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2 Kings 14-21
1599 Geneva Bible

14 2 Amaziah the king of Judah putteth to death them that slew his father, 7 and after smiteth Edom. 15 Joash dieth, and Jeroboam his son succeedeth him. 29 And after him reigneth Zechariah.

1 The second year of Joash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel, reigned (A)Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah.

2 He was five and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned nine and twenty years in Jerusalem, and his mother’s name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem.

3 And he did [a]uprightly in the sight of the Lord, yet not like David his father, but did according to all that Joash his father had done.

4 Notwithstanding the high places were not taken away: for as yet the people did sacrifice, and burnt incense in the high places.

5 ¶ And when the kingdom was confirmed in his hand, he slew his servants which had (B)killed the king his father.

6 But the children of those that did slay him, he [b]slew not, according unto that which is written in the book of the Law of Moses, wherein the Lord commanded, saying, (C)The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, nor the children put to death for the fathers: but every man shall be put to death for his own sin.

7 He slew also of [c]Edom in the valley of salt, ten thousand, and took [d]the city of Sela by war, and called the name thereof Joktheel unto this day.

8 ¶ Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz, son of Jehu king of Israel, saying, Come, [e]let us see one another in the face.

9 Then Jehoash the king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, The thistle that is in Lebanon, sent to the [f]Cedar that is in Lebanon, saying, Give thy daughter to my son to wife: and the wild beast that was in Lebanon, went and trode down the thistle.

10 Because thou hast smitten Edom, thine heart hath made thee proud: [g]brag of glory, and tarry at home. Why doest thou provoke to thine hurt, that thou shouldest fall, and Judah with thee?

11 But Amaziah would not hear: therefore Jehoash king of Israel went up: and he and Amaziah king of Judah saw one another in the face at Beth Shemesh which is in Judah.

12 And Judah was put to the worse before Israel, and they fled every man to their tents.

13 But Jehoash king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash the son of Ahaziah at Beth Shemesh, and [h]came to Jerusalem, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate, four hundred cubits.

14 And he took all the gold and silver, and all the vessels that were found in the house of the Lord, and in the treasures of the king’s house, and the children that were in [i]hostage, and returned to Samaria.

15 Concerning the rest of the acts of Jehoash which he did, and his valiant deeds, and how he fought with Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel?

16 And Jehoash slept with his fathers, and was buried at Samaria among the kings of Israel: and Jeroboam his son reigned in his stead.

17 ¶ And Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah, lived after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel, fifteen years.

18 Concerning the rest of the acts of Amaziah, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah?

19 But they (D)wrought treason against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to [j]Lachish, but they sent after him to Lachish, and slew him there.

20 And they brought him on horses, and he was buried at Jerusalem with his fathers in the city of David.

21 Then all the people of Judah took [k]Azariah which was sixteen years old, and made him king for his father Amaziah.

22 He built [l]Elath, and restored it to Judah, after that the king slept with his fathers.

23 ¶ In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah, was Jeroboam the son of Joash made king over Israel in Samaria, and reigned one and forty years.

24 And he did evil in the sight of the Lord: for he departed not from all the [m]sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin.

25 He restored the coast of Israel, from the entering of Hamath, unto the sea of the wilderness, according to the word of the Lord God of Israel, which he spake [n]by his servant Jonah the son of Amittai the Prophet, which was of Gath Hepher.

26 For the Lord saw the exceedingly bitter affliction of Israel, so that there was none [o]shut up, nor any left, neither yet any that could help Israel.

27 Yet the Lord [p]had not decreed to put out the name of Israel from under the heaven: therefore he preserved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.

28 Concerning the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, and all that he did, and his valiant deeds, and how he fought, and how he restored Damascus, and [q]Hamath to Judah in Israel, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel?

29 So Jeroboam slept with his fathers, even with the kings of Israel, and Zechariah his son reigned in his stead.

15 1 Azariah the King of Judah becometh a leper. 5 Of Jotham, 10 Shallum, 14 Menahem,  23 Pekahiah, 30 Uzziah, 32 Jotham, 38 and Ahaz.

1 In the [r]seven and twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, began Azariah son of Amaziah king of Judah to reign.

2 Sixteen years old was he, when he was made king, and he reigned two and fifty years in Jerusalem: and his mother’s name was Jecholiah of Jerusalem.

3 And he did [s]uprightly in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father Amaziah did.

4 But the high places were not put away: for the people yet offered, and burned incense in the high places.

5 And the Lord [t]smote the king, and he was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in an house apart, and Jotham the king’s son governed the house, and [u]judged the people of the land.

6 Concerning the rest of the acts of Azariah, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

7 So Azariah slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David, and Jotham his son reigned in his stead.

8 ¶ In the eight and thirtieth year of Azariah King of Judah, did Zechariah the son of Jeroboam reign over Israel in Samaria six [v]months,

9 And did evil in the sight of the Lord, as did his fathers: for he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin.

10 And Shallum the son of Jabesh conspired against him, and smote him, in the sight of the people, and [w]killed him, and reigned in his stead.

11 Concerning the rest of the acts of Zechariah, behold, they are written in the book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

12 This was the (E)word of the Lord, which he spake unto Jehu, saying, Thy sons shall sit on the throne of Israel unto the fourth generation after thee. And it came so to pass.

13 ¶ Shallum the son of Jabesh began to reign in the nine and thirtieth year of Uzziah King of Judah: and he reigned the space of a month in Samaria.

14 For Menahem the son of Gadi went up from Tirzah, and came to Samaria, and smote Shallum the son of Jabesh in Samaria, and slew him, and reigned in his stead.

15 Concerning the rest of the acts of Shallum, and the treason which he wrought, behold, they are written in the book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

16 ¶ Then Menahem destroyed [x]Tiphsah, and all that were therein, and the coasts thereof from Tirzah, because they opened not to him, and he smote it, and ripped up all their women with child.

17 The nine and thirtieth year of Azariah King of Judah, began Menahem the son of Gadi to reign over Israel, and reigned ten years in Samaria.

18 And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and departed not all his days from the sin of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin.

19 ¶ Then Pul the king of Assyria came against the [y]land: and Menahem gave Pul a thousand [z]talents of silver, that his hand might be with him, and establish the kingdom in his hand.

20 And Menahem exacted the money in Israel that all men of substance should give the king of Assyria fifty shekels of silver a piece: so the king of Assyria returned, and tarried not there in the land.

21 Concerning 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 did reign in his stead.

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

24 And he did evil in the sight of the Lord: for he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat which made Israel to sin.

25 And Pekah the son of Remaliah, his captain conspired against him, and smote him in Samaria in the place of the king’s palace with [aa]Argob and Arieh, and with him fifty men of the Gileadites: so he killed him, and reigned in his stead.

26 Concerning 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, began Pekah the son of Remaliah to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned twenty years.

28 And he did evil in the sight of the Lord: for he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat that made Israel to sin.

29 In the days of Pekah king of Israel [ab]came Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria, and took Ijon, and Abel Beth Maachah, and Janoah, and Kedesh, and Hazor, and Gilead, and Galilee, and all the land of Naphtali, and carried them away to Assyria.

30 And Hoshea the son of Elah wrought treason 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 Concerning 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 (F)In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah King of Israel, began Jotham son of [ac]Uzziah King of Judah to reign.

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 uprightly in the sight of the Lord: he did according [ad]to all that his father Uzziah had done.

35 But the high places were not put away: for the people yet offered and burnt incense in the high places: he built the highest gate of the house of the Lord.

36 Concerning 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 [ae]those days the Lord began to send against Judah, Rezin the king of Aram, and [af]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.

16 3 Ahaz King of Judah consecrateth his son in fire. 5 Jerusalem is besieged. 9 Damascus is taken, and Rezin slain. 11 Idolatry. 19 The death of Ahaz. 20 Hezekiah succeedeth him.

1 The seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, [ag]Ahaz the son of Jotham King of Judah began to reign.

2 Twenty years old was Ahaz, when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem, and did not uprightly in the sight of the Lord his God, like David his father:

3 But walked in the way of the kings of Israel, yea, and made his son to [ah]go through the fire, after the abominations of the heathen, whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel.

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

5 (G)Then Rezin King of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel came up to Jerusalem, to fight: and they besieged Ahaz, but could not overcome [ai]him.

6 At the same time Rezin king of Aram restored [aj]Elath to Aram, and drove the Jews from Elath: so the Aramites came to Elath, and dwelt there unto this day.

7 Then Ahaz sent [ak]messengers to Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria, saying, I am thy servant and thy son: come up, and deliver me out of the hand of the king of Aram, and out of the hand of the king of Israel which rise up against me.

8 And Ahaz took the silver and the gold that was found in the [al]house of the Lord, and in the treasures of the king’s house, and sent a present unto the king of Assyria.

9 And the king of Assyria consented unto him: and the king of Assyria went up against Damascus. and when he had taken it, he carried the people away to Kir, and slew Rezin.

10 And king Ahaz went unto Damascus to meet Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria: and when king Ahaz saw the altar that was at Damascus, he sent to Urijah the Priest the pattern of the altar, and the fashion of it, and all the workmanship thereof.

11 And Urijah the Priest made an altar [am]in all points like to that which King Ahaz had sent from Damascus, so did Urijah the Priest against king Ahaz came from Damascus.

12 So when the king was come from Damascus, the king saw the altar: and the king drew near to the altar, and offered [an]thereon.

13 And he burnt his burnt offering, and his meat offering, and poured his drink offering, and sprinkled the blood of his peace offerings besides the altar.

14 And set it by the brazen altar which was before the Lord, and brought it in further before the house between the altar and the house of the Lord, and set it on the [ao]North side of the altar.

