Bible in 90 Days

Jehoiada’s Reforms^(A)

¹⁶ After this, Jehoiada drew up a covenant between himself as an individual with all the people, and between himself as king, that they would be the Lord’s people. ¹⁷ Then all the people went to the temple of Baal, broke its altars and idols to pieces, and executed Mattan, the priest of Baal, in front of the altars. ¹⁸ Jehoiada also placed the offices of the Lord’s Temple under the authority of the Levitical priests whom David had assigned over the Lord’s Temple, just as is required by the Law of Moses, to offer the Lord’s burnt offerings with joy and singing, just as David had ordered. ¹⁹ Jehoiada^[a] also stationed inspectors^[b] at the Lord’s Temple so that no one would enter who was ritually unclean in any manner. ²⁰ He also took the captains of hundreds, the nobles, the people’s governors, and all the people of the land, and they all marched with the king from the Lord’s Temple through the upper gate to the royal palace, where they installed the king on his royal throne. ²¹ There all of the people of the land rejoiced and the city stayed quiet, because they had executed Athaliah with a sword.

Joash Follows Jehoiada’s Example^(B)

24 Joash was seven years old when he began his reign, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah. She was from Beer-sheba. ² Joash practiced what the Lord considered to be right during the lifetime^[c] of Jehoiada the priest, ³ who found two wives for him, so he fathered sons and daughters.

⁴ Later on, Joash decided to rebuild the Lord’s Temple, ⁵ so he assembled the priests and descendants of Levi and ordered them, “Go throughout the cities of Judah and take up a collection^[d] from all of Israel for the annual upkeep^[e] of the Temple of your God. And make sure that you act quickly.” But the descendants of Levi did not act quickly, ⁶ so the king summoned Jehoiada the chief priest and asked him, “Why haven’t you required the descendants of Levi to bring from Judah and Jerusalem the tax levied by Moses, the Lord’s servant, and the assembly of Israel for the Tent of Testimony?”

⁷ Because that wicked woman Athaliah’s family members had broken into the Temple of God and used the consecrated implements of the Lord’s Temple for service to the Baals, ⁸ the king issued an order and a chest was made and set outside the entrance gate to the Lord’s Temple. ⁹ A public notice was sent throughout Judah and Jerusalem to bring in the tax that Moses the servant of the Lord had levied on Israel when they were in the wilderness. ¹⁰ So all the princes and all the people gladly brought their tax and placed it into the chest until they had completed paying the tax.^{[f] 11} Whenever the chest was brought to the king’s officials by the descendants of Levi, the royal secretary and the chief priest’s designated officer would come, empty the chest, and take it back to its place. They did this day after day until they had collected a large amount of cash.^[g]

¹² Both the king and Jehoiada paid the money to those who were working to maintain the service of the Lord’s Temple, and they, in turn, hired masons and carpenters to restore the Lord’s Temple. Iron and bronze workers also were brought in to repair the Lord’s Temple. ¹³ As a result, the workmen did their labor, and the repair work progressed steadily under their supervision,^[h] and they restored God’s Temple back to what it should be, and strengthened it, too. ¹⁴ When they had completed the work, they brought what was left of the money to the king and to Jehoiada, and it was used to cast utensils for the Lord’s Temple that were to be utilized for daily service and for burnt offerings, for incense vessels, and for both gold and silver vessels. Burnt offerings were offered on a regular basis in the Lord’s Temple throughout Jehoiada’s lifetime.

Joash Apostatizes and Kills Jehoiada’s Son

¹⁵ Eventually, Jehoiada grew old and died at the age of 130 years, after having lived a full life. ¹⁶ He was buried in the City of David among the graves of^[i] the kings, because he had accomplished many good things in Israel on behalf of God and his Temple. ¹⁷ But after Jehoiada had died, officials from Judah came, bowed down to the king, and the king listened to what they had to say. ¹⁸ They abandoned the Lord’s Temple and the God of their fathers, and they served Asherim^[j] and idols. As a result this guilt of theirs resulted in wrath coming upon Judah and Jerusalem. ¹⁹ Nevertheless, God^[k] sent prophets among them to bring them back to the Lord.

²⁰ Then Jehoiada the priest’s son Zechariah was clothed by the Spirit of God, and he stood above the people and told them, “This is what God has to say: ‘Why are you breaking the Lord’s commandments. You’ll never be successful! Because you have abandoned the Lord, he has abandoned you.’”

²¹ But the people^[l] conspired against him, and at the direct orders of the king they stoned him to death in the courtyard of the Lord’s Temple. ²² This is how King Joash failed to remember the kindness that Zechariah’s father Jehoiada had shown him: he killed his son. As he lay dying, Zechariah cried out, “May the Lord watch this and avenge.”

The Death of Joash^(C)

²³ At the end of that year, the Aramean army attacked Joash. They invaded Judah and Jerusalem, destroyed every senior official among the people, and sent all of their possessions to the king of Damascus. ²⁴ The Aramean army attacked with only a small force, but the Lord delivered a much larger army into their control because Judah^[m] had abandoned the Lord God of their ancestors. And so the Aramean army carried out God’s^[n] judgment on Joash. ²⁵ After the Arameans left him very sick, Joash’s^[o] own servants conspired against him because Joash^[p] had murdered Jehoiada the priest’s son, and they killed him on his sick bed. ²⁶ The conspirators included Shimeath the Ammonite’s son Zabad and Shimrith the Moabite’s son Jehozabad. ²⁷ Records concerning his sons, the various prophetic statements rebuking him, and records of the reconstruction work on God’s Temple are written in the Midrash^[q] of the Book of the Kings. Joash’s^[r] son Amaziah reigned in his place.

