.[ro]

11 Uzziah had an army of skilled warriors trained for battle. They were organized by divisions according to the muster rolls made by Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the officer under the authority of Hananiah, a royal official. 12 The total number of family leaders who led warriors was 2,600. 13 They commanded an army of 307,500 skilled and able warriors who were ready to defend[rp] the king against his enemies. 14 Uzziah supplied shields, spears, helmets, breastplates, bows, and slingstones for the entire army. 15 In Jerusalem he made war machines carefully designed to shoot arrows and large stones from the towers and corners of the walls. He became very famous, for he received tremendous support and became powerful.[rq]

16 But once he became powerful, his pride destroyed him.[rr] He disobeyed[rs] the Lord his God. He entered the Lord’s temple to offer incense on the incense altar. 17 Azariah the priest and eighty other brave priests of the Lord followed him in. 18 They confronted[rt] King Uzziah and said to him, “It is not proper for you, Uzziah, to offer incense to the Lord. That is the responsibility of the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who are consecrated to offer incense. Leave the sanctuary, for you have disobeyed[ru] and the Lord God will not honor you!” 19 Uzziah, who had an incense censer in his hand, became angry. While he was ranting and raving[rv] at the priests, a skin disease[rw] appeared on his forehead right there in front of the priests in the Lord’s temple near the incense altar. 20 When Azariah the high priest and the other priests looked at him, there was a skin disease on his forehead. They hurried him out of there; even the king[rx] himself wanted to leave quickly because the Lord had afflicted him. 21 King Uzziah suffered from a skin disease until the day he died. He lived in separate quarters,[ry] afflicted by a skin disease and banned from the Lord’s temple. His son Jotham was in charge of the palace and ruled over the people of the land.

22 The rest of the events of Uzziah’s reign, from start to finish, were recorded by the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz.[rz] 23 Uzziah passed away[sa] and was buried near his ancestors[sb] in a cemetery[sc] belonging to the kings. (This was because he had a skin disease.)[sd] His son Jotham replaced him as king.

Jotham’s Reign

27 Jotham was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother[se] was Jerusha the daughter of Zadok. 2 He did what the Lord approved, just as his father Uzziah had done.[sf] (He did not, however, have the audacity to enter the temple.)[sg] Yet the people were still sinning.

3 He built the Upper Gate to the Lord’s temple and did a lot of work on the wall in the area known as Ophel.[sh] 4 He built cities in the hill country of Judah and fortresses and towers in the forests.

5 He launched a military campaign[si] against the king of the Ammonites and defeated them. That year the Ammonites paid him 100 talents[sj] of silver, 10,000 cors[sk] of wheat, and 10,000 cors[sl] of barley. The Ammonites also paid this same amount of annual tribute the next two years.[sm]

6 Jotham grew powerful because he was determined to please the Lord his God.[sn] 7 The rest of the events of Jotham’s reign, including all his military campaigns and his accomplishments, are recorded in the Scroll of the Kings of Israel and Judah.[so] 8 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. 9 Jotham passed away[sp] and was buried in the City of David.[sq] His son Ahaz replaced him as king.

Ahaz’s Reign

28 Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. He did not do what pleased the Lord, in contrast to his ancestor David.[sr] 2 He followed in the footsteps of[ss] the kings of Israel; he also made images of the Baals. 3 He offered sacrifices in the Valley of Ben Hinnom and passed his sons through the fire,[st] a horrible sin practiced by the nations[su] whom the Lord drove out before the Israelites. 4 He offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.

5 The Lord his God handed him over to the king of Syria. The Syrians[sv] defeated him and deported many captives to Damascus.[sw] He was also handed over to the king of Israel, who thoroughly defeated him.[sx] 6 In one day Pekah son of Remaliah killed 120,000 warriors in Judah, because they had abandoned the Lord God of their ancestors.[sy] 7 Zikri, an Ephraimite warrior, killed the king’s son Maaseiah, Azrikam, the supervisor of the palace, and Elkanah, the king’s second-in-command. 8 The Israelites seized from their brothers 200,000 wives, sons, and daughters. They also carried off a huge amount of plunder and took it[sz] back to Samaria.

9 Oded, a prophet of the Lord, was there. He went to meet the army as they arrived in Samaria and said to them: “Look, because the Lord God of your ancestors was angry with Judah he handed them over to you. You have killed them so mercilessly that God has taken notice.[ta] 10 And now you are planning[tb] to enslave[tc] the people[td] of Judah and Jerusalem. Yet are you not also guilty before the Lord your God? 11 Now listen to me! Send back those you have seized from your brothers, for the Lord is very angry at you!”[te] 12 So some of[tf] the Ephraimite family leaders, Azariah son of Jehochanan, Berechiah son of Meshillemoth, Jechizkiah son of Shallum, and Amasa son of Hadlai confronted[tg] those returning from the battle. 13 They said to them, “Don’t bring those captives here! Are you planning on making us even more sinful and guilty before the Lord?[th] Our guilt is already great, and the Lord is very angry at Israel.”[ti] 14 So the soldiers released the captives and the plunder before the officials and the entire assembly. 15 Men were assigned to take the prisoners and find clothes among the plunder for those who were naked.[tj] So they clothed them, supplied them with sandals, gave them food and drink, and provided them with oil to rub on their skin.[tk] They put the ones who couldn’t walk on donkeys.[tl] They brought them back to their brothers at Jericho, the city of date palm trees, and then returned to Samaria.

16 At that time King Ahaz asked the king[tm] of Assyria for help. 17 The Edomites had again invaded and defeated Judah and carried off captives. 18 The Philistines had raided the cities of Judah in the foothills[tn] and the Negev.[to] They captured and settled in Beth Shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Soco and its surrounding villages, Timnah and its surrounding villages, and Gimzo and its surrounding villages. 19 The Lord humiliated[tp] Judah because of King Ahaz of Israel,[tq] for he encouraged Judah to sin and was very[tr] unfaithful to the Lord. 20 King Tiglath-Pileser[ts] of Assyria came, but he gave him more trouble than support.[tt] 21 Ahaz gathered riches[tu] from the Lord’s temple, the royal palace, and the officials and gave them to the king of Assyria, but that did not help.

22 During his time of trouble King Ahaz was even more unfaithful to the Lord. 23 He offered sacrifices to the gods of Damascus whom he thought had defeated him.[tv] He reasoned,[tw] “Since the gods of the kings of Syria helped them, I will sacrifice to them so they will help me.” But they caused him and all Israel to stumble. 24 Ahaz gathered the items in God’s temple and removed them. He shut the doors of the Lord’s temple and erected altars on every street corner in Jerusalem. 25 In every city throughout Judah he set up high places to offer sacrifices to other gods. He angered the Lord God of his ancestors.

