Discovery Box2 Chronicles 10:1--31:21
Context10:1 Rehoboam traveled to Shechem, for all Israel had gathered in 1 Shechem to make Rehoboam 2 king. 10:2 When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard the news, he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon. Jeroboam returned from Egypt. 10:3 They sent for him 3 and Jeroboam and all Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, 10:4 “Your father made us work too hard! 4 Now if you lighten the demands he made and don’t make us work as hard, we will serve you.” 5 10:5 He said to them, “Go away for three days, then return to me.” So the people went away.
10:6 King Rehoboam consulted with the older advisers who had served 6 his father Solomon when he had been alive. He asked them, 7 “How do you advise me to answer these people?” 10:7 They said to him, “If you are fair to these people, grant their request, and are cordial to them, they will be your servants from this time forward.” 8 10:8 But Rehoboam rejected their advice and consulted the young advisers who served him, with whom he had grown up. 9 10:9 He asked them, “How do you advise me to respond to these people who said to me, ‘Lessen the demands your father placed on us’?” 10 10:10 The young advisers with whom Rehoboam 11 had grown up said to him, “Say this to these people who have said to you, ‘Your father made us work hard, but now lighten our burden’ 12 – say this to them: ‘I am a lot harsher than my father! 13 10:11 My father imposed heavy demands on you; I will make them even heavier. 14 My father punished you with ordinary whips; I will punish you with whips that really sting your flesh.’” 15
10:12 Jeroboam and all the people reported to Rehoboam on the third day, just as the king had ordered when he said, “Return to me on the third day.” 10:13 The king responded to the people harshly. He 16 rejected the advice of the older men 10:14 and followed the advice of the younger ones. He said, “My father imposed heavy demands on you; 17 I will make them even heavier. 18 My father punished you with ordinary whips; I will punish you with whips that really sting your flesh.” 19 10:15 The king refused to listen to the people, because God was instigating this turn of events 20 so that he might bring to pass the prophetic announcement he had made 21 through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat.
10:16 When all Israel saw that the king refused to listen to them, the people answered the king, “We have no portion in David – no share in the son of Jesse! 22 Return to your homes, O Israel! 23 Now, look after your own dynasty, O David!” 24 So all Israel returned to their homes. 25 10:17 (Rehoboam continued to rule over the Israelites who lived in the cities of Judah.) 10:18 King Rehoboam sent Hadoram, 26 the supervisor of the work crews, out after them, but the Israelites stoned him to death. King Rehoboam managed to jump into his chariot and escape to Jerusalem. 27 10:19 So Israel has been in rebellion against the Davidic dynasty to this very day.
11:1 When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he summoned 180,000 skilled warriors from Judah and Benjamin 28 to attack Israel and restore the kingdom to Rehoboam. 11:2 But the Lord told Shemaiah the prophet, 29 11:3 “Say this to King Rehoboam son of Solomon of Judah and to all the Israelites in Judah and Benjamin, 11:4 ‘The Lord says this: “Do not attack and make war with your brothers. Each of you go home, for I have caused this to happen.”’” 30 They obeyed the Lord and called off the attack against Jeroboam. 31
11:5 Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem; 32 he built up these fortified cities throughout Judah: 11:6 Bethlehem, 33 Etam, Tekoa, 11:7 Beth Zur, Soco, Adullam, 11:8 Gath, Mareshah, Ziph, 11:9 Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah, 11:10 Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron. These were the fortified cities in Judah and Benjamin. 11:11 He fortified these cities and placed officers in them, as well as storehouses of food, olive oil, and wine. 11:12 In each city there were shields and spears; he strongly fortified them. 34 Judah and Benjamin belonged to him.
11:13 The priests and Levites who lived throughout Israel supported him, no matter where they resided. 35 11:14 The Levites even left their pasturelands and their property behind and came to Judah and Jerusalem, for Jeroboam and his sons prohibited them from serving as the Lord’s priests. 11:15 Jeroboam 36 appointed his own priests to serve at the worship centers 37 and to lead in the worship of the goat idols and calf idols he had made. 38 11:16 Those among all the Israelite tribes who were determined to worship the Lord God of Israel followed them to Jerusalem 39 to sacrifice to the Lord God of their ancestors. 40 11:17 They supported 41 the kingdom of Judah and were loyal to 42 Rehoboam son of Solomon for three years; they followed the edicts of 43 David and Solomon for three years.
11:18 Rehoboam married 44 Mahalath the daughter of David’s son Jerimoth and of 45 Abihail, the daughter of Jesse’s son Eliab. 11:19 She bore him sons named Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham. 11:20 He later married Maacah the daughter of Absalom. She bore to him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith. 11:21 Rehoboam loved Maacah daughter of Absalom more than his other wives and concubines. 46 He had eighteen wives and sixty concubines; he fathered twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.
11:22 Rehoboam appointed Abijah son of Maacah as the leader over his brothers, for he intended to name him his successor. 47 11:23 He wisely placed some of his many sons throughout the regions of Judah and Benjamin in the various fortified cities. 48 He supplied them with abundant provisions and acquired many wives for them. 49
12:1 After Rehoboam’s rule was established and solidified, he and all Israel rejected the law of the Lord. 12:2 Because they were unfaithful to the Lord, in King Rehoboam’s fifth year, King Shishak of Egypt attacked Jerusalem. 12:3 He had 1,200 chariots, 60,000 horsemen, and an innumerable number of soldiers who accompanied him from Egypt, including Libyans, Sukkites, and Cushites. 12:4 He captured the fortified cities of Judah and marched against Jerusalem.
12:5 Shemaiah the prophet visited Rehoboam and the leaders of Judah who were assembled in Jerusalem because of Shishak. He said to them, “This is what the Lord says: ‘You have rejected me, so I have rejected you and will hand you over to Shishak.’” 50 12:6 The leaders of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, “The Lord is just.” 51 12:7 When the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, he gave this message to Shemaiah: 52 “They have humbled themselves, so I will not destroy them. I will deliver them soon. 53 My anger will not be unleashed against 54 Jerusalem through 55 Shishak. 12:8 Yet they will become his subjects, so they can experience how serving me differs from serving the surrounding nations.” 56
12:9 King Shishak of Egypt attacked Jerusalem and took away the treasures of the Lord’s temple and of the royal palace; he took everything, including the gold shields that Solomon had made. 12:10 King Rehoboam made bronze shields to replace them and assigned them to the officers of the royal guard 57 who protected the entrance to the royal palace. 12:11 Whenever the king visited the Lord’s temple, the royal guards carried them and then brought them back to the guardroom. 58
12:12 So when Rehoboam 59 humbled himself, the Lord relented from his anger and did not annihilate him; 60 Judah experienced some good things. 61 12:13 King Rehoboam solidified his rule in Jerusalem; 62 he 63 was forty-one years old when he became king and he ruled for seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city the Lord chose from all the tribes of Israel to be his home. 64 Rehoboam’s 65 mother was an Ammonite named Naamah. 12:14 He did evil because he was not determined to follow the Lord. 66
12:15 The events of Rehoboam’s reign, from start to finish, are recorded 67 in the Annals of Shemaiah the prophet and of Iddo the seer that include genealogical records. 12:16 Then Rehoboam passed away 68 and was buried in the City of David. 69 His son Abijah replaced him as king.
13:1 In the eighteenth year of the reign of King Jeroboam, Abijah became king over Judah. 13:2 He ruled for three years in Jerusalem. 70 His mother was Michaiah, the daughter of Uriel from Gibeah. 71
There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. 13:3 Abijah launched the attack with 400,000 well-trained warriors, 72 while Jeroboam deployed against him 800,000 well-trained warriors. 73
13:4 Abijah ascended Mount Zemaraim, in the Ephraimite hill country, and said: “Listen to me, Jeroboam and all Israel! 13:5 Don’t you realize that the Lord God of Israel has given David and his dynasty lasting dominion over Israel by a formal agreement? 74 13:6 Jeroboam son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon son of David, rose up and rebelled against his master. 13:7 Lawless good-for-nothing men 75 gathered around him and conspired 76 against Rehoboam son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was an inexperienced young man 77 and could not resist them. 13:8 Now you are declaring that you will resist the Lord’s rule through the Davidic dynasty. 78 You have a huge army, 79 and bring with you the gold calves that Jeroboam made for you as gods. 13:9 But you banished 80 the Lord’s priests, Aaron’s descendants, and the Levites, and appointed your own priests just as the surrounding nations do! Anyone who comes to consecrate himself with a young bull or seven rams becomes a priest of these fake gods! 81 13:10 But as for us, the Lord is our God and we have not rejected him. Aaron’s descendants serve as the Lord’s priests and the Levites assist them with the work. 82 13:11 They offer burnt sacrifices to the Lord every morning and every evening, along with fragrant incense. They arrange the Bread of the Presence on a ritually clean table and light the lamps on the gold lampstand every evening. Certainly 83 we are observing the Lord our God’s regulations, but you have rejected him. 13:12 Now look, God is with us as our leader. His priests are ready to blow the trumpets to signal the attack against you. 84 You Israelites, don’t fight against the Lord God of your ancestors, 85 for you will not win!”
13:13 Now Jeroboam had sent some men to ambush the Judahite army from behind. 86 The main army was in front of the Judahite army; 87 the ambushers were behind it. 13:14 The men of Judah turned around and realized they were being attacked from the front and the rear. 88 So they cried out for help to the Lord. The priests blew their trumpets, 13:15 and the men of Judah gave 89 the battle cry. As the men of Judah gave the battle cry, the Lord struck down Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. 13:16 The Israelites fled from before the Judahite army, 90 and God handed them over to the men of Judah. 91 13:17 Abijah and his army thoroughly defeated them; 92 500,000 well-trained Israelite men fell dead. 93 13:18 That day 94 the Israelites were defeated; the men of Judah prevailed because they relied on the Lord God of their ancestors.
13:19 Abijah chased Jeroboam; he seized from him these cities: Bethel 95 and its surrounding towns, Jeshanah and its surrounding towns, and Ephron and its surrounding towns. 13:20 Jeroboam did not regain power during the reign of Abijah. 96 The Lord struck him down and he died. 13:21 Abijah’s power grew; he had 97 fourteen wives and fathered twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.
13:22 The rest of the events of Abijah’s reign, including his deeds and sayings, 98 are recorded in the writings of the prophet Iddo.
14:1 (13:23) 99 Abijah passed away 100 and was buried in the City of David. 101 His son Asa replaced him as king. During his reign 102 the land had rest for ten years.
14:2 (14:1) Asa did what the Lord his God desired and approved. 103 14:3 He removed the pagan altars 104 and the high places, smashed the sacred pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles. 105 14:4 He ordered Judah to seek the Lord God of their ancestors 106 and to observe his law and commands. 107 14:5 He removed the high places and the incense altars from all the cities of Judah. The kingdom had rest under his rule. 108
14:6 He built fortified cities throughout Judah, for the land was at rest and there was no war during those years; the Lord gave him peace. 14:7 He said to the people of Judah: 109 “Let’s build these cities and fortify them with walls, towers, and barred gates. 110 The land remains ours because we have followed 111 the Lord our God and he has made us secure on all sides.” 112 So they built the cities 113 and prospered.
14:8 Asa had an army of 300,000 men from Judah, equipped with large shields and spears. He also had 280,000 men from Benjamin who carried small shields and were adept archers; they were all skilled warriors. 14:9 Zerah the Cushite marched against them with an army of 1,000,000 114 men and 300 chariots. He arrived at Mareshah, 14:10 and Asa went out to oppose him. They deployed for battle in the Valley of Zephathah near Mareshah.
14:11 Asa prayed 115 to the Lord his God: “O Lord, there is no one but you who can help the weak when they are vastly outnumbered. 116 Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on you and have marched on your behalf against this huge army. 117 O Lord our God, don’t let men prevail against you!” 118 14:12 The Lord struck down the Cushites before Asa and Judah. The Cushites fled, 14:13 and Asa and his army chased them as far as Gerar. The Cushites were wiped out; 119 they were shattered before the Lord and his army. The men of Judah 120 carried off a huge amount of plunder. 14:14 They defeated all the cities surrounding Gerar, for the Lord caused them to panic. 121 The men of Judah 122 looted all the cities, for they contained a huge amount of goods. 123 14:15 They also attacked the tents of the herdsmen in charge of the livestock. 124 They carried off many sheep and camels and then returned to Jerusalem. 125
15:1 God’s Spirit came upon Azariah son of Oded. 15:2 He met 126 Asa and told him, “Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin! The Lord is with you when you are loyal to him. 127 If you seek him, he will respond to you, 128 but if you reject him, he will reject you. 15:3 For a long time 129 Israel had no true God, or priest to instruct them, or law. 15:4 Because of their distress, they turned back to the Lord God of Israel. They sought him and he responded to them. 130 15:5 In those days 131 no one could travel safely, 132 for total chaos had overtaken all the people of the surrounding lands. 133 15:6 One nation was crushed by another, and one city by another, for God caused them to be in great turmoil. 134 15:7 But as for you, be strong and don’t get discouraged, 135 for your work will be rewarded.” 136
15:8 When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he was encouraged. 137 He removed the detestable idols from the entire land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities he had seized in the Ephraimite hill country. He repaired the altar of the Lord in front of the porch of the Lord’s temple. 138
15:9 He assembled all Judah and Benjamin, as well as the settlers 139 from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who had come to live with them. Many people from Israel had come there to live 140 when they saw that the Lord his God was with him. 15:10 They assembled in Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign. 15:11 At that time 141 they sacrificed to the Lord some of the plunder they had brought back, including 700 head of cattle and 7,000 sheep. 142 15:12 They solemnly agreed 143 to seek the Lord God of their ancestors 144 with their whole heart and being. 15:13 Anyone who would not seek the Lord God of Israel would be executed, whether they were young or old, 145 male or female. 15:14 They swore their allegiance to the Lord, shouting their approval loudly and sounding trumpets and horns. 146 15:15 All Judah was happy about the oath, because they made the vow with their whole heart. They willingly sought the Lord and he responded to them. 147 He made them secure on every side. 148
15:16 King Asa also removed Maacah his grandmother 149 from her position as queen mother 150 because she had made a loathsome Asherah pole. Asa cut down her Asherah pole and crushed and burned it in the Kidron Valley. 15:17 The high places were not eliminated from Israel, yet Asa was wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord throughout his lifetime. 151 15:18 He brought the holy items that his father and he had made into God’s temple, including the silver, gold, and other articles. 152
15:19 There was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign. 16:1 In the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign, King Baasha of Israel attacked Judah, and he established Ramah as a military outpost to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the land of King Asa of Judah. 153 16:2 Asa took all the silver and gold that was left in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and of the royal palace and sent it to King Ben Hadad of Syria, ruler in Damascus, along with this message: 16:3 “I want to make a treaty with you, like the one our fathers made. 154 See, I have sent you silver and gold. Break your treaty with King Baasha of Israel, so he will retreat from my land.” 155 16:4 Ben Hadad accepted King Asa’s offer and ordered his army commanders to attack the cities of Israel. 156 They conquered 157 Ijon, Dan, Abel Maim, 158 and all the storage cities of Naphtali. 16:5 When Baasha heard the news, he stopped fortifying 159 Ramah and abandoned the project. 160 16:6 King Asa ordered all the men of Judah to carry away the stones and wood that Baasha had used to build Ramah. 161 He used the materials to build up 162 Geba and Mizpah.
