Bible in 90 Days
38 Afterward, Elisha returned to Gilgal. And a famine was in the land. And the children of the Prophets dwelt with him. And he said to his servant, “Set on the great pot and boil stew for the children of the Prophets.”
39 And one went out into the field to gather herbs and found, as it were, a wild vine and gathered wild gourds from it. His garment full, he came and shredded them into the pot of stew, for they did not know them.
40 So, they poured it out for the men to eat. And when they ate the stew, they cried out, and said, “O you man of God! Death is in the pot!” And they could not eat.
41 Then he said, “Bring flour.” And he cast it into the pot, and said, “Pour it out for the people, so that they may eat.” And there was no harm in the pot.
42 Then a man came from Baal Shalisha and brought the man of God food from the firstfruits: twenty loaves of barley and full ears of corn in the husk. And he said, “Give it to the people, so that they may eat.”
43 And his servant answered, “How should I set this before a hundred men?” He said again, “Give it to the people, so that they may eat. For thus says the LORD: ‘They shall eat, and some shall be left over.’”
44 So, he set it before them, and they ate. And some was left over, according to the Word of the LORD.
5 Now was there one Naaman, captain of the army of the king of Aram, a great man, and honorable in the sight of his lord, because by him the LORD had delivered the Aramites. He also was a mighty man and valiant, but a leper.
2 And the Aramites had gone out by bands and had taken a little maid from the land of Israel. And she served Naaman’s wife.
3 And she said to her mistress, “I wish my lord were with the Prophet that is in Samaria. He would soon deliver him of his leprosy.”
4 And he went in and told his lord, saying, “(Thus and thus) says the maid who is from the land of Israel.”
5 And the king of Aram said, “Go your way there. And I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” And he departed and took ten talents of silver with him, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of clothing,
6 and brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read to this effect, “Now when this letter has come to you, understand that I have sent you Naaman, my servant, so that you may heal him of his leprosy.”
7 And when the king of Israel had read the letter, he tore his clothes, and said, “Am I God, to kill and to give life that he sends to me, so that I could heal a man from his leprosy? Therefore, please consider and see how he seeks a quarrel against me.”
8 But when Elisha, the man of God, had heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent to the king, saying, “Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come to me now, and he shall know that there is a Prophet in Israel.”
9 Then Naaman came with his horses, and with his chariots, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha.
10 And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash yourself in Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall come back to you, and you shall be cleansed.”
11 But Naaman was angry and went away, and said, “Behold, I thought to myself, ‘He will surely come out and stand and call on the Name of the LORD his God and put his hand on the place and heal the leprosy.’
12 “Are not Abanah and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? May I not wash myself in them and be cleansed?” So, he turned and departed in displeasure.
13 But his servants came and spoke to him, and said, “Father, if the Prophet had commanded you a great thing, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean?’”
14 Then he went down and washed himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God. And his flesh came back, like the flesh of a little child. And he was clean.
15 And he turned back to the man of God (he and all his company), and came and stood before him, and said, “Behold now, I know that there is no God in all the world but in Israel. Now, therefore, please receive a reward from your servant.”
16 But he said, “As the LORD lives (before Whom I stand), I will not receive it.” And he tried to persuade him to take it. But he refused.
17 Moreover, Naaman said, “Shall there not be given two mules’ load of this earth to your servant? For from now on, your servant will offer neither burnt sacrifice nor offering to any other god except to the LORD.
18 “In this may the LORD be merciful to your servant: that when my master goes into the House of Rimmon, to worship there, and leans on my hand, and I bow myself in the House of Rimmon—when I do bow down in the House of Rimmon—that the LORD be merciful to your servant in this point.”
19 To whom he said, “Go in peace.” So, he departed from him, about half a day’s journey of ground.
20 And Gehazi, the servant of Elisha, the man of God, said, “Behold, my master has spared this Aramite, Naaman, not receiving those things from his hand that he brought. As the LORD lives, I will run after him and take something from him.”
21 So, Gehazi followed speedily after Naaman. And when Naaman saw him running after him, he dismounted the chariot to meet him, and said, “Is all well?”
22 And he answered, “All is well. My master has sent me, saying, “Behold, two young men have come to me from Mount Ephraim, of the children of the Prophets. Please give them a talent of silver and two changes of clothes.”
23 And Naaman said, “Yes. Take two talents.” And he broke open some bundles and bound two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of garments, and gave them to two of his servants, so that they might bear them before him.
24 And when he came to the tower, he took them out of their hands and laid them in the house and sent away the men. And they departed.
25 Then, he went in and stood before his master. And Elisha said to him, “Where did you go, Gehazi?” And he said, “Your servant went nowhere.”
26 But he said to him, “Did not my heart go with you when the man turned back from his chariot to meet you? Is this a time to take money, and to receive garments and olives and vineyards and sheep and oxen and menservants and maidservants?
27 “The leprosy, therefore, of Naaman shall cling to you, and to your seed, forever.” And he went out from his presence as a leper, white as snow.
6 And the children of the Prophets said to Elisha, “If you please, the place where we dwell with you is too small for us.
2 “Let us now go to Jordan, so that every man may take a beam from there and make us a place to dwell.” And he answered, “Go.”