26 The rest of the events of Ahaz’s reign, including his accomplishments from start to finish, are recorded in the Scroll of the Kings of Judah and Israel.[tx] 27 Ahaz passed away[ty] and was buried in the city of Jerusalem; they did not bring him to the tombs of the kings of Israel. His son Hezekiah replaced him as king.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 10:1 tn Heb “come [to].”
  2. 2 Chronicles 10:1 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Rehoboam) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  3. 2 Chronicles 10:3 tn Heb “They sent and called for him.”
  4. 2 Chronicles 10:4 tn Heb “made our yoke burdensome.”
  5. 2 Chronicles 10:4 tn Heb “but you, now, lighten the burdensome work of your father and the heavy yoke which he placed on us, and we will serve you.” In the Hebrew text the prefixed verbal form with vav (וְנַעַבְדֶךָ, venaʿavedekha, “and we will serve you”) following the imperative (הָקֵל, haqel, “lighten”) indicates purpose/result. The conditional sentence used in the present translation is an attempt to bring out the logical relationship between these forms.
  6. 2 Chronicles 10:6 tn Heb “stood before.”
  7. 2 Chronicles 10:6 tn Heb “saying.”
  8. 2 Chronicles 10:7 tn Heb “If you are for good to these people and you are favorable to them and speak to them good words, they will be your servants all the days.”
  9. 2 Chronicles 10:8 tn Heb “Rehoboam rejected the advice of the elders which they advised and he consulted the young men with whom he had grown up, who stood before him.”
  10. 2 Chronicles 10:9 tn Heb “Lighten the yoke which your father placed on us.”
  11. 2 Chronicles 10:10 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Rehoboam) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  12. 2 Chronicles 10:10 tn Heb “Your father made our yoke heavy, but make it lighter upon us.”
  13. 2 Chronicles 10:10 tn Heb “My little one is thicker than my father’s hips.” The referent of “my little one” is not clear. The traditional view is that it refers to the little finger (so NEB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT). As the following statement makes clear, Rehoboam’s point is that he is more harsh and demanding than his father.
  14. 2 Chronicles 10:11 tn Heb “and now my father placed upon you a heavy yoke, but I will add to your yoke.”
  15. 2 Chronicles 10:11 tn Heb “My father punished you with whips, but I [will punish you] with scorpions.” “Scorpions” might allude to some type of torture, but more likely it refers to a type of whip that inflicts an especially biting, painful wound.
  16. 2 Chronicles 10:13 tn Heb “King Rehoboam.” The pronoun “he” has been used in the translation in place of the proper name in keeping with contemporary English style.
  17. 2 Chronicles 10:14 tc The Hebrew text reads, “I will make heavy your yoke,” but many medieval Hebrew mss and other ancient textual witnesses have, “my father made heavy your yoke.”
  18. 2 Chronicles 10:14 tn Heb “but I will add to your yoke.”
  19. 2 Chronicles 10:14 tn Heb “My father punished you with whips, but I [will punish you] with scorpions.” “Scorpions” might allude to some type of torture, but more likely it refers to a type of whip that inflicts an especially biting, painful wound.
  20. 2 Chronicles 10:15 tn Heb “because this turn of events was from God.”
  21. 2 Chronicles 10:15 tn Heb “so that the Lord might bring to pass his word which he spoke.”
  22. 2 Chronicles 10:16 tc The MT does not include the word “saw,” but many medieval Hebrew mss as well as several ancient versions have it. See the parallel text of 1 Kings 12:16, which has the verb וַיַּרְא (from רָאָה, raʾah, “to see”).
  23. 2 Chronicles 10:16 sn The people’s point seems to be that they have no familial relationship with David that brings them any benefits or places upon them any obligations. They are being treated like outsiders.
  24. 2 Chronicles 10:16 tn Heb “each one to your tents, Israel.” The word “return” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  25. 2 Chronicles 10:16 tn Heb “Now see your house, David.”
  26. 2 Chronicles 10:16 tn Heb “went to their tents.”
  27. 2 Chronicles 10:18 sn In the parallel account in 1 Kgs 12:18 this name appears as “Adoniram.”
  28. 2 Chronicles 11:1 tn Heb “he summoned the house of Judah and Benjamin, 180,000 chosen men, accomplished in war.”
  29. 2 Chronicles 11:2 tn Heb “man of God.”
  30. 2 Chronicles 11:4 tn Heb “for this thing is from me.”
  31. 2 Chronicles 11:4 tn Heb “and they heard the words of the Lord and returned from going against Jeroboam.”
  32. 2 Chronicles 11:12 tn Heb “he strengthened them greatly, very much.”
  33. 2 Chronicles 11:13 tn Heb “and the priests and the Levites who were in all Israel supported him from all their territory.”
  34. 2 Chronicles 11:15 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jeroboam) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  35. 2 Chronicles 11:15 tn Heb “for the high places.”
  36. 2 Chronicles 11:15 tn Heb “and for the goats and for the calves that he had made.”
  37. 2 Chronicles 11:16 tn Heb “and after them from all the tribes of Israel, the ones giving their heart[s] to seek the Lord God of Israel came [to] Jerusalem.”
  38. 2 Chronicles 11:16 tn Heb “fathers.”
  39. 2 Chronicles 11:17 tn Or “strengthened.”
  40. 2 Chronicles 11:17 tn Or “strengthened.”
  41. 2 Chronicles 11:17 tn Heb “they walked in the way of.”
  42. 2 Chronicles 11:18 tn Heb “took for himself a wife.”
  43. 2 Chronicles 11:18 tn The words “and of” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
  44. 2 Chronicles 11:21 sn Concubines were slave women in ancient Near Eastern societies who were the legal property of their master, but who could have legitimate sexual relations with their master. A concubine’s status was more elevated than a mere servant, but she was not free and did not have the legal rights of a free wife. The children of a concubine could, in some instances, become equal heirs with the children of the free wife. After the period of the Judges concubines may have become more of a royal prerogative (2 Sam 21:10-14; 1 Kgs 11:3).
  45. 2 Chronicles 11:22 tn Heb “and Rehoboam appointed for a head Abijah son of Maacah for ruler among his brothers, indeed to make him king.”
  46. 2 Chronicles 11:23 tn Heb “and he was discerning and broke up from all his sons to all the lands of Judah and Benjamin, to all the fortified cities.”
  47. 2 Chronicles 11:23 tn “and he asked for a multitude of wives.”
  48. 2 Chronicles 12:5 tn Heb “also I have rejected you into the hand of Shishak.”
  49. 2 Chronicles 12:6 tn Or “fair,” meaning the Lord’s punishment of them was just or fair.
  50. 2 Chronicles 12:7 tn Heb “I will give them deliverance soon.”
  51. 2 Chronicles 12:7 tn Heb “pour out on.”
  52. 2 Chronicles 12:8 tn Heb “so they may know my service and the service of the kingdoms of the lands.”
  53. 2 Chronicles 12:10 tn Heb “runners” (also in v. 11).
  54. 2 Chronicles 12:11 tn Heb “to the chamber of the runners.”
  55. 2 Chronicles 12:12 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Rehoboam) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  56. 2 Chronicles 12:12 tn Heb “the anger of the Lord turned from him and did not destroy completely.”
  57. 2 Chronicles 12:12 tn Heb “and also in Judah there were good things.”
  58. 2 Chronicles 12:13 tn Heb “and the king, Rehoboam, strengthened himself in Jerusalem and ruled.”
  59. 2 Chronicles 12:13 tn Heb “Rehoboam.” The recurrence of the proper name here is redundant in terms of contemporary English style, so the pronoun has been used in the translation instead.
  60. 2 Chronicles 12:13 tn Heb “the city where the Lord chose to place his name from all the tribes of Israel.”
  61. 2 Chronicles 12:13 tn Heb “his”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  62. 2 Chronicles 12:14 tn Heb “because he did not set his heart to seek the Lord.”
  63. 2 Chronicles 12:15 tn Heb “As for the events of Rehoboam, the former and the latter, are they not written?”
  64. 2 Chronicles 12:16 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
  65. 2 Chronicles 12:16 sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
  66. 2 Chronicles 13:2 tnHeb “The name of his mother.”
  67. 2 Chronicles 13:2 tn The parallel text in 1 Kgs 15:2 identifies his mother as “Maacah, the daughter of Abishalom” (=Absalom, 2 Chr 11:20). Although most English versions identify the mother’s father as Uriel of Gibeah, a number of English versions substitute the name “Maacah” here for the mother (e.g., NIV, NCV, CEV, NLT).
  68. 2 Chronicles 13:3 tn Heb “and Abijah bound [i.e., began] the battle with a force of men of war, 400,000 chosen men.”
  69. 2 Chronicles 13:3 tn Heb “and Jeroboam arranged with him [for] battle with 800,000 chosen men, strong warrior[s].”