15 And king Ahaz commanded Urijah the Priest, and said, Upon the great altar set on fire in the morning the burnt offering, and in the even the meat offering, and the king’s burnt offering and his meat offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land, and their meat offering, and their drink offerings: and pour thereby all the blood of the burnt offering, and all the blood of the sacrifice, and the [ap]brazen altar shall be for me to inquire of God.

16 And Urijah the Priest did according to all that King Ahaz had commanded.

17 And King Ahaz brake the borders of the bases, and took the caldrons from off them, and took down the sea from the brazen oxen that were under it, and put it upon a pavement of stones.

18 And the [aq]veil for the Sabbath (that they had made in the house) and the king’s entry without turned he to the house of the Lord, [ar]because of the king of Assyria.

19 Concerning 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.

17 3 Hoshea King of Israel is taken, 4 And he and all his realm brought to the Assyrians, 18 for their idolatry. 25 Lions destroy the Assyrians that dwelt in Samaria. 29 Every one worshippeth the god of his nation, 35 Contrary to the commandment of God.

1 In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah began Hoshea the son of Elah to reign in Samaria over Israel, and reigned nine years.

2 And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, [as]but not as the kings of Israel, that were before him.

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

4 And the king of Assyria found treason in Hoshea: for he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and brought no present unto the king of Assyria, [at]as he had done yearly: therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and put him in prison.

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

6 (H)In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away unto Assyria, and put them in Halah, and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the [au]Medes.

7 For when the children of Israel [av]sinned against the Lord their God, which had brought them out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and feared other gods,

8 And walked according to the fashions of the Heathen, whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel, and after the manners of the kings of Israel, which they used,

9 And the children of Israel had done secretly things that were not upright before the Lord their God, and throughout all their cities had built high places, both from the tower [aw]of the watch, to the defensed city,

10 And had made them images and groves upon every high hill, and under every green tree,

11 And there burnt incense in all the high places, as did the heathen, whom the Lord had taken away before them, and wrought wicked things to anger the Lord,

12 And served idols: whereof the Lord had said unto them, (I)Ye shall do no such thing,

13 Notwithstanding the Lord testified to Israel, and to Judah [ax]by all the Prophets, and by all the Seers, saying, (J)Turn 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 Nevertheless they would not obey, (K)but hardened their necks, like to the necks of their [ay]fathers, that did not believe in the Lord their God.

15 And they refused his statutes and his covenant, that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies (wherewith he witnessed unto them) and they followed vanity, and became vain, and followed the heathen that were round about them: concerning whom the Lord had charged them, that they should not do like them.

16 Finally they left all the commandments of the Lord their God, and made them molten images, (L)even two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the [az]host of heaven, and served Baal.

17 And they made their sons and their daughters [ba]pass through the fire, and used witchcraft and enchantments, yea, [bb]sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, to anger him.

18 Therefore the Lord was exceedingly wroth with Israel, and put them out of his sight, and none was left but the tribe of Judah [bc]only.

19 Yet Judah kept not the commandments of the Lord their God, but walked according to the fashion of Israel, which they used.

20 Therefore the Lord cast off all the seed of Israel, and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hands of spoilers, until he had cast them out of his [bd]sight.

21 [be]For he cut off Israel from the house of David, and they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat King: and Jeroboam drew Israel away 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, and departed not therefrom,

23 Until the Lord put Israel away out of his sight, as he had said [bf]by all his servants the (M)Prophets, and carried Israel away out of their land to Assyria unto this day.

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

25 ¶ And at the beginning of their dwelling there, they [bh]feared not the Lord: therefore the Lord sent lions among them, which slew 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.

27 Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, Carry thither one of the Priests whom ye brought thence, and let him go and dwell there, and teach them the manner of the God [bi]of the country.

28 So one of the Priests, which they had carried from Samaria, came and dwelt in Bethel, and taught them how they should fear the Lord.

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

30 For the men of Babylon made [bj]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 the fire to Adrammelech, and Anammelech the gods of Sepharvaim.

32 Thus they feared the Lord, and appointed out Priests out of themselves for the high places, who prepared for them sacrifices in the houses of the high places.

33 (N)They [bk]feared the Lord, but served their gods after the manner of the nations whom they carried thence.

34 Unto this day they do after the old manner: they neither fear God, neither do after [bl]their ordinances, nor after their customs, nor after the Law, nor after the commandment, which the Lord commanded the children of Jacob (O)whom he named Israel,

35 And with whom the Lord had made a covenant, and charged them, saying, (P)Fear none other gods, nor bow yourselves to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them:

36 But fear the Lord which brought you out of the land of Egypt with great power, and a stretched out arm: him fear ye, and worship him and sacrifice to him.

37 Also keep ye diligently the statutes and the ordinances and the law, and the commandment, which he wrote for you, that ye do them continually, and fear not other gods.

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

39 But fear the Lord your God, and he will deliver you out of the hands of all your enemies.

40 Howbeit they obeyed not, but did after their old custom.

41 So these [bm]nations feared the Lord, and served their images also: so did their children, and their children’s children: as did their fathers, so do they unto this day.

18 4 Hezekiah king of Judah putteth down the brazen serpent, and destroyeth the idols, 7 and prospereth. 11 Israel is carried away captive. 30 The blasphemy of Sennacherib.

1 Now in the third year of Hoshea, son of Elah king of Israel, (Q)Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign.

2 He was five and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned nine and twenty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name also was Abi the daughter of Zechariah,

3 And he did [bn]uprightly in the sight of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done.

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

5 He trusted in the Lord God of Israel: so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, neither were there any such before him.

6 For he clave to the Lord and departed not from him, but kept his commandments, which the Lord had commanded Moses.

7 So the Lord was with him, and he prospered in all things which he took in hand, also he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and served him not.

8 He smote the Philistines unto Gaza, and the coasts thereof, [bp]from the watchtower unto the defensed city.

9 (S)And in the fourth year of King Hezekiah, (which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel) Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria, and besieged it.

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

11 Then 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 would not obey the voice of the Lord their God, but transgressed his covenant: that is, all that Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded, and would neither obey nor do them.

13 (U)Moreover, in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the strong cities of Judah, and took them.

14 Then Hezekiah king of Judah sent unto the king of Assyria to Lachish, saying, [bq]I have offended: depart from me, and what thou layest upon me, I will bear it. And the king of Assyria appointed unto Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver, and thirty talents of gold.

15 Therefore Hezekiah gave all the silver that was found in the house of the Lord, and in the treasures of the king’s house.

16 At the same season did Hezekiah pull off the plates of the doors of the Temple of the Lord, and the pillars (which the said Hezekiah king of Judah had covered over) and gave them to the king of Assyria.

17 ¶ And the king of Assyria sent [br]Tartan, and Rabsaris, and Rabshakeh 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 stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which is by the path of the fuller’s field,

18 And called to the king. Then came out to them Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, which was steward of the house, and Shebna the chancellor, and Joah the son of Asaph the [bs]recorder.

19 And Rabshakeh said unto them, Tell ye Hezekiah, I pray you, Thus saith the great king, even the great king of Assyria, What confidence is this wherein thou trustest?

20 Thou thinkest, Surely I have [bt]eloquence, [bu]but counsel and strength are for the war. On whom then doest thou trust, that thou rebellest against me?

21 Lo, thou trustest now in this broken staff of reed, to wit, on [bv]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 [bw]taken away, and hath said to Judah and Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem?

23 Now therefore give [bx]hostages to my lord the king of Assyria, and I will give thee two thousand horses, if thou be able to set riders upon them.

24 For how canst thou despise any captain of the least of my master’s servants, and put thy trust on Egypt for chariots and horsemen?

25 Am I now come up without the [by]Lord to this place, to destroy it? the Lord said to me, Go up against this land, and destroy it.

26 Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, and Shebna, and Joah said unto Rabshakeh, Speak I pray thee, to thy servants in the [bz]Aramites’ language, for we understand it, and talk not with us in the Jews’ tongue, in the audience of the people that are on the wall.

27 But Rabshakeh said unto them, Hath my master sent me to thy master and to thee to speak these words, and not to the men which sit on the wall, that they may eat their own dung, and drink [ca]their own piss with you?

28 So Rabshakeh stood, and spake, saying, Hear the words of the great king, of the king of Assyria.

29 Thus saith the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you: for he shall not be able to deliver you [cb]out of mine hand.

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

31 Hearken not unto Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of Assyria, Make [cc]appointment with me, and come out to me, that every man may eat of his own vine, and every man of his own fig tree, and drink every man of the water of his own well,

32 Till [cd]I come, and bring you to a land like your own land, even a land of wheat and wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive’s oil, and honey, that ye may live and not die: and obey not Hezekiah, for he deceiveth you, saying, The Lord will deliver us.

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

34 Where is the god of Hamath, and of Arpad? where is the god of Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivah? how have they delivered Samaria out of mine hand?

35 Who are they among all the gods of the nations, that have delivered their land out of mine hand, that the [ce]Lord should deliver Jerusalem out of mine hand?

36 But the people held their peace, and answered not him a word: for the king’s commandment was, saying, Answer ye him not.

37 Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah which was steward of the house, and Shebna the chancellor, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder came to Hezekiah with their clothes rent, and told him the words of Rabshakeh.

19 6 God promiseth by Isaiah victory to Hezekiah. 35 The Angel of the Lord killeth an hundred and fourscore and five thousand men of the Assyrians. 37 Sennacherib is killed of his own sons.

1 And (V)when King Hezekiah heard it, he rent his clothes and put on sackcloth, and came into the house of the Lord,

2 And sent Eliakim which was the steward of the house, and Shebna the chancellor, and the Elders of the Priests clothed in sackcloth [cf]to Isaiah, the Prophet the son of Amoz.

3 And they said unto him, Thus saith Hezekiah, This day is a day of tribulation and of rebuke, and blasphemy: for the children are come to [cg]the birth, and there is no strength to bring forth.

