Bible in 90 Days

¹⁶ Then Jehoiada made an agreement between himself and all the people and the king, that they should be the Lord’s people. ¹⁷ All the people went to the house of Baal and tore it down. They broke in pieces his altars and the objects made to look like him. And they killed Mattan the religious leader of Baal in front of the altars. ¹⁸ Then Jehoiada put the duties of the Lord’s house under the care of the religious leaders and the Levites. David had chosen them to take care of the Lord’s house. They were to give the burnt gifts of the Lord, as it is written in the Law of Moses. It was to be done with joy and singing, as David had told them. ¹⁹ And Jehoiada put the gate-keepers in their places of the Lord’s house. This was so no one would go in who was in any way unclean. ²⁰ Then he took the captains of hundreds, the princes, the leaders of the people, and all the people of the land. And they brought the king down from the house of the Lord. They came through the high gate to the king’s house. And they placed the king upon the throne of the nation. ²¹ So all the people of the land were filled with joy, and the city was quiet. For they had killed Athaliah with the sword.

Joash Becomes King

24 Joash was seven years old when he became king. And he ruled forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah of Beersheba. ² Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the days of Jehoiada the religious leader. ³ Jehoiada took two wives for him, and he became the father of sons and daughters.

⁴ After this Joash decided to do the work that was needed on the Lord’s house. ⁵ He gathered the religious leaders and Levites, and said to them, “Go out to the cities of Judah. And gather money from all Israel to pay for the work needed to be done on the house of your God from year to year. Be quick about it.” But the Levites did not hurry. ⁶ So the king called for Jehoiada the head religious leader, and said to him, “Why have you not made the Levites bring in from Judah and Jerusalem the tax set by Moses the Lord’s servant? All the people of Israel were to pay taxes for the tent of the Law.” ⁷ For the sons of that sinful woman Athaliah had broken into the house of God. They even used the holy things of the Lord’s house for the false gods of Baal.

⁸ So the king had them make a box and set it outside by the gate of the Lord’s house. ⁹ And they made it known in Judah and Jerusalem that the tax set by God’s servant Moses on Israel in the desert must be brought to the Lord. ¹⁰ Then all the leaders and all the people were filled with joy. They brought in their taxes and put the money into the box until they had finished. ¹¹ The Levites would bring the box in to the king’s helper. And when they saw that there was much money, the king’s writer and the head religious leader’s helper would come and empty the box. They would take out the money and return the box to its place. They did this each day, and gathered much money. ¹² The king and Jehoiada gave it to those who watched over the work being done on the Lord’s house. They paid those who worked with stone and wood and iron and brass, for the work done on the Lord’s house. ¹³ So the workmen worked hard doing what needed to be done. The house of God was like new again, just as it was planned. They made it strong. ¹⁴ When they had finished, they brought the rest of the money to the king and Jehoiada. From it were made the objects used in the Lord’s house. These things were made for the worship and the burnt gifts. Then dishes and pots of gold and silver were made. And they gave burnt gifts in the house of the Lord all the time, all the days of Jehoiada.

¹⁵ When Jehoiada had lived a long time, he died. He died when he was 130 years old. ¹⁶ They buried him in the city of David among the kings, because he had done well in Israel, and to God and His house. ¹⁷ But after the death of Jehoiada, the leaders of Judah came and bowed down in front of the king. And the king listened to them. ¹⁸ They left the house of the Lord the God of their fathers, and worshiped the false gods of Asherah and the objects made to look like them. So anger came upon Judah and Jerusalem because of their sin. ¹⁹ Yet God sent men who speak for God to bring them back to the Lord. These men of God spoke against them, but they would not listen. ²⁰ Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the religious leader. He stood where he could be seen by the people and said to them, “God says, ‘Why do you sin against the Laws of the Lord, and bring trouble on yourselves? Because you have left the Lord, He has left you.’” ²¹ So they made plans against him. At the king’s word, they killed Zechariah with stones in the open space of the Lord’s house. ²² So Joash the king did not remember the kindness his father Jehoiada had shown him, but he killed his son. And when Zechariah was dying, he said, “May the Lord see and punish!”

The Death of Joash

²³ At the end of the year the army of the Syrians came up against Joash. They came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the leaders of the people. And they sent all they had taken in battle to the king of Damascus. ²⁴ The army of the Syrians came with a small number of men. But the Lord let them win against a very large army. Because the people of Judah and Jerusalem had turned away from the Lord, the God of their fathers. So the Syrians were used to punish Joash. ²⁵ When they had left Joash, leaving him very sick, his own servants made plans against him because of the blood of the son of Jehoiada the religious leader. And they killed him on his bed. So he died, and they buried him in the city of David. But they did not bury him in the graves of the kings. ²⁶ The men who made plans against Joash were Zabad the son of Shimeath the Ammonitess, and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith the Moabitess. ²⁷ Now the story of his sons, and the words spoken by wise men against him, and the work done on the house of God, are written in the Book of the Kings. His son Amaziah became king in his place.