  70. 2 Chronicles 13:5 tn Heb “Do you not know that the Lord God of Israel has given kingship to David over Israel permanently, to him and to his sons [by] a covenant of salt?”sn For other references to a “covenant of salt,” see Lev 2:13 and Num 18:19.
  71. 2 Chronicles 13:7 tn Heb “empty men, sons of wickedness.”
  72. 2 Chronicles 13:7 tn Heb “strengthened themselves.”
  73. 2 Chronicles 13:7 tn Heb “a young man and tender of heart.”
  74. 2 Chronicles 13:8 tn Heb “the kingdom of the Lord by the hand of the sons of David.”
  75. 2 Chronicles 13:8 tn Or “horde”; or “multitude.”
  76. 2 Chronicles 13:9 tn In the Hebrew text this is phrased as a rhetorical question, “Did you not banish?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course you did,” the force of which is reflected in the translation “But you banished.”
  77. 2 Chronicles 13:9 tn Heb “whoever comes to fill his hand with a bull, a son of cattle, and seven rams, and he is a priest to no-gods.”
  78. 2 Chronicles 13:10 tn Heb “and priests serving the Lord [are] the sons of Aaron and the Levites in the work.”
  79. 2 Chronicles 13:11 tn Or “for.”
  80. 2 Chronicles 13:12 tn Heb “and his priests and the trumpets of the war alarm [are ready] to sound out against you.”
  81. 2 Chronicles 13:12 tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 18).
  82. 2 Chronicles 13:13 tn Heb “and Jeroboam had caused to circle around an ambush to come from behind them.”
  83. 2 Chronicles 13:13 tn Heb “Judah.”
  84. 2 Chronicles 13:14 tn Heb “and Judah turned, and, look, to them [was] the battle in front and behind.”
  85. 2 Chronicles 13:16 tn Heb “Judah.”
  86. 2 Chronicles 13:16 tn Heb “them”; the referent (the men of Judah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  87. 2 Chronicles 13:17 tn Heb “struck them down with a great striking down.”
  88. 2 Chronicles 13:17 tn Heb “and [the] slain from Israel fell, 500,000 chosen men.”
  89. 2 Chronicles 13:18 tn Heb “at that time.”
  90. 2 Chronicles 13:20 tn Heb “and the strength of Jeroboam was not retained again in the days of Abijah.”
  91. 2 Chronicles 13:21 tn Heb “lifted up for himself.”
  92. 2 Chronicles 13:22 tn Heb “and his ways and his words.”
  93. 2 Chronicles 14:1 sn Beginning with 14:1, the verse numbers through 14:15 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 14:1 ET = 13:23 HT, 14:2 ET = 14:1 HT, 14:3 ET = 14:2 HT, etc., through 14:15 ET = 14:14 HT. Beginning with 15:1 the verse numbers in the ET and HT are again the same.
  94. 2 Chronicles 14:1 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
  95. 2 Chronicles 14:1 sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
  96. 2 Chronicles 14:1 tn Heb “in his days.”
  97. 2 Chronicles 14:2 tn Heb “and Asa did the good and the right in the eyes of the Lord his God.”
  98. 2 Chronicles 14:3 tn Heb “the altars of the foreigner.”
  99. 2 Chronicles 14:3 sn Asherah poles. A leading deity of the Canaanite pantheon was Asherah, wife/sister of El and goddess of fertility. She was commonly worshiped at shrines in or near groves of evergreen trees, or, failing that, at places marked by wooden poles (Hebrew אֲשֵׁרִים [ʾasherim], as here). They were to be burned or cut down (Deut 7:5; 12:3; 16:21; Judg 6:25, 28, 30; 2 Kgs 18:4).
  100. 2 Chronicles 14:4 tn Heb “fathers.”
  101. 2 Chronicles 14:4 tn Heb “the law and the command.”
  102. 2 Chronicles 14:5 tn Heb “before him.”
  103. 2 Chronicles 14:7 tn The words “the people of” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The Hebrew text uses the name “Judah” by metonymy for the people of Judah.
  104. 2 Chronicles 14:7 tn Heb “and we will surround [them] with wall[s] and towers, doors, and bars.”
  105. 2 Chronicles 14:7 tn Heb “sought.”
  106. 2 Chronicles 14:7 tn Heb “we sought him, and he has given us rest all around.”
  107. 2 Chronicles 14:7 tn The words “the cities” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
  108. 2 Chronicles 14:9 tn Heb “a thousand thousands.”
  109. 2 Chronicles 14:11 tn Heb “called out.”
  110. 2 Chronicles 14:11 tn Heb “there is not except you to help between many with regard to [the one] without strength.”
  111. 2 Chronicles 14:11 tn Heb “and in your name we have come against this multitude.”
  112. 2 Chronicles 14:11 tn Heb “let not man retain [strength] with you.”
  113. 2 Chronicles 14:13 tn Heb “and there fell from the Cushites so that there was not to them preservation of life.”
  114. 2 Chronicles 14:13 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the men of Judah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  115. 2 Chronicles 14:14 tn Heb “for the terror of the Lord was upon them.”
  116. 2 Chronicles 14:14 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the men of Judah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  117. 2 Chronicles 14:14 tn Heb “for great plunder was in them.”
  118. 2 Chronicles 14:15 tn Heb “and also they struck down the tents of the livestock.”
  119. 2 Chronicles 15:2 tn Heb “went out before.”
  120. 2 Chronicles 15:2 tn Heb “when you are with him.”
  121. 2 Chronicles 15:2 tn Heb “he will allow himself to be found by you.”
  122. 2 Chronicles 15:3 tn Heb “Many days.”
  123. 2 Chronicles 15:4 tn Heb “and he allowed himself to be found by them.”
  124. 2 Chronicles 15:5 tn Heb “times.”
  125. 2 Chronicles 15:5 tn Heb “there was no peace for the one going out or the one coming in.”
  126. 2 Chronicles 15:5 tn Heb “for great confusion was upon all the inhabitants of the lands.”
  127. 2 Chronicles 15:6 tn Heb “threw them into confusion with all distress.”
  128. 2 Chronicles 15:7 tn Heb “and let not your hands drop.”
  129. 2 Chronicles 15:7 tn Heb “for there is payment for your work.”
  130. 2 Chronicles 15:8 tn Heb “strengthened himself.”
  131. 2 Chronicles 15:8 tn Heb “the porch of the Lord.”
  132. 2 Chronicles 15:9 tn Or “foreign residents.”
  133. 2 Chronicles 15:9 tn Heb “had fallen upon him.”
  134. 2 Chronicles 15:11 tn Or “In that day.”
  135. 2 Chronicles 15:11 tn The Hebrew term צֹאן (tsoʾn) denotes smaller livestock in general; depending on context it can refer to sheep only or goats only, but their is nothing in the immediate context here to specify one or the other.
  136. 2 Chronicles 15:12 tn Heb “entered into a covenant.”
  137. 2 Chronicles 15:12 tn Heb “fathers.”
  138. 2 Chronicles 15:13 tn Heb “whether small or great.”
  139. 2 Chronicles 15:14 tn Heb “with a loud voice and with a shout of joy and with trumpets and with horns.”
  140. 2 Chronicles 15:15 tn Heb “and with all their desire they sought him and he allowed himself to be found by them.”
  141. 2 Chronicles 15:15 tn Heb “and the Lord gave them rest all around.”
  142. 2 Chronicles 15:16 tn Heb “mother,” but Hebrew often uses “father” and “mother” for grandparents and even more remote ancestors.
  143. 2 Chronicles 15:16 tn The Hebrew term גְּבִירָה (gevirah) can denote “queen” or “queen mother” depending on the context. Here the latter is indicated, since Maacah was the wife of Rehoboam and mother of Abijah.
  144. 2 Chronicles 15:17 tn Heb “yet the heart of Asa was complete all his days.”
  145. 2 Chronicles 15:18 tn Heb “and he brought the holy things of his father and his holy things [into] the house of God, silver, gold, and items.”
  146. 2 Chronicles 16:1 tn Heb “and he built up Ramah so as to not permit going out or coming in to Asa king of Judah.”
  147. 2 Chronicles 16:3 tn Heb “[May there be] a covenant between me and you [as there was] between my father and your father.”
  148. 2 Chronicles 16:3 tn Heb “so he will go up from upon me.”
  149. 2 Chronicles 16:4 tn Heb “and Ben Hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of the armies which belonged to him against the cities of Israel.”
  150. 2 Chronicles 16:4 tn Heb “They struck down.”
  151. 2 Chronicles 16:4 sn In the parallel passage in 1 Kgs 15:20, this city’s name appears as Abel Beth Maacah. These appear to be variant names for the same place.
  152. 2 Chronicles 16:5 tn Heb “building.”
  153. 2 Chronicles 16:5 tn Heb “and he caused his work to cease.”
  154. 2 Chronicles 16:6 tn Heb “and King Asa took all Judah and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its wood which Baasha had built.”
  155. 2 Chronicles 16:6 tn Heb “and he built with them.”
  156. 2 Chronicles 16:7 tn Heb “the seer.”
  157. 2 Chronicles 16:9 tn Or “for.”
  158. 2 Chronicles 16:9 tn Heb “the eyes of the Lord move quickly through all the earth.”
  159. 2 Chronicles 16:9 tn Heb “to strengthen himself with their heart, [the one] complete toward him.”
  160. 2 Chronicles 16:10 tn Heb “and Asa was angry at the seer, and he put him [in] the house of stocks, because of his rage with him over this.”
  161. 2 Chronicles 16:11 tn Heb “Look, the events of Asa, the former and the latter, look, they are written on the scroll of the kings of Judah and Israel.”
  162. 2 Chronicles 16:13 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers, and he died.”
  163. 2 Chronicles 16:14 sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