16:7 At that time Hanani the prophet 163 visited King Asa of Judah and said to him: “Because you relied on the king of Syria and did not rely on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Syria has escaped from your hand. 16:8 Did not the Cushites and Libyans have a huge army with chariots and a very large number of horsemen? But when you relied on the Lord, he handed them over to you! 16:9 Certainly 164 the Lord watches the whole earth carefully 165 and is ready to strengthen those who are devoted to him. 166 You have acted foolishly in this matter; from now on you will have war. 16:10 Asa was so angry at the prophet, he put him in jail. 167 Asa also oppressed some of the people at that time.
16:11 The events of Asa’s reign, from start to finish, are recorded in the Scroll of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 168 16:12 In the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa developed a foot disease. 169 Though his disease was severe, he did not seek the Lord, but only the doctors. 170 16:13 Asa passed away 171 in the forty-first year of his reign. 16:14 He was buried in the tomb he had carved out in the City of David. 172 They laid him to rest on a bier covered with spices and assorted mixtures of ointments. They made a huge bonfire to honor him. 173
17:1 His son Jehoshaphat replaced him as king and solidified his rule over Israel. 174 17:2 He placed troops in all of Judah’s fortified cities and posted garrisons 175 throughout the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim that his father Asa had seized.
17:3 The Lord was with Jehoshaphat because he followed in his ancestor 176 David’s footsteps at the beginning of his reign. 177 He did not seek the Baals, 17:4 but instead sought the God of his ancestors 178 and obeyed 179 his commands, unlike the Israelites. 180 17:5 The Lord made his kingdom secure; 181 all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he became very wealthy and greatly respected. 182 17:6 He was committed to following the Lord; 183 he even removed the high places and Asherah poles from Judah.
17:7 In the third year of his reign he sent his officials Ben-Hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah to teach in the cities of Judah. 17:8 They were accompanied by the Levites Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tob-Adonijah, and by the priests Elishama and Jehoram. 17:9 They taught throughout Judah, taking with them the scroll of the law of the Lord. They traveled to all the cities of Judah and taught the people.
17:10 The Lord put fear into all the kingdoms surrounding Judah; 184 they did not make war with Jehoshaphat. 17:11 Some of the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat tribute, including a load of silver. The Arabs brought him 7,700 rams and 7,700 goats from their flocks.
17:12 Jehoshaphat’s power kept increasing. He built fortresses and storage cities throughout Judah. 17:13 He had many supplies stored in the cities of Judah and an army of skilled warriors stationed in Jerusalem. 185 17:14 These were their divisions by families:
There were a thousand officers from Judah. 186 Adnah the commander led 300,000 skilled warriors, 17:15 Jehochanan the commander led 280,000, 17:16 and Amasiah son of Zikri, who volunteered to serve the Lord, led 200,000 skilled warriors.
17:17 From Benjamin, Eliada, a skilled warrior, led 200,000 men who were equipped with bows and shields, 17:18 and Jehozabad led 180,000 trained warriors.
17:19 These were the ones who served the king, besides those whom the king placed in the fortified cities throughout Judah.
18:1 Jehoshaphat was very wealthy and greatly respected. He made an alliance by marriage with Ahab, 18:2 and after several years 187 went down to visit 188 Ahab in Samaria. 189 Ahab slaughtered many sheep and cattle to honor Jehoshaphat and those who came with him. 190 He persuaded him to join in an attack 191 against Ramoth Gilead. 18:3 King Ahab of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to attack Ramoth Gilead?” Jehoshaphat replied to the king of Israel, “I will support you; my army is at your disposal and will support you in battle.” 192 18:4 Then Jehoshaphat added, 193 “First seek an oracle from the Lord.” 194 18:5 So the king of Israel assembled 400 prophets and asked them, “Should we attack Ramoth Gilead or not?” 195 They said, “Attack! God 196 will hand it over to the king.” 18:6 But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there not a prophet of the Lord still here, that we may ask him?” 18:7 The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man through whom we can seek the Lord’s will. 197 But I despise 198 him because he does not prophesy prosperity for me, but always 199 disaster. His name is Micaiah son of Imlah. 200 Jehoshaphat said, “The king should not say such things!” 18:8 The king of Israel summoned an officer and said, “Quickly bring Micaiah son of Imlah.”
18:9 Now the king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah were sitting on their respective thrones, dressed in their royal robes, at the threshing floor at 201 the entrance of the gate of Samaria. All the prophets were prophesying before them. 18:10 Zedekiah son of Kenaanah made iron horns and said, “This is what the Lord says, ‘With these you will gore Syria until they are destroyed!’” 18:11 All the prophets were prophesying the same, saying, “Attack Ramoth Gilead! You will succeed; the Lord will hand it over to the king!” 18:12 Now the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, “Look, the prophets are in complete agreement that the king will succeed. 202 Your words must agree with theirs; you must predict success!” 203 18:13 But Micaiah said, “As certainly as the Lord lives, I will say what my God tells me to say!”
18:14 Micaiah 204 came before the king and the king asked him, “Micaiah, should we attack Ramoth Gilead or not?” He answered him, “Attack! You will succeed; they will be handed over to you.” 205 18:15 The king said to him, “How many times must I make you solemnly promise in 206 the name of the Lord to tell me only the truth?” 18:16 Micaiah 207 replied, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains like sheep that have no shepherd. Then the Lord said, ‘They have no master. They should go home in peace.’” 18:17 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn’t I tell you he does not prophesy prosperity for me, but disaster?” 18:18 Micaiah 208 said, “That being the case, hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, with all the heavenly assembly standing on his right and on his left. 18:19 The Lord said, ‘Who will deceive King Ahab of Israel, so he will attack Ramoth Gilead and die there?’ One said this and another that. 18:20 Then a spirit 209 stepped forward and stood before the Lord. He said, ‘I will deceive him.’ The Lord asked him, ‘How?’ 18:21 He replied, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ The Lord 210 said, ‘Deceive and overpower him. 211 Go out and do as you have proposed.’ 18:22 So now, look, the Lord has placed a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours; but the Lord has decreed disaster for you.” 18:23 Zedekiah son of Kenaanah approached, hit Micaiah on the jaw, and said, “Which way did the Lord’s spirit go when he went from me to speak to you?” 18:24 Micaiah replied, “Look, you will see in the day when you go into an inner room to hide.” 18:25 Then the king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the city official and Joash the king’s son. 18:26 Say, ‘This is what the king says: “Put this man in prison. Give him only a little bread and water 212 until I return safely.”’” 18:27 Micaiah said, “If you really do return safely, then the Lord has not spoken through me!” Then he added, “Take note, 213 all you people.”
18:28 The king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah attacked Ramoth Gilead. 18:29 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and then enter 214 the battle; but you wear your royal attire.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and they entered the battle. 18:30 Now the king of Syria had ordered his chariot commanders, “Do not fight common soldiers or high ranking officers; 215 fight only the king of Israel!” 18:31 When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “He must be the king of Israel!” So they turned and attacked him, but Jehoshaphat cried out. The Lord helped him; God lured them away from him. 18:32 When the chariot commanders realized he was not the king of Israel, they turned away from him. 18:33 Now an archer shot an arrow at random 216 and it struck the king of Israel between the plates of his armor. The king 217 ordered his charioteer, “Turn around and take me from the battle line, 218 for I am wounded.” 18:34 While the battle raged throughout the day, the king stood propped up in his chariot opposite the Syrians. He died in the evening as the sun was setting.
19:1 When King Jehoshaphat of Judah returned home safely to Jerusalem, 219 19:2 the prophet 220 Jehu son of Hanani confronted him; 221 he said to King Jehoshaphat, “Is it right to help the wicked and be an ally of those who oppose the Lord? 222 Because you have done this the Lord is angry with you! 223 19:3 Nevertheless you have done some good things; 224 you removed 225 the Asherah poles from the land and you were determined to follow the Lord.” 226
19:4 Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem. 227 He went out among the people from Beer Sheba to the hill country of Ephraim and encouraged them to follow 228 the Lord God of their ancestors. 229 19:5 He appointed judges throughout the land and in each of the fortified cities of Judah. 230 19:6 He told the judges, “Be careful what you do, 231 for you are not judging for men, but for the Lord, who will be with you when you make judicial decisions. 19:7 Respect the Lord and make careful decisions, for the Lord our God disapproves of injustice, partiality, and bribery.” 232
19:8 In Jerusalem Jehoshaphat appointed some Levites, priests, and Israelite family leaders to judge on behalf of the Lord 233 and to settle disputes among the residents of Jerusalem. 234 19:9 He commanded them: “Carry out your duties with respect for the Lord, with honesty, and with pure motives. 235 19:10 Whenever your countrymen who live in the cities bring a case before you 236 (whether it involves a violent crime 237 or other matters related to the law, commandments, rules, and regulations), warn them that they must not sin against the Lord. If you fail to do so, God will be angry with you and your colleagues; but if you obey, you will be free of guilt. 238 19:11 You will report to Amariah the chief priest in all matters pertaining to the Lord’s law, and to Zebadiah son of Ishmael, the leader of the family of Judah, in all matters pertaining to the king. 239 The Levites will serve as officials before you. Confidently carry out your duties! 240 May the Lord be with those who do well!”
20:1 Later the Moabites and Ammonites, along with some of the Meunites, 241 attacked Jehoshaphat. 20:2 Messengers 242 arrived and reported to Jehoshaphat, “A huge army is attacking you from the other side of the Dead Sea, 243 from the direction of Edom. 244 Look, they are in Hazezon Tamar (that is, En Gedi).” 20:3 Jehoshaphat was afraid, so he decided to seek the Lord’s advice. 245 He decreed that all Judah should observe a fast. 20:4 The people of Judah 246 assembled to ask for the Lord’s help; 247 they came from all the cities of Judah to ask for the Lord’s help. 248
20:5 Jehoshaphat stood before the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem 249 at the Lord’s temple, in front of the new courtyard. 20:6 He prayed: “O Lord God of our ancestors, 250 you are the God who lives in heaven 251 and rules over all the kingdoms of the nations. You possess strength and power; no one can stand against you. 20:7 Our God, you drove out 252 the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and gave it as a permanent possession 253 to the descendants of your friend 254 Abraham. 20:8 They settled down in it and built in it a temple 255 to honor you, 256 saying, 20:9 ‘If disaster comes on us in the form of military attack, 257 judgment, plague, or famine, we will stand in front of this temple before you, for you are present in this temple. 258 We will cry out to you for help in our distress, so that you will 259 hear and deliver us.’ 20:10 Now the Ammonites, Moabites, and men from Mount Seir are coming! 260 When Israel came from the land of Egypt, you did not allow them to invade these lands. 261 They bypassed them and did not destroy them. 20:11 Look how they are repaying us! They come to drive us out of our allotted land which you assigned to us! 20:12 Our God, will you not judge them? For we are powerless against this huge army that attacks us! We don’t know what we should do; we look to you for help.” 262
20:13 All the men of Judah 263 were standing before the Lord, along with their infants, wives, and children. 20:14 Then in the midst of the assembly, the Lord’s Spirit came upon Jachaziel son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite and descendant of Asaph. 20:15 He said: “Pay attention, all you people of Judah, 264 residents of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Don’t be afraid and don’t panic 265 because of this huge army! For the battle is not yours, but God’s. 20:16 Tomorrow march down against them as 266 they come up the Ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the ravine in front of the Desert of Jeruel. 20:17 You will not fight in this battle. Take your positions, stand, and watch the Lord deliver you, 267 O Judah and Jerusalem. Don’t be afraid and don’t panic! 268 Tomorrow march out toward them; the Lord is with you!’”
20:18 Jehoshaphat bowed down with his face toward the ground, and all the people of Judah 269 and the residents of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord and worshiped him. 270 20:19 Then some Levites, from the Kohathites and Korahites, got up and loudly praised the Lord God of Israel. 271
20:20 Early the next morning they marched out to the Desert of Tekoa. When they were ready to march, Jehoshaphat stood up and said: “Listen to me, you people of Judah 272 and residents of Jerusalem! Trust in the Lord your God and you will be safe! 273 Trust in the message of his prophets and you will win.” 20:21 He met 274 with the people and appointed musicians to play before the Lord and praise his majestic splendor. As they marched ahead of the warriors they said: “Give thanks to the Lord, for his loyal love endures.” 275
20:22 When they began to shout and praise, the Lord suddenly attacked 276 the Ammonites, Moabites, and men from Mount Seir 277 who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. 20:23 The Ammonites and Moabites attacked the men from Mount Seir 278 and annihilated them. 279 When they had finished off the men 280 of Seir, they attacked and destroyed one another. 281 20:24 When the men of Judah 282 arrived at the observation post overlooking the desert and looked at 283 the huge army, they saw dead bodies on the ground; there were no survivors! 20:25 Jehoshaphat and his men 284 went to gather the plunder; they found a huge amount of supplies, clothing 285 and valuable items. They carried away everything they could. 286 There was so much plunder, it took them three days to haul it off. 287
20:26 On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Berachah, where 288 they praised the Lord. So that place is called the Valley of Berachah 289 to this very day. 20:27 Then all the men of Judah and Jerusalem returned joyfully to Jerusalem with Jehoshaphat leading them; the Lord had given them reason to rejoice over their enemies. 20:28 They entered Jerusalem to the sound of stringed instruments and trumpets and proceeded to the temple of the Lord. 20:29 All the kingdoms of the surrounding lands were afraid of God 290 when they heard how the Lord had fought against Israel’s enemies. 20:30 Jehoshaphat’s kingdom enjoyed peace; his God made him secure on every side. 291
20:31 Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he became king and he reigned for twenty-five years in Jerusalem. 292 His mother was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi. 20:32 He followed in his father Asa’s footsteps and was careful to do what the Lord approved. 293 20:33 However, the high places were not eliminated; the people were still not devoted to the God of their ancestors. 294
20:34 The rest of the events of Jehoshaphat’s reign, from start to finish, are recorded in the Annals of Jehu son of Hanani which are included in Scroll of the Kings of Israel. 295
20:35 Later King Jehoshaphat of Judah made an alliance with King Ahaziah of Israel, who 296 did evil. 20:36 They agreed 297 to make large seagoing merchant ships; 298 they built the ships in Ezion Geber. 20:37 Eliezer son of Dodavahu from Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, “Because 299 you made an alliance with Ahaziah, the Lord will shatter what you have made.” The ships were wrecked and unable to go to sea. 300
21:1 Jehoshaphat passed away 301 and was buried with his ancestors 302 in the City of David. 303 His son Jehoram 304 replaced him as king.
21:2 His brothers, Jehoshaphat’s sons, were Azariah, Jechiel, Zechariah, Azariahu, Michael, and Shephatiah. All of these were sons of King Jehoshaphat of Israel. 305 21:3 Their father gave them many presents, including silver, gold, and other precious items, along with fortified cities in Judah. But he gave the kingdom to Jehoram because he was the firstborn.