3 And one said, “Please agree to go with your servants.” And he answered, “I will go.”
4 So he went with them. And when they came to Jordan, they cut down wood.
5 And as one was cutting down a tree, the iron fell into the water. Then he cried, and said, “Alas master, for it was borrowed!”
6 And the man of God said, “Where did it fall?” And he showed him the place. Then he cut down a piece of wood and cast it in there. And he caused the iron to float.
7 Then he said, “Pick it up for yourself.” And he stretched out his hand and took it.
8 Then the king of Aram warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, and said, “In (such and such a place) shall be my camp.”
9 Therefore, the man of God sent to the king of Israel, saying, “Beware that you do not go over to such a place. For the Aramites have come down there.”
10 So, the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him, and warned him of, and saved himself from there, not just once or twice.
11 And the heart of the king of Aram was troubled for this thing. Therefore, he called his servants, and said to them, “Will you not show me which of us is for the king of Israel?”
12 Then one of his servants said, “None, my lord, O king. But Elisha the Prophet, who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your private chamber.”
13 And he said, “Go and spy out where he is, so that I may send and fetch him.” And one told him, saying, “Behold, he is in Dothan.”
14 So he sent horses there, and chariots, and a mighty army. And they came by night and surrounded the city.
15 And when the servant of the man of God arose early to go out, behold, an army surrounded the city with horses and chariots. Then his servant said to him, “Alas, master, what shall we do?”
16 And he answered, “Do not fear. For those who are with us, are more than those who are with them.”
17 Then Elisha prayed, and said, “LORD, I pray, open his eyes so that he may see.” And the LORD opened the eyes of the servant. And he looked, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire, all around Elisha.
18 So they came down to him. But Elisha prayed to the LORD, and said, “Strike this people, I pray, with blindness.” And He struck them with blindness, according to the Word of Elisha.
19 And Elisha said to them, “This is not the way, nor is this the city. Follow me, and I will lead you to the man whom you seek.” But he led them to Samaria.
20 And when they had come to Samaria, Elisha said, “LORD, open their eyes so that they may see.” And the LORD opened their eyes, and they saw. And behold, they were in the midst of Samaria.
21 And the king of Israel said to Elisha when he saw them, “My father, shall I beat them? Shall I beat them?”
22 And he answered, “You shall not beat them. Do you beat those whom you have taken with your sword, and with your bow? Set bread and water before them, so that they may eat and drink and go to their master.”
23 And he made great preparation for them. And when they ate and drank, he sent them away. And they went to their master. So, the bands of Aram no longer came into the land of Israel.
24 But afterward, Ben-Hadad, king of Aram, gathered all his army and went up and besieged Samaria.
25 So, there was a great famine in Samaria. For lo, they besieged it until a donkey’s head was at eighty pieces of silver, and a twenty-fourth of a seah of dove’s dung at five pieces of silver.
26 And as the king of Israel was going upon the wall, a woman cried to him, saying, “Help, my lord, O king!”
27 And he said, “The LORD does not help you. How could I help you with the barn or with the wine press?
28 Also the king said to her, “What ails you?” And she answered, “This woman said to me, ‘Give your son so that we may eat him today. And we will eat my son tomorrow.’
29 “So we boiled my son and ate him. And I said to her the next day, ‘Give your son so that we may eat him.’ But she has hidden her son.”
30 And when the king had heard the words of the woman, he tore his clothes. And as he went upon the wall, the people looked. And behold, he had sackcloth underneath, upon his flesh.
31 And he said, “God do so to me and more also if the head of Elisha, the son of Shaphat, shall stay on him this day.”
32 Now Elisha sat in his house. And the elders sat with him. And the king sent a man before him. But before the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, “Do you not see how this murderer’s son has sent to take away my head? Take heed when the messenger comes. Shut the door and handle him roughly at the door. Is not the sound of his master’s feet behind him?”
33 While he still talked with them, behold, the messenger came down to him, and said, “Behold, this misery comes from the LORD. Should I wait on the LORD any longer?”
7 Then Elisha said, “Hear the Word of the LORD! Thus says the LORD: ‘Tomorrow at this time, a measure of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.’”
2 Then a prince on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, “Though the LORD can make windows in the sky, could this thing happen?” And he said, “Behold, you shall see it with your eyes. But you shall not eat of it.”
3 Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate. And they said one to another, “Why sit here until we die?
4 “If we say, ‘We will enter into the city,’ the famine is in the city, and we shall die there. And if we sit here, we die also. Now, therefore, come and let us fall into the camp of the Aramites. If they save our lives, we shall live. And if they kill us, we are already dead.”
5 So they rose up in the twilight, to go to the camp of the Aramites. And when they had come to the outermost part of the camp of the Aramites, lo, there was no man there.
6 For the LORD had caused the camp of the Aramites to hear a noise of chariots and a noise of horses (a noise of a great army), so that they said one to another, “Behold, the king of Israel has hired the kings of the Hittites against us, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us!”
7 Therefore, they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents and their horses and their donkeys — the camp as it was — and fled for their lives.
8 And when these lepers came to the outermost part of the camp, they entered into one tent, and ate and drank, and carried silver and gold from there, and clothing, and went and hid it. Afterward, they returned and entered into another tent and carried from there, and went and hid it,
9 then said to one another, “We do not do well. This day is a day of good news, and we hold our peace. If we wait until daylight, some mischief will come upon us. Now, therefore, come. Let us go and tell the king’s household.