Amaziah Rules Judah

25 Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king. And he ruled for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem. ² Amaziah did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, but not with a whole heart. ³ As soon as the nation was under his rule, he killed his servants who had killed his father the king. ⁴ But he did not kill their children. He did what is written in the Law in the book of Moses. The Lord had said in this Law, “Fathers must not be put to death for the children. And children must not be put to death for the fathers. Each must be put to death for his own sin.” ^(A)

The War against Edom

⁵ Then Amaziah gathered the men of Judah together. He put them, by their fathers’ houses, under the rule of captains of thousands and of hundreds for all Judah and Benjamin. He numbered those who were twenty years old and older. And he found that they were 300,000 chosen men, able to go to war and fight with spear and battle-covering. ⁶ He also asked for the help of 100,000 powerful soldiers from Israel and paid them with silver weighing as much as 100 men. ⁷ But a man of God came to him and said, “O king, do not let the army of Israel go with you. For the Lord is not with Israel. He is not with all these sons of Ephraim. ⁸ But if you think that in this way you will be strong in war, God will destroy you in front of those who fight you. For God has power to help and to destroy.” ⁹ Amaziah said to the man of God, “But what should I do about the silver weighing as much as 100 men, which I have given to the army of Israel?” The man of God answered, “The Lord has much more to give you than this.” ¹⁰ Then Amaziah sent the army home which had come to him from Ephraim. These hired soldiers were angry at the people of Judah. As they returned home they were very angry.

¹¹ Now Amaziah made himself strong of heart, and he led his people to the Valley of Salt and killed 10,000 men of Seir. ¹² The men of Judah also took 10,000 men alive. They brought them to the top of a high rock and threw them down from it, so they were all crushed to pieces. ¹³ But the soldiers from Israel whom Amaziah had sent back from going with him to battle came and fought against the cities of Judah. They fought cities from Samaria to Beth-horon, and killed 3,000 people living in them. And they took many things which had belonged to the people in these cities.

¹⁴ After Amaziah came from killing the Edomites, he brought the gods of the men of Seir. He set them up as his gods. He bowed down in front of them, and burned special perfume to them. ¹⁵ Then the Lord was angry with Amaziah and sent a man who speaks for God to him, saying, “Why have you worshiped the gods of the people? These gods have not saved their own people from your hand.” ¹⁶ But as he was speaking the king said to him, “Have we chosen you to give words of wisdom to the king? Stop! Or I will have you put to death.” So the man who spoke for God stopped, but said, “I know that God has planned to destroy you because you have done this. And you have not listened to what I have said.”

Israel Wins over Judah

¹⁷ Then King Amaziah of Judah spoke with his wise men, and sent word to Joash the son of Jehoahaz the son of Jehu, the king of Israel, saying, “Come, let us face each other.” ¹⁸ King Joash of Israel sent an answer to King Amaziah of Judah, saying, “The thorn bush in Lebanon sent word to the cedar in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son for a wife.’ But a wild animal of Lebanon passed by and crushed the thorn bush under its feet. ¹⁹ You say, ‘See, I have destroyed Edom.’ And your heart has become proud by what you say. Now stay at home. Why should you bring trouble so you will fall, and Judah with you?” ²⁰ But Amaziah would not listen. God had planned that He would give Judah into the hand of Joash because Judah had worshiped the gods of Edom. ²¹ So King Joash of Israel met King Amaziah of Judah in battle at Beth-shemesh of Judah. ²² And Judah lost the battle to Israel. Each man ran away to his home. ²³ King Joash of Israel took King Amaziah of Judah, the son of Joash, son of Jehoahaz, at Beth-shemesh, and brought him to Jerusalem. He tore down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate, as much wall as 200 long steps. ²⁴ And he took all the gold and silver, and all the objects found in the house of God with Obed-edom. He took the riches of the king’s house, and people also, and returned to Samaria.

The Death of Amaziah

²⁵ Amaziah, the son of King Joash of Judah, lived fifteen years after the death of Joash, the son of King Jehoahaz of Israel. ²⁶ Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, from first to last, are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. ²⁷ After Amaziah turned away from the Lord, they made plans against him in Jerusalem, and he ran away to Lachish. But they sent men after him to Lachish, and killed him there. ²⁸ Then they brought him on horses and buried him with his fathers in the city of Judah.

Uzziah Rules Judah

26 Then all the people took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the place of his father Amaziah. ² He built Eloth and returned it to Judah after the king died. ³ Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king. And he ruled fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jechiliah of Jerusalem. ⁴ Uzziah did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. He did all that his father Amaziah had done. ⁵ He kept on looking to God in the days of Zechariah, who had special wisdom from God and taught him in the things of God. And as long as he looked to the Lord, God made things go well for him.

⁶ Uzziah went out and made war against the Philistines. He broke down the wall of Gath and the wall of Jabneh and the wall of Ashdod. And he built cities in the land of Ashdod and among the Philistines. ⁷ God helped him against the Philistines, and against the Arabians who lived in Gur-baal, and against the Meunites. ⁸ The Ammonites paid taxes to Uzziah. And his name was known as far as the land of Egypt, for he became very strong. ⁹ Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, at the Valley Gate, and at the place where the walls joined. And he made them strong. ¹⁰ He built towers in the desert and dug many wells. For he had many animals, both in the valley and in the plain. He also had farmers and vine-keepers in the hill country and in the good growing fields, for he loved farming. ¹¹ And Uzziah had an army ready for battle. It was divided by the number of names written down by Jeiel the writer and Maaseiah the captain, led by Hananiah, one of the king’s leaders. ¹² The whole number of the leaders of the family groups of powerful soldiers was 2,600. ¹³ Under their leading was an army of 307,500, who could fight with great power, to help the king against those who hated them. ¹⁴ Uzziah had battle-coverings, spears, head-coverings, strong battle-clothes, bows, and slings using arrows and large stones made for all the army. ¹⁵ In Jerusalem he made large objects of war, planned by able men, to be on the towers and the corners. They were for shooting arrows and big stones. So Uzziah’s name became known in far away places. For he was helped by God in a very special way until he was strong.