Amaziah Succeeds Joash^(D)

25 Amaziah began his reign at the age of 25 years, and he reigned 29 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan. She was from Jerusalem. ² He practiced what the Lord considered to be right, but not with a perfect heart. ³ As soon as he had consolidated his royal authority, he executed the servants who had killed his father, the king, ⁴ but he did not execute their children in obedience to what is written in the Law, the writings of Moses, where the Lord commanded, “Fathers are not to die because of what their children do, nor are children to die because of what their fathers do, but each person is to die for his own sins.”^[s]

The Edomites are Defeated^(E)

⁵ Amaziah gathered Judah together and organized them according to their ancestral households under commanders of thousands and hundreds throughout Judah and Benjamin. He then mustered an army from those who were 20 years old and older. He discovered that there were 300,000 elite soldiers qualified for war duty and capable of handling spears and shields. ⁶ He also hired 100,000 elite forces from Israel, paying 100 talents^[t] of silver for their services.

⁷ A man came from God and warned him, “Your majesty, don’t let the army of Israel accompany you into battle, because the Lord isn’t with any of the descendants of Ephraim. ⁸ But if you do go, strengthen yourself for war. Do you think God will throw you down before the enemy, since God has the power both to help or to overthrow?”

⁹ Amaziah asked the man of God, “What are we to do about the 100 talents^[u] that I have paid to the army of Israel?”

The man of God answered, “The Lord has a lot more than that to give you!” ¹⁰ So Amaziah sent the troops home who had arrived from Ephraim. They flew into a rage against Judah but left for home very angry.

¹¹ But Amaziah encouraged himself and led his army out to the Salt Valley to kill 10,000 soldiers from Seir. ¹² The army of Judah captured another 10,000 prisoners and took them to the top of a cliff and threw them down from there where they all were dashed to pieces. ¹³ Meanwhile, the troops that Amaziah had sent home from the battle raided the cities of Judah from Samaria to Beth-horon, killing 3,000 people and taking a large amount of war booty.

¹⁴ Later, Amaziah returned from slaughtering the Edomites, but he brought back the gods that had belonged to the men of Seir, set them up as his own gods, worshipped them, and sacrificed offerings to them. ¹⁵ As a result, the Lord became angry with Amaziah and sent a prophet to him, who asked him, “Why did you seek the gods of a people who were unable to deliver their own nation from you?”

¹⁶ But even while the prophet^[v] was speaking, the king asked him, “Did we appoint you to be a royal counselor? Stop! Why should you be struck down?”

So the prophet stopped speaking, but he also said, “I know God has determined to destroy you, because you’ve done all this and ignored my counsel.”

Israel Defeats Judah^(F)

¹⁷ After this, King Amaziah of Judah sought some advice and then challenged Jehoahaz’ son King Joash of Israel, the grandson of Jehu, telling him, “Come out and let’s fight each other!”

¹⁸ But King Joash of Israel replied to King Amaziah of Judah, “There once was a thorn bush in Lebanon that sent an invitation to the cedar of Lebanon that read ‘Give your daughter to my son in marriage.’ Right about then, a wild animal in Lebanon passed by and trampled the thorn bush. ¹⁹ You claim you’ve defeated Edom, but you’re really only puffed up with arrogant boasting. So stay home. Why stir up trouble so you die, and the rest of Judah with you?”

²⁰ But Amaziah refused to listen, because the situation was being orchestrated by God in order to turn them over to the control of their enemies because they had pursued those Edomite gods. ²¹ So King Joash of Israel went out to battle against King Amaziah of Judah, and they fought at Beth-shemesh, which is part of Judah’s territory. ²² Judah was defeated by Israel, and every soldier ran home. ²³ King Joash of Israel captured Joash’s son King Amaziah of Judah, the grandson of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh and brought him back to Jerusalem, where he broke down 400 cubits^[w] of the wall of Jerusalem from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate. ²⁴ He confiscated all the gold, silver, and utensils that he could find in the care of Obed-edom inside of God’s Temple and inside the royal palace. Then he took some hostages and returned to Samaria.

The Death of Amaziah^(G)

²⁵ Joash’s son Amaziah, king of Judah, lived for fifteen years after the death of Jehoahaz’ son Joash, king of Israel. ²⁶ The rest of Amaziah’s accomplishments, from first to last, are recorded in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel, are they not? ²⁷ From the time that Amaziah abandoned his seeking the Lord, some people conspired against him in Jerusalem, so he ran away to Lachish, but they pursued him to Lachish and killed him there. ²⁸ They brought him back on horses and buried him with his ancestors in the city of Judah.

Uzziah Succeeds Amaziah^(H)

26 All the people of Judah made Uzziah king in place of his father Amaziah. Uzziah was sixteen years old at the time. ² He rebuilt Eloth and restored it to Judah after King Amaziah^[x] had been laid to rest^[y] with his ancestors. ³ Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned for 52 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecholiah. She was from Jerusalem. ⁴ He practiced what the Lord considered to be right, following the example set by his father Amaziah’s accomplishments. ⁵ Uzziah^[z] kept on seeking God during the lifetime of Zechariah, who taught him how to fear God, and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him prosperous.

Uzziah’s Initial Successes

⁶ One time Uzziah^[aa] went out and battled the Philistines. He tore down the walls of Gath, Jabneh, and Ashdod, and built cities in the Ashdod area among the Philistines. ⁷ God helped Uzziah^[ab] defeat the Philistines, the Arabians who lived in Gur-baal, and the Meunites. ⁸ The Ammonites paid tribute to Uzziah, and his reputation extended as far as the border with Egypt as he became stronger and stronger. ⁹ Uzziah also built towers in Jerusalem, at the Corner Gate, at the Valley Gate, and at the Angle^[ac] and fortified them. ¹⁰ He also built watchtowers in the wilderness and had many cisterns hewed out, since he also possessed large herds, both in the Shephelah^[ad] and in the midland plains. He had many farmers and vinedressers throughout the hills and fertile lands because he loved farming.^[ae]

¹¹ Uzziah kept a standing army, equipped for battle, garrisoned in divisions according to an organizational structure devised by his royal secretary Jeiel and his officer Maaseiah, who reported to Hananiah, one of the king’s commanders. ¹² The number of senior leaders of the ancestral houses of his elite forces numbered 2,600. ¹³ Uzziah^[af] commanded an army of 307,500 who could fight formidably on behalf of the king against any enemy. ¹⁴ In addition, Uzziah equipped the entire army with shields, spears, helmets, body armor, bows, and stones for use in slings. ¹⁵ He also had various siege engines built by skilled designers and placed them on the towers and on the corner ramparts that could fire arrows and very large stones. His reputation spread far and wide, and he was marvelously assisted until he grew very strong.