  164. 2 Chronicles 16:14 tn The Hebrew term מִשְׁכָּב (mishkav) most often refers to a bed. In this setting it was most likely a raised platform within the tomb where the body was laid to rest, technically similar to a bier.
  165. 2 Chronicles 16:14 tn Heb “and they burned for him a large fire, very great.”
  166. 2 Chronicles 17:1 tn Heb “and strengthened himself over Israel.”
  167. 2 Chronicles 17:2 tn Or perhaps, “governors.”
  168. 2 Chronicles 17:3 tn Heb “father.”
  169. 2 Chronicles 17:3 tn Heb “for he walked in the ways of David his father [in] the beginning [times].”
  170. 2 Chronicles 17:4 tn Heb “fathers.”
  171. 2 Chronicles 17:4 tn Heb “walked in.”
  172. 2 Chronicles 17:4 tn Heb “and not like the behavior of Israel.”
  173. 2 Chronicles 17:5 tn Heb “established the kingdom in his hand.”
  174. 2 Chronicles 17:5 tn Heb “and he had wealth and honor in abundance.”
  175. 2 Chronicles 17:6 tn Heb “and his heart was high in the ways of the Lord.” Perhaps גָּבַהּ (gavah, “be high”) here means “be cheerful” (HALOT 171 s.v.) or “be encouraged” (BDB 147 s.v. 3.a).
  176. 2 Chronicles 17:10 tn Heb “and the terror of the Lord was upon all the kingdoms of the lands which were surrounding Judah.”
  177. 2 Chronicles 17:13 tn Heb “and many supplies were his in the cities of Judah, and men of war, warriors of skill in Jerusalem.”
  178. 2 Chronicles 17:14 tn Or perhaps “from Judah, commanders of the thousands.”
  179. 2 Chronicles 18:2 tn Heb “at the end of years.”
  180. 2 Chronicles 18:2 tn The word “visit” is supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
  181. 2 Chronicles 18:2 tn Heb “and Ahab slaughtered for him sheep and cattle in abundance, and for the people who were with him.”
  182. 2 Chronicles 18:2 tn Heb “to go up.”
  183. 2 Chronicles 18:3 tn Heb “Like me, like you; and like your people, my people; and with you in battle.”
  184. 2 Chronicles 18:4 tn The word “further” has been added on the basis that this is a second speech act. The narrator uses the title “king of Israel” to convey a sense of formality.
  185. 2 Chronicles 18:4 tn Or “even today,” “right away.”
  186. 2 Chronicles 18:4 tn Heb “inquire for the Lord’s message.” Jehoshaphat is requesting a prophetic oracle revealing the Lord’s will in the matter and their prospects for success. For examples of such oracles, see 2 Sam 5:19, 23-24.
  187. 2 Chronicles 18:5 tn Heb “Should we go against Ramoth Gilead for war or should I refrain?”
  188. 2 Chronicles 18:5 tn Though Jehoshaphat had requested an oracle from “the Lord” (יְהוָה, yehvah, “Yahweh”), the Israelite prophets stop short of actually using this name and substitute the title הָאֱלֹהִים (haʾelohim, “the God”). This ambiguity may explain in part Jehoshaphat’s hesitancy and caution (vv. 7-8). He seems to doubt that the 400 are genuine prophets of the Lord.
  189. 2 Chronicles 18:7 tn Heb “to seek the Lord from him.”
  190. 2 Chronicles 18:7 tn Or “hate.”
  191. 2 Chronicles 18:7 tn Heb “all his days.”
  192. 2 Chronicles 18:9 tn Heb “at,” which in this case probably means “near.”
  193. 2 Chronicles 18:12 tn Heb “the words of the prophets are [with] one mouth good for the king.”
  194. 2 Chronicles 18:12 tn Heb “let your words be like one of them and speak good.”
  195. 2 Chronicles 18:14 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Micaiah) has been specified in the translation both for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
  196. 2 Chronicles 18:14 sn One does not expect Micaiah, having just vowed to speak only what the Lord tells him, to agree with the other prophets and give the king an inaccurate prophecy. Micaiah’s actions became understandable later, when we discover that the Lord desires to deceive the king and lead him to his demise. The Lord even dispatches a lying spirit to deceive Ahab’s prophets. Micaiah can lie to the king because he realizes this lie is from the Lord. It is important to note that in v. 13 Micaiah only vows to speak the word of his God; he does not necessarily say he will tell the truth. In this case the Lord’s word is deliberately deceptive. Only when the king adjures him to tell the truth (v. 15), does Micaiah do so.
  197. 2 Chronicles 18:15 tn Or “swear an oath by.”
  198. 2 Chronicles 18:16 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Micaiah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  199. 2 Chronicles 18:18 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Micaiah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  200. 2 Chronicles 18:20 tn Heb “the spirit.” The significance of the article prefixed to רוּחַ (ruakh) is uncertain, but it could contain a clue as to this spirit’s identity, especially when interpreted in light of verse 23. It is certainly possible, and probably even likely, that the article is used in a generic or dramatic sense and should be translated, “a spirit.” In the latter case it would show that this spirit was vivid and definite in the mind of Micaiah the storyteller. However, if one insists that the article indicates a well-known or universally known spirit, the following context provides a likely referent. Verse 23 tells how Zedekiah slapped Micaiah in the face and then asked sarcastically, “Which way did the spirit from the Lord (רוּחַ־יְהוָה, ruakh yehvah) go when he went from me to speak to you?” When the phrase “the spirit of the Lord” refers to the divine spirit (rather than the divine breath or mind, as in Isa 40:7, 13) elsewhere, the spirit energizes an individual or group for special tasks or moves one to prophesy. This raises the possibility that the deceiving spirit of vv. 20-22 is the same as the divine spirit mentioned by Zedekiah in v. 23. This would explain why the article is used on רוּחַ (ruakh); he can be called “the spirit” because he is the well-known spirit who energizes the prophets.
  201. 2 Chronicles 18:21 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  202. 2 Chronicles 18:21 tn The Hebrew text has two imperfects connected by וְגַם (vegam). These verbs could be translated as specific futures, “you will deceive and also you will prevail,” in which case the Lord is assuring the spirit of success on his mission. However, in a commissioning context (note the following imperatives) such as this, it is more likely that the imperfects are injunctive, in which case one could translate, “Deceive, and also overpower.”
  203. 2 Chronicles 18:26 tn Heb “the bread of affliction and the water of affliction.”
  204. 2 Chronicles 18:27 tn Heb “Listen.”
  205. 2 Chronicles 18:29 tn The Hebrew verbal forms could be imperatives (“Disguise yourself and enter”), but this would make no sense in light of the immediately following context. The forms are better interpreted as infinitives absolute functioning as cohortatives (see IBHS 594 §35.5.2a). Some prefer to emend the forms to imperfects.
  206. 2 Chronicles 18:30 tn Heb “small or great.”
  207. 2 Chronicles 18:33 tn Heb “now a man drew a bow in his innocence” (i.e., with no specific target in mind, or at least without realizing his target was the king of Israel).
  208. 2 Chronicles 18:33 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  209. 2 Chronicles 18:33 tn Heb “camp.”
  210. 2 Chronicles 19:2 tn Or “seer.”
  211. 2 Chronicles 19:2 tn Heb “went out to his face.”
  212. 2 Chronicles 19:2 tn Heb “and love those who hate the Lord?”
  213. 2 Chronicles 19:2 tn Heb “and because of this upon you is anger from before the Lord.”
  214. 2 Chronicles 19:3 tn Heb “nevertheless good things are found with you.”
  215. 2 Chronicles 19:3 tn Here בָּעַר (baʿar) is not the well attested verb “burn,” but the less common homonym meaning “devastate, sweep away, remove.” See HALOT 146 s.v. II בער.
  216. 2 Chronicles 19:3 tn Heb “and you set your heart to seek God.”
  217. 2 Chronicles 19:4 tn Heb “and turned them back to.”
  218. 2 Chronicles 19:4 tn Heb “fathers.”
  219. 2 Chronicles 19:5 tn Heb “in the land in all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city.”
  220. 2 Chronicles 19:6 tn Heb “see what you are doing.”
  221. 2 Chronicles 19:7 tn Heb “and now let the terror of the Lord be upon you, be careful and act for there is not with the Lord our God injustice, lifting up of a face, and taking a bribe.”
  222. 2 Chronicles 19:8 tn Heb “for the judgment of the Lord.”
  223. 2 Chronicles 19:8 tc Heb “and to conduct a case [or “for controversy”], and they returned [to] Jerusalem.” Some emend וַיָּשֻׁבוּ (vayyashuvu, “and they returned”) to וַיֵּשְׁבוּ (vayyeshevu, “and they lived [in]”). The present translation assumes an emendation to יֹשְׁבֵי (yoshevey, “residents of”).
  224. 2 Chronicles 19:9 tn Heb “This you must do with the fear of the Lord, with honesty, and with a complete heart.”
  225. 2 Chronicles 19:10 tn Heb “and every case which comes to you from your brothers who live in their cities.”
  226. 2 Chronicles 19:10 tn Heb “between blood pertaining to blood.”