4 If so be the Lord thy God hath heard all the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to rail on the living God, and to reproach him with words which the Lord thy God hath heard, then lift thou up thy prayer for the [ch]remnant that are left.

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

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

7 Behold, I will send a blast [ci]upon him, and he shall hear a noise, and return to his own land: and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.

8 ¶ So Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah: for he had heard that he was departed from Lachish.

9 [cj]He heard also men say of Tirhakah king of [ck]Ethiopia, [cl]Behold, he is come out to fight against thee: he therefore departed and sent other messengers unto Hezekiah, saying,

10 Thus shall ye speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, and say, Let not thy [cm]God deceive thee in whom thou trustest, 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, how they have destroyed them: and shalt thou be delivered?

12 Have the gods of the heathen delivered them which my fathers have destroyed? as Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and the children of Eden, which were in Telassar?

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

14 ¶ So Hezekiah received the letter of the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up into the house of the Lord, and Hezekiah spread it before the [cn]Lord.

15 And Hezekiah [co]prayed before the Lord, and said, O Lord God of Israel, which dwellest between the Cherubims, thou art very God alone over all the kingdoms of the earth: thou hast made the heaven and the earth.

16 Lord [cp]bow down thine ear, and hear: Lord open thine eyes and behold, and hear the words of Sennacherib, who hath sent to blaspheme the [cq]living God.

17 Truth it is, Lord, that the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands,

18 And have set fire on their gods: for they were no gods, but the work of man’s hands, even wood and stone: therefore they destroyed them.

19 Now therefore, O Lord our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the [cr]kingdoms of the earth may know, that thou O Lord, art only God.

20 ¶ Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I have heard that which thou hast prayed me, concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria.

21 This is the word that the Lord hath spoken against him, O [cs]Virgin daughter of Zion, he hath despised thee, and laughed thee to scorn: O daughter of Jerusalem, he hath shaken his head at thee.

22 Whom hast thou railed on? and whom hast thou blasphemed? and against whom hast thou exalted thy voice, and lifted up thine eyes on high? even [ct]against the holy One of Israel.

23 By thy messengers thou hast railed on the Lord, and said, By the multitude of my chariots I am come up to the top of the mountains, by the sides of Lebanon, and will cut down the high cedars thereof, and the fair fir trees thereof, and I will go into the [cu]lodging of his borders, and into the forest of his [cv]Carmel.

24 I have dug and drunk the waters of others, and with the plant of my feet have I dried all the [cw]floods closed in.

25 Hast thou not heard, how I have of old time made it, and have formed it long ago? [cx]and should I now bring it, that it should be destroyed, and laid on ruinous heaps, as cities defensed?

26 Whose [cy]inhabitants have small power, and are afraid, and confounded: they are like the grass of the field, and green herb, or grass on the house tops, or as corn blasted before it be grown.

27 I know thy dwelling, yea, thy going out and thy coming in, and thy fury against me.

28 And because thou ragest against me, and thy tumult is come up to mine ears, I will put mine [cz]hook in thy nostrils, and my bridle in thy lips, and will bring thee back again the same way thou camest.

29 And this shall be a [da]sign unto thee, O Hezekiah, Thou shalt eat this year such things as grow of themselves, and the next year such as grow without sowing, and the third year sow ye and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruits thereof.

30 And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah, shall again take [db]root downward, and bear fruit upward.

31 For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant, and some that shall escape out of mount Zion: the [dc]zeal of the Lord of hosts shall do this.

32 Wherefore thus saith the Lord, concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not enter into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor cast a mount against it:

33 But he shall return the way he came, and shall not come into this city, saith the Lord.

34 For I will defend this city to save it for mine own sake, and for David my servant’s sake.

35 (W)And the same night the Angel of the Lord went out and smote in the camp of Assyria an hundred four score and five thousand: so when they rose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.

36 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went his way, and returned and dwelt in Nineveh.

37 And as he was in the Temple worshipping Nisroch his god, Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons [dd]slew him with the sword: and they escaped into the land of Ararat, and Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead.

20 1 Hezekiah is sick, and receiveth the sign of his health, 12 He receiveth rewards of Berodach,  13 Showeth his treasures, and is reprehended of Isaiah.  21 He dieth, and Manasseh his son reigneth in his stead.

1 About that time (X)was Hezekiah sick unto death: and the Prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Put thine house in an order: for thou shalt die, and not live.

2 Then he turned his face to the [de]wall, and prayed to the Lord, saying,

3 I beseech thee, O lord, remember now, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a [df]perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight: and Hezekiah [dg]wept sore.

4 ¶ And afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle of the court, the word of the Lord came to him, saying,

5 Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the Lord God of David thy father, I have heard thy [dh]prayer, and seen thy tears: behold, I have healed thee, and the third day thou shalt go up to the [di]house of the Lord,

6 And I will add unto thy days fifteen years, and will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and will defend this city for mine own sake, and for David my servant’s sake.

7 Then Isaiah said, Take a [dj]lump of dry figs. And they took it, and laid it on the boil, and he recovered.

8 ¶ For Hezekiah had said unto Isaiah, What shall be the sign that the Lord will heal me, and that I shall go up into the house of the Lord the third day?

9 And Isaiah answered, This sign shalt thou have of the Lord, that the Lord will do that he hath spoken, Wilt thou that the shadow go forward ten degrees, or go back ten degrees?

10 And Hezekiah answered, It is a light thing for the shadow to pass forward ten degrees: not so then, but let the shadow [dk]go back ten degrees.

11 And Isaiah the Prophet called unto the Lord, and he brought again the shadow ten degrees back by the degrees whereby it had gone down in the [dl]dial of Ahaz.

12 (Y)The same season Berodach-Baladan the son of Baladan king of Babylon sent letters and a [dm]present to Hezekiah: for he had heard how that Hezekiah was sick.

13 And Hezekiah heard them, and showed them all his treasure house, to wit, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and all the house of his armor, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, and in all his [dn]realm, that Hezekiah showed them not.

14 Then Isaiah the Prophet came unto King Hezekiah, and said unto him, What said these men? and from whence came they to thee? And Hezekiah said, They be come from a far country, even from Babylon.

15 Then said he, What have they seen in thine house? And Hezekiah answered, All that is in mine house have they seen: there is nothing among my treasures, that I have not showed them.

16 And Isaiah said unto Hezekiah, Hear the word of the Lord.

17 Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and whatsoever thy fathers have laid up in store unto this day, (Z)shall be carried into Babylon: Nothing shall be left, saith the Lord.

18 And of thy sons, that shall proceed out of thee, and which thou shalt beget, shall they take away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.

19 Then Hezekiah said unto Isaiah, The word of the Lord, which thou hast [do]spoken, is good: for said he, Shall it not be good if [dp]peace and truth be in my days?

20 Concerning the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and all his valiant deeds, and how he made a pool and a conduit, and brought water into the city, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah?

21 And Hezekiah slept with his fathers: and Manasseh his son reigned in his stead.

21 3 King Manasseh restoreth idolatry, 16 And useth great cruelty. 18 He dieth and Amon his son succeedeth, 23 Who is killed of his own servants. 26 After him reigneth Josiah.

1 Manasseh (AA)was twelve years old when he began to reign, and reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem: his mother’s name also was Hephzibah.

2 And he did evil in the sight of the Lord after the abomination of the heathen, whom the (AB)Lord had cast out before the children of Israel.

3 For he went back and built the high places, (AC)which Hezekiah his father had destroyed: and he erected up altars for Baal, and made a grove, as did Ahab king of Israel, and worshipped all the host of heaven and served them.

4 Also he (AD)built altars in the house of the Lord, of the which the Lord said, (AE)In Jerusalem will I put my Name.

5 And he built altars for all the host of the heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord.

6 And he caused his sons [dq]to pass through the fire, and gave himself to witchcraft and sorcery, and he used them that had familiar spirits and were soothsayers, and did much evil in the sight of the Lord to anger him.

7 And he set the image of the grove, that he had made in the house, whereof the Lord had said to David and to Solomon his son, (AF)In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, will I put my Name forever.

8 Neither will I make the feet of Israel move anymore out of the land, which I gave their fathers: so that they will [dr]observe and do all that I have commanded them, and according to all the Law that my servant Moses commanded them.

9 Yet they obeyed not, but Manasseh led them out of the way, to do more wickedly than did the heathen people, whom the Lord destroyed before the children of Israel.

10 Therefore the Lord spake by his servants the Prophets, saying,

11 (AG)Because that Manasseh king of Judah hath done such abominations, and hath wrought more wickedly than all that the Amorites (which were before him) did, and hath made Judah sin also with his idols.

12 Therefore thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Behold, I will bring an evil upon Jerusalem and Judah, that who so heareth of it, both his (AH)ears shall [ds]tingle.

13 And I will stretch over Jerusalem the line [dt]of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab: and I will wipe Jerusalem, as a man wipeth a dish, which he wipeth, and turneth it upside down.

14 And I will forsake the [du]remnant of mine inheritance, and deliver them into the hand of their enemies, and they shall be robbed and spoiled of all their adversaries,

15 Because they have done evil in my sight, and have provoked me to anger, since the time their fathers came out of Egypt until this day.

16 Moreover, Manasseh shed [dv]innocent blood exceedingly much, till he replenished Jerusalem from corner to corner, beside his sin wherewith he made Judah to sin, and to do evil in the sight of the Lord.

17 Concerning the rest of the acts of Manasseh, and all that he did, and his sin that he sinned, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah?

18 And Manasseh slept with his fathers, and was buried in the garden of his own house, even in the garden of Uzza: and Amon his son reigned in his stead.

19 (AI)Amon was two and twenty years old, when he began to reign, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem: his mother’s name also was Meshullemeth the daughter of Haruz of Jotbah.