Uzziah’s Arrogance and Apostasy^(I)

¹⁶ But after he had become strong, in his arrogance he acted corruptly and became unfaithful to the Lord his God, and he dared to enter the Lord’s Temple to burn incense on the incense altar. ¹⁷ Azariah the priest ran after him, along with 80 of the Lord’s valiant priests, ¹⁸ and they opposed King Uzziah. “Uzziah, it’s not for you to burn incense to the Lord,” they told him, “but for the priests to do, Aaron’s descendants who are consecrated to burn incense. Leave the sanctuary now, because you have been unfaithful and won’t receive any honor from the Lord God.”

¹⁹ Uzziah flew into a rage while he held in his hand a censer to burn incense. As he got angry at the priests, leprosy broke out all over his forehead right in front of the priests beside the incense altar in the Lord’s Temple. ²⁰ So Azariah the chief priest and all the priests stared at Uzziah, who was infected with leprosy in his forehead! They all rushed at him and hurried him out of the Temple. Uzziah^[ag] was in a hurry to get out anyway, because the Lord had struck him.

²¹ King Uzziah remained a leper until the day he died. Because he was a leper, he lived in a separate residence and remained disqualified to enter the Lord’s Temple. His son Jotham served in the royal palace, judging the people of the land. ²² Now the rest of Uzziah’s accomplishments, from first to last, have been recorded by Amoz’s son Isaiah the prophet. ²³ Uzziah died, as had his ancestors, and they buried him alongside his ancestors in a grave in a field that belonged to the kings, because they said, “He was a leper.” Uzziah’s^[ah] son Jotham became king to replace him.

Jotham Succeeds Uzziah^(J)

27 Jotham was 25 years old when he began his reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother was Zadok’s daughter Jerusha. ² He practiced what the Lord considered to be right, just as his father Uzziah had done, even though he did not enter the Temple. Nevertheless, the people continued acting corruptly.

³ Jotham^[ai] constructed the Upper Gate of the Lord’s Temple and did extensive work on the wall of Ophel.^{[aj] 4} He also built cities in the hill country of Judah, along with fortresses and guard towers in the forests. ⁵ He launched a military excursion against the king of the Ammonites and defeated him. As a result, that year the Ammonites paid 100 talents^[ak] of silver in tribute, as well as 10,000 kors^[al] of wheat and 10,000 kors^[am] of barley. The Ammonites continued to pay this same amount in tribute over the following two years. ⁶ Jotham grew in power because he had determined to live his life in the presence of the Lord his God. ⁷ The rest of the accomplishments of Jotham’s reign, including all of his military exploits and campaigns, are recorded in the book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. ⁸ He started his reign at the age of 25 years and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. ⁹ Then Jotham died, as had his fathers, and he was buried in the City of David. His son Ahaz became king in his place.

Ahaz Succeeds Jotham^(K)

28 Ahaz was 20 years old when he began to reign, and he reigned 16 years in Jerusalem, but he did not practice what the Lord considered to be right, as his ancestor David had done. ² Instead, he lived like^[an] the kings of Israel did. He cast metal images of Baal,^{[ao] 3} burned incense in the Ben-hinnom Valley, and burned his sons^[ap] as an offering, following the detestable activities of the nations whom the Lord had expelled in front of the people of Israel. ⁴ He sacrificed and burned incense on high places, on the top of hills, and under every green tree.

Aram and Israel Defeat Judah^(L)

⁵ As a result, the Lord his God handed Ahaz^[aq] over to the king of Aram, who defeated him and took a large number of captives away to Damascus. Ahaz^[ar] was also delivered over to the control of the King of Israel, who defeated him with many heavy casualties. ⁶ Remaliah’s son Pekah killed 120,000 soldiers in a single day, all of them elite forces, because they had forsaken the Lord God of their ancestors. ⁷ Zichri, a valiant soldier from Ephraim, killed the king’s son Maaseiah, Azrikam, the palace manager, and Elkanah, who was second in rank to the king. ⁸ The Israelis carried away 200,000 women, sons, and daughters from among their own relatives. They also took a great deal of plunder, and brought it all to Samaria.

Oded the Prophet Rebukes Israel

⁹ But a prophet of the Lord was there named Oded. He went out to greet the army as it arrived in Samaria. He warned them, “Look! Because the Lord God of your ancestors was angry at Judah, he delivered them into your control, but you have killed them with a vehemence that has reached all the way to heaven! ¹⁰ Now you’re intending to make the men and women of Judah and Jerusalem to be your slaves. Surely you have your own sins against the Lord your God for which you’re accountable,^[as] don’t you? ¹¹ So listen to me! Return the captives whom you’ve captured from your brothers, because the anger of the Lord is burning hot against you!”

¹² Some of the leaders of the descendants of Ephraim, including Johanan’s son Azariah, Meshillemoth’s son Berechiah, Shallum’s son Jehizkiah, and Hadlai’s son Amasa, stood up to the army as they were coming back from the battle ¹³ and told them, “Don’t bring those captives here! You’ll bring even more guilt on us from the Lord, in addition to our own existing sin and guilt! He’s already mad enough against Israel because of our guilt!”

¹⁴ So the army abandoned the captives and the war booty in front of the officers and the entire assembled retinue. ¹⁵ After this, some men who were chosen by name took charge of the captives, clothed those who were naked with clothes appropriated from the war booty, gave them clothes and sandals, fed them, gave them something to drink, anointed them with oil, provided those who weren’t able to walk^[at] with donkeys to ride on, and took them back to their relatives at Jericho, the city of palm trees. Then they returned to Samaria.