21:4 Jehoram took control of his father’s kingdom and became powerful. 306 Then he killed all his brothers, 307 as well as some of the officials of Israel. 21:5 Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king and he reigned for eight years in Jerusalem. 308 21:6 He followed in the footsteps of the kings of Israel, just as Ahab’s dynasty had done, for he married Ahab’s daughter. 309 He did evil in the sight of 310 the Lord. 21:7 But the Lord was unwilling to destroy David’s dynasty 311 because of the promise 312 he had made to give David a perpetual dynasty. 313
21:8 During Jehoram’s 314 reign Edom freed themselves from Judah’s control and set up their own king. 315 21:9 Jehoram crossed over to Zair with his officers and all his chariots. The Edomites, who had surrounded him, attacked at night and defeated him and his chariot officers. 316 21:10 So Edom has remained free from Judah’s control to this very day. 317 At that same time Libnah also rebelled and freed themselves from Judah’s control 318 because Jehoram 319 rejected the Lord God of his ancestors. 21:11 He also built high places on the hills of Judah; he encouraged the residents of Jerusalem to be unfaithful to the Lord 320 and led Judah away from the Lord. 321
21:12 Jehoram 322 received this letter from Elijah the prophet: “This is what the Lord God of your ancestor David says: ‘You 323 have not followed in the footsteps 324 of your father Jehoshaphat and of 325 King Asa of Judah, 21:13 but have instead followed in the footsteps of the kings of Israel. You encouraged the people of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem to be unfaithful to the Lord, just as the family of Ahab does in Israel. 326 You also killed your brothers, members of your father’s family, 327 who were better than you. 21:14 So look, the Lord is about to severely afflict 328 your people, your sons, your wives, and all you own. 21:15 And you will get a serious, chronic intestinal disease which will cause your intestines to come out.” 329
21:16 The Lord stirred up against Jehoram the Philistines 330 and the Arabs who lived beside the Cushites. 21:17 They attacked Judah and swept through it. 331 They carried off everything they found in the royal palace, 332 including his sons and wives. None of his sons was left, except for his youngest, Ahaziah. 21:18 After all this happened, the Lord afflicted him with an incurable intestinal disease. 333 21:19 After about two years his intestines came out because of the disease, so that he died a very painful death. 334 His people did not make a bonfire to honor him, as they had done for his ancestors. 335
21:20 Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. No one regretted his death; 336 he was buried in the City of David, 337 but not in the royal tombs.
22:1 The residents of Jerusalem 338 made his youngest son Ahaziah king in his place, for the raiding party that invaded the city with the Arabs had killed all the older sons. 339 So Ahaziah son of Jehoram became king of Judah. 22:2 Ahaziah was twenty-two 340 years old when he became king and he reigned for one year in Jerusalem. His mother was Athaliah, the granddaughter 341 of Omri. 22:3 He followed in the footsteps of Ahab’s dynasty, 342 for his mother gave him evil advice. 343 22:4 He did evil in the sight of 344 the Lord like Ahab’s dynasty because, after his father’s death, they 345 gave him advice that led to his destruction. 22:5 He followed their advice and joined Ahab’s son King Joram 346 of Israel in a battle against King Hazael of Syria 347 at Ramoth Gilead in which the Syrians defeated Joram. 22:6 Joram 348 returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds he received from the Syrians 349 in Ramah when he fought against King Hazael of Syria. Ahaziah 350 son of King Jehoram of Judah went down to visit Joram son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he had been wounded. 351
22:7 God brought about Ahaziah’s downfall through his visit to Joram. 352 When Ahaziah 353 arrived, he went out with Joram to meet Jehu son of Nimshi, whom the Lord had commissioned 354 to wipe out Ahab’s family. 355 22:8 While Jehu was dishing out punishment to Ahab’s family, he discovered the officials of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah’s relatives who were serving Ahaziah and killed them. 22:9 He looked for Ahaziah, who was captured while hiding in Samaria. 356 They brought him to Jehu and then executed him. They did give him a burial, for they reasoned, 357 “He is the son of Jehoshaphat, who sought the Lord with his whole heart.” There was no one in Ahaziah’s family strong enough to rule in his place. 358
22:10 When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she was determined to destroy the entire royal line 359 of Judah. 360 22:11 So Jehoshabeath, 361 the daughter of King Jehoram, 362 took Ahaziah’s son Joash and sneaked him away 363 from the rest of the royal descendants who were to be executed. She hid him and his nurse in the room where the bed covers were stored. So Jehoshabeath the daughter of King Jehoram, wife of Jehoiada the priest and sister of Ahaziah, hid him from Athaliah so she could not execute him. 22:12 He remained in hiding in God’s temple 364 for six years, while Athaliah was ruling over the land.
23:1 In the seventh year Jehoiada made a bold move. He made a pact 365 with the officers of the units of hundreds: Azariah son of Jehoram, Ishmael son of Jehochanan, Azariah son of Obed, Maaseiah son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat son of Zikri. 23:2 They traveled throughout Judah and assembled the Levites from all the cities of Judah, as well as the Israelite family leaders.
They came to Jerusalem, 366 23:3 and the whole assembly made a covenant with the king in the temple of God. Jehoiada 367 said to them, “The king’s son will rule, just as the Lord promised David’s descendants. 23:4 This is what you must do. One third of you priests and Levites who are on duty during the Sabbath will guard the doors. 23:5 Another third of you will be stationed at the royal palace and still another third at the Foundation Gate. All the others 368 will stand in the courtyards of the Lord’s temple. 23:6 No one must enter the Lord’s temple except the priests and Levites who are on duty. They may enter because they are ceremonially pure. All the others should carry out their assigned service to the Lord. 23:7 The Levites must surround the king. Each of you must hold his weapon in his hand. Whoever tries to enter the temple 369 must be killed. You must accompany the king wherever he goes.” 370
23:8 The Levites and all the men of Judah 371 did just as Jehoiada the priest ordered. Each of them took his men, those who were on duty during the Sabbath as well as those who were off duty on the Sabbath. Jehoiada the priest did not release his divisions from their duties. 23:9 Jehoiada the priest gave to the officers of the units of hundreds King David’s spears and shields 372 that were kept in God’s temple. 23:10 He placed the men at their posts, each holding his weapon in his hand. They lined up from the south side of the temple to the north side and stood near the altar and the temple, surrounding the king. 373 23:11 Jehoiada and his sons led out the king’s son and placed on him the crown and the royal insignia. 374 They proclaimed him king and poured olive oil on his head. 375 They declared, “Long live the king!”
23:12 When Athaliah heard the royal guard 376 shouting and praising the king, she joined the crowd 377 at the Lord’s temple. 23:13 Then she saw 378 the king standing by his pillar at the entrance. The officers and trumpeters stood beside the king and all the people of the land were celebrating and blowing trumpets, and the musicians with various instruments were leading the celebration. Athaliah tore her clothes and yelled, “Treason! Treason!” 379 23:14 Jehoiada the priest sent out the officers of the units of hundreds, who were in charge of the army, and ordered them, “Bring her outside the temple to the guards. 380 Put the sword to anyone who follows her.” The priest gave this order because he had decided she should not be executed in the Lord’s temple. 381 23:15 They seized her and took her into the precincts of the royal palace through the horses’ entrance. 382 There they executed her.
23:16 Jehoiada then drew up a covenant stipulating that he, all the people, and the king should be loyal to the Lord. 383 23:17 All the people went and demolished 384 the temple of Baal. They smashed its altars and idols. 385 They killed Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altars. 23:18 Jehoiada then assigned the duties of the Lord’s temple to the priests, the Levites whom David had assigned to the Lord’s temple. They were responsible for offering burnt sacrifices to the Lord with joy and music, according to 386 the law of Moses and the edict of David. 23:19 He posted guards at the gates of the Lord’s temple, so no one who was ceremonially unclean in any way could enter. 23:20 He summoned 387 the officers of the units of hundreds, the nobles, the rulers of the people, and all the people of land, and he then led the king down from the Lord’s temple. They entered the royal palace through the Upper Gate and seated the king on the royal throne. 23:21 All the people of the land celebrated, for the city had rest now that they had killed Athaliah. 388
24:1 Joash was seven years old when he began to reign. He reigned for forty years in Jerusalem. 389 His mother was Zibiah, who was from Beer Sheba. 24:2 Joash did what the Lord approved 390 throughout the lifetime 391 of Jehoiada the priest. 24:3 Jehoiada chose two wives for him who gave him sons and daughters.
24:4 Joash was determined to repair the Lord’s temple. 392 24:5 He assembled the priests and Levites and ordered them, “Go out to the cities of Judah and collect the annual quota of silver from all Israel for repairs on the temple of your God. Be quick about it!” But the Levites delayed.
24:6 So the king summoned Jehoiada the chief priest, 393 and said to him, “Why have you not made 394 the Levites collect 395 from Judah and Jerusalem the tax authorized by Moses the Lord’s servant and by the assembly of Israel at the tent containing the tablets of the law?” 396 24:7 (Wicked Athaliah and her sons had broken into God’s temple and used all the holy items of the Lord’s temple in their worship of the Baals.) 24:8 The king ordered a chest to be made and placed outside the gate of the Lord’s temple. 397 24:9 An edict was sent throughout Judah and Jerusalem requiring the people to bring to the Lord the tax that Moses, God’s servant, imposed on Israel in the wilderness. 398 24:10 All the officials and all the people gladly brought their silver and threw it into the chest until it was full. 24:11 Whenever the Levites brought the chest to the royal accountant and they saw there was a lot of silver, the royal scribe and the accountant of the high priest emptied the chest and then took it back to its place. They went through this routine every day and collected a large amount of silver.
24:12 The king and Jehoiada gave it to the construction foremen 399 assigned to the Lord’s temple. They hired carpenters and craftsmen to repair the Lord’s temple, as well as those skilled in working with iron and bronze to restore the Lord’s temple. 24:13 They worked hard and made the repairs. 400 They followed the measurements specified for God’s temple and restored it. 401 24:14 When they were finished, they brought the rest of the silver to the king and Jehoiada. They used it to make items for the Lord’s temple, including items used in the temple service and for burnt sacrifices, pans, and various other gold and silver items. Throughout Jehoiada’s lifetime, burnt sacrifices were offered regularly in the Lord’s temple.
24:15 Jehoiada grew old and died at the age of 130. 402 24:16 He was buried in the City of David 403 with the kings, because he had accomplished good in Israel and for God and his temple.
24:17 After Jehoiada died, the officials of Judah visited the king and declared their loyalty to him. 404 The king listened to their advice. 405 24:18 They abandoned the temple of the Lord God of their ancestors, 406 and worshiped 407 the Asherah poles and idols. Because of this sinful activity, God was angry with Judah and Jerusalem. 24:19 The Lord sent prophets among them to lead them back to him. 408 They warned 409 the people, but they would not pay attention. 24:20 God’s Spirit energized 410 Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood up before the people and said to them, “This is what God says: ‘Why are you violating the commands of the Lord? You will not be prosperous! Because you have rejected the Lord, he has rejected you!’” 24:21 They plotted against him and by royal decree stoned him to death in the courtyard of the Lord’s temple. 24:22 King Joash disregarded 411 the loyalty his father Jehoiada had shown him and killed Jehoiada’s 412 son. As Zechariah 413 was dying, he said, “May the Lord take notice and seek vengeance!” 414
24:23 At the beginning 415 of the year the Syrian army attacked 416 Joash 417 and invaded Judah and Jerusalem. They wiped out all the leaders of the people and sent all the plunder they gathered to the king of Damascus. 24:24 Even though the invading Syrian army was relatively weak, the Lord handed over to them Judah’s very large army, 418 for the people of Judah 419 had abandoned the Lord God of their ancestors. The Syrians 420 gave Joash what he deserved. 421 24:25 When they withdrew, they left Joash 422 badly wounded. His servants plotted against him because of what he had done to 423 the son 424 of Jehoiada the priest. They murdered him on his bed. Thus 425 he died and was buried in the City of David, 426 but not in the tombs of the kings. 24:26 The conspirators were Zabad son of Shimeath (an Ammonite woman) and Jehozabad son of Shimrith (a Moabite woman).
24:27 The list of Joash’s 427 sons, the many prophetic oracles pertaining to him, and the account of his building project on God’s temple are included in the record of the Scroll of the Kings. 428 His son Amaziah replaced him as king.
25:1 Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. 429 His mother was Jehoaddan, who was from Jerusalem. 25:2 He did what the Lord approved, 430 but not with wholehearted devotion. 431
25:3 When he had secured control of the kingdom, 432 he executed the servants who had assassinated his father. 433 25:4 However, he did not execute their sons. He obeyed the Lord’s commandment as recorded in the law scroll of Moses, 434 “Fathers must not be executed for what their sons do, 435 and sons must not be executed for what their fathers do. 436 A man must be executed only for his own sin.” 437
25:5 Amaziah assembled the people of Judah 438 and assigned them by families to the commanders of units of a thousand and the commanders of units of a hundred for all Judah and Benjamin. He counted those twenty years old and up and discovered there were 300,000 young men of fighting age 439 equipped with spears and shields. 440 25:6 He hired 100,000 Israelite warriors for a hundred talents 441 of silver.
25:7 But a prophet 442 visited him and said: “O king, the Israelite troops must not go with you, for the Lord is not with Israel or any of the Ephraimites. 443 25:8 Even if you go and fight bravely in battle, God will defeat you 444 before the enemy. God is capable of helping or defeating.” 445 25:9 Amaziah asked the prophet: 446 “But what should I do about the hundred talents of silver I paid the Israelite troops?” The prophet 447 replied, “The Lord is capable of giving you more than that.” 25:10 So Amaziah dismissed the troops that had come to him from Ephraim and sent them home. 448 They were very angry at Judah and returned home incensed. 25:11 Amaziah boldly led his army to the Valley of Salt, 449 where he defeated 450 10,000 Edomites. 451 25:12 The men 452 of Judah captured 10,000 men alive. They took them to the top of a cliff and threw them over. 453 All the captives 454 fell to their death. 455 25:13 Now the troops Amaziah had dismissed and had not allowed to fight in the battle 456 raided 457 the cities of Judah from Samaria 458 to Beth Horon. They killed 459 3,000 people and carried off a large amount of plunder.
25:14 When Amaziah returned from defeating the Edomites, he brought back the gods of the people 460 of Seir and made them his personal gods. 461 He bowed down before them and offered them sacrifices. 25:15 The Lord was angry at Amaziah and sent a prophet to him, who said, “Why are you following 462 these gods 463 that could not deliver their own people from your power?” 464 25:16 While he was speaking, Amaziah 465 said to him, “Did we appoint you to be a royal counselor? Stop prophesying or else you will be killed!” 466 So the prophet stopped, but added, “I know that the Lord has decided 467 to destroy you, because you have done this thing and refused to listen to my advice.”