10 So, they came and called the porters of the city and told them, saying, “We came to the camp of the Aramites. And lo, there was neither man there, nor voice of man, but tied horses and donkeys. And the tents are as they were.”
11 And the porters cried and declared to the king’s house within.
12 Then the king arose in the night and said to his servants, “I will now show you what the Aramites have done to us. They know that we are famished. Therefore, they have gone out of the camp to hide themselves in the field, saying, ‘When they come out of the city, we shall catch them alive and get into the city.’”
13 And one of his servants answered, and said, “Let me now take five of the horses that remain and are left in the city. Behold, they are either as all the multitude of Israel who are left in it, or they are as the multitude of the Israelites who are consumed. And we will send to see.”
14 So, they took two chariots of horses. And the king sent them after the army of the Aramites, saying, “Go and see.”
15 And they went after them, to Jordan. And lo, the whole way was full of clothes and vessels which the Aramites had cast from them in their haste. And the messengers returned and told the king.
16 Then the people went out and plundered the camp of the Aramites. So a measure of fine flour was at a shekel, and two measures of barley at a shekel, according to the Word of the LORD.
17 And the king gave the prince on whose hand he leaned the charge of the gate. But the people tread upon him in the gate. And he died, as the man of God had said, who spoke it when the king came down to him.
18 And it happened at that time, as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, “Two measures of barley at a shekel and a measure of fine flour shall be at a shekel, tomorrow about this time in the gate of Samaria.”
19 But the prince had answered the man of God, and said, “Though the LORD can make windows in the sky, could it so happen?” And he had said, “Behold, you shall see it with your eyes. But you shall not eat of it.”
20 And so it happened to him. For the people tread upon him in the gate. And he died.
8 Then Elisha spoke to the woman whose son he had restored to life, saying, “Up and go, you and your House, and sojourn where you can sojourn. For the LORD has called for a famine. And it shall come upon the land for seven years.”
2 And the woman arose and did according to the saying of the man of God and went, both she and her household, and sojourned in the land of the Philistines for seven years.
3 And at the end of seven years, the woman returned out of the land of the Philistines and went out to call upon the king for her House and for her land.
4 And the king talked with Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, saying, “Please tell me all the great acts that Elisha has done.”
5 And as he told the king how he had restored one dead to life, behold, the woman whose son he had raised to life called upon the king for her House and for her land. Then Gehazi said, “My lord, O king! This is the woman, and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life.”
6 And when the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed a eunuch for her, saying, “Restore all that are hers, and all the fruits of her land, since the day she left the land until this time.”
7 Then, Elisha came to Damascus. And Ben-Hadad, the king of Aram, was sick. And someone told him, saying, “The man of God has come here.”
8 And the king said to Hazael, “Take a present in your hand, and go meet the man of God, so that you may inquire of the LORD by him, saying, ‘Shall I recover from this disease?’”
9 So Hazael went to meet him, and took the present in his hand, and of every good thing of Damascus, the burden of forty camels, and came and stood before him, and said, “Your son Ben-Hadad, king of Aram, has sent me to you, saying, ‘Shall I recover from this disease?’”
10 And Elisha said to him, “Go. Say to him, ‘You shall recover.’ However, the LORD has shown me that he shall surely die.”
11 And he looked upon him steadfastly, until Hazael was ashamed. And the man of God wept.
12 And Hazael said, “Why does my lord weep?” And he answered, “Because I know the evil that you shall do to the children of Israel. You shall set their strong cities on fire, and shall kill their young men with the sword, and shall dash their infants against the stones, and tear their women with child in pieces.”
13 Then Hazael said, “What? Your servant is a dog. But I do this great thing?” And Elisha answered, “The LORD has shown me that you shall be king of Aram.”
14 So he departed from Elisha, and came to his master, who said to him, “What did Elisha say to you?” And he answered, “He told me that you should recover.”
15 And the next day, he took a thick cloth and dipped it in water and spread it on his face and he died. And Hazael reigned in his place.
16 Now, in the fifth year of Joram, the son of Ahab, king of Israel, and of Jehoshaphat, King of Judah, Jehoram, the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, began to reign.
17 He was thirty-two years old when he began to reign. And he reigned for eight years in Jerusalem.
18 And he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, as did the House of Ahab. For the daughter of Ahab was his wife. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD.
19 Yet the LORD would not destroy Judah for David His servant’s sake, as He had promised him, to give him a light to his children forever.
20 In those days, Edom rebelled from under the hand of Judah and made a king over themselves.
21 Therefore, Joram went to Zair, and all his chariots with him. And he arose by night and struck the Edomites who were around him with the captains of the chariots. And the people fled into their tents.
22 So, Edom has rebelled from under the hand of Judah to this day. And Libnah rebelled at that same time.
23 Concerning the rest of the acts of Joram and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
24 And Joram slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the City of David. And Ahaziah, his son, reigned in his place.
25 In the twelfth year of Joram, the son of Ahab, king of Israel, Ahaziah, the son of Jehoram, king of Judah, began to reign.
26 Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he began to reign. And he reigned for one year in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Athaliah, the daughter of Omri, king of Israel.
27 And he walked in the way of the House of Ahab, and did evil in the sight of the LORD, like the House of Ahab. For he was the son-in-law of the House of Ahab.