20 And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, as his father Manasseh did.

21 For he walked in all the way that his father walked in, and served the idols that his father served, and worshipped them.

22 And he forsook the Lord God of his fathers, and walked not in the [dw]way of the Lord.

23 And the servants of Amon conspired against him, and slew the King in his own house.

24 And the people of the land slew all them that had conspired against King Amon, and the people made Josiah his son King in his stead.

25 Concerning the rest of the acts of Amon, which he did, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

26 And [dx]they buried him in his sepulcher in the garden of Uzza: and Josiah his son reigned in his stead.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 14:3 In the beginning of his reign he seemed to have an outward show of godliness, but afterward he became an idolater and worshipped the idols of the Idumeans.
  2. 2 Kings 14:6 Because they neither consented nor were partakers with their fathers in that act.
  3. 2 Kings 14:7 For the Idumeans, whom David had brought to subjection, did rebel in the time of Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat.
  4. 2 Kings 14:7 Or, the tower, or rock, 2 Chron. 25:32.
  5. 2 Kings 14:8 Let us fight hand to hand, and try it by battle, and not destroy one another’s cities.
  6. 2 Kings 14:9 By this parable Jehoash compareth himself to a cedar tree, because of his great kingdom over ten tribes, and Amaziah to a thistle, because he ruled but over two tribes, and the wild beasts are Jehoash’s soldiers, that spoiled the cities of Judah.
  7. 2 Kings 14:10 Brag of the victory, so that thou tarry at home, and envy me not.
  8. 2 Kings 14:13 Or, brought him.
  9. 2 Kings 14:14 That is, which the Israelites had given to them of Judah for an assurance of peace.
  10. 2 Kings 14:19 Which city Rehoboam built in Judah for a fortress, 2 Chron. 11:9.
  11. 2 Kings 14:21 Who is also called Uzziah, 2 Chron. 26:1.
  12. 2 Kings 14:22 Which is also called Elanon or Eloth.
  13. 2 Kings 14:24 Because this idolatry was so vile and almost incredible, that men should forsake the living God, to worship calves, the work of man’s hands, therefore the Scripture doth ofttimes repeat it in the reproach of all idolaters.
  14. 2 Kings 14:25 Hebrew, by the hand of.
  15. 2 Kings 14:26 Read 1 Kings 14:10.
  16. 2 Kings 14:27 Hebrew, had not spoken.
  17. 2 Kings 14:28 Which was also called Antioch of Syria, or Riblah.
  18. 2 Kings 15:1 Hebrew, in the twentieth year and seventh year.
  19. 2 Kings 15:3 So long as he gave ear to Zechariah the Prophet.
  20. 2 Kings 15:5 His father and grandfather were slain by their subjects and servants, and he because he would usurp the Priest’s office contrary to God’s ordinance was smitten immediately by the hand of God with the leprosy, 2 Chron. 26:21.
  21. 2 Kings 15:5 As viceroy, or deputy to his father.
  22. 2 Kings 15:8 He was the fourth in descent from Jehu, who reigned according to God’s promise, but in him God began to execute his wrath against the house of Jehu.
  23. 2 Kings 15:10 Zechariah was the last in Israel, that had the kingdom by succession, save only Pekahiah the son of Menahem, who reigned but two years.
  24. 2 Kings 15:16 Which was a city of Israel that would not receive him to be king.
  25. 2 Kings 15:19 That is, of Israel.
  26. 2 Kings 15:19 Instead of seeking help of God, he went about by money to purchase the favor of this king being an infidel, and therefore God forsook him, and Pul soon afterward brake promise, destroyed his country, and led his people away captive.
  27. 2 Kings 15:25 Which were of the same conspiracy.
  28. 2 Kings 15:29 For God stirred up Pul and Tiglath-Pileser against Israel for their sins, 1 Chron. 5:26.
  29. 2 Kings 15:32 Or, Azariah.
  30. 2 Kings 15:34 He showeth that his uprightness was not such, but that he had many and great faults.
  31. 2 Kings 15:37 After the death of Jotham.
  32. 2 Kings 15:37 Which slew of Judah in one day sixscore thousand fighting men, 2 Chron. 28:6, because they had forsaken the true God.
  33. 2 Kings 16:1 This was a wicked son of a godly father, as of him again came godly Hezekiah, and of him wicked Manasseh, save that God in the end showed him mercy. Thus we see how uncertain it is to depend on the dignity of our fathers.
  34. 2 Kings 16:3 That is, offered him to Molech, or made him to pass between two fires, as the manner of the Gentiles was, Lev. 18:21; Deut. 18:10.
  35. 2 Kings 16:5 For the Lord preserved the city and his people for his promise sake made to David.
  36. 2 Kings 16:6 Which city Azariah had taken from the Aramites and fortified it, 2 Kings 14:22.
  37. 2 Kings 16:7 Contrary to the admonition of the Prophet Isaiah, Isa. 7:4.
  38. 2 Kings 16:8 Thus he spared not to spoil the Temple of God, to have succor of men and would not once lift his heart toward God to desire his help, nor yet hear his Prophet’s counsel.
  39. 2 Kings 16:11 We see that there is no prince so wicked, be he shall find flatterers and false ministers to serve his turn.
  40. 2 Kings 16:12 Either offerings for peace or prosperity, or thanksgiving, as Lev. 3:1, or else meaning the morning and evening offering, Exod. 29:38, Num. 28:3, and thus he contemned the means and the altar which God had commanded by Solomon, to serve God after his own fantasy.
  41. 2 Kings 16:14 That is, at the right hand, as men went into to Temple.
  42. 2 Kings 16:15 Here he establisheth by commandment his own wicked proceedings, and doth abolish the commandment and ordinance of God.
  43. 2 Kings 16:18 Or, tent, wherein they lay on the Sabbath, which had served their week in the Temple, and so departed home.
  44. 2 Kings 16:18 Either to flatter the King of Assyria, when he should thus see him change the ordinance of God, or else that the Temple might be a refuge for him if the King should suddenly assail his house.
  45. 2 Kings 17:2 Though he invented no new idolatry, or impiety as others did, yet he sought for help at the Egyptians, which God had forbidden.
  46. 2 Kings 17:4 For he had paid tribute for the space of eight years.
  47. 2 Kings 17:6 For at this time the Medes and Persians were subject to the Assyrians.
  48. 2 Kings 17:7 He setteth forth at length the cause of this great plague and perpetual captivity, to admonish all people, and nations to cleave to the Lord God, and only worship him for fear of like judgment.
  49. 2 Kings 17:9 Meaning, throughout all their borders.
  50. 2 Kings 17:13 Hebrew, by the hand of.
  51. 2 Kings 17:14 So that to allege the authority of our fathers or great antiquity, except we can prove that they were godly, is but to declare that we are the children of the wicked.
  52. 2 Kings 17:16 That is, the sun, the moon, and stars, Deut. 4:19.
  53. 2 Kings 17:17 Read 2 Kings 16:3.
  54. 2 Kings 17:17 Read of this phrase, 1 Kings 21:20, 25.
  55. 2 Kings 17:18 No whole tribe was left but Judah, and they of Benjamin and Levi, which remained, were counted with Judah.
  56. 2 Kings 17:20 Out of the land where he showed the greatest tokens of his presence and favor.
  57. 2 Kings 17:21 That is, God cut off the ten tribes, 1 Kings 12:16, 20.
  58. 2 Kings 17:23 Hebrew, by the hand of.
  59. 2 Kings 17:24 Of these peoples came the Samaritans, whereof mention is so much made in the Gospel, and with whom the Jews would have nothing to do, John 4:9.
  60. 2 Kings 17:25 That is, they served him not: therefore, lest they should blaspheme him, as though there were no God, because he chastised the Israelites, he showeth his mighty power among them by this strange punishment.
  61. 2 Kings 17:27 That is, how to worship him: thus the wicked rather than to lose their commodities will change to all religions.
  62. 2 Kings 17:30 Meaning that every country served that idol, which was most esteemed in that place whence they came.
  63. 2 Kings 17:33 That is, they had a certain knowledge of God, and feared him because of the punishment, but they continued still idolaters as do the Papist, which worship both God and idols: but this is not to fear God, as appeareth verse 34.
  64. 2 Kings 17:34 He meaneth this by the Israelites to whom God had given his commandments.
  65. 2 Kings 17:41 That is, these strangers which were sent into Samaria by the Assyrians.
  66. 2 Kings 18:3 Although they of Judah were given to idolatry and impiety, as they of Israel were, yet God for his promise sake was merciful unto the throne of David, and yet by his judgment toward the other, provoked to repentance.
  67. 2 Kings 18:4 That is, a piece of Brass: thus he calleth the serpent by contempt, which notwithstanding was set up by the word of God, and miracles were wrought by it: yet when it was abused to idolatry this good king destroyed it, not thinking it worthy to be called a serpent, but a piece of brass.
  68. 2 Kings 18:8 Read 2 Kings 17:9.
  69. 2 Kings 18:14 As his zeal was before praised, so his weakness is here set forth, that none should glory in himself.
  70. 2 Kings 18:17 After certain years, when Hezekiah ceased to send the tribute appointed by the king of the Assyrians, he sent his captains and army against him.
  71. 2 Kings 18:18 Or, writer of Chronicles, or secretary.
  72. 2 Kings 18:20 Hebrew, talk of the lips.
  73. 2 Kings 18:20 Thou thinkest that words will serve to persuade thy people, or to move my master.
  74. 2 Kings 18:21 Egypt shall not only not be able to succor thee, but shall be an hurt unto thee.
  75. 2 Kings 18:22 Thus the idolaters think that God’s religion is destroyed, when superstition and idolatry are reformed.
  76. 2 Kings 18:23 Meaning, that it was best for him to yield to the king of Assyria, because his power was so small that he had not men to furnish two thousand horses.
  77. 2 Kings 18:25 The wicked always in their prosperity flatter themselves, that God doth favor them. Thus he speaketh to fear Hezekiah that by resisting him he should resist God.
  78. 2 Kings 18:26 Or, Syrians.
  79. 2 Kings 18:27 Hebrew, the water of their feet.
  80. 2 Kings 18:29 Or, by his hand.
  81. 2 Kings 18:31 Hebrew, blessing: meaning the conditions of peace.
  82. 2 Kings 18:32 He maketh himself so sure, that he will not grant them truce, except they render themselves to him to be led away captives.
  83. 2 Kings 18:35 This is an execrable blasphemy against the true God, to make him equal with the idols of other nations: therefore God did most sharply punish it.
  84. 2 Kings 19:2 To hear some new prophecy, and to have comfort of him.
  85. 2 Kings 19:3 The dangers are so great, that we can neither avenge this blasphemy, nor help ourselves no more than a woman in her travail.
  86. 2 Kings 19:4 Meaning, for Jerusalem which only remained of all the cities of Judah.
  87. 2 Kings 19:7 The Lord can with one blast blow away all the strength of man, and turn it into dust.
  88. 2 Kings 19:9 That is, Sennacherib.
  89. 2 Kings 19:9 Or, black Moors.
  90. 2 Kings 19:9 For the Kings of Ethiopia and Egypt joined together against the King of Assyria because of his oppression of other countries.
  91. 2 Kings 19:10 The more near that the wicked are to their destruction, the more they blaspheme.
  92. 2 Kings 19:14 Before the Ark of the covenant.
  93. 2 Kings 19:15 He showeth what is the true refuge and succor in all dangers, to wit, to flee to the Lord by earnest prayer.
  94. 2 Kings 19:16 Show by effect that thou wilt not suffer thy Name to be blasphemed.
  95. 2 Kings 19:16 By this title he discerneth God from all idols and false gods.
  96. 2 Kings 19:19 He showeth for what end the faithful desire of God to be delivered: to wit, that he may be glorified by their deliverance.
  97. 2 Kings 19:21 Because as yet Jerusalem had not been taken by the enemy, therefore he calleth her virgin.
  98. 2 Kings 19:22 God counteth that injury done to him, and will revenge it, which is done to any of his Saints.
  99. 2 Kings 19:23 Meaning, Jerusalem, which Isaiah calleth the height of his borders, to wit, of Judah, Isa. 37:24.
  100. 2 Kings 19:23 Or, pleasant country.
  101. 2 Kings 19:24 Or, the waters of cities besieged.
  102. 2 Kings 19:25 He declareth that forasmuch as he is the author and beginning of his Church, he will never suffer it utterly to be destroyed, as other cities and kingdoms.
  103. 2 Kings 19:26 Thus he describeth the wicked, which for a time flourish, and afterward fade and decay like flowers.
  104. 2 Kings 19:28 I will bridle thy rage, and turn thee to and fro as pleaseth me.
  105. 2 Kings 19:29 God did not only promise him the victory, but giveth him a sign to confirm his faith.
  106. 2 Kings 19:30 The Lord will multiply in great number, that small remnant of Judah that is escaped.
  107. 2 Kings 19:31 The love, that God beareth toward his Church shall overcome the counsels and enterprises of men.
  108. 2 Kings 19:37 This was the just judgment of God for his blasphemy, that he should be slain before that idol, whom he preferred to the living God, and by them, by whom ought by nature to have been defended.
  109. 2 Kings 20:2 That his mind might not be troubled.
  110. 2 Kings 20:3 Meaning, without all hypocrisy.
  111. 2 Kings 20:3 Not so much for his own death, as for fear that idolatry should be restored, which he had destroyed, and so God’s Name be dishonored.
  112. 2 Kings 20:5 Because of his unfained repentance and prayer, God turned away his wrath.
  113. 2 Kings 20:5 To give thanks for thy deliverance.
  114. 2 Kings 20:7 He declareth that albeit God can heal without other medicines, yet he showeth that he will not have these inferior means contemned.
  115. 2 Kings 20:10 Let the sun go so many degrees back, that the hours may be so many the fewer in the king’s dial.
  116. 2 Kings 20:11 Which dial was set the top of the stairs that Ahaz had made.
  117. 2 Kings 20:12 Moved with the favor that God showed to Hezekiah, and also because he had declared himself enemy to Sennacherib his enemy which was now destroyed.
  118. 2 Kings 20:13 Being moved with ambition and vain glory, and also because he seemed to rejoice in the friendship of him that was God’s enemy and an infidel.
  119. 2 Kings 20:19 He acknowledgeth Isaiah to be the true Prophet of God, and therefore humbleth himself to his word.
  120. 2 Kings 20:19 Seeing that God hath showeth me this favor to grant me quietness during my life: for he was afraid lest the enemies should have had occasion to rejoice, if the Church had decayed in his time, because he had restored religion.
  121. 2 Kings 21:6 Read 2 Kings 16:3.
  122. 2 Kings 21:8 Therefore seeing they obeyed not the commandment of God, they were justly cast forth of that land, which they had but on condition.
  123. 2 Kings 21:12 Meaning, that whosoever shall hear of this great plague, shall be astonished.
  124. 2 Kings 21:13 As I have destroyed Samaria and the house of Ahab, so will I destroy Judah.
  125. 2 Kings 21:14 Meaning, Judah and Benjamin, which were only left of the rest of the tribes.
  126. 2 Kings 21:16 The Hebrews write that he slew Isaiah the Prophet, who was his father-in-law.
  127. 2 Kings 21:22 That is, according to his commandments.
  128. 2 Kings 21:26 Or, he buried him, to wit, Josiah his son.
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2 Kings 14-21
New International Version