Uzziah Is Punished because of His Pride

¹⁶ But when he became strong, Uzziah’s heart was so proud that his actions were sinful. He was not faithful to the Lord his God, for he went into the Lord’s house to burn special perfume on the altar of special perfume. ¹⁷ Then Azariah the religious leader went in after him, with eighty religious leaders of the Lord who were men strong in heart. ¹⁸ They went against King Uzziah and said to him, “It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn special perfume to the Lord. It should be done by the religious leaders, the sons of Aaron, who are set apart to burn special perfume. Get out of the holy place, for you have not been faithful. You will have no honor from the Lord God.” ¹⁹ Then Uzziah was angry, and he had a dish in his hand for burning special perfume. While he was angry with the religious leaders, a bad skin disease broke out on his forehead in front of the religious leaders in the Lord’s house, beside the altar of special perfume. ²⁰ Azariah the head religious leader and all the religious leaders looked at him and saw that he had a bad skin disease on his forehead. So they were quick to get him out of there, and he himself left in a hurry because the Lord had punished him. ²¹ King Uzziah had the bad skin disease to the day of his death. He lived in a separate house, suffering with the skin disease, for he was cut off from the house of the Lord. And his son Jotham was over the king’s house, ruling the people of the land. ²² Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, first to last, were written by the man of God Isaiah, the son of Amoz. ²³ Uzziah died, and they buried him with his fathers in the field of the grave which belonged to the kings. For they said, “He has a bad skin disease.” And Jotham his son became king in his place.

Jotham Rules Judah

27 Jotham was twenty-five years old when he became king. And he ruled for sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jerushah the daughter of Zadok. ² Jotham did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. He did all that his father Uzziah had done, only he did not go into the house of the Lord. But the people still sinned much. ³ Jotham built the upper gate of the Lord’s house, and did much building on the wall of Ophel. ⁴ He built cities in the hill country of Judah, and strong places and towers on the tree-covered hills. ⁵ He fought with the king of the Ammonites and won the war against them so that the Ammonites paid taxes to him. During that year they paid him silver weighing as much as 100 men, 100,000 baskets of wheat, and 100,000 baskets of barley. The Ammonites also paid him this amount in the second and in the third year. ⁶ So Jotham became powerful, because he let the Lord his God lead him in all his ways. ⁷ Now the rest of the acts of Jotham, all his wars and his acts, are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. ⁸ He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and ruled for sixteen years in Jerusalem. ⁹ Jotham died and they buried him in the city of David. His son Ahaz became king in his place.

Ahaz Rules Judah

28 Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king. And he ruled for sixteen years in Jerusalem. He did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as his father David had done. ² But he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel. He also made objects to look like the false gods of Baal. ³ He burned special perfume in the valley of Ben-Hinnom. And he burned his sons in fire, following the hated ways of the nations whom the Lord had driven out before the sons of Israel. ⁴ He gave gifts in worship and burned special perfume on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.

Syria and Israel Win over Judah

⁵ So the Lord his God gave him into the hand of the king of Syria. The Syrians won the war against Ahaz and carried away many of his people to Damascus. He was also given into the hand of the king of Israel, who killed many of his people in the war. ⁶ For Pekah the son of Remaliah killed 120,000 powerful soldiers of Judah in one day, because they had turned away from the Lord God of their fathers. ⁷ And Zichri, a strong man of Ephraim, killed the king’s son Maaseiah, and Azrikam the ruler of the house, and Elkanah the second in power to the king.

Oded—the Man of God

⁸ The sons of Israel carried away 200,000 women and sons and daughters of Judah. They also took many good things from them to Samaria. ⁹ But a man who spoke for the Lord was there, whose name was Oded. He went out to meet the army that came to Samaria and said to them, “See, because the Lord, the God of your fathers, was angry with Judah, He has given them into your hand. But you have killed them in an anger which has even gone up to heaven. ¹⁰ And now you plan to make the men and women of Judah and Jerusalem work hard for you. Do you not have sins of your own against the Lord your God? ¹¹ Now listen to me. Return the people whom you have taken from your brothers. For the burning anger of the Lord is against you.” ¹² Then some of the leaders of the sons of Ephraim stood up against those who were coming from the battle. These leaders were Azariah the son of Johanan, Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai. ¹³ They said, “You must not bring the people in here. For you plan to bring guilt upon us against the Lord, adding to our sins and our guilt. We are already so guilty that His burning anger is against Israel.” ¹⁴ So the men of war left the people and things taken from Judah in front of the leaders and all the people of Israel. ¹⁵ Then the men who were chosen by name came and took the people of Judah. And they gave clothing to all of them who had none, using the clothes found among the things taken from Judah. They gave them clothes and shoes, and food and drink, and poured oil on them. They led all their weak ones on donkeys, and brought them to their brothers at Jericho, the city of palm trees. Then they returned to Samaria.

¹⁶ At that time King Ahaz sent to the king of Assyria for help. ¹⁷ For the Edomites had come to fight Judah again, and carried people away. ¹⁸ The Philistines also had come to fight against the cities of the valley and of the Negev of Judah. They had taken Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Soco with its villages, Timnah with its villages, and Gimzo with its villages. And they came to live there. ¹⁹ For the Lord brought trouble to Judah because of King Ahaz of Israel. Ahaz caused the people of Judah to sin and was not faithful to the Lord. ²⁰ So King Tilgath-pilneser of Assyria came against him and brought him trouble instead of strength. ²¹ Ahaz took riches from the house of the Lord and from the house of the king and of the princes, and gave them to the king of Assyria. But it did not help him.

The Sins and Death of Ahaz

²² In the time of his trouble, this same King Ahaz became even less faithful to the Lord. ²³ For he gave gifts on the altar to the gods of Damascus who had beaten him in battle. He said, “Because the gods of the kings of Syria helped them, I will give gifts to them so they may help me.” But they were what destroyed him and all Israel. ²⁴ Ahaz gathered together the objects of the house of God and cut them in pieces. Then he closed the doors of the Lord’s house, and made altars for himself in every corner of Jerusalem. ²⁵ In every city of Judah he made high places to burn special perfume to other gods. And he made the Lord, the God of his fathers, very angry. ²⁶ Now the rest of his acts and all his ways, from first to last, are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. ²⁷ Ahaz died, and they buried him in the city of Jerusalem. They did not bring him into the graves of the kings of Israel. And Hezekiah his son ruled in his place.

