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Jerusalem from the high places, and faithfully and the overseers of them the groves, and the carved images, were Jahath and Obadiah, the Leand the molten images. vites, of the sons of Merari; and f4 And they brake down the altars Zechariah and Meshullam, of the of Baalim in his presence; and the sons of the Kohathites, to set it forimages, that were on high above ward; and other of the Levites, all them, he cut down; and the groves, that could skill of instruments of muand the carved images, and the sic. molten images, he brake in pieces, and made dust of them, and strewed it upon the graves of them that had sacrificed unto them.

a 5 And he burnt the bones of the
priests upon their altars, and cleans-
ed Judah and Jerusalem.
f6 And so did he in the cities of
Manasseh, and Ephraim, and Sime-
on, even unto Naphtali, with their
mattocks round about.

13 Also they were over the bearers of burdens, and were overseers of all that wrought the work in any manner of service: and of the Levites there were scribes, and officers, and porters.

f 14 And when they brought out the money that was brought into the house of the LORD, Hilkiah the priest found a book of the law of the LORD given by Moses.

7 And when he had broken down 15 And Hilkiah answered and the altars and the groves, and had said to Shaphan the scribe, I have beaten the graven images into pow-found the book of the law in the der, and cut down all the idols house of the LORD. And Hilkiah throughout all the land of Israel, he delivered the book to Shaphan. returned to Jerusalem.

8 Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land, and the house, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of the LORD his God.

16 And Shaphan carried the book to the king, and brought the king word back again, saying, All that was committed to thy servants, they do it.

17 And they have gathered together the money that was found in the house of the LORD, and have delivered it into the hand of the overseers, and to the hand of the workmen.

f 18 Then Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath given me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king.

9 And when they came to Hilkiah the high priest, they delivered the money that was brought into the house of God, which the Levites that kept the doors had gathered of the hand of Manasseh and Ephraim, and of all the remnant of Israel, 19 And it came to pass when the and of all Judah and Benjamin; king had heard the words of the law, and they returned to Jerusalem. that he rent his clothes. f 10 And they put it in the hand of ƒ 20 And the king commanded Hilthe workmen that had the oversight kiah, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, of the house of the LORD, and they and Abdon the son of Micah, and gave it to the workmen that wrought Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah a in the house of the LORD, to repair servant of the king's, saying, and mend the house:

11 Even to the artificers and builders gave they it, to buy hewn stone, and timber for couplings, and to floor the houses which the kings of Judah had destroyed.

f 12 And the men did the work

21 Go, inquire of the LORD for me, and for them that are left in Israel, and in Judah, concerning the words of the book that is found: for great is the wrath of the LORD that is poured out upon us, because our fathers have not kept the word of

the LORD, to do after all that is writ-rusalem, and the priests, and the ten in this book. Levites, and all the people, great

22 And Hilkiah, and they that and small: and he read in their ears the king had appointed, went to Hul-all the words of the book of the codah the prophetess, the wife of Shal-venant that was found in the house lum the son of Tikvath, the son of of the LORD. Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe; (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the college) and they spake to her to that effect.

23¶ And she answered them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Tell ye the man that sent you to me, r 24 Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the curses that are written in the book which they have read before the king of Judah :

w 25 Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore my wrath shall be poured out upon this place, and shall not be quenched.

d 31 And the king stood in his place, and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD, and to keep his commandments, and his testimonies, and his statutes, with all his heart, and with all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant which are written in this book.

32 And he caused all that were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand to it. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers.

f 33 And Josiah took away all the abominations out of all the countries that pertained to the children of Israel, and made all that were present in Israel to serve, even to serve the LORD their God. And all his days they departed not from following the LORD, the God of their fa

26 And as for the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the LORD, so shall ye say unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel concerning thers. the words which thou hast heard;

CHAP. XXXV. TOREOVER, Josiah kept a der, and thou didst humble thyself passover unto the LORD in before God when thou heardest Jerusalem; and they killed the passhis words against this place, and over on the fourteenth day of the against the inhabitants thereof, and first month.