Amaziah King of Judah(A)(B)

14 In the second year of Jehoash[a] son of Jehoahaz king of Israel, Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah began to reign. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan; she was from Jerusalem. 3 He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, but not as his father David had done. In everything he followed the example of his father Joash. 4 The high places,(C) however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.

5 After the kingdom was firmly in his grasp, he executed(D) the officials(E) who had murdered his father the king. 6 Yet he did not put the children of the assassins to death, in accordance with what is written in the Book of the Law(F) of Moses where the Lord commanded: “Parents are not to be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their parents; each will die for their own sin.”[b](G)

7 He was the one who defeated ten thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt(H) and captured Sela(I) in battle, calling it Joktheel, the name it has to this day.

8 Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel, with the challenge: “Come, let us face each other in battle.”

9 But Jehoash king of Israel replied to Amaziah king of Judah: “A thistle(J) in Lebanon sent a message to a cedar in Lebanon, ‘Give your daughter to my son in marriage.’ Then a wild beast in Lebanon came along and trampled the thistle underfoot. 10 You have indeed defeated Edom and now you are arrogant.(K) Glory in your victory, but stay at home! Why ask for trouble and cause your own downfall and that of Judah also?”

11 Amaziah, however, would not listen, so Jehoash king of Israel attacked. He and Amaziah king of Judah faced each other at Beth Shemesh(L) in Judah. 12 Judah was routed by Israel, and every man fled to his home.(M) 13 Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Ahaziah, at Beth Shemesh. Then Jehoash went to Jerusalem and broke down the wall(N) of Jerusalem from the Ephraim Gate(O) to the Corner Gate(P)—a section about four hundred cubits long.[c] 14 He took all the gold and silver and all the articles found in the temple of the Lord and in the treasuries of the royal palace. He also took hostages and returned to Samaria.

15 As for the other events of the reign of Jehoash, what he did and his achievements, including his war(Q) against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel? 16 Jehoash rested with his ancestors and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. And Jeroboam his son succeeded him as king.

17 Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah lived for fifteen years after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel. 18 As for the other events of Amaziah’s reign, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah?

19 They conspired(R) against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish,(S) but they sent men after him to Lachish and killed him there. 20 He was brought back by horse(T) and was buried in Jerusalem with his ancestors, in the City of David.

21 Then all the people of Judah took Azariah,[d](U) who was sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah. 22 He was the one who rebuilt Elath(V) and restored it to Judah after Amaziah rested with his ancestors.

Jeroboam II King of Israel

23 In the fifteenth year of Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah, Jeroboam(W) son of Jehoash king of Israel became king in Samaria, and he reigned forty-one years. 24 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord and did not turn away from any of the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit.(X) 25 He was the one who restored the boundaries of Israel from Lebo Hamath(Y) to the Dead Sea,[e](Z) in accordance with the word of the Lord, the God of Israel, spoken through his servant Jonah(AA) son of Amittai, the prophet from Gath Hepher.

26 The Lord had seen how bitterly everyone in Israel, whether slave or free,(AB) was suffering;[f](AC) there was no one to help them.(AD) 27 And since the Lord had not said he would blot out(AE) the name of Israel from under heaven, he saved(AF) them by the hand of Jeroboam son of Jehoash.

28 As for the other events of Jeroboam’s reign, all he did, and his military achievements, including how he recovered for Israel both Damascus(AG) and Hamath,(AH) which had belonged to Judah, are they not written in the book of the annals(AI) of the kings of Israel? 29 Jeroboam rested with his ancestors, the kings of Israel. And Zechariah his son succeeded him as king.

Azariah King of Judah(AJ)

15 In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Azariah[g](AK) son of Amaziah king of Judah began to reign. 2 He was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years. His mother’s name was Jekoliah; she was from Jerusalem. 3 He did what was right(AL) in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father Amaziah had done. 4 The high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.

5 The Lord afflicted(AM) the king with leprosy[h] until the day he died, and he lived in a separate house.[i](AN) Jotham(AO) the king’s son had charge of the palace(AP) and governed the people of the land.

6 As for the other events of Azariah’s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? 7 Azariah rested(AQ) with his ancestors and was buried near them in the City of David. And Jotham(AR) his son succeeded him as king.