Hezekiah Rules Judah

29 Hezekiah became king when he was twenty-five years old. And he ruled for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. ² Hezekiah did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. He did all that his father David had done.

Hezekiah Makes the House of God Holy Again

³ In the first month of the first year of his rule, he opened the doors of the Lord’s house and made them like new. ⁴ He brought in the religious leaders and the Levites, and gathered them in the open space on the east side. ⁵ Then he said to them, “Listen to me, O Levites. Now make yourselves holy. And make holy the house of the Lord, the God of your fathers. Carry what is unclean out from the holy place. ⁶ For our fathers have not been faithful. They have done what is bad in the eyes of the Lord our God. They have left Him and turned their faces away from the house of the Lord. They have turned their backs. ⁷ They have also shut the doors of the porch and put out the lamps. They have not burned special perfume or given burnt gifts in the holy place to the God of Israel. ⁸ So the Lord was angry with Judah and Jerusalem. He has made them an object of fear and wonder and shame, as you see with your own eyes. ⁹ See, our fathers have fallen by the sword. And our sons, our daughters and our wives have been taken away to a strange land because of this. ¹⁰ Now it is in my heart to make an agreement with the Lord God of Israel, that His burning anger may turn away from us. ¹¹ My sons, take care now. For the Lord has chosen you to stand before Him, to do His work and to burn special perfume.”

¹² Then the Levites set to work. There was Mahath the son of Amasai, and Joel the son of Azariah, from the sons of the Kohathites. From the sons of Merari there was Kish the son of Abdi, and Azariah the son of Jehallelel. From the Gershonites there was Joah the son of Zimmah, and Eden the son of Joah. ¹³ There were Shimri and Jeiel from the sons of Elizaphan. There were Zechariah and Mattaniah from the sons of Asaph. ¹⁴ From the sons of Heman there were Jehiel and Shimei. And from the sons of Jeduthun there were Shemaiah and Uzziel. ¹⁵ They gathered their brothers and made themselves holy, and went in to make the Lord’s house clean, as the king had told them by the words of the Lord. ¹⁶ The religious leaders went in to the inside part of the Lord’s house to make it clean. They brought out to the open space of the Lord’s house everything they found inside which was unclean. Then the Levites took it and carried it out to the river of Kidron. ¹⁷ They began to make it holy on the first day of the first month, and on the eighth day of the month they came to the porch of the Lord. Then they made the Lord’s house holy in eight days, and finished on the sixteenth day of the first month. ¹⁸ Then they went in to King Hezekiah and said, “We have made clean the whole house of the Lord, the altar of burnt gifts with all of its objects, and the table of holy bread with all of its objects. ¹⁹ And we have made all the objects holy which King Ahaz had thrown away during his rule when he was not faithful. See, they are before the altar of the Lord.”

Worship in the House of God Again

²⁰ Then King Hezekiah got up early and gathered the city rulers and went up to the house of the Lord. ²¹ They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats, for a sin gift for the nation, the holy place, and Judah. Hezekiah told the religious leaders, the sons of Aaron, to give them on the altar of the Lord. ²² So they killed the bulls, and the religious leaders took the blood and put it on the altar. They killed the rams and put the blood on the altar. And they killed the lambs and put the blood on the altar. ²³ Then they brought the male goats of the sin gift in front of the king and the people. They laid their hands on them. ²⁴ And the religious leaders killed them and gave a sin gift with their blood, to pay for the sins of all Israel. For the king said that the burnt gift and the sin gift should be made for all Israel.

²⁵ Then Hezekiah put the Levites in their places in the house of the Lord with timbrels and different kinds of harps. He did as David, Gad and Nathan, the men who spoke for God, had all said. For through these men the Lord said that this was to be done. ²⁶ The Levites stood with the objects for making music which David had made. And the religious leaders stood with the horns. ²⁷ Then Hezekiah told them to give the burnt gift on the altar. When the burnt gift began, the song to the Lord also began, with the horns and the objects for music made by David, king of Israel. ²⁸ While all the people worshiped, the singers sang and the horns sounded. The music went on until the burnt gift was finished.

²⁹ When the burnt gift was finished, the king and all who were with him bowed down and worshiped. ³⁰ King Hezekiah and the rulers told the Levites to sing praises to the Lord with the words of David and Asaph the man of God. So they sang praises with joy, and bowed down and worshiped. ³¹ Then Hezekiah said, “Now that you have made yourselves holy to the Lord, come near and bring gifts for the altar and gifts of thanks to the house of the Lord.” And the people brought gifts for the altar and gifts of thanks. All those who were willing brought burnt gifts. ³² The number of the burnt gifts which the people brought was 70 bulls, 100 rams, and 200 lambs. All these were for a burnt gift to the Lord. ³³ And the holy gifts were 600 bulls and 3,000 sheep. ³⁴ But there were not enough religious leaders to skin all the burnt gifts. So their brothers the Levites helped them until the work was finished, and until all the religious leaders had made themselves holy. For the Levites put more care into making themselves holy than the religious leaders. ³⁵ There were also many burnt gifts with the fat of the peace gifts. And there were the drink gifts for the burnt gifts. So the worship was returned to the house of the Lord. ³⁶ Then Hezekiah and all the people were filled with joy because of what God had done for the people, for it was done all at once.

