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18. And he did that which was evil in the [[ of Remaliah king of Israel, began Jotham the the sight of the LORD: he departed not all his the son of Uzziah king of Judah to reign. days from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.

19. And Pul the king of Assyria came against the land: and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver, that his hand might be with him, to confirm the kingdom in his hand.

20. And Menahem exacted the money of Israel, even of all the mighty men of wealth, of each man fifty shekels of silver, to give to the king of Assyria: so the king of Assyria turned back, and stayed not there in the land. 21. And the rest of the acts of Menahem, and all that he did,are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel? 22. And Menahem slept with his fathers: and Pekahiah his son reigned in his stead.

23. In the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekahiah the son of Menahem began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned two years.

24. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD; he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.

25. But Pekah the son of Remaliah, a captain of his, conspired against him, and smote him in Samaria, in the palace of the king's house, with Argob and Arieh, and with him fifty men of the Gileadites: and he killed him, and reigned in his room.

26. And the rest of the acts of Pekahiah, and all that he did, behold, they are written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel.

27. In the two and fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekah the son of Remaliah began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned twenty years.

28. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD; he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.

29. In the days of Pekah king of Israel, came Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, and took Ijon, and Abel-beth-maachah, and Janoah, and Kedesh, and Hazor, and Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and carried them captive to Assyria.

30. And Hoshea the son of Elah made a conspiracy against Pekah the son of Remaliah, and smote him, and slew him, and reigned in his stead, in the twentieth year of Jotham the son of Uzziah.

31. And the rest of the acts of Pekah, and all that he did, behold, they are written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel. 32. ¶ In the second year of Pekah the son

33. Five and twenty years old was he when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Jerusha, the daughter of Zadok.

34. And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD: he did according to all that his father Uzziah had done.

35. Howbeit, the high places were not removed: the people sacrificed and burnt incense still in the high places. He built the higher gate of the house of the LORD.

36. Now the rest of the acts of Jotham, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah?

37. In those days the LORD began to send against Judah, Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah.

38. And Jotham slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father: and Ahaz his son reigned in his stead.

1.

CHAP. XVI.

1 Ahaz's wicked reign. 19 Hezekiah succeedeth him. N the seventeenth year of Pekah the Not setelah, Ahaz the son of Jotham king of Judah began to reign.

2. Twenty years old was Ahaz when he began to reign, and reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem, and did not that which was right in the sight of the LORD his God, like David his father.

3. But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel; yea, and made his son to pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel.

4. And he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree.

5. Then Rezin king of Syria, and Pekah son of Kemaliah king of Israel, came up to Jerusalem to war: and they besieged Ahaz, but could not overcome him.

6. At that time Rezin king of Syria recovered Elath to Syria, and drave the Jews from Elath: and the Syrians came to Elath, and dwelt there unto this day.

7. So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, saying, I am thy servant, and thy son: come up and save me out of the hand of the king of Syria, and out of the hand of the king of Israel, which rise up against me.

8. And Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasures of the king's house, and sent it for a present to the king of Assyria,

9. And the king of Assyria hearkened unto him; for the king of Assyria went up against Damascus, and took it, and carried the people of it captive to Kir, and slew Rezin. 10. And king Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, and saw an altar that was at Damascus and king Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the fashion of the altar, and the pattern of it, according to all the workmanship thereof.

11. And Urijah the priest built an altar according to all that king Ahaz had sent from Damascus: so Urijah the priest made it against king Ahaz came from Damascus.

12. And when the king was come from Damascus, the king saw the altar: and the king approached to the altar, and offered thereon.

13. And he burnt his burnt-offering, and his meat-offering, and poured his drinkoffering, and sprinkled the blood of his peace-offerings upon the altar.

14. And he brought also the brazen altar, which was before the LORD, from the forefront of the house, from between the altar and the house of the LORD, and put it on the north side of the altar.

15. And king Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying, Upon the great altar burn the morning burnt-offering, and the evening meat-offering, and the king's burnt-sacrifice, and his meat-offering, with the burnt-offering of all the people of the land, and their meat-offering, and their drink-offerings; and sprinkle upon it all the blood of the burntoffering, and all the blood of the sacrifice: and the brazen altar shall be for me to inquire by.

16. Thus did Urijah the priest, according to all that king Ahaz commanded.

17. And king Ahaz cut off the borders of the bases, and removed the laver from off them; and took down the sea from off the brazen oxen that were under it, and put it upon a pavement of stones:

18. And the covert for the sabbath that they had built in the house, and the king's entry without, turned he from the house of the LORD for the king of Assyria.