Zechariah King of Israel

8 In the thirty-eighth year of Azariah king of Judah, Zechariah son of Jeroboam became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned six months. 9 He did evil(AS) in the eyes of the Lord, as his predecessors had done. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit.

10 Shallum son of Jabesh conspired against Zechariah. He attacked him in front of the people,[j] assassinated(AT) him and succeeded him as king. 11 The other events of Zechariah’s reign are written in the book of the annals(AU) of the kings of Israel. 12 So the word of the Lord spoken to Jehu was fulfilled:(AV) “Your descendants will sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation.”[k]

Shallum King of Israel

13 Shallum son of Jabesh became king in the thirty-ninth year of Uzziah king of Judah, and he reigned in Samaria(AW) one month. 14 Then Menahem son of Gadi went from Tirzah(AX) up to Samaria. He attacked Shallum son of Jabesh in Samaria, assassinated(AY) him and succeeded him as king.

15 The other events of Shallum’s reign, and the conspiracy he led, are written in the book of the annals(AZ) of the kings of Israel.

16 At that time Menahem, starting out from Tirzah, attacked Tiphsah(BA) and everyone in the city and its vicinity, because they refused to open(BB) their gates. He sacked Tiphsah and ripped open all the pregnant women.

Menahem King of Israel

17 In the thirty-ninth year of Azariah king of Judah, Menahem son of Gadi became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria ten years. 18 He did evil(BC) in the eyes of the Lord. During his entire reign he did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit.

19 Then Pul[l](BD) king of Assyria invaded the land, and Menahem gave him a thousand talents[m] of silver to gain his support and strengthen his own hold on the kingdom. 20 Menahem exacted this money from Israel. Every wealthy person had to contribute fifty shekels[n] of silver to be given to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria withdrew(BE) and stayed in the land no longer.

21 As for the other events of Menahem’s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel? 22 Menahem rested with his ancestors. And Pekahiah his son succeeded him as king.

Pekahiah King of Israel

23 In the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekahiah son of Menahem became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned two years. 24 Pekahiah did evil(BF) in the eyes of the Lord. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit. 25 One of his chief officers, Pekah(BG) son of Remaliah, conspired against him. Taking fifty men of Gilead with him, he assassinated(BH) Pekahiah, along with Argob and Arieh, in the citadel of the royal palace at Samaria. So Pekah killed Pekahiah and succeeded him as king.

26 The other events of Pekahiah’s reign, and all he did, are written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel.

Pekah King of Israel

27 In the fifty-second year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekah(BI) son of Remaliah(BJ) became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned twenty years. 28 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit.

29 In the time of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-Pileser(BK) king of Assyria came and took Ijon,(BL) Abel Beth Maakah, Janoah, Kedesh and Hazor. He took Gilead and Galilee, including all the land of Naphtali,(BM) and deported(BN) the people to Assyria. 30 Then Hoshea(BO) son of Elah conspired against Pekah son of Remaliah. He attacked and assassinated(BP) him, and then succeeded him as king in the twentieth year of Jotham son of Uzziah.

31 As for the other events of Pekah’s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals(BQ) of the kings of Israel?

Jotham King of Judah(BR)

32 In the second year of Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel, Jotham(BS) son of Uzziah king of Judah began to reign. 33 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. His mother’s name was Jerusha daughter of Zadok. 34 He did what was right(BT) in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father Uzziah had done. 35 The high places,(BU) however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there. Jotham rebuilt the Upper Gate(BV) of the temple of the Lord.

36 As for the other events of Jotham’s reign, and what he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? 37 (In those days the Lord began to send Rezin(BW) king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah against Judah.) 38 Jotham rested with his ancestors and was buried with them in the City of David, the city of his father. And Ahaz his son succeeded him as king.

Ahaz King of Judah(BX)

16 In the seventeenth year of Pekah son of Remaliah, Ahaz(BY) son of Jotham king of Judah began to reign. 2 Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. Unlike David his father, he did not do what was right(BZ) in the eyes of the Lord his God. 3 He followed the ways of the kings of Israel(CA) and even sacrificed his son(CB) in the fire, engaging in the detestable(CC) practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. 4 He offered sacrifices and burned incense(CD) at the high places, on the hilltops and under every spreading tree.(CE)

5 Then Rezin(CF) king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel marched up to fight against Jerusalem and besieged Ahaz, but they could not overpower him. 6 At that time, Rezin(CG) king of Aram recovered Elath(CH) for Aram by driving out the people of Judah. Edomites then moved into Elath and have lived there to this day.

7 Ahaz sent messengers to say to Tiglath-Pileser(CI) king of Assyria, “I am your servant and vassal. Come up and save(CJ) me out of the hand of the king of Aram and of the king of Israel, who are attacking me.” 8 And Ahaz took the silver and gold found in the temple of the Lord and in the treasuries of the royal palace and sent it as a gift(CK) to the king of Assyria. 9 The king of Assyria complied by attacking Damascus(CL) and capturing it. He deported its inhabitants to Kir(CM) and put Rezin to death.

10 Then King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria. He saw an altar in Damascus and sent to Uriah(CN) the priest a sketch of the altar, with detailed plans for its construction. 11 So Uriah the priest built an altar in accordance with all the plans that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus and finished it before King Ahaz returned. 12 When the king came back from Damascus and saw the altar, he approached it and presented offerings[o](CO) on it. 13 He offered up his burnt offering(CP) and grain offering,(CQ) poured out his drink offering,(CR) and splashed the blood of his fellowship offerings(CS) against the altar. 14 As for the bronze altar(CT) that stood before the Lord, he brought it from the front of the temple—from between the new altar and the temple of the Lord—and put it on the north side of the new altar.

15 King Ahaz then gave these orders to Uriah the priest: “On the large new altar, offer the morning(CU) burnt offering and the evening grain offering, the king’s burnt offering and his grain offering, and the burnt offering of all the people of the land, and their grain offering and their drink offering. Splash against this altar the blood of all the burnt offerings and sacrifices. But I will use the bronze altar for seeking guidance.”(CV) 16 And Uriah the priest did just as King Ahaz had ordered.

17 King Ahaz cut off the side panels and removed the basins from the movable stands. He removed the Sea from the bronze bulls that supported it and set it on a stone base.(CW) 18 He took away the Sabbath canopy[p] that had been built at the temple and removed the royal entryway outside the temple of the Lord, in deference to the king of Assyria.(CX)

19 As for the other events of the reign of Ahaz, and what he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? 20 Ahaz rested(CY) with his ancestors and was buried with them in the City of David. And Hezekiah his son succeeded him as king.

Hoshea Last King of Israel(CZ)

17 In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea(DA) son of Elah became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned nine years. 2 He did evil(DB) in the eyes of the Lord, but not like the kings of Israel who preceded him.

3 Shalmaneser(DC) king of Assyria came up to attack Hoshea, who had been Shalmaneser’s vassal and had paid him tribute.(DD) 4 But the king of Assyria discovered that Hoshea was a traitor, for he had sent envoys to So[q] king of Egypt,(DE) and he no longer paid tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year. Therefore Shalmaneser seized him and put him in prison.(DF) 5 The king of Assyria invaded the entire land, marched against Samaria and laid siege(DG) to it for three years. 6 In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria(DH) captured Samaria(DI) and deported(DJ) the Israelites to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, in Gozan(DK) on the Habor River and in the towns of the Medes.

Israel Exiled Because of Sin

7 All this took place because the Israelites had sinned(DL) against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of Egypt(DM) from under the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They worshiped other gods 8 and followed the practices of the nations(DN) the Lord had driven out before them, as well as the practices that the kings of Israel had introduced. 9 The Israelites secretly did things against the Lord their God that were not right. From watchtower to fortified city(DO) they built themselves high places in all their towns. 10 They set up sacred stones(DP) and Asherah poles(DQ) on every high hill and under every spreading tree.(DR) 11 At every high place they burned incense, as the nations whom the Lord had driven out before them had done. They did wicked things that aroused the Lord’s anger. 12 They worshiped idols,(DS) though the Lord had said, “You shall not do this.”[r] 13 The Lord warned(DT) Israel and Judah through all his prophets and seers:(DU) “Turn from your evil ways.(DV) Observe my commands and decrees, in accordance with the entire Law that I commanded your ancestors to obey and that I delivered to you through my servants the prophets.”(DW)

14 But they would not listen and were as stiff-necked(DX) as their ancestors, who did not trust in the Lord their God. 15 They rejected his decrees and the covenant(DY) he had made with their ancestors and the statutes he had warned them to keep. They followed worthless idols(DZ) and themselves became worthless.(EA) They imitated the nations(EB) around them although the Lord had ordered them, “Do not do as they do.”

16 They forsook all the commands of the Lord their God and made for themselves two idols cast in the shape of calves,(EC) and an Asherah(ED) pole. They bowed down to all the starry hosts,(EE) and they worshiped Baal.(EF) 17 They sacrificed(EG) their sons and daughters in the fire. They practiced divination and sought omens(EH) and sold(EI) themselves to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, arousing his anger.

18 So the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them from his presence.(EJ) Only the tribe of Judah was left, 19 and even Judah did not keep the commands of the Lord their God. They followed the practices Israel had introduced.(EK) 20 Therefore the Lord rejected all the people of Israel; he afflicted them and gave them into the hands of plunderers,(EL) until he thrust them from his presence.(EM)

21 When he tore(EN) Israel away from the house of David, they made Jeroboam son of Nebat their king.(EO) Jeroboam enticed Israel away from following the Lord and caused them to commit a great sin.(EP) 22 The Israelites persisted in all the sins of Jeroboam and did not turn away from them 23 until the Lord removed them from his presence,(EQ) as he had warned(ER) through all his servants the prophets. So the people of Israel were taken from their homeland(ES) into exile in Assyria, and they are still there.