Assyria Plunders the Temple^(M)

¹⁶ Right about then, King Ahaz sent for help from the kings of Assyria ¹⁷ because the Edomites had invaded, attacked Judah, and carried off some captives. ¹⁸ The Philistines also invaded some of the cities in the Shephelah^[au] and in the Negev^[av] of Judah. They captured Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Soco, and their surrounding villages, Timnah and its villages, and Gimzo and its villages. Then the Philistines^[aw] settled there, ¹⁹ because the Lord was humiliating Judah because of King Ahaz of Israel, since Ahaz had brought about a lack of restraint within Judah and had remained unfaithful to the Lord. ²⁰ King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria attacked Ahaz^[ax] and, instead of helping him, attacked him. ²¹ Even though Ahaz took some of the assets belonging to the Lord’s Temple from the royal palace, and from the palaces belonging to the princes, and gave them to the king of Assyria, none of his gifts did any good.

The Apostasy and Death of Ahaz^(N)

²² In the midst of his troubles, King Ahaz became more and more unfaithful to the Lord. ²³ He sacrificed to the gods of Damascus that had defeated him, reasoning, “The gods of the kings of Aram helped them, so I’ll sacrifice to them so they will help me!” But those gods^[ay] brought about his downfall, and the downfall of all of Israel, too. ²⁴ Ahaz also collected the utensils of God’s Temple, cut them all into pieces, and closed the doors of the Lord’s Temple. Then he made altars to^[az] himself on every corner in Jerusalem ²⁵ and established high places in every city of Judah where incense was burned to other gods, thus provoking the Lord God of his ancestors to anger. ²⁶ The rest of his accomplishments, and records of everything he did from first to last are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. ²⁷ So Ahaz died, as had his ancestors, and he was buried in the city of Jerusalem, but they didn’t bury him among the tombs of the kings of Israel. Ahaz’s son Hezekiah reigned in his place.

Hezekiah Succeeds Ahaz^(O)

29 Hezekiah began his reign at the age of 25. He reigned for 29 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abijah, Zechariah’s daughter. ² He practiced what the Lord considered to be right, following all of the examples set by his ancestor David.

Hezekiah’s Temple Restoration Project^(P)

³ In the first month of the first year of his reign he repaired and reopened the doors of the Lord’s Temple. ⁴ Then he brought in the priests and descendants of Levi, gathered them into the square in the eastern part of the Temple,^{[ba] 5} and told them,

¹² Here are the names of the descendants of Levi who made themselves available to God: Amasai’s son Mahath and Azariah’s son Joel from the descendants of Kohath; Abdi’s son Kish and Jehallelel’s son Azariah from the descendants of Merari; Zimmah’s son Joah and Joah’s son Eden from the descendants of Gershon; ¹³ Elizaphan’s sons Shimri and Jeiel; Asaph’s sons Zechariah and Mattaniah; ¹⁴ Heman’s sons Jehiel and Shimei; and Jeduthun’s sons Shemaiah and Uzziel. ¹⁵ They also brought together their brothers, consecrated themselves, and proceeded to cleanse the Lord’s Temple, just as the king had ordered in accordance with what the Lord had told him. ¹⁶ The priests entered the inner courts of the Lord’s Temple to cleanse it, and they brought out everything unclean that they found there to the outer court of the Lord’s Temple. Then the descendants of Levi carried everything from there out to the Kidron Valley. ¹⁷ They began their consecration duties on the first day of the first month and finished at the Lord’s outer vestibule^[be] on the eighth day of the month. Another eight days was used to consecrate the Lord’s Temple, so they completed the work on the sixteenth day of the first month.

¹⁸ After this, they went to King Hezekiah and told him, “We have cleansed all of the Lord’s Temple, including the altar for burnt offerings, all of its utensils, the table of showbread, and all of its utensils. ¹⁹ In addition, we have prepared and rededicated all of the utensils that King Ahaz threw away during his unfaithful reign, and now they’re back in service at the Lord’s altar.”

Temple Worship is Restored

²⁰ Early the next morning, King Hezekiah got up and assembled the city officials and went up to the Lord’s Temple, ²¹ where they brought seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats for a sin offering on behalf of the kingdom, the Holy Place, and Judah. He ordered that the priests, as descendants of Aaron, place the offerings^[bf] on the Lord’s altar. ²² So they slaughtered the bulls and the priests sprinkled the blood on the altar. They also slaughtered the rams and sprinkled the blood on the altar, and they also slaughtered the lambs and sprinkled the blood on the altar. ²³ They brought the male goats for the sin offering to the king within the assembled gathering, laid their hands on them, ²⁴ and then the priests slaughtered them and purged the altar with their blood as a sin offering to atone for all Israel, because the king ordered that the burnt offering and the sin offering be made for all Israel.

²⁵ Hezekiah^[bg] stationed descendants of Levi in the Lord’s Temple to play cymbals and stringed instruments, just as David, Gad the seer,^[bh] and Nathan the prophet^[bi] had directed, because the command to do so was from the Lord through those prophets. ²⁶ The descendants of Levi played instruments that had been crafted by David and the priests sounded trumpets.

²⁷ Hezekiah gave a command to offer burnt offerings on the altar, and when the burnt offerings began, a song to the Lord also began with trumpets sounding and with the instruments that King David of Israel had crafted. ²⁸ Everybody in the assembly worshipped, the singers sang, and the trumpets sounded. They continued doing this until the burnt offering sacrifice was completed. ²⁹ When the sacrifices had been offered, the king and everyone else who was present with him bowed down and worshipped. ³⁰ King Hezekiah and his officials ordered the descendants of Levi to sing praises to the Lord based on psalms that had been written by David and Asaph the seer.^[bj] So they all joyfully sang praises, bowed low, and worshipped.