28 And he went to war against Hazael, king of Aram, with Joram, the son of Ahab, in Ramoth Gilead. And the Aramites struck Joram.
29 And King Joram returned to Jezreel to be healed of the wounds which the Aramites had given him at Ramah when he fought against Hazael, king of Aram. And Ahaziah, the son of Jehoram, king of Judah, went down to see Joram, the son of Ahab, in Jezreel, because he was sick.
9 Then Elisha the Prophet called one of the children of the Prophets, and said to him, “Gird your loins and take this box of oil in your hand and get yourself to Ramoth Gilead.
2 “And when you get there, look for Jehu, the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi. And go and make him rise up from among his brethren and lead him to a secret chamber.
3 “Then take the box of oil and pour it on his head, and say, ‘Thus says the LORD: “I have anointed you for king over Israel.”’ Then open the door and flee without any delay.”
4 So the servant of the Prophet got himself to Ramoth Gilead.
5 And when he came in, behold, the captains of the army were sitting. And he said, “I have a message to you, O captain.” And Jehu said, “To which one of us?” And he answered, “To you, O captain.”
6 And he arose and went into the house. And he poured the oil on his head and said to him, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘I have anointed you king over the people of the LORD, over Israel.
7 ‘And you shall strike the House of Ahab, your master, so that I may avenge the blood of My servants, the Prophets — and the blood of all the servants of the LORD — at the hand of Jezebel.
8 ‘For the whole House of Ahab shall be destroyed. And I will cut off all males from Ahab, he who is shut up as well as he who is left in Israel.
9 ‘And I will make the House of Ahab like the House of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, and like the House of Baasha, the son of Ahijah.
10 ‘And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the field of Jezreel. And there shall be no one to bury her.’” And he opened the door and fled.
11 Then Jehu came out to the servants of his lord. And someone said to him, “Is all well? Why did this mad man come to you?” And he said to them, “You know the man and what his talk was.”
12 And they said, “It is false. Tell it to us now.” Then he said, “(Thus and thus) he spoke to me, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD: “I have anointed you for king over Israel.”’”
13 Then they hurried. And every man took his garment and put it underneath him, at the top of the stairs, and blew the trumpet, saying, “Jehu is king!”
14 So Jehu, the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, conspired against Joram. Now Joram protected Ramoth Gilead, he and all Israel, from Hazael, king of Aram.
15 And king Joram returned to Jezreel to be healed from the wounds which the Aramites had given him when he fought with Hazael, king of Aram. And Jehu said, “If you are so minded, let no man depart and escape out of the city to go and tell in Jezreel.”
16 So Jehu got up into a chariot and went to Jezreel, for Joram lay there. And Ahaziah, king of Judah, had come down to see Joram.
17 And the watchman that stood in the tower in Jezreel spied the company of Jehu as he came, and said, “I see a company!” And Jehoram said, “Take a horseman and send to meet them, so that he may say, ‘Is it peace?’”
18 So, one on horseback went to meet him, and said, “Thus says the king, ‘Is it peace?’” And Jehu said, “What have you to do with peace? Turn behind me.” And the watchman told, saying, “The messenger went to them, but he has not come back.”
19 Then he sent out another on horseback, who came to them, and said, “Thus says the king, ‘Is it peace?’” And Jehu answered, “What have you to do with peace? Follow me.”
20 And the watchman told, saying, “He went to them, but does not return. And the marching is like the marching of Jehu, the son of Nimshi. For he marches furiously.”
21 Then Jehoram said, “Make ready.” And his chariot was made ready. And Jehoram, king of Israel, and Ahaziah, king of Judah, went out, each of them in his chariot, against Jehu, and met him in the field of Naboth the Jezreelite.
22 And when Jehoram saw Jehu, he said, “Is it peace, Jehu?” And he answered, “What peace while the whoredoms of your mother, Jezebel, and her witchcrafts, are still in great number?”
23 Then Jehoram turned his hand, and fled, and said to Ahaziah, “O Ahaziah! Treason!”
24 But Jehu took a bow in his hand and struck Jehoram between the shoulders, so that the arrow went through his heart. And he fell down in his chariot.
25 Then Jehu said to Bidkar, a captain, “Take and cast him in some place in the field of Naboth the Jezreelite. For I remember that when I and you rode together after Ahab his father, the LORD laid this burden upon him.
26 ‘Surely yesterday I saw the blood of Naboth, and the blood of his sons,’ said the LORD, ‘And I will render it to you in this field,’ says the LORD. Now, therefore, take and cast him in the field according to the Word of the LORD.”
27 But when Ahaziah, the king of Judah, saw this, he fled by the way of the garden house. And Jehu pursued after him, and said, “Strike him also in the chariot!” And they struck him in the going up to Gur, which is by Ibleam. And he fled to Megiddo and died there.
28 And his servants carried him to Jerusalem in a chariot and buried him in his sepulcher with his fathers, in the city of David.
29 And in the eleventh year of Joram, the son of Ahab, Ahaziah began to reign over Judah.
30 And when Jehu had come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it and painted her face and adorned her head and looked out a window.
31 And as Jehu entered at the gate, she said, “Does Zimri, killer of his master, have peace?”
32 And he lifted up his eyes to the window, and said, “Who is on my side? Who?” Then two or three of her eunuchs looked to him,
33 and he said, “Throw her down.” And they threw her down. And he sprinkled some of her blood upon the wall, and upon the horses. And he trod her underfoot.