Samaria Resettled

24 The king of Assyria(ET) brought people from Babylon, Kuthah, Avva, Hamath and Sepharvaim(EU) and settled them in the towns of Samaria to replace the Israelites. They took over Samaria and lived in its towns. 25 When they first lived there, they did not worship the Lord; so he sent lions(EV) among them and they killed some of the people. 26 It was reported to the king of Assyria: “The people you deported and resettled in the towns of Samaria do not know what the god of that country requires. He has sent lions among them, which are killing them off, because the people do not know what he requires.”

27 Then the king of Assyria gave this order: “Have one of the priests you took captive from Samaria go back to live there and teach the people what the god of the land requires.” 28 So one of the priests who had been exiled from Samaria came to live in Bethel and taught them how to worship the Lord.

29 Nevertheless, each national group made its own gods in the several towns(EW) where they settled, and set them up in the shrines(EX) the people of Samaria had made at the high places.(EY) 30 The people from Babylon made Sukkoth Benoth, those from Kuthah made Nergal, and those from Hamath made Ashima; 31 the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire as sacrifices to Adrammelek(EZ) and Anammelek, the gods of Sepharvaim.(FA) 32 They worshiped the Lord, but they also appointed all sorts(FB) of their own people to officiate for them as priests in the shrines at the high places. 33 They worshiped the Lord, but they also served their own gods in accordance with the customs of the nations from which they had been brought.

34 To this day they persist in their former practices. They neither worship the Lord nor adhere to the decrees and regulations, the laws and commands that the Lord gave the descendants of Jacob, whom he named Israel.(FC) 35 When the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites, he commanded them: “Do not worship(FD) any other gods or bow down to them, serve them or sacrifice to them.(FE) 36 But the Lord, who brought you up out of Egypt with mighty power and outstretched arm,(FF) is the one you must worship. To him you shall bow down and to him offer sacrifices. 37 You must always be careful(FG) to keep the decrees(FH) and regulations, the laws and commands he wrote for you. Do not worship other gods. 38 Do not forget(FI) the covenant I have made with you, and do not worship other gods. 39 Rather, worship the Lord your God; it is he who will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.”

40 They would not listen, however, but persisted in their former practices. 41 Even while these people were worshiping the Lord,(FJ) they were serving their idols. To this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their ancestors did.

Hezekiah King of Judah(FK)(FL)(FM)

18 In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Hezekiah(FN) son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years.(FO) His mother’s name was Abijah[s] daughter of Zechariah. 3 He did what was right(FP) in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father David(FQ) had done. 4 He removed(FR) the high places,(FS) smashed the sacred stones(FT) and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake(FU) Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. (It was called Nehushtan.[t])

5 Hezekiah trusted(FV) in the Lord, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him. 6 He held fast(FW) to the Lord and did not stop following him; he kept the commands the Lord had given Moses. 7 And the Lord was with him; he was successful(FX) in whatever he undertook. He rebelled(FY) against the king of Assyria and did not serve him. 8 From watchtower to fortified city,(FZ) he defeated the Philistines, as far as Gaza and its territory.

9 In King Hezekiah’s fourth year,(GA) which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Shalmaneser king of Assyria marched against Samaria and laid siege to it. 10 At the end of three years the Assyrians took it. So Samaria was captured in Hezekiah’s sixth year, which was the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel. 11 The king(GB) of Assyria deported Israel to Assyria and settled them in Halah, in Gozan on the Habor River and in towns of the Medes.(GC) 12 This happened because they had not obeyed the Lord their God, but had violated his covenant(GD)—all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded.(GE) They neither listened to the commands(GF) nor carried them out.

13 In the fourteenth year(GG) of King Hezekiah’s reign, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked all the fortified cities of Judah(GH) and captured them. 14 So Hezekiah king of Judah sent this message to the king of Assyria at Lachish:(GI) “I have done wrong.(GJ) Withdraw from me, and I will pay whatever you demand of me.” The king of Assyria exacted from Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents[u] of silver and thirty talents[v] of gold. 15 So Hezekiah gave(GK) him all the silver that was found in the temple of the Lord and in the treasuries of the royal palace.

16 At this time Hezekiah king of Judah stripped off the gold with which he had covered the doors(GL) and doorposts of the temple of the Lord, and gave it to the king of Assyria.

Sennacherib Threatens Jerusalem(GM)(GN)

17 The king of Assyria sent his supreme commander,(GO) his chief officer and his field commander with a large army, from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. They came up to Jerusalem and stopped at the aqueduct of the Upper Pool,(GP) on the road to the Washerman’s Field. 18 They called for the king; and Eliakim(GQ) son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna(GR) the secretary, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder went out to them.

19 The field commander said to them, “Tell Hezekiah:

“‘This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: On what are you basing this confidence(GS) of yours? 20 You say you have the counsel and the might for war—but you speak only empty words. On whom are you depending, that you rebel against me? 21 Look, I know you are depending on Egypt,(GT) that splintered reed of a staff,(GU) which pierces the hand of anyone who leans on it! Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who depend on him. 22 But if you say to me, “We are depending on the Lord our God”—isn’t he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah removed, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, “You must worship before this altar in Jerusalem”?

23 “‘Come now, make a bargain with my master, the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses—if you can put riders on them! 24 How can you repulse one officer(GV) of the least of my master’s officials, even though you are depending on Egypt for chariots and horsemen[w]? 25 Furthermore, have I come to attack and destroy this place without word from the Lord?(GW) The Lord himself told me to march against this country and destroy it.’”

26 Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, and Shebna and Joah said to the field commander, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic,(GX) since we understand it. Don’t speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people on the wall.”

27 But the commander replied, “Was it only to your master and you that my master sent me to say these things, and not to the people sitting on the wall—who, like you, will have to eat their own excrement and drink their own urine?”

28 Then the commander stood and called out in Hebrew, “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria! 29 This is what the king says: Do not let Hezekiah deceive(GY) you. He cannot deliver you from my hand. 30 Do not let Hezekiah persuade you to trust in the Lord when he says, ‘The Lord will surely deliver us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’

31 “Do not listen to Hezekiah. This is what the king of Assyria says: Make peace with me and come out to me. Then each of you will eat fruit from your own vine and fig tree(GZ) and drink water from your own cistern,(HA) 32 until I come and take you to a land like your own—a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey. Choose life(HB) and not death!

“Do not listen to Hezekiah, for he is misleading you when he says, ‘The Lord will deliver us.’ 33 Has the god(HC) of any nation ever delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria? 34 Where are the gods of Hamath(HD) and Arpad?(HE) Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivvah? Have they rescued Samaria from my hand? 35 Who of all the gods of these countries has been able to save his land from me? How then can the Lord deliver Jerusalem from my hand?”(HF)

36 But the people remained silent and said nothing in reply, because the king had commanded, “Do not answer him.”

37 Then Eliakim(HG) son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder went to Hezekiah, with their clothes torn,(HH) and told him what the field commander had said.

Jerusalem’s Deliverance Foretold(HI)

19 When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore(HJ) his clothes and put on sackcloth and went into the temple of the Lord. 2 He sent Eliakim(HK) the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary and the leading priests,(HL) all wearing sackcloth,(HM) to the prophet Isaiah(HN) son of Amoz. 3 They told him, “This is what Hezekiah says: This day is a day of distress and rebuke and disgrace, as when children come to the moment(HO) of birth and there is no strength to deliver them. 4 It may be that the Lord your God will hear all the words of the field commander, whom his master, the king of Assyria, has sent to ridicule(HP) the living God, and that he will rebuke(HQ) him for the words the Lord your God has heard. Therefore pray for the remnant(HR) that still survives.”

5 When King Hezekiah’s officials came to Isaiah, 6 Isaiah said to them, “Tell your master, ‘This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid(HS) of what you have heard—those words with which the underlings of the king of Assyria have blasphemed(HT) me. 7 Listen! When he hears a certain report,(HU) I will make him want to return to his own country, and there I will have him cut down with the sword.(HV)’”

8 When the field commander heard that the king of Assyria had left Lachish,(HW) he withdrew and found the king fighting against Libnah.(HX)

9 Now Sennacherib received a report that Tirhakah, the king of Cush,[x] was marching out to fight against him. So he again sent messengers to Hezekiah with this word: 10 “Say to Hezekiah king of Judah: Do not let the god you depend(HY) on deceive(HZ) you when he says, ‘Jerusalem will not be given into the hands of the king of Assyria.’ 11 Surely you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the countries, destroying them completely. And will you be delivered? 12 Did the gods of the nations that were destroyed by my predecessors deliver(IA) them—the gods of Gozan,(IB) Harran,(IC) Rezeph and the people of Eden who were in Tel Assar? 13 Where is the king of Hamath or the king of Arpad? Where are the kings of Lair, Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivvah?”(ID)

Hezekiah’s Prayer(IE)

14 Hezekiah received the letter(IF) from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord. 15 And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord: “Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim,(IG) you alone(IH) are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 16 Give ear,(II) Lord, and hear;(IJ) open your eyes,(IK) Lord, and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to ridicule the living God.

17 “It is true, Lord, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste these nations and their lands. 18 They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods(IL) but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands.(IM) 19 Now, Lord our God, deliver(IN) us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms(IO) of the earth may know(IP) that you alone, Lord, are God.”