25:17 After King Amaziah of Judah consulted with his advisers, 468 he sent this message to the king of Israel, Joash son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, “Come, face me on the battlefield.” 469 25:18 King Joash of Israel sent this message back to King Amaziah of Judah, “A thorn bush in Lebanon sent this message to a cedar in Lebanon, ‘Give your daughter to my son as a wife.’ Then a wild animal of Lebanon came by and trampled down the thorn bush. 470 25:19 You defeated Edom 471 and it has gone to your head. 472 Gloat over your success, 473 but stay in your palace. Why bring calamity on yourself? Why bring down yourself and Judah along with you?” 474
25:20 But Amaziah did not heed the warning, 475 for God wanted to hand them over to Joash because they followed the gods of Edom. 476 25:21 So King Joash of Israel attacked. He and King Amaziah of Judah faced each other on the battlefield 477 in Beth Shemesh of Judah. 25:22 Judah was defeated by Israel, and each man ran back home. 478 25:23 King Joash of Israel captured King Amaziah of Judah, son of Joash son of Jehoahaz, in Beth Shemesh and brought him to Jerusalem. He broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate – a distance of about six hundred feet. 479 25:24 He took away all the gold and silver, all the items found in God’s temple that were in the care of Obed-Edom, the riches in the royal palace, and some hostages. Then he went back to Samaria.
25:25 King Amaziah son of Joash of Judah lived for fifteen years after the death of King Joash son of Jehoahaz of Israel. 25:26 The rest of the events of Amaziah’s reign, from start to finish, are recorded in the Scroll of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 480 25:27 From the time Amaziah turned from following the Lord, conspirators plotted against him in Jerusalem, 481 so he fled to Lachish. But they sent assassins after him 482 and they killed him there. 25:28 His body was carried back by horses, 483 and he was buried in Jerusalem with his ancestors 484 in the City of David. 485
26:1 All the people of Judah took Uzziah, 486 who was sixteen years old, and made him king in his father Amaziah’s place. 26:2 Uzziah 487 built up Elat and restored it to Judah after King Amaziah 488 had passed away. 489
26:3 Uzziah was sixteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for fifty-two years in Jerusalem. 490 His mother’s name was Jecholiah, who was from Jerusalem. 26:4 He did what the Lord approved, just as his father Amaziah had done. 491 26:5 He followed 492 God during the lifetime of 493 Zechariah, who taught him how to honor God. As long as he followed 494 the Lord, God caused him to succeed. 495
26:6 Uzziah attacked 496 the Philistines and broke down the walls of Gath, Jabneh, and Ashdod. He built cities in the region of Ashdod and throughout Philistine territory. 497 26:7 God helped him in his campaigns 498 against the Philistines, the Arabs living in Gur Baal, and the Meunites. 26:8 The Ammonites paid tribute to Uzziah and his fame reached 499 the border of Egypt, for he grew in power.
26:9 Uzziah built and fortified towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, Valley Gate, and at the Angle. 500 26:10 He built towers in the desert and dug many cisterns, for he owned many herds in the lowlands 501 and on the plain. He had workers in the fields and vineyards in the hills and in Carmel, 502 for he loved agriculture. 503
26:11 Uzziah had an army of skilled warriors trained for battle. They were organized by divisions according to the muster rolls made by Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the officer under the authority of Hananiah, a royal official. 26:12 The total number of family leaders who led warriors was 2,600. 26:13 They commanded an army of 307,500 skilled and able warriors who were ready to defend 504 the king against his enemies. 26:14 Uzziah supplied shields, spears, helmets, breastplates, bows, and slingstones for the entire army. 26:15 In Jerusalem he made war machines carefully designed to shoot arrows and large stones from the towers and corners of the walls. He became very famous, for he received tremendous support and became powerful. 505
26:16 But once he became powerful, his pride destroyed him. 506 He disobeyed 507 the Lord his God. He entered the Lord’s temple to offer incense on the incense altar. 26:17 Azariah the priest and eighty other brave priests of the Lord followed him in. 26:18 They confronted 508 King Uzziah and said to him, “It is not proper for you, Uzziah, to offer incense to the Lord. That is the responsibility of the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who are consecrated to offer incense. Leave the sanctuary, for you have disobeyed 509 and the Lord God will not honor you!” 26:19 Uzziah, who had an incense censer in his hand, became angry. While he was ranting and raving 510 at the priests, a skin disease 511 appeared on his forehead right there in front of the priests in the Lord’s temple near the incense altar. 26:20 When Azariah the high priest and the other priests looked at 512 him, there was a skin disease on his forehead. They hurried him out of there; even the king 513 himself wanted to leave quickly because the Lord had afflicted him. 26:21 King Uzziah suffered from a skin disease until the day he died. He lived in separate quarters, 514 afflicted by a skin disease and banned from the Lord’s temple. His son Jotham was in charge of the palace and ruled over the people of the land.
26:22 The rest of the events of Uzziah’s reign, from start to finish, were recorded by the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz. 515 26:23 Uzziah passed away 516 and was buried near his ancestors 517 in a cemetery 518 belonging to the kings. (This was because he had a skin disease.) 519 His son Jotham replaced him as king.
27:1 Jotham was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. 520 His mother was Jerusha the daughter of Zadok. 27:2 He did what the Lord approved, just as his father Uzziah had done. 521 (He did not, however, have the audacity to enter the temple.) 522 Yet the people were still sinning.
27:3 He built the Upper Gate to the Lord’s temple and did a lot of work on the wall in the area known as Ophel. 523 27:4 He built cities in the hill country of Judah and fortresses and towers in the forests.
27:5 He launched a military campaign 524 against the king of the Ammonites and defeated them. That year the Ammonites paid him 100 talents 525 of silver, 10,000 kors 526 of wheat, and 10,000 kors 527 of barley. The Ammonites also paid this same amount of annual tribute the next two years. 528
27:6 Jotham grew powerful because he was determined to please the Lord his God. 529 27:7 The rest of the events of Jotham’s reign, including all his military campaigns and his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll of the kings of Israel and Judah. 530 27:8 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. 27:9 Jotham passed away 531 and was buried in the City of David. 532 His son Ahaz replaced him as king.
28:1 Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. 533 He did not do what pleased the Lord, in contrast to his ancestor David. 534 28:2 He followed in the footsteps of 535 the kings of Israel; he also made images of the Baals. 28:3 He offered sacrifices in the Valley of Ben-Hinnom and passed his sons through the fire, 536 a horrible sin practiced by the nations 537 whom the Lord drove out before the Israelites. 28:4 He offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.
28:5 The Lord his God handed him over to the king of Syria. The Syrians 538 defeated him and deported many captives to Damascus. 539 He was also handed over to the king of Israel, who thoroughly defeated him. 540 28:6 In one day King Pekah son of Remaliah of Israel killed 120,000 warriors in Judah, because they had abandoned the Lord God of their ancestors. 541 28:7 Zikri, an Ephraimite warrior, killed the king’s son Maaseiah, Azrikam, the supervisor of the palace, and Elkanah, the king’s second-in-command. 28:8 The Israelites seized from their brothers 200,000 wives, sons, and daughters. They also carried off a huge amount of plunder and took it 542 back to Samaria. 543
28:9 Oded, a prophet of the Lord, was there. He went to meet the army as they arrived in Samaria and said to them: “Look, because the Lord God of your ancestors was angry with Judah he handed them over to you. You have killed them so mercilessly that God has taken notice. 544 28:10 And now you are planning 545 to enslave 546 the people 547 of Judah and Jerusalem. Yet are you not also guilty before the Lord your God? 28:11 Now listen to me! Send back those you have seized from your brothers, for the Lord is very angry at you!” 548 28:12 So some of 549 the Ephraimite family leaders, Azariah son of Jehochanan, Berechiah son of Meshillemoth, Jechizkiah son of Shallum, and Amasa son of Hadlai confronted 550 those returning from the battle. 28:13 They said to them, “Don’t bring those captives here! Are you planning on making us even more sinful and guilty before the Lord? 551 Our guilt is already great and the Lord is very angry at Israel.” 552 28:14 So the soldiers released the captives and the plunder before the officials and the entire assembly. 28:15 Men were assigned to take the prisoners and find clothes among the plunder for those who were naked. 553 So they clothed them, supplied them with sandals, gave them food and drink, and provided them with oil to rub on their skin. 554 They put the ones who couldn’t walk on donkeys. 555 They brought them back to their brothers at Jericho, 556 the city of the date palm trees, and then returned to Samaria.
28:16 At that time King Ahaz asked the king 557 of Assyria for help. 28:17 The Edomites had again invaded and defeated Judah and carried off captives. 28:18 The Philistines had raided the cities of Judah in the lowlands 558 and the Negev. They captured and settled in Beth Shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Soco and its surrounding villages, Timnah and its surrounding villages, and Gimzo and its surrounding villages. 28:19 The Lord humiliated 559 Judah because of King Ahaz of Israel, 560 for he encouraged Judah to sin and was very 561 unfaithful to the Lord. 28:20 King Tiglath-pileser 562 of Assyria came, but he gave him more trouble than support. 563 28:21 Ahaz gathered riches 564 from the Lord’s temple, the royal palace, and the officials and gave them to the king of Assyria, but that did not help.
28:22 During his time of trouble King Ahaz was even more unfaithful to the Lord. 28:23 He offered sacrifices to the gods of Damascus whom he thought had defeated him. 565 He reasoned, 566 “Since the gods of the kings of Damascus helped them, I will sacrifice to them so they will help me.” But they caused him and all Israel to stumble. 28:24 Ahaz gathered the items in God’s temple and removed them. He shut the doors of the Lord’s temple and erected altars on every street corner in Jerusalem. 28:25 In every city throughout Judah he set up high places to offer sacrifices to other gods. He angered the Lord God of his ancestors.
28:26 The rest of the events of Ahaz’s reign, including his accomplishments from start to finish, are recorded in the Scroll of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 567 28:27 Ahaz passed away 568 and was buried in the City of David; 569 they did not bring him to the tombs of the kings of Israel. His son Hezekiah replaced him as king.
29:1 Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. 570 His mother was Abijah, 571 the daughter of Zechariah. 29:2 He did what the Lord approved, just as his ancestor David had done. 572
29:3 In the first month of the first year of his reign, he opened the doors of the Lord’s temple and repaired them. 29:4 He brought in the priests and Levites and assembled them in the square on the east side. 29:5 He said to them: “Listen to me, you Levites! Now consecrate yourselves, so you can consecrate the temple of the Lord God of your ancestors! 573 Remove from the sanctuary what is ceremonially unclean! 29:6 For our fathers were unfaithful; they did what is evil in the sight of 574 the Lord our God and abandoned him! They turned 575 away from the Lord’s dwelling place and rejected him. 576 29:7 They closed the doors of the temple porch and put out the lamps; they did not offer incense or burnt sacrifices in the sanctuary of the God of Israel. 29:8 The Lord was angry at Judah and Jerusalem and made them an appalling object of horror at which people hiss out their scorn, 577 as you can see with your own eyes. 29:9 Look, our fathers died violently 578 and our sons, daughters, and wives were carried off 579 because of this. 29:10 Now I intend 580 to make a covenant with the Lord God of Israel, so that he may relent from his raging anger. 581 29:11 My sons, do not be negligent now, for the Lord has chosen you to serve in his presence and offer sacrifices.” 582
29:12 The following Levites prepared to carry out the king’s orders: 583
From the Kohathites: Mahath son of Amasai and Joel son of Azariah;
from the Merarites: Kish son of Abdi and Azariah son of Jehallelel;
from the Gershonites: Joah son of Zimmah and Eden son of Joah;
29:13 from the descendants of Elizaphan: Shimri and Jeiel;
from the descendants of Asaph: Zechariah and Mattaniah;
29:14 from the descendants of Heman: Jehiel and Shimei;
from the descendants of Jeduthun: Shemaiah and Uzziel.
29:15 They assembled their brothers and consecrated themselves. Then they went in to purify the Lord’s temple, just as the king had ordered, in accordance with the word 584 of the Lord. 29:16 The priests then entered the Lord’s temple to purify it; they brought out to the courtyard of the Lord’s temple every ceremonially unclean thing they discovered inside. 585 The Levites took them out to the Kidron Valley. 29:17 On the first day of the first month they began consecrating; by the eighth day of the month they reached the porch of the Lord’s temple. 586 For eight more days they consecrated the Lord’s temple. On the sixteenth day of the first month they were finished. 29:18 They went to King Hezekiah and said: “We have purified the entire temple of the Lord, including the altar of burnt sacrifice and all its equipment, and the table for the Bread of the Presence and all its equipment. 29:19 We have prepared and consecrated all the items that King Ahaz removed during his reign when he acted unfaithfully. They are in front of the altar of the Lord.”
29:20 Early the next morning King Hezekiah assembled the city officials and went up to the Lord’s temple. 29:21 They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven goats as a sin offering for the kingdom, the sanctuary, and Judah. 587 The king 588 told the priests, the descendants of Aaron, to offer burnt sacrifices on the altar of the Lord. 29:22 They slaughtered the bulls, and the priests took the blood and splashed it on the altar. Then they slaughtered the rams and splashed the blood on the altar; next they slaughtered the lambs and splashed the blood on the altar. 29:23 Finally they brought the goats for the sin offering before the king and the assembly, and they placed their hands on them. 29:24 Then the priests slaughtered them. They offered their blood as a sin offering on the altar to make atonement for all Israel, because the king had decreed 589 that the burnt sacrifice and sin offering were for all Israel.
29:25 King Hezekiah 590 stationed the Levites in the Lord’s temple with cymbals and stringed instruments, just as David, Gad the king’s prophet, 591 and Nathan the prophet had ordered. (The Lord had actually given these orders through his prophets.) 29:26 The Levites had 592 David’s musical instruments and the priests had trumpets. 29:27 Hezekiah ordered the burnt sacrifice to be offered on the altar. As they began to offer the sacrifice, they also began to sing to the Lord, accompanied by the trumpets and the musical instruments of King David of Israel. 29:28 The entire assembly worshiped, as the singers sang and the trumpeters played. They continued until the burnt sacrifice was completed.
29:29 When the sacrifices were completed, the king and all who were with him bowed down and worshiped. 29:30 King Hezekiah and the officials told the Levites to praise the Lord, using the psalms 593 of David and Asaph the prophet. 594 So they joyfully offered praise and bowed down and worshiped. 29:31 Hezekiah said, “Now you have consecrated yourselves 595 to the Lord. Come and bring sacrifices and thank offerings 596 to the Lord’s temple.” So the assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and whoever desired to do so 597 brought burnt sacrifices.