34 And when he had come in, he ate and drank, and said, “Now, see to this cursed woman, and bury her. For she is a king’s daughter.”
35 And they went to bury her, but they found no more of her than the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands.
36 Therefore, they came back and told him. And he said, “This is the Word of the LORD which He spoke by His servant, Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ‘In the field of Jezreel shall the dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel.
37 ‘And the carcass of Jezebel shall be as dung upon the ground in the field of Jezreel, so that no one shall say, “This is Jezebel.”’”
10 Ahab now had seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote letters and sent to Samaria, to the rulers of Jezreel, to the elders, and to the guardians of Ahab’s children, to this effect:
2 “Now when this letter comes to you (for you have with you your master’s sons, you have with you both chariots and horses, and a defensed city, and armor),
3 consider which of your master’s sons is best and most fitting, and set him on his father’s throne, and fight for your master’s house.”
4 But they were exceedingly afraid, and said, “Behold, two kings could not stand before him. How then shall we stand?”
5 And he who was governor of Ahab’s house, and he who ruled the city, and the elders, and the guardians of the children sent to Jehu, saying, “We are your servants, and will do all that you shall ask us. We will make no king. Do what seems good to you.”
6 Then he wrote another letter to them, saying, “If you are mine, and will obey my voice, take the heads of the men who are your master’s sons. And come to me, to Jezreel, by tomorrow at this time.” Now the king’s sons, seventy people, were with the great men of the city, who raised them.
7 And when the letter came to them, they took the king’s sons and killed all seventy people and laid their heads in baskets and sent them to him, to Jezreel.
8 Then, a messenger came and told him, saying, “They have brought the heads of the king’s sons.” And he said, “Let them lay them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until morning.”
9 And when it was day, he went out and stood and said to all the people, “You are righteous! Behold, I conspired against my master, and killed him. But who killed all these?
10 “Know now that there shall fall to the earth nothing of the Word of the LORD which the LORD spoke concerning the House of Ahab! For the LORD has brought to pass the things that He spoke by his servant Elijah!”
11 So Jehu killed all who remained of the House of Ahab in Jezreel, and all who were great with him, and his friends, and his priests, so that he let no one remain.
12 And he arose and departed and came to Samaria. And as Jehu was on the road, by a house where the shepherds sheared,
13 he met with the brethren of Ahaziah, king of Judah, and said, “Who are you?” And they answered, “We are the brethren of Ahaziah, and go down to greet the children of the king and the children of the queen.”
14 And he said, “Take them alive.” And they took them alive and killed them at the well beside the house where the sheep are shorn, forty-two men. And he did not leave one of them.
15 And when he had departed from there, he met with Jehonadab, the son of Rechab, coming to meet him. And he blessed him, and said to him, “Is your heart right, as my heart is toward yours?” And Jehonadab answered, “Yes, doubtless.” “Give me your hand.” And when he had given him his hand, he took him up to himself, into the chariot.
16 And he said, “Come with me, and see the zeal that I have for the LORD!” So, they made him ride in his chariot.
17 And when he came to Samaria, he killed all who remained to Ahab in Samaria, until he had destroyed according to the Word of the LORD which He spoke to Elijah.
18 Then Jehu assembled all the people, and said to them, “Ahab served Baal a little! Jehu shall serve him much more!
19 “Now, therefore, call to me all the prophets of Baal — all his servants and all his priests — and do not let a man be missing! For I have a great sacrifice for Baal! Whoever is missing, he shall not live!” But Jehu did so with subtlety, to destroy the servants of Baal.
20 And Jehu said, “Proclaim a solemn assembly for Baal!” And they proclaimed it.
21 So Jehu sent to all Israel; and all the servants of Baal came. And there was not a man left who did not come. And they came into the house of Baal; and the house of Baal was full, from end to end.
22 Then he said to him who had the charge of the vestry, “Bring forth vestments for all the servants of Baal.” And he brought out vestments for them.
23 And when Jehu and Jehonadab, the son of Rechab, went into the house of Baal, he said to the servants of Baal, “Search diligently and look, lest there be here with you any of the servants of the LORD, and not just the servants of Baal.”
24 And when they went in to make sacrifice and burnt offering, Jehu appointed eighty men outside, and said, “If any of the men whom I have brought into your hands escapes, his soul shall be for his soul.”
25 And when he finished the burnt offering, Jehu said to the guard, and to the captains, “Go in. Kill them. Do not let a man come out.” And they struck them with the edge of the sword. And the guard and the captains cast them out and went to the city, to the temple of Baal.
26 And they brought out the images of the temple of Baal and burnt them.
27 And they destroyed the image of Baal, and threw down the house of Baal, and made a latrine of it to this day.
28 So Jehu destroyed Baal from out of Israel.
29 But from the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin, Jehu did not depart (the golden calves that were in Bethel and that were in Dan).
30 And the LORD said to Jehu, “Because you have diligently executed that which was right in My Eyes and have done to the House of Ahab according to all things that were in My Heart, your sons shall sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation.”
31 But Jehu was not careful to walk in the Law of the LORD God of Israel with all his heart. He did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam, who made Israel sin.