³¹ After this, Hezekiah announced, “Now that you’ve consecrated yourselves to the Lord, come near and bring your sacrifices and thanksgiving offerings to the Lord’s Temple.” So the assembly brought sacrifices and thanksgiving offerings, and everyone who was willing to do so brought burnt offerings. ³² The number of burnt offerings brought by the assembly was 70 bulls, 100 rams, and 200 lambs. All of these were burnt offerings to the Lord. ³³ The consecrated offerings numbered 600 bulls and 3,000 sheep. ³⁴ Because there weren’t enough priests, they were unable to prepare all the burnt offerings until other priests came forward after having consecrated themselves, so their descendant of Levi relatives assisted them until the services were complete. (The descendants of Levi had been more conscientious in consecrating themselves than had been the priests.) ³⁵ Furthermore, there were also many burnt offerings, fat from peace offerings, and drink offerings. And that’s how the service of the Lord’s Temple was restored. ³⁶ Hezekiah and all of the people were ecstatic with joy because of what God had done for the people, since everything had come about so suddenly.

Israel Celebrates the Passover

30 Hezekiah also sent word to all of Israel and Judah, and wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh that they should come to the Lord’s Temple in Jerusalem to observe the Passover to the Lord God of Israel. ² The king, his princes, and the entire assembly in Jerusalem had mutually decided to observe the Passover in the second month, ³ but they had been unable to celebrate it then because not enough priests had consecrated themselves and the people had not yet been gathered together in Jerusalem. ⁴ This decision seemed to be a good one in the opinion of the king and of the entire assembly, ⁵ so they published a decree that was circulated throughout Israel from Beer-sheba to Dan that they are to come celebrate the Passover to the Lord God of Israel in Jerusalem. The Passover^[bk] had not been celebrated in great numbers as was being prescribed by the decree.^[bl]

⁶ Couriers were sent throughout all of Israel and Judah with letters written by the king and his princes, just as the king had commanded:

¹⁰ Couriers crossed from city to city throughout the territories of Ephraim and Manasseh as far as Zebulun, but those people^[bn] just mocked them and laughed at them. ¹¹ Nevertheless, a few men from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and traveled to Jerusalem. ¹² God also poured out his grace throughout^[bo] Judah, giving them a dedicated^[bp] heart to do what the king and princes had decreed according to the message from the Lord. ¹³ Many of the people gathered together in Jerusalem to observe the Festival of Unleavened Bread during the second month. It was a very large assembly. ¹⁴ They all got to work and removed the idolatrous^[bq] altars that were throughout Jerusalem. They also removed all the incense altars and threw them into the Kidron Brook. ¹⁵ Then they slaughtered the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the second month.

The priests and descendants of Levi felt ashamed of themselves, so they consecrated themselves and brought burnt offerings to the Lord’s Temple. ¹⁶ Then they took their customary places, as the Law of Moses the man of God prescribes, and the priests sprinkled the blood that they were given by the descendants of Levi. ¹⁷ Because there were so many in the assembly that had not consecrated themselves, therefore the descendants of Levi supervised the slaughter of the Passover sacrifices on behalf of everyone who remained unclean, so they could be consecrated to the Lord. ¹⁸ Even though a large crowd of people from as far away as Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun had not completed consecrating themselves, they still ate the Passover in a manner not proscribed by the Law,^[br] because Hezekiah had prayed like this for them: “May the good Lord extend a pardon on behalf of ¹⁹ everyone who prepares his own heart to seek God, the Lord God of his ancestors, even though he does so inconsistent with the laws of consecration.” ²⁰ The Lord listened to Hezekiah and healed the people.

The Festival of Unleavened Bread is Observed

²¹ The Israelis who were present in Jerusalem observed the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days with immense gladness, and the descendants of Levi and priests praised the Lord throughout each day, singing mightily to the Lord. ²² Hezekiah encouraged all the descendants of Levi who demonstrated significant insight in their service to the Lord, so they all participated in the festival meals for seven days, all the while sacrificing peace offerings and giving thanks to the Lord God of their ancestors. ²³ After this, the whole assembly agreed to celebrate for another seven days, and so they did—and they were very happy to do so! ²⁴ King Hezekiah of Judah gave the assembly 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep for offerings, and the princes contributed 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep, and a large number of priests consecrated themselves.

²⁵ Everyone in the assembly of Judah rejoiced, as did the priests, the descendants of Levi, and the people who gathered together from throughout Israel, including those who came from the land of Israel and those who lived in Judah. ²⁶ There was great joy throughout Jerusalem, because nothing had happened like this in Jerusalem since the days of David’s son Solomon, king of Israel. ²⁷ After this, the priests arose, blessed the people, and their voices were heard in prayer all the way to heaven, where God resides in holiness.

Idols are Eliminated from Judah^(Q)

31 At the conclusion of all of these activities, everybody in Israel who was in attendance traveled throughout the cities of Judah, broke down the sacred pillars, cut down the Asherim, and broke down the high places and altars throughout the territories of^[bs] Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh until they had eliminated all of them. Then the people of Israel went back to their cities and back to their work.^[bt]

Hezekiah Continues His Reforms

² Hezekiah appointed the priestly divisions and the divisions of the descendants of Levi, each according to their service duties, including both priests and descendants of Levi who offered morning and evening burnt offerings, peace offerings, general^[bu] ministry, thanksgiving, and praise in the gateways to the Lord’s campgrounds.^{[bv] 3} He also gave a portion of his own income for both morning and evening burnt offerings, for burnt offerings on the Sabbath, New Moons, and for the scheduled festivals, as is recorded in the Lord’s Law.^{[bw] 4} Hezekiah^[bx] also directed the people who lived in Jerusalem to give what was due to the priests and descendants of Levi, so they could be strengthened in the Lord’s Law. ⁵ As the word spread around, the people of Israel gave generously for the first fruits of grain, wine, oil, honey, and all of the produce of the fields. They generously gave a tithe of everything. ⁶ The descendants of Israel and Judah who lived throughout the cities of Judah also brought tithes of cattle and sheep, as well as tithes of gifts that had been dedicated to the Lord their God.