Hezekiah Keeps the Passover

30 Hezekiah sent word to all Israel and Judah. He wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh also, that they should come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, to keep the Passover to the Lord God of Israel. ² For the king and his rulers and all the people in Jerusalem had decided to keep the Passover in the second month. ³ For they could not keep it at the set time, because there had not been enough religious leaders who had made themselves holy. And the people had not been gathered to Jerusalem. ⁴ So the new time pleased the king and all the people. ⁵ And they made it known in all Israel, from Beer-sheba to Dan, that they should come to keep the Passover to the Lord God of Israel at Jerusalem. For great numbers of people had not kept it, as they were told to do. ⁶ Men were sent through all Israel and Judah with the letters from the hand of the king and his rulers, as the king had told them. The letters said, “O sons of Israel, return to the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, that He may return to those of you who have not been taken away by the kings of Assyria. ⁷ Do not be like your fathers and your brothers. They were not faithful to the Lord God of their fathers, so He gave them a reason to fear, as you see. ⁸ Now do not make your hearts hard like your fathers, but give yourselves to the Lord. Come to His holy place which He has set apart forever. And worship the Lord your God, that His burning anger may turn away from you. ⁹ For if you return to the Lord, your brothers and your sons will be shown pity by those who took them away, and will return to this land. For the Lord your God is kind and loving. He will not turn His face away from you if you return to Him.”

¹⁰ So the men took the letters from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, and as far as Zebulun. But the people laughed at them and made fun of them. ¹¹ Only a few men of Asher, Manasseh and Zebulun put away their pride and came to Jerusalem. ¹² The hand of God was also on Judah to give them one heart to do what the king and the rulers told them by the Word of the Lord.

The People Keep the Passover

¹³ Many people gathered together at Jerusalem to keep the Special Supper of Bread Without Yeast in the second month. There were very many people. ¹⁴ They took away the altars which were in Jerusalem. And they also took away all the special perfume altars and threw them into the river of Kidron. ¹⁵ Then they killed the Passover lambs on the fourteenth day of the second month. The religious leaders and Levites were ashamed and made themselves holy, and brought burnt gifts to the house of the Lord. ¹⁶ They stood in their places as they should, as given by the Law of Moses the man of God. The religious leaders placed the blood which they received from the hand of the Levites. ¹⁷ For there were many of the people who had not made themselves holy. So the Levites had to kill the Passover lambs for every one who was unclean, to make them holy to the Lord. ¹⁸ For many of the people, many of them from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun, had not made themselves clean. Yet they ate the Passover in a different way than had been written. For Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May the good Lord forgive everyone ¹⁹ who makes his heart ready to look for God, the Lord God of his fathers, even if he does not follow the rules of the holy place for making himself clean.” ²⁰ And the Lord heard Hezekiah, and healed the people. ²¹ The people of Israel who were there in Jerusalem kept the Special Supper of Bread Without Yeast for seven days with great joy. The Levites and the religious leaders praised the Lord day after day, singing with loud music to the Lord. ²² Then Hezekiah spoke comforting words to all the Levites who had good understanding in the Lord’s work. So the people ate the food of the Special Supper for seven days, giving peace gifts and thanks to the Lord God of their fathers.

²³ Then all the people decided to keep the Special Supper for another seven days. So they kept it for another seven days with joy. ²⁴ For King Hezekiah of Judah had given the people 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep. And the rulers had given the people 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep. And a large number of religious leaders made themselves holy. ²⁵ All the people of Judah were filled with joy, with the religious leaders and the Levites, and all the people who came from Israel. Both the people who came from the land of Israel and those living in Judah were filled with joy. ²⁶ So there was great joy in Jerusalem, because there was nothing like this in Jerusalem since the days of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel. ²⁷ Then the religious leaders and Levites stood and prayed that good would come to the people. And their voice was heard. Their prayer came to the Lord’s holy place in heaven.

Changes Made by Hezekiah

31 Now when all this was finished, all the people of Israel who were there went out to the cities of Judah. They broke in pieces the pillars set up for the false gods. They cut down the objects of the false goddess Asherah. And they pulled down the high places and the altars through all Judah and Benjamin, and in Ephraim and Manasseh. They destroyed all of them. Then all the people of Israel returned to their cities, every man to his land.

² Hezekiah divided the religious leaders and the Levites into groups, each by the work he was to do. He chose the religious leaders and Levites for giving the burnt gifts and peace gifts, for serving and giving thanks, and for praising in the gates of the camp of the Lord. ³ He decided what the king should give of his own animals for the burnt gifts, for the morning and evening, for the Days of Rest and the New Moons and the Special Suppers, as it is written in the Law of the Lord. ⁴ And he told the people who lived in Jerusalem to give the share that should go to the religious leaders and the Levites, that they might give themselves to the Law of the Lord. ⁵ As soon as the news spread, the people of Israel gave much of the first-fruits of grain, new wine, oil, honey, and of all the food of the field. They brought in more than a tenth part of everything. ⁶ The people of Israel and Judah, who lived in the cities of Judah, also brought in a tenth part of the cattle and sheep. And they brought a tenth part of the holy things which were set apart for the Lord their God. They laid them one on top of the other. ⁷ They began to lay them on top of each other in the third month, and finished by the seventh month.

⁸ And when Hezekiah and the rulers came and saw all the things, they praised the Lord and His people Israel. ⁹ Then Hezekiah asked the religious leaders and the Levites about all the things which had been brought. ¹⁰ Azariah the head religious leader of the family of Zadok said to him, “Since the gifts began to be brought into the Lord’s house, we have had much more than enough to eat. For the Lord has brought good to His people, and we have all this much left.”