c 27 Because thy heart was ten-IT
'M

LORD,

humbledst thyself before me, and 2 And he set the priests in their didst rend thy clothes, and weep charges, and encouraged them to before me; I have even heard thee the service of the house of the also, saith the LORD. b 28 Behold, I will gather thee tof 3 And said unto the Levites that thy fathers, and thou shalt be ga-taught all Israel, which were holy thered to thy grave in peace, nei- unto the LORD, Put the holy ark ther shall thine eyes see all the evil in the house which Solomon the sou that I will bring upon this place, of David king of Israel did build: and upon the inhabitants of the it shall not be a burden upon your same. So they brought the king shoulders: serve now the LORD word again. your God, and his people Israel, f 29 Then the king sent and ga. thered together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem.

30 And the king went up into the house of the LORD, and all the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Je-l

4 And prepare yourselves by the houses of your fathers after your courses, according to the writing of David king of Israel, and according to the writing of Solomon his son:

5 And stand in the holy place ac

cording to the divisions of the fami- ready for themselves, and for the lies of the fathers of your brethren priests: because the priests the sons the people, and after the division of of Aaron were busied in offering of the families of the Levites. burnt-offerings and the fat until 16 So kill the passover, and sanc- night; therefore the Levites pretify yourselves, and prepare your pared for themselves, and for the brethren, that they may do accord-priests the sons of Aaron. ing to the word of the LORD by the 15 And the singers the sons of hand of Moses. Asaph were in their place, according to the commandment of David, and Asaph, and Heman, and Jeduthun the king's seer; and the porters waited at every gate; they might not depart from their service; for their brethren the Levites prepared for them.

7 And Josiah gave to the people, of the flock, lambs and kids, all for the passover-offerings, for all that were present, to the number of thirty thousand, and three thousand bullocks these were of the king's substance.

f 8 And his princes gave willingly f 16 So all the service of the LORD unto the people, to the priests, and was prepared the same day, to keep to the Levites Hilkiah and Ze- the passover, and to offer burnt-ofchariah and Jehiel, rulers of the ferings upon the altar of the LORD, house of God, gave unto the priests according to the commandment of for the passover-offerings two thou-king Josiah. sand and six hundred small cattle, and three hundred oxen.

17 And the children of Israel that were present kept the passover at that time, and the feast of unleavened bread seven days.

9 Conaniah also, and Shemaiah, and Nethaneel, his brethren, and Hashabiah, and Jeiel, and Jozabad, 18 And there was no passover chief of the Levites, gave unto the like to that kept in Israel from the Levites for passover-offerings five days of Samuel the prophet; neithousand small cattle, and five hun- ther did all the kings of Israel keep dred oxen. such a passover as Josiah kept, and f 10 So the service was prepared, the priests, and the Levites, and all and the priests stood in their place, Judah and Israel that were preand the Levites in their courses, sent, and the inhabitants of Jerusaaccording to the king's command-lem.

ment.

f 19 In the eighteenth year of L 11 And they killed the passover, the reign of Josiah was this passoand the priests sprinkled the blood ver kept.

from their hands, and the Levites g 20 After all this, when Josiah flayed them. had prepared the temple, Necho 12 And they removed the burnt- king of Egypt came up to fight offerings, that they might give ac- against Charchemish by Euphrates: cording to the divisions of the fami- and Josiah went out against him. lies of the people, to offer unto the 21 But he sent ambassadors to LORD, as it is written in the book him, saying, What have I to do of Moses. And so did they with the with thee, thou king of Judah? I come not against thee this day, but 13 And they roasted the passo- against the house wherewith I have ver with fire according to the ordi- war for God commanded me to nance but the other holy offerings make haste: forbear thee from medsod they in pots, and in caldrons, dling with God, who is with me, and in pans, and divided them speed- that he destroy thee not. g 22 Nevertheless Josiah would not

oxen.

ily among all the people.

14 And afterward they made turn his face from him, but disguis

ed himself that he might fight with him, and hearkened not unto the words of Necho from the mouth of God, and came to fight in the valley of Megiddo.