32 In those days, the LORD began to loathe Israel. And Hazael struck them in all the territories of Israel,
33 from Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites, and the Reubenites, and those who were of Manasseh, from Aroer (which is by the river Arnon) and Gilead and Bashan.
34 Concerning the rest of the acts of Jehu, and all that he did, and all his valiant deeds, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
35 And Jehu slept with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria. And Jehoahaz, his son, reigned in his place.
36 And the time that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty-eight years.
11 Then Athaliah, the mother of Ahaziah, when she saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the king’s seed.
2 But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram, sister to Ahaziah, took Joash, the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king’s sons who were to be killed, he and his nurse, from the bedchamber. And they hid him from Athaliah, so that he was not killed.
3 And he was hidden in the House of the LORD with her for six years. And Athaliah reigned over the land.
4 And the seventh year, Jehoiada sent and took the captains over hundreds, with captains and those of the guard, and had them come to him, into the House of the LORD, and made a covenant with them, and took an oath from them in the House of the LORD and showed them the king’s son.
5 And he commanded them, saying, “This is what you must do: One third of you, who comes on the Sabbath, shall keep watch over the king’s house,
6 “and one third on the gate of Sur, and one third on the gate behind those of the guard. And you shall keep watch on the House of Massah.
7 “And two parts of you, all who go out on the Sabbath Day, shall keep the watch of the House of the LORD for the king.
8 “And you shall surround the king, all around, each man with his weapon in his hand. And whoever comes within range, let him be killed. You be with the king, as he goes out and in.”
9 And the captains of the hundreds did according to all that Jehoiada the Priest commanded. And they took every man from his men who entered on the Sabbath, with those who went out on the Sabbath, and came to Jehoiada the Priest.
10 And the Priest gave the spears and the shields that were King David’s, and were in the House of the LORD, to the captains of hundreds.
11 And the guards stood, every man with his weapon in his hand, from the right side of the House to the left side, around the Altar and around the House, all around the king.
12 Then he brought out the king’s son, and put the crown upon him, and gave him the Testimony. And they made him king. They also anointed him, and clapped their hands, and said, “God save the king!”
13 And when Athaliah heard the noise of the running of the people, she came in to the people in the House of the LORD.
14 And when she looked, behold, the king stood by a pillar (as the manner was). And the princes and the trumpeters were by the king. And all the people of the land rejoiced and blew trumpets. Then Athaliah tore her clothes, and cried, “Treason! Treason!”
15 But Jehoiada the Priest commanded the captains of the hundreds who had the rule of the army, and said to them, “Take her forth between the ranks, and he who follows her, let him die by the sword.” For the Priest had said, “Do not let her be killed in the House of the LORD.”
16 Then they laid hands on her. And she went by the way which the horses take to the house of the king. And she was killed there.
17 And Jehoiada made a Covenant between the LORD and the king and the people, so that they would be the LORD’s people, and also between the king and the people.
18 Then all the people of the land went into the house of Baal, and destroyed it with its altars, and they courageously broke down its images, and killed Mattan, the Priest of Baal, before the altars. And the Priest set a guard over the House of the LORD.
19 Then he took the captains of hundreds, and the other captains, and the guard, and all the people of the land, and they brought the king from the House of the LORD and came by way of the gate of the guard to the king’s house. And he sat down on the throne of the kings.
20 And all the people of the land rejoiced. And the city was quiet. For they had killed Athaliah with the sword, beside the king’s house.
21 Jehoash was seven years old when he began to reign.
12 In the seventh year of Jehu, Jehoash began to reign and reigned for forty years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Zibiah of Beersheba.
2 And Jehoash did that which was good in the sight of the LORD all his time that Jehoiada the Priest taught him.
3 But the high places were not taken away; for the people still offered and burnt incense in the high places.
4 And Jehoash said to the priests, “All the silver of dedicated things that is brought to the House of the LORD — the money of those counted, the money that each man is assessed, all the money that one offers willingly and brings into the House of the LORD —
5 “let the priests take it themselves, every man from his acquaintances. And they shall repair the broken places of the House, wherever any decay is found.”
6 Yet, by the twenty-third year of King Jehoash, the priests had still not mended that which had decayed in the Temple.
7 Then King Jehoash called for Jehoiada the Priest and the other priests, and said to them, “Why have you not repaired the ruins of the Temple? Now, therefore, receive no more money from your acquaintances unless you deliver it to repair the ruins of the Temple.”
8 So the priests consented to neither receive any more money from the people nor to repair the decayed places of the Temple.
9 Then, Jehoiada the Priest took a chest and bored a hole in the lid of it, and set it beside the Altar, on the right side, as every man comes into the Temple of the LORD. And the priests who kept the door put in all the money that was brought into the House of the LORD.
10 And when they saw there was much money in the chest, the king’s secretary and the High Priest came up and put it in bags, after they had counted all the money that had been found in the House of the LORD.
11 And they gave the money, having been measured, into the hands of those who undertook the work, and who had oversight of the House of the LORD. And they paid it out to the carpenters and builders who worked upon the House of the LORD,
12 and to the masons and stonecutters, and to buy timber and hewn stone, to repair what had decayed in the House of the LORD, and for all that which had been laid out for the reparation of the Temple.