¹¹ Then Hezekiah told them to make rooms ready in the house of the Lord, and they made them ready. ¹² And they were faithful to bring in the gifts and the tenth part and the holy things. Conaniah the Levite was the captain over them, and his brother Shimei was second. ¹³ The leaders under Conaniah and his brother Shimei were Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismachiah, Mahath, and Benaiah. They were chosen by King Hezekiah. Azariah was the head captain of the house of God. ¹⁴ Kore, the son of Imnah the Levite, who watched over the east gate, was captain of the free-will gifts to God. He divided the gifts for the Lord and the most holy things. ¹⁵ Under his rule were Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah, in the cities of the religious leaders. They were faithful to give shares to their brothers by their groups, large and small alike.

¹⁶ Also they gave to those whose names were written down by families, from three years old and older. They gave to everyone who went into the Lord’s house for each day’s duty, for the work each of their groups was to do. ¹⁷ The names of the religious leaders were written down by their family groups, and the Levites from twenty years old and older, by their duties and their groups. ¹⁸ Also written down were the names of their little children, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, for all the people. For they were faithful to set themselves apart to be holy. ¹⁹ Also the sons of Aaron, the religious leaders who were in the fields around their cities, or in each and every city, were taken care of. There were men chosen by name to give shares to every male among the religious leaders and to everyone whose name was written down among the Levites.

²⁰ Hezekiah did this through all Judah. He did what was good and right and true before the Lord his God. ²¹ All the work he began in the house of God, obeying the Laws and looking to his God, he did with all his heart and all went well for him.

Sennacherib Speaks against the Lord

32 After these faithful acts, King Sennacherib of Assyria came to fight against Judah. His army gathered around the strong cities. He thought he would take them for himself. ² When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come to fight against Jerusalem, ³ he planned with his captains and men of war to stop the water from the wells which were outside the city. And they helped him. ⁴ Many people were gathered, and they stopped all the wells and the small river which flowed through the land. They said, “Why should the kings of Assyria come and find much water?” ⁵ Then Hezekiah took strength of heart and built again all of the wall that had been broken down. He built towers on it, and built another outside wall. He made the Millo strong in the city of David. And he made many battle-coverings and objects to fight with. ⁶ He chose army captains to lead the people, and gathered them in the place by the city gate. He spoke comforting words to them, saying, ⁷ “Be strong and have strength of heart. Do not be afraid or troubled because of the king of Assyria and all those who are with him. For the One with us is greater than the one with him. ⁸ He has only man with him. But we have the Lord our God with us, to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people trusted the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

⁹ Then King Sennacherib of Assyria, whose army was gathered around Lachish with him, sent word by his servants to Jerusalem to King Hezekiah and to all the people of Judah who were in Jerusalem. He said, ¹⁰ “King Sennacherib of Assyria says, ‘On what do you trust, that you are staying in Jerusalem with my army around you? ¹¹ Is not Hezekiah leading you the wrong way to let you die by hunger and thirst, saying, “The Lord our God will save us from the king of Assyria”? ¹² Has not this same Hezekiah taken away His high places and His altars, and said to Judah and Jerusalem, “You will worship in front of one altar and burn special perfume on it”? ¹³ Do you not know what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of other lands? Were the gods of the other nations able to save their lands from me? ¹⁴ Who among all the gods could save his people from me in all those nations which my fathers destroyed? Would your God be able to save you from me? ¹⁵ So now do not let Hezekiah lie to you or lead you in the wrong way like this. Do not believe him. For no god of any nation was able to save his people from me or from my fathers. How much less will your God save you from me!’”

¹⁶ Sennacherib’s men said still more against the Lord God and against His servant Hezekiah. ¹⁷ The Assyrian king also wrote letters to say things against the Lord God of Israel, saying, “As the gods of the other nations of the lands have not saved their people from me, so the God of Hezekiah will not save His people from me.” ¹⁸ They called this out with a loud voice in the language of Judah to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall. They did this to bring fear upon them, so that they might take the city. ¹⁹ They talked about the God of Jerusalem as if He were one of the gods of the people of the earth, which were made by the hands of men.

²⁰ But King Hezekiah and Isaiah the man of God, the son of Amoz, prayed about this and cried out to heaven. ²¹ And the Lord sent an angel who destroyed every powerful soldier and every captain and leader in the camp of the king of Assyria. So Sennacherib returned in shame to his own land. And when he had gone into the house of his god, some of his own children killed him there with the sword. ²² So the Lord saved Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem from King Sennacherib of Assyria, and from all others. And He gave them rest on every side. ²³ Many brought gifts to the Lord at Jerusalem, and things of much worth to King Hezekiah of Judah. So the king was honored in the eyes of all nations from that time on.

Hezekiah’s Pride

²⁴ In those days Hezekiah became very sick. He prayed to the Lord, and the Lord spoke to him and gave him something special to see. ²⁵ But Hezekiah did not do anything in return for the good he received, because his heart was proud. So the Lord’s anger came upon him and Judah and Jerusalem. ²⁶ Then Hezekiah put away the pride of his heart, both he and the people of Jerusalem. So that the anger of the Lord did not come on them in the days of Hezekiah.

Hezekiah’s Riches

²⁷ Now Hezekiah had very great riches and honor. He made for himself store-houses for silver, gold, stones of much worth, spices, battle-coverings, and all kinds of things of much worth. ²⁸ He made store-houses for the grain that was gathered, wine, and oil. He made places for all kinds of herds, and places for the flocks. ²⁹ He made cities for himself, and gathered very many flocks and cattle. For God had given him very many riches. ³⁰ It was Hezekiah who stopped the upper opening of the waters of Gihon, and made them flow to the west side of the city of David. And Hezekiah did well in all that he did. ³¹ It was so even when the men were sent to him from the rulers of Babylon to ask about the wonder that had happened in the land. God left Hezekiah alone to test him, that He might know all that was in his heart.