19. Now the rest of the acts of Ahaz which he did, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah? 20. And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David: and Hezekiah his son reigned in his stead. CHAP. XVII. Hoshea's wicked reign.

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2. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, but not as the kings of Israel that were before him.

3. Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria; and Hoshea became his servant, and gave him presents.

4. And the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea: for he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and brought no present to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year: therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in prison.

5. Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years.

6. In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah, and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.

7. For so it was, that the children of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, which had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods,

8. And walked in the statutes of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made.

9. And the children of Israel did secretly those things that were not right against the LORD their God, and they built them high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city.

10. And they set them up images and groves in every high hill, and under every green tree:

11. And there they burnt incense in all the high places, as did the heathen whom the LORD carried away before them; and wrought wicked things to provoke the LORD to anger:

12. For they served idols, whereof the LORD had said unto them, Ye shall not do this thing.

13. Yet the LORD testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets.

14. Notwithstanding, they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the LORD their God.

15. And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and

became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about them, concerning whom the LORD had charged them, that they should not do like them.

16. And they left all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal.

17. And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.

18. Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight there was none left but the tribe of Judah only.

19. Also Judah kept not the commandments of the LORD their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made. 20. And the LORD rejected all the seed of Israel, and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of spoilers, until he had cast them out of his sight.

21. For he rent Israel from the house of David; and they made Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, king: and Jeroboam drave Israel from following the LORD, and made them sin a great sin.

22. For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they departed not from them;

23. Until the LORD removed Israel out of his sight, as he had said by all his servants the prophets. So was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day.

24. And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria, instead of the children of Israel: and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof.

25. And so it was, at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they feared not the LORD; therefore the LORD sent lions among them, which slew some of them.

26. Wherefore they spake to the king of Assyria, saying, The nations which thou hast removed, and placed in the cities of Samaria, know not the manner of the God of the land: therefore he hath sent lions among them, and, behold, they slay them, because they know not the manner of the God of the land.

them the manner of the God of the land.

28. Then one of the priests, whom they had carried away from Samaria, came and dwelt in Beth-el, and taught them how they should fear the LORD.

29. Howbeit every nation made gods of their own, and put them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities wherein they dwelt.

30. And the men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima,

31. And the Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burnt their children in fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.

32. So they feared the LORD, and made unto themselves of the lowest of them priests of the high places, which sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places.

33. They feared the LORD, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations whom they carried away from thence.

34. Unto this day they do after the former manners: they fear not the LORD, neither do they after their statutes, or after their ordinances, or after the law and commandment which the LORD commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel;

35. With whom the LORD had made a covenant, and charged them, saying, Ye shall not fear other gods, nor bow yourselves to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them:

36. But the LORD, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great power and a stretched-out arm, him shall ye fear, and him shall ye worship, and to him shall ye do sacrifice.

37. And the statutes, and the ordinances, and the law, and the commandment, which he wrote for you, ye shall observe to do for evermore; and ye shall not fear other gods

38. And the covenant that I have made with you ye shall not forget, neither shall ye fear other gods.

39. But the LORD your God ye shall fear; and he shall deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies.

40. Howbeit they did not hearken, but they did after their former manner.

41. So these nations feared the LORD, and served their graven images, both their children and their children's children: as did their fathers, so do they unto this day.

27. Then the king of Assyria command-i ed, saying, Carry thither one of the priests whom ye brought from thence; and let 1. them go and dwell there, and let him teach

CHAP. XVIII. Hezekiah's good reign: 4 He destroyeth idolatry, and

prospereth.

NOW it came to pass, in the third

of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel,

15. And Hezekiah gave him all the silver

that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah that was found in the house of the LORD,

began to reign.

2. Twenty and five years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Abi, the daughter of Zachariah.

3. And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father did.

4. He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brazen serpent that Moses had made for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan.

5. He trusted in the LORD God of Israel; so that after him was none like him anong all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him.

6. For he clave to the LORD, and departed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which the LORD comInanded Moses.

7. And the LORD was with him; and he prospered whithersoever he went forth: and he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and

served him not.

8. He smote the Philistines, even unto Gaza, and the borders thereof, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city.

9. And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria, and besieged it.

10. And at the end of three years they took it, even in the sixth year of Hezekiah (that is, the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel) Samaria was taken.

11. And the king of Assyria did carry away Israel unto Assyria, and put them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes:

12. Because they obeyed not the voice of the LORD their God, but transgressed his covenant, and all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded, and would not hear them, nor do them.