29:32 The assembly brought a total of 70 bulls, 100 rams, and 200 lambs as burnt sacrifices to the Lord, 598 29:33 and 600 bulls and 3,000 sheep 599 were consecrated. 29:34 But there were not enough priests to skin all the animals, 600 so their brothers, the Levites, helped them until the work was finished and the priests could consecrate themselves. (The Levites had been more conscientious about consecrating themselves than the priests.) 601 29:35 There was a large number of burnt sacrifices, as well as fat from the peace offerings and drink offerings that accompanied the burnt sacrifices. So the service of the Lord’s temple was reinstituted. 602 29:36 Hezekiah and all the people were happy about what God had done 603 for them, 604 for it had been done quickly. 605
30:1 Hezekiah sent messages throughout Israel and Judah; he even wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, summoning them to come to the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem 606 and observe a Passover celebration for the Lord God of Israel. 30:2 The king, his officials, and the entire assembly in Jerusalem decided to observe the Passover in the second month. 30:3 They were unable to observe it at the regular 607 time because not enough priests had consecrated themselves and the people had not assembled in Jerusalem. 30:4 The proposal seemed appropriate to 608 the king and the entire assembly. 30:5 So they sent an edict 609 throughout Israel from Beer Sheba to Dan, summoning the people 610 to come and observe a Passover for the Lord God of Israel in Jerusalem, for they had not observed it on a nationwide scale as prescribed in the law. 611 30:6 Messengers 612 delivered the letters from the king and his officials throughout Israel and Judah.
This royal edict read: 613 “O Israelites, return to the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, so he may return 614 to you who have been spared from the kings of Assyria. 615 30:7 Don’t be like your fathers and brothers who were unfaithful to the Lord God of their ancestors, 616 provoking him to destroy them, 617 as you can see. 30:8 Now, don’t be stubborn 618 like your fathers! Submit 619 to the Lord and come to his sanctuary which he has permanently consecrated. Serve the Lord your God so that he might relent from his raging anger. 620 30:9 For if you return to the Lord, your brothers and sons will be shown mercy by their captors and return to this land. The Lord your God is merciful and compassionate; he will not reject you 621 if you return to him.”
30:10 The messengers journeyed from city to city through the land of Ephraim and Manasseh as far as Zebulun, but people mocked and ridiculed them. 622 30:11 But some men from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. 30:12 In Judah God moved the people to unite and carry out the edict the king and the officers had issued at the Lord’s command. 623 30:13 A huge crowd assembled in Jerusalem to observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the second month. 624 30:14 They removed the altars in Jerusalem; they also removed all the incense altars and threw them into the Kidron Valley. 625
30:15 They slaughtered the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the second month. The priests and Levites were ashamed, so they consecrated themselves and brought burnt sacrifices to the Lord’s temple. 30:16 They stood at their posts according to the regulations outlined in the law of Moses, the man of God. The priests were splashing the blood as the Levites handed it to them. 626 30:17 Because many in the assembly had not consecrated themselves, the Levites slaughtered 627 the Passover lambs of all who were ceremonially unclean and could not consecrate their sacrifice to the Lord. 628 30:18 The majority of the many people from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun were ceremonially unclean, yet they ate the Passover in violation of what is prescribed in the law. 629 For Hezekiah prayed for them, saying: “May the Lord, who is good, forgive 630 30:19 everyone who has determined to follow God, 631 the Lord God of his ancestors, even if he is not ceremonially clean according to the standards of the temple.” 632 30:20 The Lord responded favorably 633 to Hezekiah and forgave 634 the people.
30:21 The Israelites who were in Jerusalem observed the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days with great joy. The Levites and priests were praising the Lord every day with all their might. 635 30:22 Hezekiah expressed his appreciation to all the Levites, 636 who demonstrated great skill in serving the Lord. 637 They feasted for the seven days of the festival, 638 and were making peace offerings and giving thanks to the Lord God of their ancestors.
30:23 The entire assembly then decided to celebrate for seven more days; so they joyfully celebrated for seven more days. 30:24 King Hezekiah of Judah supplied 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep 639 for the assembly, while the officials supplied them 640 with 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep. Many priests consecrated themselves. 30:25 The celebration included 641 the entire assembly of Judah, the priests, the Levites, the entire assembly of those who came from Israel, the resident foreigners who came from the land of Israel, and the residents of Judah. 30:26 There was a great celebration in Jerusalem, unlike anything that had occurred in Jerusalem since the time of King Solomon son of David of Israel. 642 30:27 The priests and Levites got up and pronounced blessings on the people. The Lord responded favorably to them 643 as their prayers reached his holy dwelling place in heaven.
31:1 When all this was over, the Israelites 644 who were in the cities of Judah went out and smashed the sacred pillars, cut down the Asherah poles, and demolished 645 all the high places and altars throughout Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh. 646 Then all the Israelites returned to their own homes in their cities. 647
31:2 Hezekiah appointed the divisions of the priests and Levites to do their assigned tasks 648 – to offer burnt sacrifices and present offerings and to serve, give thanks, and offer praise in the gates of the Lord’s sanctuary. 649
31:3 The king contributed 650 some of what he owned for burnt sacrifices, including the morning and evening burnt sacrifices and the burnt sacrifices made on Sabbaths, new moon festivals, and at other appointed times prescribed 651 in the law of the Lord. 31:4 He ordered 652 the people living in Jerusalem 653 to contribute the portion prescribed for the priests and Levites so they might be obedient 654 to the law of the Lord. 31:5 When the edict was issued, 655 the Israelites freely contributed 656 the initial portion of their grain, wine, olive oil, honey, and all the produce of their fields. They brought a tenth of everything, which added up to a huge amount. 31:6 The Israelites and people of Judah 657 who lived in the cities of Judah also contributed a tenth of their cattle and sheep, as well as a tenth of the holy items consecrated to the Lord their God. They brought them and placed them in many heaps. 658 31:7 In the third month they began piling their contributions in heaps 659 and finished in the seventh month. 31:8 When Hezekiah and the officials came and saw the heaps, they praised the Lord and pronounced blessings on his people Israel. 660
31:9 When Hezekiah asked the priests and Levites about the heaps, 31:10 Azariah, the head priest from the family of Zadok, said to him, “Since the contributions began arriving in the Lord’s temple, we have had plenty to eat and have a large quantity left over. For the Lord has blessed his people, and this large amount remains.” 31:11 Hezekiah ordered that storerooms be prepared in the Lord’s temple. When this was done, 661 31:12 they brought in the contributions, tithes, 662 and consecrated items that had been offered. 663 Konaniah, a Levite, was in charge of all this, assisted by his brother Shimei. 31:13 Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismakiah, Mahath, and Benaiah worked under the supervision of Konaniah and his brother Shimei, as directed by King Hezekiah and Azariah, the supervisor of God’s temple.
31:14 Kore son of Imnah, a Levite and the guard on the east side, was in charge of the voluntary offerings made to God and disbursed the contributions made to the Lord and the consecrated items. 31:15 In the cities of the priests, Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah faithfully assisted him in making disbursements to their fellow priests 664 according to their divisions, regardless of age. 665 31:16 They made disbursements to all the males three years old and up who were listed in the genealogical records – to all who would enter the Lord’s temple to serve on a daily basis and fulfill their duties as assigned to their divisions. 666 31:17 They made disbursements to the priests listed in the genealogical records by their families, and to the Levites twenty years old and up, according to their duties as assigned to their divisions, 31:18 and to all the infants, wives, sons, and daughters of the entire assembly listed in the genealogical records, for they faithfully consecrated themselves. 31:19 As for the descendants of Aaron, the priests who lived in the outskirts of all their cities, 667 men were assigned 668 to disburse portions to every male among the priests and to every Levite listed in the genealogical records.
31:20 This is what Hezekiah did throughout Judah. He did what the Lord his God considered good and right and faithful. 31:21 He wholeheartedly and successfully reinstituted service in God’s temple and obedience to the law, in order to follow his God. 669
[10:1] 2 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Rehoboam) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[10:3] 3 tn Heb “They sent and called for him.”
[10:4] 4 tn Heb “made our yoke burdensome.”
[10:4] 5 tn Heb “but you, now, lighten the burdensome work of your father and the heavy yoke which he placed on us, and we will serve you.” In the Hebrew text the prefixed verbal form with vav (וְנַעַבְדֶךָ, vÿna’avdekha, “and we will serve you”) following the imperative (הָקֵל, haqel, “lighten”) indicates purpose/result. The conditional sentence used in the present translation is an attempt to bring out the logical relationship between these forms.
[10:6] 6 tn Heb “stood before.”
[10:7] 8 tn Heb “If today you are for good to these people and you are favorable to them and speak to them good words, they will be your servants all the days.”
[10:8] 9 tn Heb “Rehoboam rejected the advice of the elders which they advised and he consulted the young men with whom he had grown up, who stood before him.”
[10:9] 10 tn Heb “Lighten the yoke which your father placed on us.”
[10:10] 11 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Rehoboam) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[10:10] 12 tn Heb “Your father made our yoke heavy, but make it lighter upon us.”
[10:10] 13 tn Heb “My little one is thicker than my father’s hips.” The referent of “my little one” is not clear. The traditional view is that it refers to the little finger (so NEB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT). As the following statement makes clear, Rehoboam’s point is that he is more harsh and demanding than his father.
[10:11] 14 tn Heb “and now my father placed upon you a heavy yoke, but I will add to your yoke.”
[10:11] 15 tn Heb “My father punished you with whips, but I [will punish you] with scorpions.” “Scorpions” might allude to some type of torture, but more likely it refers to a type of whip that inflicts an especially biting, painful wound.
[10:13] 16 tn Heb “Rehoboam.” The pronoun “he” has been used in the translation in place of the proper name in keeping with contemporary English style.
[10:14] 17 tc The Hebrew text reads, “I will make heavy your yoke,” but many medieval Hebrew
[10:14] 18 tn Heb “but I will add to your yoke.”
[10:14] 19 tn Heb “My father punished you with whips, but I [will punish you] with scorpions.” “Scorpions” might allude to some type of torture, but more likely it refers to a type of whip that inflicts an especially biting, painful wound.
[10:15] 20 tn Heb “because this turn of events was from God.”
[10:15] 21 tn Heb “so that the
[10:16] 22 sn The people’s point seems to be that they have no familial relationship with David that brings them any benefits or places upon them any obligations. They are being treated like outsiders.
[10:16] 23 tn Heb “each one to your tents, Israel.” The word “return” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[10:16] 24 tn Heb “Now see your house, David.”
[10:16] 25 tn Heb “went to their tents.”
[10:18] 26 sn In the parallel account in 1 Kgs 12:18 this name appears as “Adoniram.”
[10:18] 27 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[11:1] 28 tn Heb “he summoned the house of Judah and Benjamin, 180,000 chosen men, accomplished in war.”
[11:2] 29 tn Heb “and the word of the
[11:4] 30 tn Heb “for his thing is from me.”
[11:4] 31 tn Heb “and they heard the words of the
[11:5] 32 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[11:6] 33 map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.
[11:12] 34 tn Heb “he strengthened them greatly, very much.”
[11:13] 35 tn Heb “and the priests and the Levites who were in all Israel supported him from all their territory.”
[11:15] 36 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jeroboam) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[11:15] 37 tn Heb “for the high places.”
[11:15] 38 tn Heb “and for the goats and for the calves he had made.”
[11:16] 39 tn Heb “and after them from all the tribes of Israel, the ones giving their heart[s] to seek the
[11:17] 41 tn Or “strengthened.”
[11:17] 42 tn Or “strengthened.”
[11:17] 43 tn Heb “they walked in the way of.”
[11:18] 44 tn Heb “took for himself a wife.”
[11:18] 45 tn The words “and of” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
[11:21] 46 sn Concubines were slave women in ancient Near Eastern societies who were the legal property of their master, but who could have legitimate sexual relations with their master. A concubine’s status was more elevated than a mere servant, but she was not free and did not have the legal rights of a free wife. The children of a concubine could, in some instances, become equal heirs with the children of the free wife. After the period of the Judges concubines may have become more of a royal prerogative (2 Sam 21:10-14; 1 Kgs 11:3).
[11:22] 47 tn Heb “and Rehoboam appointed for a head Abijah son of Maacah for ruler among his brothers, indeed to make him king.”
[11:23] 48 tn Heb “and he was discerning and broke up from all his sons to all the lands of Judah and Benjamin, to all the fortified cities.”
[11:23] 49 tn “and he asked for a multitude of wives.”
[12:5] 50 tn Heb “also I have rejected you into the hand of Shishak.”
[12:6] 51 tn Or “fair,” meaning the
[12:7] 52 tn Heb “the word of the
[12:7] 53 tn Heb “and I will give to them soon deliverance.”
[12:7] 54 tn Or “gush forth upon.”
[12:7] 55 tn Heb “by the hand of.”
[12:8] 56 tn Heb “so they may know my service and the service of the kingdoms of the lands.”
[12:10] 57 tn Heb “runners” (also in v. 11).
[12:11] 58 tn Heb “to the chamber of the runners.”
[12:12] 59 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Rehoboam) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[12:12] 60 tn Heb “the anger of the
[12:12] 61 tn Heb “and also in Judah there were good things.”
[12:13] 62 tn Heb “and the king, Rehoboam, strengthened himself in Jerusalem and ruled.”
[12:13] 63 tn Heb “Rehoboam.” The recurrence of the proper name here is redundant in terms of contemporary English style, so the pronoun has been used in the translation instead.
[12:13] 64 tn Heb “the city where the
[12:13] 65 tn Heb “his”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[12:14] 66 tn Heb “because he did not set his heart to seek the
[12:15] 67 tn Heb “As for the events of Rehoboam, the former and the latter, are they not written?”
[12:16] 68 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[12:16] 69 sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
[13:2] 70 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[13:2] 71 tn The parallel text in 1 Kgs 15:1 identifies his mother as “Maacah, the daughter of Abishalom” [=Absalom, 2 Chr 11:20). Although most English versions identify the mother’s father as Uriel of Gibeah, a number of English versions substitute the name “Maacah” here for the mother (e.g., NIV, NCV, CEV, NLT).
[13:3] 72 tn Heb “and Abijah bound [i.e., began] the battle with a force of warriors, four hundred thousand chosen men.”
[13:3] 73 tn Heb “and Jeroboam arranged with him [for] battle with eight hundred thousand chosen men, strong warrior[s].”
[13:5] 74 tn Heb “Do you not know that the
[13:7] 75 tn Heb “empty men, sons of wickedness.”
[13:7] 76 tn Heb “strengthened themselves.”
[13:7] 77 tn Heb “a young man and tender of heart.”
[13:8] 78 tn Heb “the kingdom of the
[13:8] 79 tn Or “horde”; or “multitude.”
[13:9] 80 tn In the Hebrew text this is phrased as a rhetorical question, “Did you not banish?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course you did,” the force of which is reflected in the translation “But you banished.”
[13:9] 81 tn Heb “whoever comes to fill his hand with a bull of a son of cattle, and seven rams, and he is a priest to no-gods.”
[13:10] 82 tn Heb “and priests serving the
[13:12] 84 tn Heb “and his priests and the trumpets of the war alarm [are ready] to sound out against you.”
[13:12] 85 tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 18).
[13:13] 86 tn Heb “and Jeroboam had caused to circle around an ambush to come from behind them.”
[13:14] 88 tn Heb “and Judah turned, and, look, to them [was] the battle in front and behind.”
[13:15] 89 tn Heb “shouted out.”
[13:16] 91 tn Heb “them”; the referent (the men of Judah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[13:17] 92 tn Heb “struck them down with a great striking down.”
[13:17] 93 tn Heb “and [the] slain from Israel fell, five hundred thousand chosen men.”
[13:18] 94 tn Heb “at that time.”