  227. 2 Chronicles 19:10 tn Heb “and anger will be upon you and your brothers; do this and you will not be guilty.”
  228. 2 Chronicles 19:11 tn Heb “will be over you.”
  229. 2 Chronicles 19:11 tn Heb “Be strong and act!”
  230. 2 Chronicles 20:1 tc The Hebrew text has “Ammonites,” but they are mentioned just before this. Most translations, following some mss of the LXX, read “Meunites” (see 2 Chr 26:7; so NASB, NIV, NRSV).
  231. 2 Chronicles 20:2 tn Heb “they”; the implied referent (messengers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  232. 2 Chronicles 20:2 tn Heb “the Sea”; in context (“from the direction of Edom”) this must refer to the Dead Sea, which has been specified in the translation for clarity (cf. NEB, NLT).
  233. 2 Chronicles 20:2 tc Most Hebrew mss, the LXX, and Vulgate read “from Aram” (i.e., Syria), but this should be emended to “Edom,” which is the reading of one Hebrew ms and the Old Latin.
  234. 2 Chronicles 20:3 tn Heb “and he set his face to seek the Lord.”
  235. 2 Chronicles 20:4 tn The words “the people of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew text uses the name “Judah” by metonymy for the people of Judah.
  236. 2 Chronicles 20:4 tn Heb “to seek from the Lord.” The verb here (בָּקַשׁ, baqash) is different from the one translated “seek” in v. 3 (דָּרַשׁ, darash).
  237. 2 Chronicles 20:4 tn Heb “to seek the Lord.” The verb here (בָּקַשׁ, baqash) is different from the one translated “seek” in v. 3 (דָּרַשׁ, darash).
  238. 2 Chronicles 20:6 tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 33).
  239. 2 Chronicles 20:6 tn Heb “are you not God in heaven?” The rhetorical question expects the answer “yes,” resulting in the positive statement “you are the God who lives in heaven” employed in the translation.
  240. 2 Chronicles 20:7 tn Heb “did you not drive out . . . ?” This is another rhetorical question which expects a positive response; see the note on the word “heaven” in the previous verse.
  241. 2 Chronicles 20:7 tn Heb “permanently.”
  242. 2 Chronicles 20:7 tn Or perhaps “your covenantal partner.” See Isa 41:8.
  243. 2 Chronicles 20:8 tn Or “sanctuary.”
  244. 2 Chronicles 20:8 tn Heb “for your name.” The word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor (thus the translation here, “to honor you”).
  245. 2 Chronicles 20:9 tn Heb “sword.”
  246. 2 Chronicles 20:9 tn Heb “for your name is in this house.” The “name” of the Lord sometimes designates the Lord himself, being indistinguishable from the proper name. In this case the temple is referred to as a “house” where the Lord himself can reside.
  247. 2 Chronicles 20:9 tn Or “so that you may.”
  248. 2 Chronicles 20:10 tn Heb “now, look, the sons of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir.”
  249. 2 Chronicles 20:10 tn Heb “whom you did not allow Israel to enter when they came from the land of Egypt.”
  250. 2 Chronicles 20:12 tn Heb “for [or “indeed”] upon you are our eyes.”
  251. 2 Chronicles 20:13 tn Heb “Judah.” The words “the men of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew text uses the name “Judah” by metonymy for the men of Judah.
  252. 2 Chronicles 20:15 tn Heb “all Judah.” The words “you people of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew text uses the name “Judah” by metonymy for the people of Judah. Unlike the previous instance in v. 13 where infants, wives, and children are mentioned separately, this reference appears to include them all.
  253. 2 Chronicles 20:15 tn Or perhaps “don’t get discouraged.”
  254. 2 Chronicles 20:16 tn Heb “look.”
  255. 2 Chronicles 20:17 tn Heb “the deliverance of the Lord with you.”
  256. 2 Chronicles 20:17 tn Or perhaps “don’t get discouraged.”
  257. 2 Chronicles 20:18 tn Heb “all Judah.” The words “you people of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. See the note on the word “Judah” in v. 15.
  258. 2 Chronicles 20:18 tn Heb “to worship the Lord.”
  259. 2 Chronicles 20:19 tn Heb “arose to praise the Lord God of Israel with a very loud voice.”
  260. 2 Chronicles 20:20 tn Heb “O Judah.” The words “you people of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. See the note on the word “Judah” in v. 15.
  261. 2 Chronicles 20:20 tn There is a wordplay in the Hebrew text. The Hiphil verb form הַאֲמִינוּ (haʾaminu, “trust”) and the Niphal form תֵאָמֵנוּ (teʾamenu, “you will be safe”) come from the same verbal root (אָמַן, ʾaman).
  262. 2 Chronicles 20:21 tn Or “consulted.”
  263. 2 Chronicles 20:21 tn Or “is eternal.”
  264. 2 Chronicles 20:22 tn Heb “set ambushers against.” This is probably idiomatic here for launching a surprise attack.
  265. 2 Chronicles 20:22 tn Heb “the sons of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir.”
  266. 2 Chronicles 20:23 tn Heb “the sons of Ammon and Moab stood against the residents of Mount Seir.”
  267. 2 Chronicles 20:23 tn Heb “to annihilate and to destroy.”
  268. 2 Chronicles 20:23 tn Heb “residents.”
  269. 2 Chronicles 20:23 tn Heb “they helped, each one his fellow, for destruction.” The verb עָזַר (ʿazar), traditionally understood as the well-attested verb meaning “to help,” is an odd fit in this context. It is possible that it is from a homonymic root, perhaps meaning to “attack.” This root is attested in Ugaritic in a nominal form meaning “young man, warrior, hero.” For a discussion of the proposed root, see HALOT 811 s.v. II עזר.
  270. 2 Chronicles 20:24 tn Heb “Judah.” The words “the men of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew text uses the name “Judah” by metonymy for the men of Judah.
  271. 2 Chronicles 20:24 tn Heb “turned toward.”
  272. 2 Chronicles 20:25 tn Or “army.”
  273. 2 Chronicles 20:25 tc The MT reads פְגָרִים (fegarim, “corpses”), but this seems odd among a list of plunder. A few medieval Hebrew mss and the Vulgate read בְגָדִים (vegadim, “clothing”), which fits the context much better.
  274. 2 Chronicles 20:25 tn Heb “and they snatched away for themselves so that there was no carrying away.”
  275. 2 Chronicles 20:25 tn Heb “and they were three days looting the plunder for it was great.”
  276. 2 Chronicles 20:26 tn Heb “for there.”
  277. 2 Chronicles 20:26 sn The name Berachah, which means “blessing” in Hebrew, is derived from the verbal root “to praise [or “to bless”],” which appears earlier in the verse.
  278. 2 Chronicles 20:29 tn Heb “and the terror of God [or “a great terror”] was upon all the kingdoms of the lands.” It is uncertain if אֱלֹהִים (ʾelohim) should be understood as a proper name here (“God”), or taken in an idiomatic superlative sense.
  279. 2 Chronicles 20:30 tn Heb “and his God gave him rest all around.”
  280. 2 Chronicles 20:31 tn Heb “The name of his mother.”
  281. 2 Chronicles 20:32 tn Heb “he walked in the way of his father Asa and did not turn from it, doing what is right in the eyes of the Lord.”
  282. 2 Chronicles 20:33 tn Heb “and still the people did not set their heart[s] on the God of their fathers.”
  283. 2 Chronicles 20:34 tn Heb “the rest of the events of Jehoshaphat, the former and the latter, look, they are written in the records of Jehu son of Hanani, which are taken up in the scroll of the kings of Israel.”
  284. 2 Chronicles 20:35 tn Heb “he.” The pronoun has been translated as a relative pronoun for stylistic reasons.
  285. 2 Chronicles 20:36 tn Heb “he made an alliance with him.”
  286. 2 Chronicles 20:36 tn Heb “make ships to go to Tarshish.” This probably refers to large ships either made in or capable of traveling to the distant western port of Tarshish; a “Tarshish-ship” was essentially a large seagoing merchant ship.
  287. 2 Chronicles 20:37 tn Heb “when.”
  288. 2 Chronicles 20:37 tn Heb “to go to Tarshish.”
  289. 2 Chronicles 21:1 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
  290. 2 Chronicles 21:1 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 10, 12, 19).
  291. 2 Chronicles 21:1 sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
  292. 2 Chronicles 21:1 tn The parallel account in 2 Kgs 8:20-24 has the variant spelling “Joram” for the son of Jehoshaphat.
  293. 2 Chronicles 21:2 sn A number of times in 2 Chronicles “Israel” is used instead of the more specific “Judah”; see 2 Chr 12:6; 23:2). In the interest of consistency some translations (e.g., NAB, NRSV) substitute “Judah” for “Israel” here.
  294. 2 Chronicles 21:4 tn Heb “and Jehoram arose over the kingdom of his father and strengthened himself.”
  295. 2 Chronicles 21:4 tn Heb “and he killed all his brothers with the sword.”
  296. 2 Chronicles 21:6 tn Heb “he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab did, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife.”
  297. 2 Chronicles 21:6 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
  298. 2 Chronicles 21:7 tn Heb “house.”
  299. 2 Chronicles 21:7 tn Or “covenant.”
  300. 2 Chronicles 21:7 tn Heb “which he made to David, just as he had promised to give him and his sons a lamp all the days.” Here “lamp” is metaphorical, symbolizing the Davidic dynasty.