13. Now, in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah did Sennacherib king of Assyria come up against all the fenced cities of Judah, and took them.

14. And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria to Lachish, saying, I have offended; return from me: that which thou puttest on me will I bear. And the king of Assyria appointed unto Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.

and in the treasures of the king's house.

16. At that time did Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the temple of the LORD, and from the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria.

17. And the king of Assyria sent Tartan, and Rabsaris, and Rab-shakeh, from Lachish to king Hezekiah, with a great host against Jerusalem: and they went up, and came to Jerusalem. And when they were come up, they came and stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which is in the highway of the fuller's field.

18. And when they had called to the king, there came out to them Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, which was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder.

19. And Rab-shakeh said unto them, Speak ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence is this wherein thou trustest?

20. Thou sayest (but they are but vain words,) I have counsel and strength for the war. Now, on whom dost thou trust, that thou rebellest against me?

21. Now, behold, thou trustest upon the staff of this bruised reed, even upon Egypt, on which if a man lean it will go into his hand and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt unto all that trust on him.

22. But if ye say unto me, We trust in the LORD our God: is not that he whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away; and hath said to Judah and Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem?

23. Now therefore, I pray thee, give pledges to my lord the king of Assyria, and I will deliver thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them.

24. How then wilt thou turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master's servants, and put thy trust on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?

25. Am I now come up without the LORD against this place to destroy it? The LORD said to me, Go up against this land, and destroy it.

26. Then said Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, and Shebna, and Joah, unto Rab-shakeh, Speak, I pray thee, to thy servants in the Syrian language; for we understand it: and talk not with us in the Jews' language, in the ears of the people that are on the wall.

27. But Rab-shakeh said unto them, Hath

my master sent me to thy master, and to thee, || of rebuke, and blasphemy: for the children to speak these words? hath he not sent me are come to the birth, and there is not to the men which sit on the wall, that they strength to bring forth. may eat their own dung, and drink their own piss, with you?

28. Then Rab-shakeh stood, and cried with a loud voice in the Jews' language, and spake, saying, Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria:

29. Thus saith the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you; for he shall not be able to deliver you out of his hand:

30. Neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, The LORD will surely deliver us, and this city shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.

31. Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of Assyria, Make an agreement with me by a present, and come out to me, and then eat ye every man of his own vine, and every one of his fig-tree, and drink ye every one the waters of his cistern;

32. Until I come and take you away to a land like your own land; a land of corn and wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of oil-olive and of honey, that ye may live and not die and hearken not unto Hezekiah, when he persuadeth you, saying, The LORD will deliver us.

33. Hath any of the gods of the nations. delivered at all his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?

34. Where are the gods of Hamath, and of Arpad? where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah? have they delivered Samaria out of mine hand?

35. Who are they, among all the gods of the countries, that have delivered their country out of mine hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of mine hand?

36. But the people held their peace, and answered him not a word: for the king's commandment was, saying, Answer him not. 37. Then came Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, which was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder, to Hezekiah, with their clothes rent, and told him the words of Rab-shakeh. CHAP. XIX.

Hezekiah mourning, sendeth to Isaiah to pray for him. ND it came to pass, when king Hecame zekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the LORD.

2. And he sent Eliakim, which was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz.

3. And they said unto him, Thus saith Hezekiah, This day is a day of trouble and

4. It may be the LORD thy God will hear all the words of Rab-shakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to reproach the living God; and will reprove the words which the LORD thy God hath heard: wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that are left.

5. So the servants of king Hezekiah came to Isaiah.

6. And Isaiah said unto them, Thus shall ye say to your master, Thus saith the LORD, Be not afraid of the words which thou hast heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me.

7. Behold, I will send a blast upon him, and he shall hear a rumour, and shall return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.

8. So Rab-shakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah: for he had heard that he was departed from Lachish.

9. And when he heard say of Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, Behold, he is come out to fight against thee; he sent messengers again unto Hezekiah, saying,

10. Thus shall ye speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying, Let not thy God in whom thou trustest deceive thee, saying, Jerusalem shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.

11. Behold, thou hast heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, by destroying them utterly; and shalt thou be delivered?

12. Have the gods of the nations delivered them which my fathers have destroyed; as Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and the children of Eden which were in Thelasar?

13. Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and Ivah?

14. And Hezekiah received the letter of the hand of the messengers, and read it: and_Hezekiah went up into the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD.

15. And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and said, O LORD God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth.

16. LORD, bow down thine ear, and hear: open, LORD, thine eyes, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent him to reproach the living God.

17. Of a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria

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