As these gifts were given, they were laid in piles. ⁷ They began to make these piles of gifts^[by] during the third month, and it took them until the seventh month to finish. ⁸ When Hezekiah and the officials arrived and saw the piles of gifts,^[bz] they blessed the Lord and his people Israel, ⁹ and Hezekiah quizzed the priests and the descendants of Levi about the piles of gifts.^{[ca] 10} Azariah replied, “Since they began to bring their gifts into the Lord’s Temple, we have eaten and have been satisfied. Now we still have plenty left, because the Lord has blessed his people so that we have all of this left over.”

The Priests and Descendants of Levi Reorganized

¹¹ Hezekiah gave an order to prepare storerooms in the Lord’s Temple, and so they did. ¹² They faithfully brought in the gifts, tithes, and consecrated materials, and Conaniah the descendant of Levi was placed in charge of them. His brother Shimei was second in command, ¹³ Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismachiah, Mahath, and Benaiah served as supervisors under Conaniah and his brother Shimei, who had been appointed by King Hezekiah. Azariah served as senior officer of God’s Temple. ¹⁴ Imnah the descendant of Levi’s son Kore, keeper of the eastern gate, was in charge of voluntary offerings to God, apportioning contributions for the Lord and the most holy things. ¹⁵ Under his authority, Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah served in the priestly cities, making sure contributions were distributed faithfully to their relatives division by division, no matter how large or how small, ¹⁶ without regard to genealogical enrollment, to every male 30^[cb] years old and older—that is, to everyone who entered the Lord’s Temple as their duty obligations required—for their work and duties according to their divisions ¹⁷ as well as the priests who were enrolled in the genealogies according to their ancestral households. ¹⁸ These genealogical enrollments also included all of their little children, their wives, and their sons and daughters for the entire assembly, because they were being faithful to consecrating themselves in holiness. ¹⁹ Furthermore, with respect to the descendants of Aaron, that is, the priests who lived out in the country away from the cities, or who lived in each and every city, men were designated by name to distribute portions to every male among the priests and to everyone who had been enrolled by genealogy among the descendants of Levi.

²⁰ Hezekiah did this throughout all of Judah, and he acted well, doing what the Lord his God considered to be right and true. ²¹ Everything that Hezekiah^[cc] began in the service of God’s Temple was done according to the Law and to the commandments as he sought his God, worked with all of his heart, and became successful.

Sennacherib Invades Judah^(R)

32 After all of these acts of faithfulness occurred, King Sennacherib of Assyria came, invaded Judah, and laid siege to the fortified cities, thinking to conquer them for himself. ² As soon as Hezekiah learned that Sennacherib had arrived and had determined to attack Jerusalem, ³ he developed a plan with his commanders and his elite forces to cut off the water supply from the springs that were outside the city, and they helped him to carry it out. ⁴ Many people gathered together and plugged up all the springs, along with the stream that flowed through the region. They were thinking to themselves, “Why should the Assyrian kings invade and discover an abundant water supply?”

⁵ Hezekiah took courage and rebuilt all of the walls that had been broken down. Then he erected watch towers on them, and added another external wall. He fortified the terrace ramparts^[cd] in the City of David and prepared a large number of weapons and shields. ⁶ He appointed military officers to take charge of the people, who gathered them together in the square near the city gate and spoke to them encouragingly, ⁷ “Be strong and courageous.^[ce] Don’t be afraid or disheartened because of the king of Assyria or because of the army that accompanies him, because the one who is with us is greater than the one with him. ⁸ He only has the strength of his own flesh, but the Lord our God is with us to help us and to fight our battles.” So the people were encouraged from what King Hezekiah of Judah told them.

Sennacherib Blasphemes God^(S)

⁹ After this, King Sennacherib of Assyria sent his messengers to Jerusalem while he was in the middle of a vigorous attack on Lachish. They delivered this message to King Hezekiah of Judah and to all the people of Judah who had gathered in Jerusalem:

¹⁶ King Sennacherib’s^[cq] spokesmen said even worse things against the Lord God and against his servant Hezekiah.

¹⁷ Sennacherib^[cr] also wrote letters like this that insulted and slandered the Lord God of Israel: “Just as the gods of the nations in other^[cs] lands haven’t delivered their people from my control,^[ct] so also the god of Hezekiah won’t deliver his people from me!”^{[cu] 18} His spokesmen^[cv] shouted these things out with loud voices in the language of Judah to frighten and terrify the people of Jerusalem who were stationed on the city walls, to make it easier to conquer the city. ¹⁹ In doing so,^[cw] they spoke about the God of Jerusalem as if he were like the gods of the nations of the earth that are made by the hands of human beings.

Sennacherib is Defeated and Killed^(T)

²⁰ Meanwhile, King Hezekiah and Amoz’s son Isaiah the prophet were praying about this and crying out to heaven. ²¹ So the Lord sent an angel, who eliminated all of the elite forces, commanders, and officers within the encampment of the king of Assyria. As a result, he retreated to his own country, deeply ashamed and humiliated. When he visited the temple of his god, some of his sons killed him right there with swords. ²² That’s how the Lord delivered Hezekiah, as well as those who lived in Jerusalem, from Assyria’s King Sennacherib and all his forces, and provided for all of their needs.^{[cx] 23} Many brought gifts to the Lord in Jerusalem and brought presents to King Hezekiah of Judah. As a result, he was exalted in the opinion of all nations thereafter.

Hezekiah’s Illness and Recovery^(U)

²⁴ During this time Hezekiah became critically ill, and he prayed to the Lord. The Lord spoke to him and gave him a sign.^{[cy] 25} But Hezekiah’s response wasn’t commensurate with what had been done for him because he was arrogant in heart, so wrath came upon him, upon Judah, and upon Jerusalem. ²⁶ But Hezekiah humbled himself while he was arrogant in heart, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem joined him in this. As a result, the Lord’s wrath did not come upon them during Hezekiah’s lifetime.