  301. 2 Chronicles 21:8 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Jehoram) has been specified in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
  302. 2 Chronicles 21:8 tn Heb “in his days Edom rebelled from under the hand of Judah and enthroned a king over them.”
  303. 2 Chronicles 21:9 tc Heb “and he arose at night and defeated Edom, who had surrounded him, and the chariot officers.” The Hebrew text as it stands gives the impression that Jehoram was surrounded and launched a victorious nighttime counterattack. Yet v. 10 goes on to state that the Edomite revolt was successful. The translation above assumes an emendation of the Hebrew text. Adding a third masculine singular pronominal suffix to the accusative sign before Edom (reading אֹתוֹ [ʾoto, “him”] instead of just אֶת [ʾet]) and taking Edom as the subject of verbs allows one to translate the verse in a way that is more consistent with the context, which depicts an Israelite defeat, not victory. See also 2 Kgs 8:21.
  304. 2 Chronicles 21:10 tn Heb “and Edom rebelled from under the hand of Judah until this day.”
  305. 2 Chronicles 21:10 tn Or “from Jehoram’s control”; Heb “from under his hand.” The pronominal suffix may refer to Judah in general or, more specifically, to Jehoram.
  306. 2 Chronicles 21:10 tn Heb “he.” This pronoun could refer to Judah, but the context focuses on Jehoram’s misdeeds. See especially v. 11.
  307. 2 Chronicles 21:11 tn Heb “and he caused the residents of Jerusalem to commit adultery.” In this context spiritual unfaithfulness to the Lord is in view rather than physical adultery.
  308. 2 Chronicles 21:11 tn Heb “and drove Judah away.”
  309. 2 Chronicles 21:12 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jehoram) has been specified in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
  310. 2 Chronicles 21:12 tn Heb “Because you…” In the Hebrew text this lengthy sentence is completed in vv. 14-15. Because of its length and complexity (and the tendency of contemporary English to use shorter sentences), the translation has divided it up into several English sentences.
  311. 2 Chronicles 21:12 tn Heb “walked in the ways.”
  312. 2 Chronicles 21:12 tn Heb “in the ways of.”
  313. 2 Chronicles 21:13 tn Heb “and you walked in the way of the kings of Israel and caused Judah and the residents of Jerusalem to commit adultery, like the house of Ahab causes to commit adultery.”
  314. 2 Chronicles 21:13 tn Heb “the house of your father.”
  315. 2 Chronicles 21:14 tn Heb “to strike with a great striking.”
  316. 2 Chronicles 21:15 tn Heb “and you [will have] a serious illness, an illness of the intestines until your intestines come out because of the illness days upon days.”
  317. 2 Chronicles 21:16 tn Heb “the spirit of the Philistines.”
  318. 2 Chronicles 21:17 tn Heb “broke it up.”
  319. 2 Chronicles 21:17 tn Heb “all the property which was found in the house of the king.”
  320. 2 Chronicles 21:18 tn Heb “in his intestines with an illness [for which] there was no healing.”
  321. 2 Chronicles 21:19 tn Heb “and it was to days from days, and about the time of the going out of the end for the days, two, his intestines came out with his illness and he died in severe illness.”
  322. 2 Chronicles 21:19 tn Heb “and his people did not make for him a fire, like the fire of his fathers.”
  323. 2 Chronicles 21:20 tn Heb “and he went without desire.”
  324. 2 Chronicles 21:20 sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
  325. 2 Chronicles 22:1 tn Heb “for all the older [ones] the raiding party that came with the Arabs to the camp had killed.”
  326. 2 Chronicles 22:2 tc Heb “forty-two,” but some mss of the LXX and the Syriac along with the parallel passage in 2 Kgs 8:26 read “twenty-two.”
  327. 2 Chronicles 22:2 tn Heb “The name of his mother.”
  328. 2 Chronicles 22:2 tn The Hebrew term בַּת (bat, “daughter”) can refer, as here, to a granddaughter. See HALOT 165-66 s.v. I בַּת 1.
  329. 2 Chronicles 22:3 tn Heb “and also he walked in the ways of the house of Ahab.”
  330. 2 Chronicles 22:3 tn Heb “for his mother was his adviser to do evil.”
  331. 2 Chronicles 22:4 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
  332. 2 Chronicles 22:4 tn That is, the members of Ahab’s royal house.
  333. 2 Chronicles 22:5 tn Heb “Jehoram.”Jehoram and Joram are alternate spellings of the Israelite king’s name (also in vv. 6-7). The shorter form is used in these verses to avoid confusion with King Jehoram of Judah, father of Azariah.
  334. 2 Chronicles 22:5 tn Heb “Aram” (also in v. 6).
  335. 2 Chronicles 22:6 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Joram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  336. 2 Chronicles 22:6 tn Heb “which they inflicted [on] him.”
  337. 2 Chronicles 22:6 tc Most Hebrew mss read “Azariah.” A few Hebrew mss, the LXX, Vulgate, and Syriac read “Ahaziah” (cf. 2 Kgs 8:29).
  338. 2 Chronicles 22:6 tn Heb “because he was sick,” presumably referring to the wounds he received in the battle with the Syrians.
  339. 2 Chronicles 22:7 tn Heb “From God was the downfall of Ahaziah by going to Joram.”
  340. 2 Chronicles 22:7 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Ahaziah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  341. 2 Chronicles 22:7 tn Heb “anointed.”
  342. 2 Chronicles 22:7 tn Heb “to cut off the house of Ahab.”
  343. 2 Chronicles 22:9 tn Heb “they said.”
  344. 2 Chronicles 22:9 tn Heb “and there was no one belonging to the house of Ahaziah to retain strength for kingship.”
  345. 2 Chronicles 22:10 tn Heb “she arose and she destroyed all the royal offspring.” The verb קוּם (qum, “arise”) is here used in an auxiliary sense to indicate that she embarked on a campaign to destroy the royal offspring. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 125.
  346. 2 Chronicles 22:10 tn Heb “house of Judah.”
  347. 2 Chronicles 22:11 sn Jehoshabeath is a variant spelling of the name Jehosheba (2 Kgs 11:2).
  348. 2 Chronicles 22:11 tn Heb “the king”; the referent (King Jehoram, see later in this verse) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  349. 2 Chronicles 22:12 tn Heb “and he was with them in the house of God hiding.”
  350. 2 Chronicles 23:1 tn Or “covenant.”
  351. 2 Chronicles 23:3 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jehoiada the priest, cf. v. 8) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  352. 2 Chronicles 23:5 tn Heb “all the people.”
  353. 2 Chronicles 23:7 tn Heb “house.”
  354. 2 Chronicles 23:7 tn Heb “and be with the king when he goes in/enters and when he goes out/exits.”
  355. 2 Chronicles 23:8 tn Heb “all Judah.” The words “the men of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew text uses the name “Judah” by metonymy for the men of Judah.
  356. 2 Chronicles 23:9 tn The Hebrew text lists two different types of shields here. Most translations render “the large and small shields” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV; NEB “King David’s spears, shields, and bucklers”).
  357. 2 Chronicles 23:10 tn Heb “and he stationed all the people, each with his weapon in his hand, from the south shoulder of the house to the north shoulder of the house, at the altar and at the house, near the king all around.”
  358. 2 Chronicles 23:11 tn The Hebrew word עֵדוּת (ʿedut) normally means “witness” or “testimony.” Here it probably refers to some tangible symbol of kingship, perhaps a piece of jewelry such as an amulet or neck chain (see the discussion in M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings [AB], 128). Some suggest that a document is in view, perhaps a copy of the royal protocol or of the stipulations of the Davidic covenant (see HALOT 790-91 s.v.).
  359. 2 Chronicles 23:11 tn Or “they made him king and anointed him.”
  360. 2 Chronicles 23:12 tn Heb “and Athaliah heard the sound of the people, the runners.”
  361. 2 Chronicles 23:12 tn Heb “she came to the people.”
  362. 2 Chronicles 23:13 tn Heb “and she saw, and behold.”
  363. 2 Chronicles 23:13 tn Or “Conspiracy! Conspiracy!”
  364. 2 Chronicles 23:14 tn Heb “ranks.”
  365. 2 Chronicles 23:14 tn Heb “for the priest had said, ‘Do not put her to death in the house of the Lord.’”
  366. 2 Chronicles 23:15 tn Heb “and they placed hands on her, and she went through the entrance of the gate of the horses [into] the house of the king.” Some English versions treat the phrase “gate of the horses” as the name of the gate (“the Horse Gate”; e.g., NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
  367. 2 Chronicles 23:16 tn Heb “and Jehoiada made a covenant between himself and [between] all the people and [between] the king, to become a people for the Lord.”
  368. 2 Chronicles 23:17 tn Or “tore down.”
  369. 2 Chronicles 23:17 tn Or “images.”
  370. 2 Chronicles 23:18 tn Heb “as it is written in.”