[13:19] 95 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
[13:20] 96 tn Heb “and the strength of Jeroboam was not retained again in the days of Abijah.”
[13:21] 97 tn Heb “lifted up for himself.”
[13:22] 98 tn Heb “and his ways and his words.”
[14:1] 99 sn Beginning with 14:1, the verse numbers through 14:15 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 14:1 ET = 13:23 HT, 14:2 ET = 14:1 HT, 14:3 ET = 14:2 HT, etc., through 14:15 ET = 14:14 HT. Beginning with 15:1 the verse numbers in the ET and HT are again the same.
[14:1] 100 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[14:1] 101 sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
[14:1] 102 tn Heb “in his days.”
[14:2] 103 tn Heb “and Asa did the good and the right in the eyes of the
[14:3] 104 tn Heb “the altars of the foreigner.”
[14:3] 105 sn Asherah poles. A leading deity of the Canaanite pantheon was Asherah, wife/sister of El and goddess of fertility. She was commonly worshiped at shrines in or near groves of evergreen trees, or, failing that, at places marked by wooden poles (Hebrew אֲשֵׁרִים [’asherim], as here). They were to be burned or cut down (Deut 7:5; 12:3; 16:21; Judg 6:25, 28, 30; 2 Kgs 18:4).
[14:4] 107 tn Heb “the law and the command.”
[14:5] 108 tn Heb “before him.”
[14:7] 109 tn The words “the people of” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The Hebrew text uses the name “Judah” by metonymy for the people of Judah.
[14:7] 110 tn Heb “and we will surround [them] with wall[s] and towers, doors, and bars.”
[14:7] 112 tn Heb “and he has given us rest all around.”
[14:7] 113 tn The words “the cities” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
[14:9] 114 tn Heb “a thousand thousands.”
[14:11] 115 tn Heb “called out.”
[14:11] 116 tn Heb “there is not with you to help between many with regard to [the one] without strength.”
[14:11] 117 tn Heb “and in your name we have come against this multitude.”
[14:11] 118 tn Heb “let not man retain [strength] with you.”
[14:13] 119 tn Heb “and there fell from the Cushites so that there was not to them preservation of life.”
[14:13] 120 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the men of Judah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[14:14] 121 tn Heb “for the terror of the
[14:14] 122 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the men of Judah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[14:14] 123 tn Heb “for great plunder was in them.”
[14:15] 124 tn Heb “and also they struck down the tents of the livestock.”
[14:15] 125 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[15:2] 126 tn Heb “went out before.”
[15:2] 127 tn Heb “when you are with him.”
[15:2] 128 tn Heb “he will allow himself to be found by you.”
[15:3] 129 tn Heb “Many days.”
[15:4] 130 tn Heb “and he allowed himself to be found by them.”
[15:5] 132 tn Heb “there was peace for the one going out or the one coming in.”
[15:5] 133 tn Heb “for great confusion was upon all the inhabitants of the lands.”
[15:6] 134 tn Heb “threw them into confusion with all distress.”
[15:7] 135 tn Heb “and let not your hands drop.”
[15:7] 136 tn Heb “for there is payment for your work.”
[15:8] 137 tn Heb “strengthened himself.”
[15:8] 138 tn Heb “the porch of the
[15:9] 139 tn Or “resident aliens.”
[15:9] 140 tn Heb “had fallen upon him.”
[15:11] 141 tn Or “In that day.”
[15:11] 142 tn The Hebrew term צֹאן (tso’n) denotes smaller livestock in general; depending on context it can refer to sheep only or goats only, but their is nothing in the immediate context here to specify one or the other.
[15:12] 143 tn Heb “entered into a covenant.”
[15:13] 145 tn Heb “whether small or great.”
[15:14] 146 tn Heb “with a loud voice and with a shout and with trumpets and with horns.”
[15:15] 147 tn Heb “and with all their desire they sought him and he allowed himself to be found by them.”
[15:15] 148 tn Heb “and the
[15:16] 149 tn Heb “mother,” but Hebrew often uses “father” and “mother” for grandparents and even more remote ancestors.
[15:16] 150 tn The Hebrew term גְּבִירָה (gÿvirah) can denote “queen” or “queen mother” depending on the context. Here the latter is indicated, since Maacah was the wife of Rehoboam and mother of Abijah.
[15:17] 151 tn Heb “yet the heart of Asa was complete all his days.”
[15:18] 152 tn Heb “and he brought the holy things of his father and his holy things [into] the house of God, silver, gold, and items.”
[16:1] 153 tn Heb “and he built up Ramah so as to not permit going out or coming in to Asa king of Judah.”
[16:3] 154 tn Heb “[May there be] a covenant between me and you [as there was] between my father and your father.”
[16:3] 155 tn Heb “so he will go up from upon me.”
[16:4] 156 tn Heb “and Ben Hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of the armies which belonged to him against the cities of Israel.”
[16:4] 157 tn Heb “They struck down.”
[16:4] 158 sn In the parallel passage in 1 Kgs 15:20, this city’s name appears as Abel Beth Maacah. These appear to be variant names for the same place.
[16:5] 160 tn Heb “and he caused his work to cease.”
[16:6] 161 tn Heb “and King Asa took all Judah and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its wood which Baasha had built.”
[16:6] 162 tn Heb “and he built with them.”
[16:9] 165 tn Heb “the eyes of the
[16:9] 166 tn Heb “to strengthen himself with their heart, [the one] complete toward him.”
[16:10] 167 tn Heb “and Asa was angry at the seer, and he put him [in] the house of stocks, because of his rage with him over this.”
[16:11] 168 tn Heb “Look, the events of Asa, the former and the latter, look, they are written on the scroll of the kings of Judah and Israel.”
[16:12] 169 tn Heb “became sick in his feet.”
[16:12] 170 tn Heb “unto upwards [i.e., very severe [was] his sickness, and even in his sickness he did not seek the
[16:13] 171 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers, and he died.”
[16:14] 172 sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
[16:14] 173 tn Heb “and they burned for him a large fire, very great.”
[17:1] 174 tn Heb “and strengthened himself over Israel.”
[17:2] 175 tn Or perhaps, “governors.”
[17:3] 177 tn Heb “for he walked in the ways of David his father [in] the beginning [times].”
[17:4] 179 tn Heb “walked in.”
[17:4] 180 tn Heb “and not like the behavior of Israel.”
[17:5] 181 tn Heb “established the kingdom in his hand.”
[17:5] 182 tn Heb “and he had wealth and honor in abundance.”
[17:6] 183 tn Heb “and his heart was high in the ways of the
[17:10] 184 tn Heb “and the terror of the
[17:13] 185 tn Heb “and many supplies were his in the cities of Judah, and men of war, warriors of skill in Jerusalem.”
[17:14] 186 tn Or perhaps “from Judah, commanders of the thousands.”
[18:2] 187 tn Heb “at the end of years.”
[18:2] 188 tn The word “visit” is supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
[18:2] 189 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[18:2] 190 tn Heb “and Ahab slaughtered for him sheep and cattle in abundance, and for the people who were with him.”
[18:3] 192 tn Heb “Like me, like you; and like your people, my people; and with you in battle.”
[18:4] 193 tn Heb “and Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel.”
[18:4] 194 tn Heb “the word of the
[18:5] 195 tn Heb “Should we go against Ramoth Gilead for war or should I refrain?”
[18:5] 196 tn Though Jehoshaphat had requested an oracle from “the
[18:7] 197 tn Heb “to seek the
[18:7] 199 tn Heb “all his days.”
[18:7] 200 tn The words “his name is” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[18:9] 201 tn Heb “at,” which in this case probably means “near.”
[18:12] 202 tn Heb “the words of the prophets are [with] one mouth good for the king.”
[18:12] 203 tn Heb “let your words be like one of them and speak good.”
[18:14] 204 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Micaiah) has been specified in the translation both for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
[18:14] 205 sn One does not expect Micaiah, having just vowed to speak only what the
[18:15] 206 tn Or “swear an oath by.”
[18:16] 207 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Micaiah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:18] 208 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Micaiah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:20] 209 tn Heb “the spirit.” The significance of the article prefixed to רוּחַ (ruakh) is uncertain, but it could contain a clue as to this spirit’s identity, especially when interpreted in light of verse 23. It is certainly possible, and probably even likely, that the article is used in a generic or dramatic sense and should be translated, “a spirit.” In the latter case it would show that this spirit was vivid and definite in the mind of Micaiah the storyteller. However, if one insists that the article indicates a well-known or universally known spirit, the following context provides a likely referent. Verse 23 tells how Zedekiah slapped Micaiah in the face and then asked sarcastically, “Which way did the spirit from the
[18:21] 210 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the
[18:21] 211 tn The Hebrew text has two imperfects connected by וְגַם (vÿgam). These verbs could be translated as specific futures, “you will deceive and also you will prevail,” in which case the
[18:26] 212 tn Heb “the bread of affliction and the water of affliction.”
[18:29] 214 tn The Hebrew verbal forms could be imperatives (“Disguise yourself and enter”), but this would make no sense in light of the immediately following context. The forms are better interpreted as infinitives absolute functioning as cohortatives (see IBHS 594 §35.5.2a). Some prefer to emend the forms to imperfects.
[18:30] 215 tn Heb “small or great.”
[18:33] 216 tn Heb “now a man drew a bow in his innocence” (i.e., with no specific target in mind, or at least without realizing his target was the king of Israel).
[18:33] 217 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[19:1] 219 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[19:2] 221 tn Heb “went out to his face.”
[19:2] 222 tn Heb “and love those who hate the
[19:2] 223 tn Heb “and because of this upon you is anger from before the
[19:3] 224 tn Heb “nevertheless good things are found with you.”
[19:3] 225 tn Here בָּעַר (ba’ar) is not the well attested verb “burn,” but the less common homonym meaning “devastate, sweep away, remove.” See HALOT 146 s.v. II בער.
[19:3] 226 tn Heb “and you set your heart to seek the
[19:4] 227 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[19:4] 228 tn Heb “and turned them back to.”
[19:5] 230 tn Heb “in all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city.”
[19:6] 231 tn Heb “see what you are doing.”
[19:7] 232 tn Heb “and now let the terror of the
[19:8] 233 tn Heb “for the judgment of the
[19:8] 234 tc Heb “and to conduct a case [or “for controversy”], and they returned [to] Jerusalem.” Some emend וַיָּשֻׁבוּ (vayyashuvu, “and they returned”) to וַיֵּשְׁבוּ (vayyeshÿvu, “and they lived [in]”). The present translation assumes an emendation to יֹשְׁבֵי (yoshÿvey, “residents of”).
[19:9] 235 tn Heb “This you must do with the fear of the
[19:10] 236 tn Heb “and every case which comes to you from your brothers who live in their cities.”
[19:10] 237 tn Heb “between blood pertaining to blood.”
[19:10] 238 tn Heb “and anger will be upon you and your brothers; do this and you will not be guilty.”
[19:11] 239 tn Heb “and look, Amariah the chief priest is over you with respect to every matter of the
[19:11] 240 tn Heb “Be strong and act!”
[20:1] 241 tc The Hebrew text has “Ammonites,” but they are mentioned just before this. Most translations, following some
[20:2] 242 tn Heb “they”; the implied referent (messengers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[20:2] 243 tn Heb “the Sea”; in context (“from the direction of Edom”) this must refer to the Dead Sea, which has been specified in the translation for clarity (cf. NEB, NLT).
[20:2] 244 tc Most Hebrew
[20:3] 245 tn Heb “and he set his face to seek the
[20:4] 246 tn The words “the people of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew text uses the name “Judah” by metonymy for the people of Judah.
[20:4] 247 tn Heb “to seek from the
[20:4] 248 tn Heb “to seek the
[20:5] 249 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[20:6] 250 tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 33).
[20:6] 251 tn Heb “are you not God in heaven?” The rhetorical question expects the answer “yes,” resulting in the positive statement “you are the God who lives in heaven” employed in the translation.
[20:7] 252 tn Heb “did you not drive out?” This is another rhetorical question which expects a positive response; see the note on the word “heaven” in the previous verse.
[20:7] 253 tn Heb “permanently.”
[20:7] 254 tn Or perhaps “your covenantal partner.” See Isa 41:8.
[20:8] 256 tn Heb “for your name.” The word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor (thus the translation here, “to honor you
[20:9] 258 tn Heb “for your name is in this house.” The “name” of the
[20:9] 259 tn Or “so that you may.”
[20:10] 260 tn Heb “now, look, the sons of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir.”
[20:10] 261 tn Heb “whom you did not allow Israel to enter when they came from the land of Egypt.”
[20:12] 262 tn Heb “for [or “indeed”] upon you are our eyes.”
[20:13] 263 tn Heb “Judah.” The words “the men of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew text uses the name “Judah” by metonymy for the men of Judah.
[20:15] 264 tn Heb “all Judah.” The words “you people of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew text uses the name “Judah” by metonymy for the people of Judah. Unlike the previous instance in v. 13 where infants, wives, and children are mentioned separately, this reference appears to include them all.
[20:15] 265 tn Or perhaps “don’t get discouraged.”
[20:17] 267 tn Heb “the deliverance of the
[20:17] 268 tn Or perhaps “don’t get discouraged.”
[20:18] 269 tn Heb “all Judah.” The words “you people of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. See the note on the word “Judah” in v. 15.
[20:18] 270 tn Heb “to worship the
[20:19] 271 tn Heb “arose to praise the
[20:20] 272 tn Heb “O Judah.” The words “you people of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. See the note on the word “Judah” in v. 15.
[20:20] 273 tn There is a wordplay in the Hebrew text. The Hiphil verb form הַאֲמִינוּ (ha’aminu, “trust”) and the Niphal form תֵאָמֵנוּ (te’amenu, “you will be safe”) come from the same verbal root (אָמַן, ’aman).
[20:21] 274 tn Or “consulted.”
[20:21] 275 tn Or “is eternal.”
[20:22] 276 tn Heb “set ambushers against.” This is probably idiomatic here for launching a surprise attack.
[20:22] 277 tn Heb “the sons of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir.”
[20:23] 278 tn Heb “the sons of Ammon and Moab stood against the residents of Mount Seir.”
[20:23] 279 tn Heb “to annihilate and to destroy.”
[20:23] 280 tn Heb “residents.”
[20:23] 281 tn Heb “they helped, each one his fellow, for destruction.” The verb עָזַר (’azar), traditionally understood as the well-attested verb meaning “to help,” is an odd fit in this context. It is possible that it is from a homonymic root, perhaps meaning to “attack.” This root is attested in Ugaritic in a nominal form meaning “young man, warrior, hero.” For a discussion of the proposed root, see HALOT 811 s.v. II עזר.
[20:24] 282 tn Heb “Judah.” The words “the men of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew text uses the name “Judah” by metonymy for the men of Judah.
[20:24] 283 tn Heb “turned toward.”
[20:25] 285 tc The MT reads פְגָרִים (fÿgarim, “corpses”), but this seems odd among a list of plunder. A few medieval Hebrew
[20:25] 286 tn Heb “and they snatched away for themselves so that there was no carrying away.”
[20:25] 287 tn Heb “and they were three days looting the plunder for it was great.”
