He issued this edict because<n id="1" /> a Passover like this had not been observed since the days of the judges; it was neglected for the entire period of the kings of Israel and Judah.<n id="2" />

Because he killed innocent people and stained Jerusalem with their blood, the <sc>Lordsc> was unwilling to forgive them.<n id="1" />p>

The king of Babylon deported to Babylon all the soldiers (there were 7,000), as well as 1,000 craftsmen and metal workers. This included all the best warriors.<n id="1" />

<p class="bodytext">What follows is a record of what happened to Jerusalem and Judah because of the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s anger; he finally threw them out of his presence.<n id="1" /> Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

But the Babylonian army chased after the king. They caught up with him in the plains of Jericho,<n id="1" /> and his entire army deserted him.

<t /><p class="bodytext">Now King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, as governor over the people whom he allowed to remain in the land of Judah.<n id="1" />

Gedaliah took an oath so as to give them and their troops some assurance of safety.<n id="1" /> He said, &#8220;You don&#8217;t need to be afraid to submit to the Babylonian officials. Settle down in the land and submit to the king of Babylon. Then things will go well for you.&#8221;

He was given daily provisions by the king for the rest of his life until the day he died.<n id="1" />p>

<p class="bodytext">Now Elisha was sitting in his house with the community leaders.<n id="1" /> The king<n id="2" /> sent a messenger on ahead, but before he arrived,<n id="3" /> Elisha<n id="4" /> said to the leaders,<n id="5" /> &#8220;Do you realize this assassin intends to cut off my head?&#8221;<n id="6" /> Look, when the messenger arrives, shut the door and lean against it. His master will certainly be right behind him.&#8221;<n id="7" />

<p class="bodytext">He wrote them a second letter, saying, &#8220;If you are really on my side and are willing to obey me,<n id="1" /> then take the heads of your master&#8217;s sons and come to me in Jezreel at this time tomorrow.&#8221;<n id="2" /> Now the king had seventy sons, and the prominent<n id="3" /> men of the city were raising them.

King Jehoash of Israel sent this message back to King Amaziah of Judah, &#8220;A thornbush in Lebanon sent this message to a cedar in Lebanon, &#8216;Give your daughter to my son as a wife.&#8217; Then a wild animal<n id="1" /> of Lebanon came by and trampled down the thorn.<n id="2" />

From the city he took a eunuch who was in charge of the soldiers, five<n id="1" /> of the king&#8217;s advisers<n id="2" /> who were discovered in the city, an official army secretary who drafted citizens<n id="3" /> for military service, and sixty citizens from the people of the land who were discovered in the city.

Some members of the prophetic guild<n id="1" /> in Bethel came out to Elisha and said, &#8220;Do you know that today the <sc>Lordsc> is going to take your master from you?&#8221;<n id="2" /> He answered, &#8220;Yes, I know. Be quiet.&#8221;p>

Some members of the prophetic guild in Jericho approached Elisha and said, &#8220;Do you know that today the <sc>Lordsc> is going to take your master from you?&#8221; He answered, &#8220;Yes, I know. Be quiet.&#8221;p>

They said to him, &#8220;Look, there are fifty capable men with your servants. Let them go and look for your master, for the wind sent from the <sc>Lordsc><n id="1" /> may have carried him away and dropped him on one of the hills or in one of the valleys.&#8221; But Elisha<n id="2" /> replied, &#8220;Don&#8217;t send them out.&#8221;

Jehoshaphat asked, &#8220;Is there no prophet of the <sc>Lordsc> here that we might seek the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s direction?&#8221;<n id="1" /> One of the servants of the king of Israel answered, &#8220;Elisha son of Shapat is here; he used to be Elijah&#8217;s servant.&#8221;<n id="2" />

<p class="bodytext">Elisha said to the king of Israel, &#8220;Why are you here?<n id="1" /> Go to your father&#8217;s prophets or your mother&#8217;s prophets!&#8221; The king of Israel replied to him, &#8220;No, for the <sc>Lordsc> is the one who summoned these three kings so that he can hand them over to Moab.&#8221;

So he took his firstborn son, who was to succeed him as king, and offered him up as a burnt sacrifice on the wall. There was an outburst of divine anger against Israel,<n id="1" /> so they broke off the attack<n id="2" /> and returned to their homeland.p>

<p class="bodytext">So she went to visit<n id="1" /> the prophet at Mount Carmel. When he<n id="2" /> saw her at a distance, he said to his servant Gehazi, &#8220;Look, it&#8217;s the Shunammite woman.

<p class="bodytext">Now Gehazi went on ahead of them. He placed the staff on the child&#8217;s face, but there was no sound or response. When he came back to Elisha<n id="1" /> he told him, &#8220;The child did not wake up.&#8221;