  371. 2 Chronicles 23:20 tn Heb “took.”
  372. 2 Chronicles 23:21 tn Heb “killed Athaliah with the sword.”
  373. 2 Chronicles 24:1 tn Heb “the name of his mother.”
  374. 2 Chronicles 24:2 tn Heb “and Joash did what was proper in the eyes of the Lord.”
  375. 2 Chronicles 24:2 tn Heb “all the days of.”
  376. 2 Chronicles 24:4 tn Heb “and it was, later, there was with the heart of Joash to repair the house of the Lord.”
  377. 2 Chronicles 24:6 tn Heb “Jehoiada the head”; the word “priest” not in the Hebrew text but is implied.
  378. 2 Chronicles 24:6 tn Heb “demanded of.”
  379. 2 Chronicles 24:6 tn Heb “to bring.”
  380. 2 Chronicles 24:6 tn Heb “the tent of testimony.”
  381. 2 Chronicles 24:8 tn Heb “and the king said [it] and they made a chest and placed it in the gate of the house of the Lord outside.”
  382. 2 Chronicles 24:9 tn Heb “and they gave voice in Judah and Jerusalem to bring to the Lord the tax of Moses the servant of God upon Israel in the wilderness.”
  383. 2 Chronicles 24:12 tn Heb “doers of the work.”
  384. 2 Chronicles 24:13 tn Heb “and the doers of the work worked, and the repairs went up for the work by their hand.”
  385. 2 Chronicles 24:13 tn Heb “and they caused the house of God to stand according to its measurements and they strengthened it.”
  386. 2 Chronicles 24:16 sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
  387. 2 Chronicles 24:17 tn Heb “came and bowed down to the king.”
  388. 2 Chronicles 24:17 tn Heb “to them.”
  389. 2 Chronicles 24:18 tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 24).
  390. 2 Chronicles 24:18 tn Heb “served.”
  391. 2 Chronicles 24:19 tn Heb “and he sent among them prophets to bring them back to the Lord.”
  392. 2 Chronicles 24:19 tn Heb “testified among.”
  393. 2 Chronicles 24:20 tn Heb “clothed.”
  394. 2 Chronicles 24:22 tn Heb “did not remember.”
  395. 2 Chronicles 24:22 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Jehoiada) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  396. 2 Chronicles 24:22 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Zechariah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  397. 2 Chronicles 24:22 tn Heb “and seek [—].” The direct object of “seek” is omitted in the Hebrew text but implied; “vengeance” is supplied for clarification.
  398. 2 Chronicles 24:23 tn Heb “turning.”
  399. 2 Chronicles 24:23 tn Heb “went up against.”
  400. 2 Chronicles 24:23 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joash) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  401. 2 Chronicles 24:24 tn Heb “though with a small amount of men the army of Aram came, the Lord gave into their hand an army [that was] very large.”
  402. 2 Chronicles 24:24 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the people of Judah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  403. 2 Chronicles 24:24 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Syrians) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  404. 2 Chronicles 24:24 tn Heb “executed judgments on Joash.”
  405. 2 Chronicles 24:25 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joash) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  406. 2 Chronicles 24:25 tn Heb “because of the shed blood of.”
  407. 2 Chronicles 24:25 tc The MT has the plural בְּנֵי (bene, “sons”), but the final yod is dittographic. Note the yod that immediately follows.
  408. 2 Chronicles 24:25 tn Heb “and he died.”
  409. 2 Chronicles 24:25 sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
  410. 2 Chronicles 24:27 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Joash) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  411. 2 Chronicles 24:27 tn Heb “and the founding of the house of God, look, they are written on the writing of the scroll of the kings?”
  412. 2 Chronicles 25:1 tn Heb “the name of his mother.”
  413. 2 Chronicles 25:2 tn Heb “he did what was proper in the eyes of the Lord.”
  414. 2 Chronicles 25:2 tn Heb “a complete heart.”
  415. 2 Chronicles 25:3 tn Heb “when the kingdom was secure upon him.”
  416. 2 Chronicles 25:4 tn Heb “as it is written in the scroll of the law of Moses which the Lord commanded, saying.”
  417. 2 Chronicles 25:4 tn Heb “on account of sons.”
  418. 2 Chronicles 25:4 tn Heb “on account of fathers.”
  419. 2 Chronicles 25:4 sn This law is recorded in Deut 24:16.
  420. 2 Chronicles 25:5 tn Heb “Judah.” The words “the people of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew text uses the name “Judah” by metonymy here for the people of Judah.
  421. 2 Chronicles 25:5 tn Heb “young men going out to war.”
  422. 2 Chronicles 25:5 tn Heb “holding a spear and a shield.”
  423. 2 Chronicles 25:6 tn The Hebrew word כִּכַּר (kikkar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or, by extension, to a standard unit of weight. According to the older (Babylonian) standard the “talent” weighed 130 lbs. (58.9 kg), but later this was lowered to 108.3 lbs. (49.1 kg). More recent research suggests the “light” standard talent was 67.3 lbs. (30.6 kg). Using this as the standard for calculation, the weight of the silver was 6,730 lbs. (3,060 kg).
  424. 2 Chronicles 25:7 tn Heb “man of God.”
  425. 2 Chronicles 25:7 tn Heb “Israel, all the sons of Ephraim.”
  426. 2 Chronicles 25:8 tn Heb “cause you to stumble.”
  427. 2 Chronicles 25:8 tn Heb “to cause to stumble.”
  428. 2 Chronicles 25:9 tn Heb “said to the man of God.”
  429. 2 Chronicles 25:9 tn Heb “man of God.”
  430. 2 Chronicles 25:10 tn Heb “and Amaziah separated them, the troops who came to him from Ephraim, to go to their place.”
  431. 2 Chronicles 25:11 tn Heb “and Amaziah strengthened himself and led his people and went to the Valley of Salt.”
  432. 2 Chronicles 25:11 tn Or “struck down.”
  433. 2 Chronicles 25:11 tn Heb “sons of Seir.”
  434. 2 Chronicles 25:12 tn Heb “sons.”
  435. 2 Chronicles 25:12 tn Heb “and threw them from the top of the cliff.”
  436. 2 Chronicles 25:12 tn Heb “all of them.”
  437. 2 Chronicles 25:12 tn Heb “smashed in pieces.”
  438. 2 Chronicles 25:13 tn Heb “had sent back from going with him to the battle.”
  439. 2 Chronicles 25:13 tn Heb “stripped.”
  440. 2 Chronicles 25:13 tn Heb “struck down.”
  441. 2 Chronicles 25:14 tn Heb “sons.”
  442. 2 Chronicles 25:14 tn Heb “caused them to stand for him as gods.”
  443. 2 Chronicles 25:15 tn Heb “seeking,” perhaps in the sense of “consulting [an oracle from].”
  444. 2 Chronicles 25:15 tn Heb “the gods of the people.”
  445. 2 Chronicles 25:15 tn Heb “hand.”
  446. 2 Chronicles 25:16 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Amaziah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  447. 2 Chronicles 25:16 tn Heb “Stop yourself! Why should they strike you down?”
  448. 2 Chronicles 25:16 tn The verb יָעַץ (yaʿats, “has decided”) is from the same root as יוֹעֵץ (yoʿets, “counselor”) in v. 16 and עֵצָה (ʿetsah, “advice”) later in v. 16. The wordplay highlights the appropriate nature of the divine punishment. Amaziah rejected the counsel of God’s prophet; now he would be the victim of God’s “counsel.”
  449. 2 Chronicles 25:17 tn The words “with his advisers” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
  450. 2 Chronicles 25:17 tn Heb “let us look at each other [in the] face.” The expression refers here not to a visit but to meeting in battle. See v. 21.
  451. 2 Chronicles 25:18 sn The thorn bush in the allegory is Judah. Amaziah’s success had deceived him into thinking he was on the same level as the major powers in the area (symbolized by the cedar). In reality he was not capable of withstanding an attack by a real military power such as Israel (symbolized by the wild animal).
  452. 2 Chronicles 25:19 tn Heb “you say [to yourself], ‘look, you have defeated Edom.’”
  453. 2 Chronicles 25:19 tn Heb “and your heart is lifted up.”
  454. 2 Chronicles 25:19 tn Heb “to glorify.”
  455. 2 Chronicles 25:19 tn Heb “Why get involved in calamity and fall, you and Judah with you?”
  456. 2 Chronicles 25:20 tn Heb “did not listen.”
  457. 2 Chronicles 25:20 tn Heb “because it was from God in order to give them into the hand because they sought the gods of Edom.”
  458. 2 Chronicles 25:21 tn Heb “looked at each other [in the] face.” See the note on the expression “Come on, face me on the battlefield” in v. 17.
  459. 2 Chronicles 25:22 tn Heb “and Judah was struck down before Israel and they fled, each to his tent.”
  460. 2 Chronicles 25:23 tn Heb “400 cubits.” Assuming a cubit of 18 inches (45 cm), the distance would have been about 600 feet (180 m).
  461. 2 Chronicles 25:26 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Amaziah, the former and the latter, are they not—behold, they are written on the scroll of the kings of Judah and Israel.”
  462. 2 Chronicles 25:27 tn Heb “and they conspired against him [with] a conspiracy in Jerusalem.”
  463. 2 Chronicles 25:27 tn Heb “and they sent after him to Lachish.”