[20:26] 288 tn Heb “for there.”
[20:26] 289 sn The name Berachah, which means “blessing” in Hebrew, is derived from the verbal root “to praise [or “to bless”],” which appears earlier in the verse.
[20:29] 290 tn Heb “and the terror of God [or “a great terror”] was upon all the kingdoms of the lands.” It is uncertain if אֱלֹהִים (’elohim) should be understood as a proper name here (“God”), or taken in an idiomatic superlative sense.
[20:30] 291 tn Heb “and his God gave him rest all around.”
[20:31] 292 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[20:32] 293 tn Heb “he walked in the way of his father Asa and did not turn from it, doing what is right in the eyes of the
[20:33] 294 tn Heb “and still the people did not set their heart[s] on the God of their fathers.”
[20:34] 295 tn Heb “the rest of the events of Jehoshaphat, the former and the latter, look, they are written in the records of Jehu son of Hanani, which are taken up in the scroll of the kings of Israel.”
[20:35] 296 tn Heb “he.” The pronoun has been translated as a relative pronoun for stylistic reasons.
[20:36] 297 tn Heb “he made an alliance with him.”
[20:36] 298 tn Heb “make ships to go to Tarshish.” This probably refers to large ships either made in or capable of traveling to the distant western port of Tarshish; a “Tarshish-ship” was essentially a large seagoing merchant ship.
[20:37] 300 tn Heb “to go to Tarshish.”
[21:1] 301 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[21:1] 302 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 10, 12, 19).
[21:1] 303 sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
[21:1] 304 tn The parallel account in 2 Kgs 8:16-24 has the variant spelling “Jehoram.”
[21:2] 305 sn A number of times in 2 Chronicles “Israel” is used instead of the more specific “Judah”; see 2 Chr 12:6; 23:2). In the interest of consistency some translations (e.g., NAB, NRSV) substitute “Judah” for “Israel” here.
[21:4] 306 tn Heb “and Jehoram arose over the kingdom of his father and strengthened himself.”
[21:4] 307 tn Heb “and he killed all his brothers with the sword.”
[21:5] 308 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[21:6] 309 tn Heb “he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab did, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife.”
[21:6] 310 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[21:7] 313 tn Heb “which he made to David, just as he had promised to give him and his sons a lamp all the days.” Here “lamp” is metaphorical, symbolizing the Davidic dynasty.
[21:8] 314 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Jehoram) has been specified in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
[21:8] 315 tn Heb “in his days Edom rebelled from under the hand of Judah and enthroned a king over them.”
[21:9] 316 tc Heb “and he arose at night and defeated Edom, who had surrounded him, and the chariot officers.” The Hebrew text as it stands gives the impression that Jehoram was surrounded and launched a victorious nighttime counterattack. Yet v. 10 goes on to state that the Edomite revolt was successful. The translation above assumes an emendation of the Hebrew text. Adding a third masculine singular pronominal suffix to the accusative sign before Edom (reading אֹתוֹ [’oto, “him”] instead of just אֶת [’et]) and taking Edom as the subject of verbs allows one to translate the verse in a way that is more consistent with the context, which depicts an Israelite defeat, not victory. See also 2 Kgs 8:21.
[21:10] 317 tn Heb “and Edom rebelled from under the hand of Judah until this day.”
[21:10] 318 tn Or “from Jehoram’s control”; Heb “from under his hand.” The pronominal suffix may refer to Judah in general or, more specifically, to Jehoram.
[21:10] 319 tn Heb “he.” This pronoun could refer to Judah, but the context focuses on Jehoram’s misdeeds. See especially v. 11.
[21:11] 320 tn Heb “and he caused the residents of Jerusalem to commit adultery.” In this context spiritual unfaithfulness to the
[21:11] 321 tn Heb “and drove Judah away.”
[21:12] 322 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jehoram) has been specified in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
[21:12] 323 tn Heb “Because you…” In the Hebrew text this lengthy sentence is completed in vv. 14-15. Because of its length and complexity (and the tendency of contemporary English to use shorter sentences), the translation has divided it up into several English sentences.
[21:12] 324 tn Heb “walked in the ways.”
[21:12] 325 tn Heb “in the ways of.”
[21:13] 326 tn Heb “and you walked in the way of the kings of Israel and caused Judah and the residents of Jerusalem to commit adultery, like the house of Ahab causes to commit adultery.”
[21:13] 327 tn Heb “the house of your father.”
[21:14] 328 tn Heb “to strike with a great striking.”
[21:15] 329 tn Heb “and you [will have] a serious illness, an illness of the intestines until your intestines come out because of the illness days upon days.”
[21:16] 330 tn Heb “the spirit of the Philistines.”
[21:17] 331 tn Heb “broke it up.”
[21:17] 332 tn Heb “all the property which was found in the house of the king.”
[21:18] 333 tn Heb “in his intestines with an illness [for which] there was no healer.”
[21:19] 334 tn Heb “and it was to days from days, and about the time of the going out of the end for the days, two, his intestines came out with his illness and he died in severe illness.”
[21:19] 335 tn Heb “and his people did not make for him a fire, like the fire of his fathers.”
[21:20] 336 tn Heb “and he went without desire.”
[21:20] 337 sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
[22:1] 338 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[22:1] 339 tn Heb “for all the older [ones] the raiding party that came with the Arabs to the camp had killed.”
[22:2] 340 tc Heb “forty-two,” but the parallel passage in 2 Kgs 8:26 reads “twenty-two” along with some
[22:2] 341 tn The Hebrew term בַּת (bat, “daughter”) can refer, as here, to a granddaughter. See HALOT 165-66 s.v. I בַּת 1.
[22:3] 342 tn Heb “and also he walked in the ways of the house of Ahab.”
[22:3] 343 tn Heb “for his mother was his adviser to do evil.”
[22:4] 344 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[22:4] 345 tn That is, the members of Ahab’s royal house.
[22:5] 346 sn Jehoram and Joram are alternate spellings of the Israelite king’s name (also in vv. 6-7). The shorter form is used in these verse to avoid confusion with King Jehoram of Judah, father of Azariah.
[22:5] 347 tn Heb “Aram” (also in v. 6).
[22:6] 348 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Joram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[22:6] 349 tn Heb “which the Syrians inflicted [on] him.”
[22:6] 350 tc Most Hebrew
[22:6] 351 tn Heb “because he was sick,” presumably referring to the wounds he received in the battle with the Syrians.
[22:7] 352 tn Heb “From God was the downfall of Ahaziah by going to Joram.”
[22:7] 353 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Ahaziah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[22:7] 355 tn Heb “to cut off the house of Ahab.”
[22:9] 356 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[22:9] 357 tn Heb “they said.”
[22:9] 358 tn Heb “and there was no one belonging to the house of Ahaziah to retain strength for kingship.”
[22:10] 359 tn Heb “she arose and she destroyed all the royal offspring.” The verb קוּם (qum, “arise”) is here used in an auxiliary sense to indicate that she embarked on a campaign to destroy the royal offspring. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 125.
[22:10] 360 tn Heb “house of Judah.”
[22:11] 361 sn Jehoshabeath is a variant spelling of the name Jehosheba (2 Kgs 11:2).
[22:11] 362 tn Heb “the king”; the referent (King Jehoram, see later in this verse) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[22:12] 364 tn Heb “and he was with them in the house of God hiding.”
[23:2] 366 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[23:3] 367 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jehoiada the priest, cf. v. 8) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[23:5] 368 tn Heb “all the people.”
[23:7] 370 tn Heb “and be with the king in his coming out and in his going out.”
[23:8] 371 tn Heb “all Judah.” The words “the men of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew text uses the name “Judah” by metonymy for the men of Judah.
[23:9] 372 tn The Hebrew text lists two different types of shields here. Most translations render “the large and small shields” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV; NEB “King David’s spears, shields, and bucklers”).
[23:10] 373 tn Heb “and he stationed all the people, each with his weapon in his hand, from the south shoulder of the house to the north shoulder of the house, at the altar and at the house, near the king all around.”
[23:11] 374 tn The Hebrew word עֵדוּת (’edut) normally means “witness” or “testimony.” Here it probably refers to some tangible symbol of kingship, perhaps a piece of jewelry such as an amulet or neck chain (see the discussion in M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings [AB], 128). Some suggest that a document is in view, perhaps a copy of the royal protocol or of the stipulations of the Davidic covenant (see HALOT 790-91 s.v.).
[23:11] 375 tn Or “they made him king and anointed him.”
[23:12] 376 tn Heb “and Athaliah heard the sound of the people, the runners.”
[23:12] 377 tn Heb “she came to the people.”
[23:13] 378 tn Heb “and she saw, and behold.”
[23:13] 379 tn Or “Conspiracy! Conspiracy!”
[23:14] 381 tn Heb “for the priest had said, ‘Do not put her to death in the house of the
[23:15] 382 tn Heb “and they placed hands on her, and she went through the entrance of the gate of the horses [into] the house of the king.” Some English versions treat the phrase “gate of the horses” as the name of the gate (“the Horse Gate”; e.g., NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[23:16] 383 tn Heb “and Jehoiada made a covenant between himself and [between] all the people and [between] the king, to become a people for the
[23:17] 384 tn Or “tore down.”
[23:18] 386 tn Heb “as it is written in.”
[23:21] 388 tn Heb “killed Athaliah with the sword.”
[24:1] 389 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[24:2] 390 tn Heb “and Joash did what was proper in the eyes of the
[24:2] 391 tn Heb “all the days of.”
[24:4] 392 tn Heb “and it was, later, there was with the heart of Joash to repair the house of the
[24:6] 393 tn Heb “Jehoiada the head”; the word “priest” not in the Hebrew text but is implied.
[24:6] 396 tn Heb “the tent of testimony.”
[24:8] 397 tn Heb “and the king said [it] and they made a chest and placed it in the gate of the house of the
[24:9] 398 tn Heb “and they gave voice in Judah and Jerusalem to bring to the
[24:12] 399 tn Heb “doers of the work.”
[24:13] 400 tn Heb “and the doers of the work worked, and the repairs went up for the work by their hand.”
[24:13] 401 tn Heb “and they caused the house of God to stand according to its measurements and they strengthened it.”
[24:15] 402 tn Heb “and Jehoiada grew old and was full of days and died; [he was] one hundred thirty years old when he died.”
[24:16] 403 sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
[24:17] 404 tn Heb “came and bowed down to the king.”
[24:18] 406 tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 24).
[24:19] 408 tn Heb “and he sent among them prophets to bring them back to the
[24:19] 409 tn Heb “testified among.”
[24:22] 411 tn Heb “did not remember.”
[24:22] 412 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Jehoiada) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[24:22] 413 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Zechariah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[24:22] 414 tn Heb “and seek [ – ].” The direct object of “seek” is omitted in the Hebrew text but implied; “vengeance” is supplied for clarification.
[24:23] 416 tn Heb “went up against.”
[24:23] 417 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joash) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[24:24] 418 tn Heb “though with a small amount of men the army of Aram came, the
[24:24] 419 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the people of Judah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[24:24] 420 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Syrians) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[24:24] 421 tn Heb “executed judgments [on] Joash.”
[24:25] 422 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joash) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[24:25] 423 tn Heb “because of the shed blood of.”
[24:25] 424 tc The MT has the plural בְּנֵי (bÿney, “sons”), but the final yod is dittographic. Note the yod that immediately follows.
[24:25] 425 tn Heb “and he died.”
[24:25] 426 sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
[24:27] 427 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Joash) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[24:27] 428 tn Heb “And his sons and the abundance of the oracle[s] against him, and the founding of the house of God, look are they not written on the writing of the scroll of the kings?”
[25:1] 429 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[25:2] 430 tn Heb “he did what was proper in the eyes of the
[25:2] 431 tn Heb “a complete heart.”
[25:3] 432 tn Heb “when the kingdom was secure upon him.”
[25:3] 433 tn Heb “he killed his servants, the ones who had struck down the king, his father.”
[25:4] 434 tn Heb “as it is written in the scroll of the law of Moses which the
[25:4] 435 tn Heb “on account of sons.”
[25:4] 436 tn Heb “on account of fathers.”
[25:4] 437 sn This law is recorded in Deut 24:16.
[25:5] 438 tn Heb “Judah.” The words “the people of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew text uses the name “Judah” by metonymy here for the people of Judah.
[25:5] 439 tn Heb “young men going out to war.”
[25:5] 440 tn Heb “holding a spear and a shield.”
[25:6] 441 tn The Hebrew word כִּכַּר (kikar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or, by extension, to a standard unit of weight. According to the older (Babylonian) standard the “talent” weighed 130 lbs. (58.9 kg), but later this was lowered to 108.3 lbs. (49.1 kg). More recent research suggests the “light” standard talent was 67.3 lbs. (30.6 kg). Using this as the standard for calculation, the weight of the silver was 6,730 lbs. (3,060 kg).
[25:7] 442 tn Heb “man of God.”
[25:7] 443 tn Heb “Israel, all the sons of Ephraim.”
[25:8] 444 tn Heb “cause you to stumble.”
[25:8] 445 tn Heb “to cause to stumble.”
[25:9] 446 tn Heb “said to the man of God.”
[25:9] 447 tn Heb “man of God.”
[25:10] 448 tn Heb “and Amaziah separated them, the troops who came to him from Ephraim, to go to their place.”
[25:11] 449 tn Heb “and Amaziah strengthened himself and led his people and went to the Valley of Salt.”
[25:11] 450 tn Or “struck down.”
[25:11] 451 tn Heb “sons of Seir.”
[25:12] 453 tn Heb “and threw them from the top of the cliff.”
[25:12] 454 tn Heb “all of them.”
[25:12] 455 tn Heb “smashed in pieces.”
[25:13] 456 tn Heb “had sent back from going with him to the battle.”
[25:13] 457 tn Heb “stripped.”
[25:13] 458 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[25:13] 459 tn Heb “struck down.”
[25:14] 461 tn Heb “caused them to stand for him as gods.”
[25:15] 462 tn Heb “seeking,” perhaps in the sense of “consulting [an oracle from].”
[25:15] 463 tn Heb “the gods of the people.”
[25:16] 465 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Amaziah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[25:16] 466 tn Heb “Stop yourself! Why should they strike you down?”
[25:16] 467 tn The verb יָעַץ (ya’ats, “has decided”) is from the same root as יוֹעֵץ (yo’ets, “counselor”) in v. 16 and עֵצָה (’etsah, “advice”) later in v. 16. The wordplay highlights the appropriate nature of the divine punishment. Amaziah rejected the counsel of God’s prophet; now he would be the victim of God’s “counsel.”
[25:17] 468 tn The words “with his advisers” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[25:17] 469 tn Heb “let us look at each other [in the] face.” The expression refers here not to a visit but to meeting in battle. See v. 21.
[25:18] 470 sn The thorn bush in the allegory is Judah. Amaziah’s success had deceived him into thinking he was on the same level as the major powers in the area (symbolized by the cedar). In reality he was not capable of withstanding an attack by a real military power such as Israel (symbolized by the wild animal).
[25:19] 471 tn Heb “you say [to yourself], ‘look, you have defeated Edom.’”