Isaiah Prophesies Sennacherib’s Fall(IQ)(IR)

20 Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah: “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I have heard(IS) your prayer concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria. 21 This is the word that the Lord has spoken against(IT) him:

“‘Virgin Daughter(IU) Zion
    despises(IV) you and mocks(IW) you.
Daughter Jerusalem
    tosses her head(IX) as you flee.
22 Who is it you have ridiculed and blasphemed?(IY)
    Against whom have you raised your voice
and lifted your eyes in pride?
    Against the Holy One(IZ) of Israel!
23 By your messengers
    you have ridiculed the Lord.
And you have said,(JA)
    “With my many chariots(JB)
I have ascended the heights of the mountains,
    the utmost heights of Lebanon.
I have cut down(JC) its tallest cedars,
    the choicest of its junipers.
I have reached its remotest parts,
    the finest of its forests.
24 I have dug wells in foreign lands
    and drunk the water there.
With the soles of my feet
    I have dried up all the streams of Egypt.”

25 “‘Have you not heard?(JD)
    Long ago I ordained it.
In days of old I planned(JE) it;
    now I have brought it to pass,
that you have turned fortified cities
    into piles of stone.(JF)
26 Their people, drained of power,(JG)
    are dismayed(JH) and put to shame.
They are like plants in the field,
    like tender green shoots,(JI)
like grass sprouting on the roof,
    scorched(JJ) before it grows up.

27 “‘But I know(JK) where you are
    and when you come and go
    and how you rage against me.
28 Because you rage against me
    and because your insolence has reached my ears,
I will put my hook(JL) in your nose
    and my bit(JM) in your mouth,
and I will make you return(JN)
    by the way you came.’

29 “This will be the sign(JO) for you, Hezekiah:

“This year you will eat what grows by itself,(JP)
    and the second year what springs from that.
But in the third year sow and reap,
    plant vineyards(JQ) and eat their fruit.
30 Once more a remnant(JR) of the kingdom of Judah
    will take root(JS) below and bear fruit above.
31 For out of Jerusalem will come a remnant,(JT)
    and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors.(JU)

“The zeal(JV) of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

32 “Therefore this is what the Lord says concerning the king of Assyria:

“‘He will not enter this city
    or shoot an arrow here.
He will not come before it with shield
    or build a siege ramp against it.
33 By the way that he came he will return;(JW)
    he will not enter this city,
declares the Lord.
34 I will defend(JX) this city and save it,
    for my sake and for the sake of David(JY) my servant.’”

35 That night the angel of the Lord(JZ) went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies!(KA) 36 So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew.(KB) He returned to Nineveh(KC) and stayed there.

37 One day, while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisrok, his sons Adrammelek(KD) and Sharezer killed him with the sword,(KE) and they escaped to the land of Ararat.(KF) And Esarhaddon(KG) his son succeeded him as king.

Hezekiah’s Illness(KH)

20 In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, “This is what the Lord says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.”

2 Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 3 “Remember,(KI) Lord, how I have walked(KJ) before you faithfully(KK) and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

4 Before Isaiah had left the middle court, the word of the Lord came to him: 5 “Go back and tell Hezekiah, the ruler of my people, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: I have heard(KL) your prayer and seen your tears;(KM) I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the Lord. 6 I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend(KN) this city for my sake and for the sake of my servant David.’”

7 Then Isaiah said, “Prepare a poultice of figs.” They did so and applied it to the boil,(KO) and he recovered.

8 Hezekiah had asked Isaiah, “What will be the sign that the Lord will heal me and that I will go up to the temple of the Lord on the third day from now?”

9 Isaiah answered, “This is the Lord’s sign(KP) to you that the Lord will do what he has promised: Shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or shall it go back ten steps?”

10 “It is a simple(KQ) matter for the shadow to go forward ten steps,” said Hezekiah. “Rather, have it go back ten steps.”

11 Then the prophet Isaiah called on the Lord, and the Lord made the shadow go back(KR) the ten steps it had gone down on the stairway of Ahaz.

Envoys From Babylon(KS)(KT)

12 At that time Marduk-Baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon sent Hezekiah letters and a gift, because he had heard of Hezekiah’s illness. 13 Hezekiah received the envoys and showed them all that was in his storehouses—the silver, the gold, the spices and the fine olive oil—his armory and everything found among his treasures. There was nothing in his palace or in all his kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them.

14 Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah and asked, “What did those men say, and where did they come from?”

“From a distant land,” Hezekiah replied. “They came from Babylon.”

15 The prophet asked, “What did they see in your palace?”

“They saw everything in my palace,” Hezekiah said. “There is nothing among my treasures that I did not show them.”

16 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord: 17 The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your predecessors have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon.(KU) Nothing will be left, says the Lord. 18 And some of your descendants,(KV) your own flesh and blood who will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.”(KW)

19 “The word of the Lord you have spoken is good,” Hezekiah replied. For he thought, “Will there not be peace and security in my lifetime?”

20 As for the other events of Hezekiah’s reign, all his achievements and how he made the pool(KX) and the tunnel(KY) by which he brought water into the city, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? 21 Hezekiah rested with his ancestors. And Manasseh his son succeeded him as king.

Manasseh King of Judah(KZ)(LA)

21 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. His mother’s name was Hephzibah.(LB) 2 He did evil(LC) in the eyes of the Lord, following the detestable practices(LD) of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. 3 He rebuilt the high places(LE) his father Hezekiah had destroyed; he also erected altars to Baal(LF) and made an Asherah pole,(LG) as Ahab king of Israel had done. He bowed down to all the starry hosts(LH) and worshiped them. 4 He built altars(LI) in the temple of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, “In Jerusalem I will put my Name.”(LJ) 5 In the two courts(LK) of the temple of the Lord, he built altars to all the starry hosts. 6 He sacrificed his own son(LL) in the fire, practiced divination,(LM) sought omens, and consulted mediums and spiritists.(LN) He did much evil in the eyes of the Lord, arousing(LO) his anger.

7 He took the carved Asherah pole(LP) he had made and put it in the temple,(LQ) of which the Lord had said to David and to his son Solomon, “In this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my Name(LR) forever. 8 I will not again(LS) make the feet of the Israelites wander from the land I gave their ancestors, if only they will be careful to do everything I commanded them and will keep the whole Law that my servant Moses(LT) gave them.” 9 But the people did not listen. Manasseh led them astray, so that they did more evil(LU) than the nations(LV) the Lord had destroyed before the Israelites.

10 The Lord said through his servants the prophets: 11 “Manasseh king of Judah has committed these detestable sins. He has done more evil(LW) than the Amorites(LX) who preceded him and has led Judah into sin with his idols.(LY) 12 Therefore this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I am going to bring such disaster(LZ) on Jerusalem and Judah that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle.(MA) 13 I will stretch out over Jerusalem the measuring line used against Samaria and the plumb line(MB) used against the house of Ahab. I will wipe(MC) out Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. 14 I will forsake(MD) the remnant(ME) of my inheritance and give them into the hands of enemies. They will be looted and plundered by all their enemies; 15 they have done evil(MF) in my eyes and have aroused(MG) my anger from the day their ancestors came out of Egypt until this day.”

16 Moreover, Manasseh also shed so much innocent blood(MH) that he filled Jerusalem from end to end—besides the sin that he had caused Judah(MI) to commit, so that they did evil in the eyes of the Lord.

17 As for the other events of Manasseh’s reign, and all he did, including the sin he committed, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? 18 Manasseh rested with his ancestors and was buried in his palace garden,(MJ) the garden of Uzza. And Amon his son succeeded him as king.

Amon King of Judah(MK)

19 Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem two years. His mother’s name was Meshullemeth daughter of Haruz; she was from Jotbah. 20 He did evil(ML) in the eyes of the Lord, as his father Manasseh had done. 21 He followed completely the ways of his father, worshiping the idols his father had worshiped, and bowing down to them. 22 He forsook(MM) the Lord, the God of his ancestors, and did not walk(MN) in obedience to him.

23 Amon’s officials conspired against him and assassinated(MO) the king in his palace. 24 Then the people of the land killed(MP) all who had plotted against King Amon, and they made Josiah(MQ) his son king in his place.

25 As for the other events of Amon’s reign, and what he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? 26 He was buried in his tomb in the garden(MR) of Uzza. And Josiah his son succeeded him as king.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 14:1 Hebrew Joash, a variant of Jehoash; also in verses 13, 23 and 27
  2. 2 Kings 14:6 Deut. 24:16
  3. 2 Kings 14:13 That is, about 600 feet or about 180 meters
  4. 2 Kings 14:21 Also called Uzziah
  5. 2 Kings 14:25 Hebrew the Sea of the Arabah
  6. 2 Kings 14:26 Or Israel was suffering. They were without a ruler or leader, and
  7. 2 Kings 15:1 Also called Uzziah; also in verses 6, 7, 8, 17, 23 and 27
  8. 2 Kings 15:5 The Hebrew for leprosy was used for various diseases affecting the skin.
  9. 2 Kings 15:5 Or in a house where he was relieved of responsibilities
  10. 2 Kings 15:10 Hebrew; some Septuagint manuscripts in Ibleam
  11. 2 Kings 15:12 2 Kings 10:30
  12. 2 Kings 15:19 Also called Tiglath-Pileser
  13. 2 Kings 15:19 That is, about 38 tons or about 34 metric tons
  14. 2 Kings 15:20 That is, about 1 1/4 pounds or about 575 grams
  15. 2 Kings 16:12 Or and went up
  16. 2 Kings 16:18 Or the dais of his throne (see Septuagint)
  17. 2 Kings 17:4 So is probably an abbreviation for Osorkon.
  18. 2 Kings 17:12 Exodus 20:4,5
  19. 2 Kings 18:2 Hebrew Abi, a variant of Abijah
  20. 2 Kings 18:4 Nehushtan sounds like the Hebrew for both bronze and snake.
  21. 2 Kings 18:14 That is, about 11 tons or about 10 metric tons
  22. 2 Kings 18:14 That is, about 1 ton or about 1 metric ton
  23. 2 Kings 18:24 Or charioteers
  24. 2 Kings 19:9 That is, the upper Nile region
Next
2 Kings 13
2 Kings 22
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