Hezekiah’s Wealth and Accomplishments^(V)

²⁷ Hezekiah received immense wealth and honor. He built treasuries for himself to store silver, gold, precious stones, spices, shields, and all sorts of valuable items, ²⁸ along with storage facilities for grain, wine, oil, stalls for all sorts of cattle, and sheepfolds for his flocks. ²⁹ He also built cities for himself and stored up flocks and herds in abundance, because God had given him great riches. ³⁰ Hezekiah stopped up the upper outlet of the Gihon springs and diverted them down to the western side of the City of David. He prospered in everything he did.

Hezekiah’s Heart is Tested by God

³¹ Later on, envoys came from the princes of Babylon to inquire about the miracle that had happened in the land.^[cz] God left Hezekiah^[da] to himself, so that he might make known^[db] what was really in Hezekiah’s^[dc] heart. ³² Now the rest of Hezekiah’s accomplishments and his faithful deeds are recorded in the vision of Amoz’s son Isaiah the prophet, and in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. ³³ Hezekiah died, as had his fathers, and they buried him in the upper part of the tombs of the descendants of David. All of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem honored him at his death. But his son Manasseh reigned in his place.

Manasseh Succeeds Hezekiah^(W)

33 Manasseh began to reign at the age of twelve years, and continued to reign for 55 years in Jerusalem. ² But he practiced what the Lord considered to be evil by behaving detestably, as did the nations whom the Lord expelled in front of the Israelis.

The Sins of Manasseh

³ He re-established the high places that his father Hezekiah had demolished, he built altars to the Baals, erected Asherim, and worshipped and served the armies^[dd] of heaven. ⁴ He also built altars in the Lord’s Temple, about which the Lord had spoken “My name will reside in Jerusalem forever.”^{[de] 5} He built altars for all the armies^[df] of heaven in the two courtyards of the Lord’s Temple.^{[dg] 6} He burned his sons^[dh] as an offering in the Ben-hinnom Valley, practiced fortune-telling, witchcraft, sorcery, and communicated with mediums and spiritualists. He did a lot of things that the Lord considered to be evil, thus provoking him. ⁷ He also placed an image that he had carved in God’s Temple, the place about which God had told to David and to his son Solomon, “I will place my name in this Temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel,”^{[di] 8} and “I won’t let Israel’s foothold slip on the land that I’ve given to your ancestors, if only they will be careful to keep everything that I commanded them in the Law, in the statutes, and in the ordinance through Moses.”^{[dj] 9} This is how Manasseh deceived Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to practice more evil than the nations whom the Lord had eliminated in front of the Israelis.

Manasseh Repents and is Restored

¹⁰ The Lord kept on speaking to Manasseh and to his people, but they paid no attention to him, ¹¹ so the Lord brought in the army commanders who worked for the king of Assyria, who captured Manasseh with hooks, bound him in bronze chains, and took him off to Babylon. ¹² But when he was in trouble, he sought the face of the Lord his God, humbled himself magnificently before the God of his ancestors, ¹³ and prayed to him. Moved by Manasseh’s^[dk] entreaties, the Lord heard his supplications and brought him back to his kingdom in Jerusalem. That’s how Manasseh learned that the Lord is God.

¹⁴ Later on, Manasseh^[dl] reinforced the outer wall to the City of David on the west side overlooking the Gihon Valley as far as the Fish Gate. He encircled the Ophel,^[dm] raising it to a great height. ¹⁵ He also eliminated the foreign gods and idols from the Lord’s Temple, along with all of the altars that he had built in Jerusalem and on the mountain where the Lord’s Temple was located, and he discarded them outside the city. ¹⁶ He set up an altar to the Lord, sacrificed peace offerings on it, and ordered Judah to serve the Lord God of Israel. ¹⁷ Even so, the people continued to sacrifice in the high places, but only to the Lord their God.

The Death of Manasseh^(X)

¹⁸ Now as to the rest of Manasseh’s accomplishments, including his prayer to God and what the seers had to say to him in the name of the Lord God of Israel, they are included among the Acts of the Kings of Israel. ¹⁹ His prayer, how God was moved by him, all of his sin and unfaithfulness, and a record of the sites where he constructed high places, erected Asherim and carved images before he humbled himself are written in the Acts of the Seers.^{[dn] 20} So Manasseh died, as had his ancestors, and they buried him in his own palace while his son Amon became king in his place.

Amon’s Reign and Death^(Y)

²¹ Amon was 22 years old when he became king, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. ²² He practiced what the Lord considered to be evil, just as his father Manasseh had done, sacrificing to and serving all the carved images that his father Manasseh had made, ²³ except that he never humbled himself to the Lord like his father Manasseh had done. In fact, Amon multiplied his own guilt ²⁴ until his servants finally conspired against him and executed him in his own palace. ²⁵ But the people of the land executed all of the conspirators against King Amon and installed his son Josiah as king to succeed him.

Josiah Succeeds Amon^(Z)

34 Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for 31 years in Jerusalem. ² He practiced what the Lord considered to be right, following the example^[do] of his ancestor David, turning neither to the right nor to the left. ³ In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his ancestor David. In the twelfth year of his reign,^[dp] he began to remove the high places, Asherim, carved images, and cast images from Judah and Jerusalem.

⁴ They tore down the altars of Baals in his presence. He chopped down the incense altars that stood high above them. He broke into pieces the Asherim, the carved images, and the cast images, ground them to dust, and scattered the residue on the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. ⁵ He burned the bones of the priests on their altars, thus purging Judah and Jerusalem. ⁶ In the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, Simeon, and as far as Naphtali and their surrounding ruins, ⁷ he also tore down altars, destroyed the Asherim and the carved images, grinding them^[dq] into dust, and chopped down all the incense altars throughout the land of Israel. Then he went back to Jerusalem.