  464. 2 Chronicles 25:28 tn Heb “and they carried him on horses.”
  465. 2 Chronicles 25:28 tn Heb “fathers.”
  466. 2 Chronicles 25:28 tc The Hebrew text has “Judah,” but some medieval mss read “David,” as does the parallel passage in 2 Kgs 14:20.sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
  467. 2 Chronicles 26:1 tn The parallel account in 2 Kgs 15:1-8 has the variant spelling “Azariah.”
  468. 2 Chronicles 26:2 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Uzziah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  469. 2 Chronicles 26:2 tn Heb “after the king”; the referent (Amaziah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  470. 2 Chronicles 26:2 tn “slept with his fathers.”
  471. 2 Chronicles 26:4 tn Heb “he did what was proper in the eyes of the Lord, according to all which Amaziah his father had done.”
  472. 2 Chronicles 26:5 tn Heb “sought.”
  473. 2 Chronicles 26:5 tn Heb “in the days of.”
  474. 2 Chronicles 26:5 tn Heb “in the days of his seeking.”
  475. 2 Chronicles 26:5 tn Or “prosper.”
  476. 2 Chronicles 26:6 tn Heb “went out and fought.”
  477. 2 Chronicles 26:6 tn Heb “in Ashdod and among the Philistines.”
  478. 2 Chronicles 26:7 tn The words “in his campaigns” are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
  479. 2 Chronicles 26:8 tn Heb “and his name went to.”
  480. 2 Chronicles 26:9 tn On the meaning of the Hebrew word מִקְצוֹעַ (miqtsoaʿ), see HALOT 628 s.v. עַ(וֹ)מִקְצֹ. The term probably refers to an “angle” or “corner” somewhere on the eastern wall of Jerusalem.
  481. 2 Chronicles 26:10 sn The foothills (שְׁפֵלָה, shephelah) are the region between the Judean hill country and the Mediterranean coastal plain.
  482. 2 Chronicles 26:10 tn Heb “workers and vinedressers in the hills and in Carmel.” The words “he had” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  483. 2 Chronicles 26:10 tn Heb “for a lover of the ground he [was].”
  484. 2 Chronicles 26:13 tn Heb “help.”
  485. 2 Chronicles 26:15 tn Heb “and his name went out to a distant place, for he did extraordinarily to be helped until he was strong.”
  486. 2 Chronicles 26:16 tn Heb “his heart was high [i.e., proud] until to destroy.”
  487. 2 Chronicles 26:16 tn Or “was unfaithful to.”
  488. 2 Chronicles 26:18 tn Heb “stood against.”
  489. 2 Chronicles 26:18 tn Or “been unfaithful.”
  490. 2 Chronicles 26:19 tn Heb “angry.”
  491. 2 Chronicles 26:19 tn Traditionally “leprosy,” but this was probably a skin disorder of some type, not leprosy (technically known today as Hansen’s disease). See 2 Kgs 5:1.
  492. 2 Chronicles 26:20 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  493. 2 Chronicles 26:21 tn The precise meaning of בֵּית הַחָפְשִׁית (bet hakhofshit, “house of [?]”) is uncertain. NASB, NIV, NRSV all have “in a separate house”; NEB has “in his own house…relieved of all duties.” For a discussion of various proposals, see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 166-67.
  494. 2 Chronicles 26:22 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Uzziah, the former and the latter, Isaiah son of Amoz, the prophet, recorded.”
  495. 2 Chronicles 26:23 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
  496. 2 Chronicles 26:23 tn Heb “fathers.”
  497. 2 Chronicles 26:23 tn Heb “a field of burial.”
  498. 2 Chronicles 26:23 tn Heb “for they said, ‘He had a skin disease.’”
  499. 2 Chronicles 27:1 tn Heb “the name of his mother.”
  500. 2 Chronicles 27:2 tn Heb “he did what was proper in the eyes of the Lord, according to all which Uzziah his father had done.”
  501. 2 Chronicles 27:2 tn Heb “except he did not enter the house of the Lord.”
  502. 2 Chronicles 27:3 tn Heb “wall of Ophel.” See HALOT 861 s.v. II עֹפֶל.
  503. 2 Chronicles 27:5 tn Heb “he fought with.”
  504. 2 Chronicles 27:5 tn The Hebrew word כִּכַּר (kikkar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or, by extension, to a standard unit of weight. According to the older (Babylonian) standard the “talent” weighed 130 lbs. (58.9 kg), but later this was lowered to 108.3 lbs. (49.1 kg). More recent research suggests the “light” standard talent was 67.3 lbs. (30.6 kg). Using this as the standard for calculation, the weight of the silver was 6,730 lbs. (3,060 kg).
  505. 2 Chronicles 27:5 sn As a unit of dry measure a cor was roughly equivalent to six bushels (about 220 liters).
  506. 2 Chronicles 27:5 tn Heb “10,000 cors of wheat and 10,000 of barley.” The unit of measure of the barley is omitted in the Hebrew text, but is understood to be “cors,” the same as the measures of wheat.
  507. 2 Chronicles 27:5 tn Heb “This the sons of Ammon brought to him, and in the second year and the third.”
  508. 2 Chronicles 27:6 tn Heb “because he established his ways before the Lord his God.”
  509. 2 Chronicles 27:7 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Jotham, and his battles and his ways, look, they are written on the scroll of the kings of Israel and Judah.”
  510. 2 Chronicles 27:9 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
  511. 2 Chronicles 27:9 sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
  512. 2 Chronicles 28:1 tn Heb “and he did not do what was proper in the eyes of the Lord, like David his father.”
  513. 2 Chronicles 28:2 tn Heb “he walked in the ways of.”
  514. 2 Chronicles 28:3 sn This may refer to child sacrifice, though some interpret it as a less drastic cultic practice (NEB “burnt his sons in the fire”; NASB “burned his sons in the fire”; NIV “sacrificed his sons in the fire”; NRSV “made his sons pass through fire”). For discussion see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 266-67.
  515. 2 Chronicles 28:3 tn Heb “like the abominable practices of the nations.”
  516. 2 Chronicles 28:5 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Syrians) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  517. 2 Chronicles 28:5 tn Heb “and took captive from him a great captivity and brought [them] to Damascus.”
  518. 2 Chronicles 28:5 tn Heb “who struck him down with a great striking.”
  519. 2 Chronicles 28:6 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 9, 25).
  520. 2 Chronicles 28:8 tn Heb “the loot.” The pronoun (“it”) has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy.
  521. 2 Chronicles 28:9 tn Heb “and you killed them with anger [that] reaches as far as heaven.”
  522. 2 Chronicles 28:10 tn Heb “saying.”
  523. 2 Chronicles 28:10 tn Heb “to enslave as male servants and female servants.”
  524. 2 Chronicles 28:10 tn Heb “sons.”
  525. 2 Chronicles 28:11 tn Heb “for the rage of the anger of the Lord is upon you.”
  526. 2 Chronicles 28:12 tn Heb “men from.”
  527. 2 Chronicles 28:12 tn Heb “arose against.”
  528. 2 Chronicles 28:13 tn Heb “for to the guilt of the Lord upon us you are saying to add to our sins and our guilty deeds.”
  529. 2 Chronicles 28:13 tn Heb “for great is [the] guilt to us and rage of anger is upon Israel.”
  530. 2 Chronicles 28:15 tn Heb “and the men who were designated by names arose and took the captives and all their naked ones they clothed from the loot.”
  531. 2 Chronicles 28:15 tn Heb “and poured oil on them.”
  532. 2 Chronicles 28:15 tn Heb “and they led them on donkeys, with respect to everyone stumbling.”
  533. 2 Chronicles 28:16 tc Most Hebrew mss read the plural, “kings,” but one Hebrew ms, the LXX and Vulgate read the singular “king.” Note the singular in v. 20.
  534. 2 Chronicles 28:18 sn The foothills (שְׁפֵלָה, shephelah) are the region between the Judean hill country and the Mediterranean coastal plain.
  535. 2 Chronicles 28:18 sn The Negev is an area of central, southern Judah, south of the hill country and Beer Sheba and west of the rift valley.
  536. 2 Chronicles 28:19 tn Or “subdued.”
  537. 2 Chronicles 28:19 sn That is, “of Judah.” Frequently in 2 Chronicles “Israel” is substituted for “Judah.”
  538. 2 Chronicles 28:19 tn The infinitive absolute precedes the cognate nominal form to emphasize the degree of Ahaz’s unfaithfulness.
  539. 2 Chronicles 28:20 tn Heb “Tilgath-Pilneser,” a variant spelling of Tiglath-Pileser.
  540. 2 Chronicles 28:20 tn Heb “and he caused him distress and did not strengthen him.”
  541. 2 Chronicles 28:21 tn Heb “divided up,” but some read חִלֵּץ (khillets, “despoiled”).
  542. 2 Chronicles 28:23 tn Heb “the gods of Damascus, the ones who had defeated him.” The words “he thought” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The perspective is that of Ahaz, not the narrator! Another option is that “the kings” has been accidentally omitted after “gods of.” See v. 23b.
  543. 2 Chronicles 28:23 tn Heb “said.”
  544. 2 Chronicles 28:26 tn Heb “As for the rest of his events, and all his ways, the former and the latter, look, they are written on the scroll of the kings of Judah and Israel.”
  545. 2 Chronicles 28:27 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
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