[25:19] 472 tn Heb “and your heart is lifted up.”
[25:19] 473 tn Heb “to glorify.”
[25:19] 474 tn Heb “Why get involved in calamity and fall, you and Judah with you?”
[25:20] 475 tn Heb “did not listen.”
[25:20] 476 tn Heb “because it was from God in order to give them into the hand because they sought the gods of Edom.”
[25:21] 477 tn Heb “looked at each other [in the] face.” See the note on the expression “Come on, face me on the battlefield” in v. 17.
[25:22] 478 tn Heb “and Judah was struck down before Israel and they fled, each to his tent.”
[25:23] 479 tn Heb “400 cubits.” Assuming a cubit of 18 inches (45 cm), the distance would have been about 600 feet (180 m).
[25:26] 480 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Amaziah, the former and the latter, are they not – behold, they are written on the scroll of the kings of Judah and Israel.”
[25:27] 481 tn Heb “and they conspired against him [with] a conspiracy in Jerusalem.”
[25:27] 482 tn Heb “and they sent after him to Lachish.”
[25:28] 483 tn Heb “and they carried him on horses.”
[25:28] 485 tc The Hebrew text has “Judah,” but some medieval
[26:1] 486 tn The parallel account in 2 Kgs 15:1-8 has the variant spelling “Azariah.”
[26:2] 487 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Uzziah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:2] 488 tn Heb “after the king”; the referent (Amaziah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:2] 489 tn “slept with his fathers.”
[26:3] 490 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[26:4] 491 tn Heb “he did what was proper in the eyes of the
[26:5] 493 tn Heb “in the days of.”
[26:5] 494 tn Heb “in the days of his seeking.”
[26:6] 496 tn Heb “went out and fought.”
[26:6] 497 tn Heb “in Ashdod and among the Philistines.”
[26:7] 498 tn The words “in his campaigns” are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons
[26:8] 499 tn Heb “and his name went to.”
[26:9] 500 tn On the meaning of the Hebrew word מִקְצוֹעַ (miqtsoa’), see HALOT 628 s.v. עַ(וֹ)מִקְצֹ. The term probably refers to an “angle” or “corner” somewhere on the eastern wall of Jerusalem.
[26:10] 501 tn Heb “Shephelah.”
[26:10] 502 tn Heb “workers and vinedressers in the hills and in Carmel.” The words “he had” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[26:10] 503 tn Heb “for a lover of the ground he [was].”
[26:15] 505 tn Heb “and his name went out to a distant place, for he did extraordinarily to be helped until he was strong.”
[26:16] 506 tn Heb “his heart was high [i.e., proud] to destroy.”
[26:16] 507 tn Or “was unfaithful to.”
[26:18] 508 tn Heb “stood against.”
[26:18] 509 tn Or “been unfaithful.”
[26:19] 511 tn Traditionally “leprosy,” but this was probably a skin disorder of some type, not leprosy (technically known today as Hansen’s disease). See 2 Kgs 5:1.
[26:20] 512 tn Heb “turned toward.”
[26:20] 513 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:21] 514 tn The precise meaning of בֵּית הַחָפְשִׁית (bet hakhafshiyt, “house of [?]”) is uncertain. NASB, NIV, NRSV all have “in a separate house”; NEB has “in his own house…relieved of all duties.” For a discussion of various proposals, see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 166-67.
[26:22] 515 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Uzziah, the former and the latter, Isaiah son of Amoz, the prophet, recorded.”
[26:23] 516 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[26:23] 518 tn Heb “a field of burial.”
[26:23] 519 tn Heb “for they said, ‘He had a skin disease.’”
[27:1] 520 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[27:2] 521 tn Heb “he did what was proper in the eyes of the
[27:2] 522 tn Heb “except he did not enter the house of the
[27:3] 523 tn Heb “wall of Ophel.” See HALOT 861 s.v. II עֹפֶל.
[27:5] 524 tn Heb “he fought with.”
[27:5] 525 tn The Hebrew word כִּכַּר (kikar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or, by extension, to a standard unit of weight. According to the older (Babylonian) standard the “talent” weighed 130 lbs. (58.9 kg), but later this was lowered to 108.3 lbs. (49.1 kg). More recent research suggests the “light” standard talent was 67.3 lbs. (30.6 kg). Using this as the standard for calculation, the weight of the silver was 6,730 lbs. (3,060 kg).
[27:5] 526 sn As a unit of dry measure a kor was roughly equivalent to six bushels (about 220 liters).
[27:5] 527 tn Heb “10,000 kors of wheat and 10,000 of barley.” The unit of measure of the barley is omitted in the Hebrew text, but is understood to be “kors,” the same as the measures of wheat.
[27:5] 528 tn Heb “This the sons of Ammon brought to him, and in the second year and the third.”
[27:6] 529 tn Heb “because he established his ways before the
[27:7] 530 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Jotham, and his battles and his ways, look, they are written on the scroll of the kings of Israel and Judah.”
[27:9] 531 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[27:9] 532 sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
[28:1] 533 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[28:1] 534 tn Heb “and he did not do what was proper in the eyes of the
[28:2] 535 tn Heb “he walked in the ways of.”
[28:3] 536 sn This may refer to child sacrifice, though some interpret it as a less drastic cultic practice (NEB “burnt his sons in the fire”; NASB “burned his sons in the fire”; NIV “sacrificed his sons in the fire”; NRSV “made his sons pass through fire”). For discussion see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 266-67.
[28:3] 537 tn Heb “like the abominable practices of the nations.”
[28:5] 538 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Syrians) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[28:5] 539 tn Heb “and took captive from him a great captivity and brought [them] to Damascus.”
[28:5] 540 tn Heb “who struck him down with a great striking.”
[28:6] 541 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 9, 25).
[28:8] 542 tn Heb “the loot.” The pronoun (“it”) has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy.
[28:8] 543 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[28:9] 544 tn Heb “and you killed them with anger [that] reaches as far as heaven.”
[28:10] 546 tn Heb “to enslave as male servants and female servants.”
[28:11] 548 tn Heb “for the rage of the anger of the
[28:12] 549 tn Heb “men from.”
[28:12] 550 tn Heb “arose against.”
[28:13] 551 tn Heb “for to the guilt of the
[28:13] 552 tn Heb “for great is [the] guilt to us and rage of anger is upon Israel.”
[28:15] 553 tn Heb “and the men who were designated by names arose and took the captives and all their naked ones they clothed from the loot.”
[28:15] 554 tn Heb “and poured oil on them.”
[28:15] 555 tn Heb “and they led them on donkeys, with respect to everyone stumbling.”
[28:15] 556 map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.
[28:16] 557 tc Most Hebrew
[28:18] 558 tn Heb “Shephelah.”
[28:19] 560 sn That is, “of Judah.” Frequently in 2 Chronicles “Israel” is substituted for “Judah.”
[28:19] 561 tn The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verbal form to emphasize the degree of Ahaz’s unfaithfulness.
[28:20] 562 tn Heb “Tilgath-pilneser,” a variant spelling of Tiglath-pileser.
[28:20] 563 tn Heb “and he caused him distress and did not strengthen him.”
[28:21] 564 tn Heb “divided up,” but some read חִלֵּץ (khillets, “despoiled”).
[28:23] 565 tn Heb “the gods of Damascus, the ones who had defeated him.” The words “he thought” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The perspective is that of Ahaz, not the narrator! Another option is that “the kings” has been accidentally omitted after “gods of.” See v. 23b.
[28:26] 567 tn Heb “As for the rest of his events, and all his ways, the former and the latter, look, they are written on the scroll of the kings of Judah and Israel.”
[28:27] 568 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[28:27] 569 sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
[29:1] 570 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[29:1] 571 tn The parallel passage in 2 Kgs 18:2 has “Abi.”
[29:2] 572 tn Heb “he did what was proper in the eyes of the
[29:6] 574 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[29:6] 575 tn Heb “turned their faces.”
[29:6] 576 tn Heb “and turned the back.”
[29:8] 577 tn Heb “and he made them [an object] of dread and devastation and hissing.”
[29:9] 578 tn Heb “fell by the sword.”
[29:9] 579 tn Heb “are in captivity.”
[29:10] 580 tn Heb “now it is with my heart.”
[29:10] 581 tn Heb “so that the rage of his anger might turn from us.” The jussive with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding statement of intention.
[29:11] 582 tn Heb “to stand before him to serve him and to be his servants and sacrificers.”
[29:12] 583 tn Heb “and the Levites arose.”
[29:15] 584 tn Heb “words” (plural).
[29:16] 585 tn Heb “in the temple of the
[29:17] 586 tn Heb “porch of the
[29:21] 587 sn Perhaps these terms refer metonymically to the royal court, the priests and Levites, and the people, respectively.
[29:21] 588 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[29:25] 590 tn Heb “he”; the referent (King Hezekiah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[29:26] 592 tn Heb “stood with” (i.e., stood holding).
[29:30] 593 tn Heb “with the words.”
[29:31] 595 tn Heb “filled your hand.”
[29:31] 596 tn Or “tokens of thanks.”
[29:31] 597 tn Heb “and all who were willing of heart.”
[29:32] 598 tn Heb “and the number of burnt sacrifices which the assembly brought was seventy bulls, one hundred rams, two hundred lambs; for a burnt sacrifice to the
[29:33] 599 tn The Hebrew term צֹאן (ts’on) denotes smaller livestock in general; depending on context it can refer to sheep only or goats only, but there is nothing in the immediate context here to specify one or the other.
[29:34] 600 tn Heb “the burnt sacrifices.”
[29:34] 601 tn Heb “for the Levites were more pure of heart to consecrate themselves than the priests.”
[29:35] 602 tn Or “established.”
[29:36] 603 tn Heb “prepared.”
[29:36] 604 tn Heb “the people.” The pronoun “they” has been used here for stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy.
[29:36] 605 tn Heb “for quickly was the matter.”
[30:1] 606 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[30:3] 607 tn Heb “at that time.”
[30:4] 608 tn Heb “and the thing was proper in the eyes of.”
[30:5] 609 tn Heb “and they caused to stand a word to cause a voice to pass through.”
[30:5] 610 tn The words “summoning the people” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[30:5] 611 tn Heb “because not for abundance had they done as written.”
[30:6] 612 tn Heb “the runners.”
[30:6] 613 tn Heb “and according to the command of the king, saying.”
[30:6] 614 tn The jussive with vav conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.
[30:6] 615 tn Heb “to the survivors who are left to you from the palm of the kings of Assyria.”
[30:7] 616 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 19, 22).
[30:7] 617 tn Heb “and he made them a devastation” (or, perhaps, “an object of horror”).
[30:8] 618 tn Heb “don’t stiffen your neck” (a Hebrew idiom for being stubborn).
[30:8] 619 tn Heb “give a hand.” On the meaning of the idiom here, see HALOT 387 s.v. I יָד 2.
[30:8] 620 tn Heb “so that the rage of his anger might turn from you.” The jussive with vav conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.
[30:9] 621 tn Heb “turn [his] face from you.”
[30:10] 622 tn Heb “and they were mocking them and ridiculing them.”
[30:12] 623 tn Heb “also in Judah the hand of God was to give to them one heart to do the command of the king and the officials by the word of the
[30:13] 624 tn The Hebrew text adds here, “a very large assembly.” This has not been translated to avoid redundancy with the expression “a huge crowd” at the beginning of the verse.
[30:14] 625 tn Heb “and they arose and removed the altars which were in Jerusalem, and all the incense altars they removed and threw into the Kidron Valley.”
[30:16] 626 tn Heb “from the hand of the Levites.”
[30:17] 627 tn Heb “were over the slaughter of.”
[30:17] 628 tn Heb “of everyone not pure to consecrate to the
[30:18] 629 tn Heb “without what is written.”
[30:18] 630 tn Heb “make atonement for.”
[30:19] 631 tn Heb “everyone [who] has prepared his heart to seek God.”
[30:19] 632 tn Heb “and not according to the purification of the holy place.”
[30:20] 633 tn Heb “listened.”
[30:21] 635 tn Heb “and they were praising the
[30:22] 636 tn Heb “and Hezekiah spoke to the heart of all the Levites.” On the meaning of the idiom “speak to the heart of” here, see HALOT 210 s.v. II דבר 8.d.
[30:22] 637 tn Heb “who demonstrated skill [with] good skill for the
[30:22] 638 tn Heb “and they ate [during] the appointed time [for] seven days.” מוֹעֵד (mo’ed, “appointed time”) is probably an adverbial accusative of time referring to the festival. However, some understand it as metonymically referring to the food eaten during the festival. See BDB 417 s.v.
[30:24] 639 tn The Hebrew term צֹאן (ts’on, translated “sheep” twice in this verse) denotes smaller livestock in general; depending on context it can refer to sheep only or goats only, but their is nothing in the immediate context here to specify one or the other.
[30:24] 640 tn Heb “the assembly.” The pronoun “them” has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy.
[30:25] 641 tn Heb “they rejoiced.”
[30:26] 642 tn Heb “and there was great joy in Jerusalem, for from the days of Solomon son of David, king of Israel, there was nothing like this in Jerusalem.”
[30:27] 643 tn Heb “and it was heard with their voice.” BDB 1034 s.v. שָׁמַע Niph.4 interprets this to mean “hearing was granted to their voice.” It is possible that the name יְהוָה (yÿhvah, “the
[31:1] 644 tn Heb “all Israel.”
[31:1] 646 tn Heb “the high places and the altars from all Judah and Benjamin and in Ephraim and in Manasseh until finished.”
[31:1] 647 tn Heb “and the sons of Israel returned, each to his possession to their cities.”
[31:2] 648 tn Heb “and Hezekiah appointed the divisions of the priests and the Levites according to their divisions, each in accordance with his service for the priests and for the Levites.”
[31:2] 649 tn Heb “in the gates of the encampments of the
[31:3] 650 tn Heb “the portion of the king [was].”
[31:3] 651 tn Heb “as written.”
[31:4] 653 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[31:4] 654 tn Heb “might hold firmly.”
[31:5] 655 tn Heb “and when the word spread out.”
[31:5] 656 tn Heb “the sons of Israel multiplied.”
[31:6] 657 tn Heb “and the sons of Israel and Judah.”
[31:6] 658 tn Heb “heaps, heaps.” Repetition of the noun draws attention to the large number of heaps.
[31:7] 659 tn Heb “they began the heaps, to establish.”
[31:8] 660 tn Heb “they blessed the
[31:11] 661 tn Heb “and they prepared.”
[31:12] 663 tn Heb “and holy things in faithfulness.”
[31:15] 664 tn Heb “to their brothers.”
[31:15] 665 tn Heb “like great, like small” (i.e., old and young alike).
[31:16] 666 tn Heb “in addition enrolling them by males from a son of three years and upwards, to everyone who enters the house of the
[31:19] 667 tn Heb “the priests in the fields of the pastureland of their cities in every city and city.”
[31:19] 668 tn Heb “designated by names.”
[31:21] 669 tn Heb “and in all the work which he began with regard to the service of the house of God and with respect to the law and with respect to the commandment, to seek his God; with all his heart he acted and he succeeded.”