The End of Hezekiah’s Rule

³² Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah and his good works are written in the special dream of Isaiah the man of God, the son of Amoz, in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. ³³ Hezekiah died and they buried him in the upper graves of the sons of David. All the people of Judah and Jerusalem honored him at his death. And his son Manasseh became king in his place.

Manasseh Rules Judah

33 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king. And he ruled for fifty-five years in Jerusalem. ² He did what was bad in the eyes of the Lord. He did the hated things of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the sons of Israel. ³ For he built again the high places which his father Hezekiah had broken down. He built altars for the false gods of Baal and made objects of worship for the false goddess Asherah. He worshiped all the stars of heaven and served them. ⁴ And he built altars in the Lord’s house, of which the Lord had said, “My name will be in Jerusalem forever.” ⁵ He built altars for all the stars of heaven in the two open spaces of the house of the Lord. ⁶ And he burned his sons as a gift in the valley of Ben-hinnom. He did witchcraft and asked the demon world about the future. He asked the demon world to do very special things, and he talked with people who spoke with the spirits of the dead. He did what was very bad in the eyes of the Lord, and made Him angry. ⁷ Manasseh made an object to look like a false god, and put it in God’s house, of which God had said to David and to Solomon his son, “In this house, and in Jerusalem which I have chosen from all the families of Israel, I will put My name forever. ⁸ And I will never again take Israel out of the land which I have chosen for your fathers, if only they will obey all that I have told them in the Laws given through Moses.” ⁹ Manasseh led Judah and the people of Jerusalem to do more sinful things than the nations whom the Lord destroyed before the sons of Israel.

Manasseh Turns from His Sin

¹⁰ The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they would not listen. ¹¹ So the Lord brought the captains of the army of the king of Assyria against them. And they took Manasseh with hooks and tied him with brass chains and brought him to Babylon. ¹² When Manasseh was in trouble, he prayed to the Lord his God, and put away his pride before the God of his fathers. ¹³ When he prayed to Him, God heard his prayer and listened to him, and brought him again to Jerusalem and to his nation. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God.

¹⁴ After this he built the outside wall of the city of David on the west side of Gihon, in the valley, as far as the Fish Gate. He built it around the Ophel, and made it very high. Then he put army captains in all the strong cities of Judah. ¹⁵ He took away the strange gods and the false god from the house of the Lord. And he took away all the altars he had built on the mountain of the Lord’s house and in Jerusalem, and threw them outside the city. ¹⁶ He set up the altar of the Lord and gave peace gifts and thank gifts in worship on it. And he told Judah to serve the Lord God of Israel. ¹⁷ But the people still killed animals in worship at the high places, but only to the Lord their God.

The End of Manasseh’s Rule

¹⁸ Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, his prayer to his God, and the words the men who spoke for God spoke to him in the name of the Lord God of Israel, are among the writings of the kings of Israel. ¹⁹ His prayer and how God heard his prayer, and of all his sin and how he was not faithful, are found in the writings of the men who spoke for God. Also it is written where he built the high places, and made the objects of the false goddess Asherah, and made objects to look like gods, before he put away his pride. ²⁰ So Manasseh died and they buried him in his own house. And his son Amon became king in his place.

²¹ Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and ruled for two years in Jerusalem. ²² Amon did what was sinful in the eyes of the Lord, as his father Manasseh had done. He killed animals in worship to all the false gods his father Manasseh had made, and he served them. ²³ He did not put away his pride before the Lord as his father Manasseh had done, but Amon added to his guilt. ²⁴ His servants made plans against him, and killed him in his own house. ²⁵ But the people of the land killed all those who had killed King Amon and made his son Josiah king in his place.

Josiah Rules Judah

34 Josiah was eight years old when he became king. And he ruled thirty-one years in Jerusalem. ² He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, and walked in the ways of his father David. He did not turn aside to the right or to the left. ³ For in the eighth year of his rule while he was still young, he began to look for the God of his father David. In the twelfth year he began to take the sinful things out of Judah and Jerusalem. He took away the high places, the objects of the false goddess Asherah, and all the objects made to look like gods. ⁴ They tore down the altars of the false gods of Baal in front of him. And he cut down the special perfume altars which stood above them. He broke in pieces the objects of the false goddess Asherah and all the objects made to look like gods. Then he ground them to dust and spread it on the graves of those who had given gifts in worship to them. ⁵ He burned the bones of their religious leaders on their altars, and made Judah and Jerusalem free from worshiping false gods. ⁶ And in the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, Simeon, and as far as Naphtali, in the broken down places around them, ⁷ Josiah tore down the altars and beat to dust the objects of Asherah and the objects made to look like gods. He cut down all the special perfume altars through all the land of Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem.

The Book of the Law Is Found

⁸ Now it was the eighteenth year of his rule, and Josiah had made the land and the Lord’s house free from worshiping false gods. At that time he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, Maaseiah the leader of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz, who wrote down the things that happened, to do the work needed on the house of the Lord his God. ⁹ They came to Hilkiah the head religious leader and gave him the money that was brought into the house of God. The Levites who watched the door had received this money from Manasseh and Ephraim and from all those who were left of Israel, and from all Judah and Benjamin and the people of Jerusalem. ¹⁰ Then they gave the money to the workmen who watched over the work of the Lord’s house. And the workmen who were working in the Lord’s house used it to make the house like new. ¹¹ They gave the money to those who work with wood and to the builders to buy cut stone and wood for joints and building-pieces for the houses. The kings of Judah had not had the needed work done on them. ¹² And the men were faithful in doing the work. Watching over them were Jahath and Obadiah, the Levites of the sons of Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam of the sons of the Kohathites. The Levites who were good at playing music ¹³ watched over those who carried loads and those who did work in every kind of duty. Some of the Levites were writers and leaders and gate-keepers.