13 However, no bowls of silver were made for the House of the LORD — or instruments of music, basins, trumpets, or any vessels of gold, or vessels of silver — from the money that was brought into the House of the LORD.
14 But they gave it to the workmen, who repaired the House of the LORD with it.
15 Moreover, they did not require an accounting from the men into whose hands they delivered that money, to be bestowed on workmen. For they dealt faithfully.
16 The money of the Trespass Offering, and the money of the Sin Offerings, was not brought into the House of the LORD. It was the priests’.
17 Then Hazael, king of Aram, came up and fought against Gath, and took it. And Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem.
18 And Jehoash, king of Judah, took all the hallowed things that Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and that he himself had dedicated, and all the gold that was found in the treasures of the House of the LORD, and in the king’s house, and sent it to Hazael, king of Aram. And he departed from Jerusalem.
19 Concerning the rest of the acts of Joash and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
20 And his servants arose and worked treason, and killed Joash in the house of Millo, when he came down to Silla.
21 Jozachar, the son of Shimeath, and Jehozabad, the son of Shomer, his servants, struck him and he died. And they buried him with his fathers in the City of David. And Amaziah, his son, reigned in his place.
13 In the twenty-third year of Joash, the son of Ahaziah, king of Judah, Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, began to reign over Israel in Samaria (for seventeen years).
2 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and followed the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin, and did not depart from it.
3 And the LORD was angry with Israel, and delivered them into the hand of Hazael, king of Aram, and into the hand of Ben-Hadad, the son of Hazael, all his days.
4 And Jehoahaz prayed to the LORD, and the LORD heard him. For He saw the trouble of Israel with which the king of Aram troubled them.
5 And the LORD gave Israel a deliverer, so that they came out from under the subjection of the Aramites. And the children of Israel dwelt in their tents as before.
6 Nevertheless, they did not depart from the sins of the House of Jeroboam, who made Israel sin, but still walked in them. Even the grove still remained in Samaria.
7 For he had only fifty horsemen left of the people to Jehoahaz, and ten chariots, and ten thousand footmen, because the king of Aram had destroyed them, and made them like dust, beaten to powder.
8 Concerning the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz and all that he did, and his valiant deeds, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
9 And Jehoahaz slept with his fathers. And they buried him in Samaria. And Joash his son reigned in his place.
10 In the thirty-seventh year of Joash, king of Judah, Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz, began to reign over Israel in Samaria (for sixteen years)
11 and did evil in the sight of the LORD. He did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin, but he walked in them.
12 Concerning the rest of the acts of Joash, and all that he did, and his valiant deeds — how he fought against Amaziah, king of Judah — are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
13 And Joash slept with his fathers, and Jeroboam sat upon his seat. And Joash was buried in Samaria, among the kings of Israel.
14 When Elisha fell sick with the sickness of which he died, Joash, the king of Israel, came down to him and wept upon his face, and said, “O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel and the horsemen of the same!”
15 Then Elisha said to him, “Take a bow and arrows.” And he took to him bow and arrows.
16 And he said to the king of Israel, “Put your hand upon the bow.” And he put his hand upon it. And Elisha put his hands upon the king’s hands,
17 And said, “Open the east-facing window.” And when he had opened it, Elisha said, “Shoot.” And he shot. And he said, “The arrow of the LORD’s deliverance, and the arrow of deliverance against Aram. For you shall strike the Aramites in Aphek, until you have consumed them.”
18 Again he said, “Take the arrows.” And he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground.” And he struck three times and ceased.
19 Then the man of God was angry with him, and said, “You should have struck five or six times! So you should have struck Aram, until you had consumed it! Whereas now you shall strike Aram but three times.”
20 So Elisha died, and they buried him. And bands of the Moabites came into the land that year.
21 And as they were burying a man, behold, they saw the soldiers. Therefore, they cast the man into the sepulcher of Elisha. And when the man was down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood upon his feet.
22 But Hazael, king of Aram, troubled Israel all the days of Jehoahaz.
23 Therefore, the LORD had mercy on them and pitied them and regarded them — because of His Covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob — and would neither destroy them nor cast them from Him yet.
24 So Hazael, the king of Aram, died. And Ben-Hadad, his son, reigned in his place.
25 Therefore Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz, returned and took the cities out of the hand of Ben-Hadad (the son of Hazael) which he had taken away by war out of the hand of Jehoahaz, his father. Three times Joash beat him and restored the cities to Israel.
14 The second year of Joash, son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel, reigned Amaziah, the son of Joash, king of Judah.
2 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign and reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem.
3 And he did uprightly in the sight of the LORD, yet not like David, his father, but did according to all that Joash, his father, had done.
4 Nevertheless, the high places were not taken away, as the people still sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places.
5 And when the kingdom was confirmed in his hand, he killed his servants who had killed the king, his father.
6 But he did not kill the children of those who killed him, according to that which is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, in which the LORD Commanded, saying, “The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, nor the children put to death for the fathers. But every man shall be put to death for his own sin.”
7 He killed ten thousand Edomites, in the Valley of Salt, and took the city of Sela by war, and called its name “Joktheel” to this day.
8 Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz, son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, “Come. Let us face one another.”
9 Then Jehoash, the king of Israel, sent to Amaziah, king of Judah, saying, “The thistle that is in Lebanon, sent to the cedar that is in Lebanon, saying, “Give your daughter to my son as a wife. And the wild beast that was in Lebanon went and trod down the thistle.