Josiah’s Restoration Work^(AA)

⁸ In the eighteenth year of his reign, after he had purged the land and the Temple, he sent Azaliah’s son Shaphan, Maaseiah, mayor^[dr] of Jerusalem,^[ds] and Joahaz’s son Joah, the recorder, to repair the Temple of the Lord his God. ⁹ They approached Hilkiah the high priest and delivered to him the money that had been brought into God’s Temple that the descendants of Levi and gatekeepers had collected from Manasseh, Ephraim, the surviving Israelis, Judah, Benjamin, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. ¹⁰ They paid it to the workmen who supervised the Lord’s Temple, and the workmen who were employed in the Lord’s Temple to supervise restoration and repair of the Temple. ¹¹ They, in turn, paid the carpenters and builders to purchase quarried stone and timber for binders and beams for the buildings that previous^[dt] kings of Judah had let deteriorate. ¹² The workmen did their duties faithfully with these foremen supervising them: Jahath and Obadiah, descendants of Levi who were Merari’s sons, Zechariah and Meshullam, descendants of Kohath, and various descendants of Levi, who were skilled musicians. ¹³ These men also supervised the heavy lift workers and supervised all the workmen from job to job, while some of the descendants of Levi served as scribes, officials, and gatekeepers.

The Book of the Law is Discovered^(AB)

¹⁴ While they were bringing out the money that had come in as gifts to the Lord’s Temple, Hilkiah the priest discovered the Book of the Law of the Lord that had been handed down by Moses. ¹⁵ Hilkiah reported his finding to Shaphan the scribe, telling him, “I found the Book of the Law in the Lord’s Temple. Then he gave the book to Shaphan. ¹⁶ Shaphan took the book to the king and gave an additional report to the king, telling him “Everything that you’ve entrusted to your servants is being carried out. ¹⁷ They’ve removed the money that was found in the Lord’s Temple and have passed it on to the supervisors and the workmen.” ¹⁸ Shaphan the scribe also informed the king, “Hilkiah the priest gave me a book.” Shaphan read from its contents to the king.

¹⁹ As soon as he heard what the Law said, he tore his clothes. ²⁰ He issued these orders to Hilkiah, Shaphan’s son Ahikam, Micah’s son Abdon, Shaphan the scribe, and the king’s personal assistant Asaiah: ²¹ “Go ask the Lord for me and for those who survive in Israel and in Judah about the words that we’ve read in this book that we found, because the wrath of the Lord that we deserve to have poured out on us is very great, since our ancestors haven’t obeyed the command from^[du] the Lord that required us to do everything that is written in this book.”

Hilkiah Consults with Huldah, the Woman Prophet

²² So Hilkiah and the others who had received orders from the king went to visit Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Tokhath’s son Shallum, grandson of Hasrah. She was the king’s wardrobe supervisor, and she lived in Jerusalem’s Second Quarter. They asked her about what had happened. ²³ In response, she replied:

So they all brought back this message to the king.

The Covenant is Renewed^(AC)

²⁹ The king sent word to gather all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. ³⁰ Then the king went up to the Lord’s Temple, accompanied by the men of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests and descendants of Levi, and everyone else from the most important to the least important, and he read out loud^[dw] all the words of the book of the covenant that had been found in the Lord’s Temple. ³¹ While standing in his appointed place, the king made a public covenant with the Lord to follow the Lord, to keep his commandments, his testimonies, and his statutes, and to do so with all of his heart and soul, and to carry out what was written in the covenant contained in the book. ³² He also made everyone who was present in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand in agreement with him. As a result, the inhabitants of Jerusalem reconfirmed the covenant of God, the God of their ancestors. ³³ Josiah also removed all the detestable things from the territories that belonged to the people of Israel, and made everyone who lived in Israel to serve the Lord their God. For the rest of his life, they didn’t abandon their quest to follow the Lord God of their ancestors.

Passover is Observed Again^(AD)

35 Josiah observed the Passover to the Lord in Jerusalem. They slaughtered the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month. ² He appointed priests to their offices, encouraging them in their service at the Lord’s Temple. ³ He addressed the descendants of Levi who were teaching all Israel and who had consecrated themselves to the Lord, telling them:

⁷ Josiah contributed 30,000 animals from the flocks of lambs and young goats, giving Passover offerings to all of the people who were present, plus an additional 3,000 bulls from the king’s private possessions. ⁸ His officers contributed a voluntary offering to the people, the priests, and the descendants of Levi. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, the officials who supervised God’s Temple, gave 2,600 animals from their flocks to the priests for Passover offerings, along with 300 bulls. ⁹ Also, Conaniah, and his relatives Shemaiah, and Nethanel, along with Hashabiah, Jeiel, and Jozabad, the officers in charge of the descendants of Levi, contributed 5,000 animals from the flocks to the descendants of Levi for the Passover offerings, along with 500 bulls. ¹⁰ As a result, the Passover service was prepared, the priests took their assigned places, and the descendants of Levi stood in their divisions as the king had commanded.

¹¹ They slaughtered the Passover lamb, and the priests poured out the blood that they had received from the lambs^[dz] while the descendants of Levi flayed the sacrifices. ¹² They set aside in reserve the burnt offerings, so they could distribute them in proportion to the divisions of their ancestral households for presentation by the people to the Lord, as is required by the book of Moses. They did this with respect to the bulls, also. ¹³ They roasted the Passover in fire, as required by the ordinances, and boiled the holy things in pots, kettles, and pans, and delivered them quickly to all the people. ¹⁴ After this, because the priests, who were descendants of Aaron, were busy offering the burnt offerings and fat portions until evening, the descendants of Levi prepared the Passover for themselves and their fellow-descendants of Aaron, the priests. ¹⁵ The singers, as descendants of Asaph, remained at their stations as David, Asaph, Heman, and the king’s seer Jeduthun required, and the gatekeepers did not have to leave their posts because their descendant of Levi relatives prepared the Passover for them.