¹⁴ When they were bringing out the money which had been brought into the Lord’s house, Hilkiah the religious leader found the book of the Law of the Lord given by Moses. ¹⁵ Hilkiah told Shaphan the writer, “I have found the book of the Law in the Lord’s house.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan. ¹⁶ Then Shaphan brought the book to the king, and said to him, “Your servants are doing all the work that they have been given to do. ¹⁷ They have taken all the money that was found in the Lord’s house and have given it to the leaders and the workmen.” ¹⁸ Then Shaphan the writer said to the king, “Hilkiah the religious leader gave me a book.” And Shaphan read it in front of the king. ¹⁹ When King Josiah heard the words of the Law, he tore his clothes. ²⁰ Then the king called Hilkiah, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Abdon the son of Micah, Shaphan the writer, and Asaiah the king’s servant. He told them, ²¹ “Go, ask the Lord for me, and for those who are left in Israel and Judah, about the words of the book which have been found. For much of the Lord’s anger has been poured out on us because our fathers have not obeyed the Word of the Lord. They have not done all that is written in this book.”

²² So Hilkiah and those whom the king had sent went to Huldah the woman who spoke for God. She was the wife of Shallum the son of Tokhath, the son of Hasrah, who watched over the clothing. (She lived in Jerusalem in the second part of the city.) They spoke to her about this. ²³ And she said to them, “The Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘Tell the man who sent you to Me ²⁴ what I say. See, I am bringing much trouble to this place and to its people. I am allowing all the curses to come which are written in the book they have read in front of the king of Judah. ²⁵ They have left Me and have burned special perfume to other gods, that they might make Me angry with all the work of their hands. So My anger will be poured out on this place, and it will not be stopped. ²⁶ But tell the king of Judah who sent you to the Lord, “This is what the Lord God of Israel says about the words which you have heard: ²⁷ ‘Your heart was broken and you had no pride before God when you heard His words against this place and its people. And because you came before Me with no pride, tore your clothes, and cried before Me, I have heard you,’ says the Lord. ²⁸ ‘Your eyes will not see all the much trouble that I will bring on this place and its people. It will come after you die. You will be taken to your grave in peace.’”’” The men brought back this word to the king.

Josiah Brings Back True Worship

²⁹ Then the king sent and gathered together all the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem. ³⁰ The king went up to the house of the Lord, with all the men of Judah, the people of Jerusalem, the religious leaders, the Levites, and all the people from the greatest to the least. And he read in their hearing all the words of the book of the agreement which was found in the Lord’s house. ³¹ Then the king stood in his place and made an agreement before the Lord. He agreed to follow the Lord, to obey His Laws with all his heart and soul, and to do what is written in the agreement in this book. ³² And he made all who were there in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand with him. So the people of Jerusalem promised to obey the agreement of God, the God of their fathers. ³³ Josiah took away all the hated false gods from all the lands belonging to the sons of Israel. He made all who were in Israel worship the Lord their God. While Josiah was alive, they did not turn from following the Lord God of their fathers.

Josiah Keeps the Passover

35 Then Josiah kept the Passover to the Lord in Jerusalem. They killed the Passover animals on the fourteenth day of the first month. ² He gave the religious leaders their duties and gave them strength to do the work of the Lord’s house. ³ And he said to the Levites who taught all Israel and who were holy to the Lord, “Put the holy box of the agreement in the house which Solomon the son of David, king of Israel, built. You do not need to carry it on your shoulders any longer. Now work for the Lord your God and His people Israel. ⁴ Make yourselves ready by your fathers’ houses in your groups, in the way that was written by King David of Israel and his son Solomon. ⁵ Stand in the holy place by the family groups of your brothers who are not religious leaders. And let some of the Levites help each family group of the people. ⁶ Now kill the Passover animals, and make yourselves holy. Make things ready for your brothers to obey the word of the Lord by Moses.”

⁷ Then Josiah gave flocks of lambs and young goats as Passover gifts for all the people who were there. He gave 30,000 of them, and 3,000 bulls. These were from the king’s animals. ⁸ His leaders also gave a free-will gift to the people, the religious leaders, and the Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah and Jehiel, the leaders of the house of God, gave 2,600 animals from the flocks and 300 bulls to the religious leaders for the Passover gifts. ⁹ Conaniah, and Shemaiah and Nethanel his brothers, and Hashabiah, Jeiel and Jozabad, the leaders of the Levites, gave 5,000 animals from the flocks and 500 bulls to the Levites for the Passover gifts.

¹⁰ So everything was made ready for the Passover. The religious leaders stood in their places, and the Levites stood by their groups, as the king had told them. ¹¹ Then they killed the Passover animals. The religious leaders took the blood from them and put it on the altar. And the Levites cut the skins from the animals. ¹² They set aside the burnt gifts that they might give them to the family groups of the people, to give to the Lord, as it is written in the Book of Moses. They did the same thing with the bulls. ¹³ So they cooked the Passover animals on the fire as the Law said. They boiled the holy things in pots and deep dishes, and carried them in a hurry to all the people. ¹⁴ After this they made everything ready for themselves and for the religious leaders because the religious leaders, the sons of Aaron, were giving in worship the burnt gifts and the fat parts until night. So the Levites made things ready for themselves and for the religious leaders, the sons of Aaron. ¹⁵ The singers, the sons of Asaph, were also in their places, as had been written by David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king’s man of God. The men who were gate-keepers did not have to leave their duty, because their brothers the Levites made things ready for them.