23 And the archers shot at king Josiah; and the king said to his servants, Have me away; for I am sore wounded.

f 24 His servants therefore took him out of that chariot, and put him in the second chariot that he had; and they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died, and was buried in one of the sepulchres of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.

was evil in the sight of the LORD his God.

g 6 Against him came up Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and bound him in fetters, to carry him to Babylon.

7 Nebuchadnezzar also carried off the vessels of the house of the LORD to Babylon, and put them in his temple at Babylon. f 8 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and his abominations which he did, and that which was found in him, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. And Jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead.

c 9 Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD.

f 25 ¶ And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah and all the singing men and the singing women spake of Josiah in their lamentations to this day, and made them an ordinance in Israel and behold, they are writ-f 10 And when the year was exten in the lamentations.

26 Now the rest of the acts of Josiah, and his goodness, according to that which was written in the law of the LORD,

27 And his deeds, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. CHAP. XXXVI.

pired, king Nebuchadnezzar sent, and brought him to Babylon, with the goodly vessels of the house of the LORD, and made Zedekiah his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem.

f 11 ¶ Zedekiah was one and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned eleven years in the land Jerusalem.

THEN the people of son of

Josiah, and made him king in his father's stead in Jerusalem."

12 And he did that which was evil

in the sight of the LORD his God, and humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet speaking from the mouth of the LORD.

2 Jehoahaz was twenty and three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Je-c 13 And he also rebelled against rusalem. king Nebuchadnezzar, who had 3 And the king of Egypt put him made him swear by God: but he down at Jerusalem, and condemned stiffened his neck, and hardened his the land in a hundred talents of sil-heart from turning unto the LORD ver and a talent of gold. God of Israel.

f4 And the king of Egypt made 14 ¶ Moreover, all the chief of Eliakim his brother king over Ju-the priests, and the people, transdah and Jerusalem, and turned his gressed very much after all the name to Jehoiakim. And Necho abominations of the heathen; and took Jehoahaz his brother, and car-polluted the house of the Lord ried him to Egypt. which he had hallowed in Jerusa

f5Jehoiakim was twenty and lem. five years old when he began to h 15 And the LORD God of their reign, and he reigned eleven years fathers sent to them by his messenin Jerusalem: and he did that which gers, rising up betimes and send

ing; because he had compassion from the sword carried he away to on his people, and on his dwelling-Babylon; where they were servants place: to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia:

21 To fulfil the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years.

16 But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy. f17 Therefore he brought upon them the king of the Chaldees, who slew their young men with the 22 ¶ Now in the first year of Cysword in the house of their sanctua- rus king of Persia, that the word of ry, and had no compassion upon the LORD spoken by the mouth of young man or maiden, old man, or Jeremiah might be accomplished, him that stooped for age: he gave the LORD stirred up the spirit of them all into his hand. Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, And put it also in writing, saying,

g 18 And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king, and of his princes; all these he brought to Babylon.

f 19 And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof.

a 20 And them that had escaped

CHAP. I.

a 23 Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, all the kingdoms of the earth hath the LORD God of heaven given me; and he hath charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? The LORD his God be with him, and let him go up.

TEZRA.

d 4 And whosoever remaineth in OW in the first year of Cyrus any place where he sojourneth, let

of the LORD by the mouth of Jere-
miah might be fulfilled, the LORD
stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of
Persia, that he made a proclamation
throughout all his kingdom, and put
it also in writing, saying,
g 2 Thus saith Cyrus king of Per-
sia, The LORD God of heaven hath
given me all the kingdoms of the
earth; and he hath charged me to
build him a house at Jerusalem,
which is in Judah.

silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, besides the free-will-offering for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.

f 5 T Then rose up the chief of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests, and the Levites, with all them whose spirit God had raised, to go up to build the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem.

6 And all they that were about them strengthened their hands with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, and with beasts, and with precious things, besides all that was willingly offered.

t 3 Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel, f 7 Also Cyrus the king brought (he is the God,) which is in Jerusa-forth the vessels of the house of the lem. LORD, which Nebuchadnezzar had

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