10 “You have struck Edom. Your heart has made you proud, bragging of glory. Wait at home. Why do you provoke hurt, so that you should fall, and Judah with you?”
11 But Amaziah would not hear. Therefore Jehoash, king of Israel, went up. And he and Amaziah, king of Judah, faced one another at Beth Shemesh, which is in Judah.
12 And Judah was defeated by Israel. And they fled, every man to his tent.
13 But Jehoash, king of Israel, took Amaziah, king of Judah, the son of Jehoash, the son of Ahaziah, at Beth Shemesh, and came to Jerusalem, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem, from the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate (four hundred cubits).
14 And he took all the gold and silver, and all the vessels that were found in the House of the LORD, and in the treasures of the king’s house, and the children who were hostages, and returned to Samaria.
15 Concerning the rest of the acts of Jehoash which he did, and his valiant deeds, and how he fought with Amaziah, king of Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
16 And Jehoash slept with his fathers and was buried at Samaria, among the kings of Israel. And Jeroboam, his son, reigned in his place.
17 And Amaziah, the son of Joash, king of Judah, lived for fifteen years after the death of Jehoash, son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel.
18 Concerning the rest of the acts of Amaziah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
19 But they worked treason against him in Jerusalem. And he fled to Lachish. But they sent after him to Lachish and killed him there.
20 And they brought him on horses. And he was buried in Jerusalem with his fathers, in the City of David.
21 Then all the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father, Amaziah.
22 He built Elath and restored it to Judah. After that, the king slept with his fathers.
23 In the fifteenth year of Amaziah, the son of Joash, king of Judah, Jeroboam, the son of Joash, was made king over Israel in Samaria (for forty-one years).
24 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD. He did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin.
25 He restored the territory of Israel, from the entrance of Hamath to the sea of the wilderness, according to the Word of the LORD God of Israel which He spoke by His servant Jonah, the son of Amittai the Prophet, who was from Gath Hepher.
26 For the LORD saw the exceedingly bitter affliction of Israel, so that there was no one shut up, or anyone left, or anyone who could still help Israel.
27 Still, the LORD had not decreed to put out the name of Israel from under the heaven. Therefore, He preserved them by the hand of Jeroboam, the son of Joash.
28 Concerning the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, and all that he did, and his valiant deeds, how he fought and how he restored Damascus and Hamath to Judah in Israel, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
29 So Jeroboam slept with his fathers, with the kings of Israel. And Zechariah, his son, reigned in his place.
15 In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam, king of Israel, Azariah, son of Amaziah, king of Judah, began to reign.
2 He was sixteen years old when he was made king; and he reigned for fifty-two years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jecholiah of Jerusalem.
3 And he did uprightly in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah did.
4 But the high places were not put away. The people still offered and burned incense in the high places.
5 And the LORD struck the king. And he was a leper until the day of his death and dwelt in a separate house. And Jotham, the king’s son, governed the house, judging the people of the land.
6 Concerning the rest of the acts of Azariah, and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
7 So Azariah slept with his fathers. And they buried him with his fathers in the City of David. And Jotham, his son, reigned in his place.
8 In the thirty-eighth year of Azariah, king of Judah, Zechariah, the son of Jeroboam, reigned over Israel in Samaria (for six months),
9 and did evil in the sight of the LORD, as did his fathers. He did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin.
10 And Shallum, the son of Jabesh, conspired against him and struck him, in the sight of the people, and killed him and reigned in his place.
11 Concerning the rest of the acts of Zechariah, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.
12 This was the Word of the LORD which He spoke to Jehu, saying: “Your sons shall sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation after you.” And it was so.
13 Shallum, the son of Jabesh, began to reign in the thirty-ninth year of Uzziah, king of Judah. And he reigned in Samaria for the space of a month.
14 For Menahem, the son of Gadi, went up from Tirzah and came to Samaria and struck Shallum, the son of Jabesh, in Samaria, and killed him and reigned in his place.
15 Concerning the rest of the acts of Shallum and the treason which he worked, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.
16 Then, from Tirzah, Menahem destroyed Tiphsah and all who were in it, and its territories, because they did not open to him. And he struck it and ripped up all their women with child.
17 The thirty-ninth year of Azariah, king of Judah, Menahem, the son of Gadi, began to reign over Israel in Samaria (for ten years).
18 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD. And for all his days, he did not depart from the sin of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin.
19 Then Pul, the king of Assyria, came against the land. And Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver, so that his hand might be with him and establish the kingdom in his hand.
20 And Menahem exacted the money in Israel, so that all men of substance would give the king of Assyria fifty shekels of silver a piece. So, the king of Assyria returned and did not stay there in the land.
21 Concerning the rest of the acts of Menahem, and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
22 And Menahem slept with his fathers. And Pekahiah, his son, reigned in his place.
23 In the fiftieth year of Azariah, king of Judah, Pekahiah, the son of Menahem, began to reign over Israel in Samaria (for two years).
24 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD. He did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin.
25 And Pekah, the son of Remaliah, had his captain conspire against him, and strike him in Samaria, in the place of the king’s palace, with Argob and Arieh, and fifty men of the Gileadites. So he killed him and reigned in his place.
26 Concerning the rest of the acts of Pekahiah, and all that he did, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.
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