2 Kings 11:1-16:20
Athaliah Reigns over Judah
aNow Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son had died. So she rose and caused all the royal seed to perish. 2 But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram, sister of Ahaziah, atook Joash the son of Ahaziah and stole him from among the king’s sons who were being put to death, and put him and his nurse in the bedroom. So they hid him from Athaliah, and he was not put to death. 3 So he was hidden away with her in the house of Yahweh six years, while Athaliah was reigning over the land.
4 aNow in the seventh year Jehoiada sent for and took the commanders of hundreds of bthe Carites and of the guard, and brought them to him in the house of Yahweh. Then he cut a covenant with them and had them swear in the house of Yahweh, and showed them the king’s son. 5 And he commanded them, saying, “This is the thing that you shall do: aone-third of you, who come in on the sabbath and keep watch over the king’s house 6 (one-third also shall be at the gate Sur, and one-third at the gate behind the guards), shall keep watch over the house for defense. 7 And two parts of you, even all who go out on the sabbath, shall also keep watch over the house of Yahweh for the king. 8 And you shall surround the king, each with his weapons in his hand; and whoever comes within the ranks shall be put to death. And abe with the king when he goes out and when he comes in.”
9 So the commanders of hundreds adid according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded. And each one of them took his men who were to come in on the sabbath, with those who were to go out on the sabbath, and came to Jehoiada the priest. 10 aThen the priest gave to the commanders of hundreds the spears and small shields that had been King David’s, which were in the house of Yahweh. 11 And the guards stood each with his weapons in his hand, from the right side of the house to the left side of the house, by the altar and by the house, around the king. 12 Then he brought the king’s son out and aput the crown on him and gave him bthe testimony; and they made him king and anointed him, and they clapped their hands and said, “cLong live the king!”
13 aThen Athaliah heard the noise of the guard and of the people, and she came to the people in the house of Yahweh. 14 And she looked, and behold, the king was standing aby the pillar, according to the custom, with the commanders and the trumpeters beside the king; and ball the people of the land were glad and blew trumpets. Then Athaliah ctore her clothes and cried, “dTreason! Treason!” 15 And Jehoiada the priest commanded the commanders of hundreds who were appointed over the military force and said to them, “Bring her out between the ranks, and whoever follows her put to death with the sword.” For the priest said, “Let her not be put to death in the house of Yahweh.” 16 So they laid hands on her, and she arrived at the horses’ entrance of the king’s house and was aput to death there.
17 Then aJehoiada cut a covenant between Yahweh and the king and the people, that they would be the people of Yahweh, also bbetween the king and the people. 18 And all the people of the land came to athe house of Baal and tore it down; bhis altars and his images they broke in pieces thoroughly, and they ckilled Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. And the priest appointed overseers over the house of Yahweh. 19 And he took the commanders of hundreds and the aCarites and the guards and all the people of the land; and they brought the king down from the house of Yahweh, and came by the way of bthe gate of the guards to the king’s house. And he sat on the throne of the kings. 20 So aall the people of the land were glad, and the city was quiet. For they had put Athaliah to death with the sword at the king’s house.
21 aJehoash was seven years old when he became king.
Jehoash Reigns over Judah
In the seventh year of Jehu, aJehoash became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Zibiah of Beersheba. 2 And Jehoash did what was right in the sight of Yahweh all his days in which Jehoiada the priest instructed him. 3 Only athe high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.
Jehoash Repairs the House of Yahweh
4 Then Jehoash said to the priests, “All the money of the sacred things awhich is brought into the house of Yahweh, both bthe money for each numbered man—the money from each person’s assessment in the census—and all the money which any man’s heart prompts him to bring into the house of Yahweh, 5 let the priests take it for themselves, each from his acquaintance; and they shall repair the damages of the house wherever any damage may be found.”
6 Now it happened that in the twenty-third year of King Jehoash athe priests had not repaired the damages of the house. 7 Then King Jehoash called for Jehoiada the priest, and for the other priests and said to them, “Why do you not repair the damages of the house? So now, take no more money from your acquaintances, but give it over to pay for the damages of the house.” 8 So the priests agreed that they would take no more money from the people, nor repair the damages of the house.
9 But aJehoiada the priest took a chest and bored a hole in its lid and put it beside the altar, on the right side as one comes into the house of Yahweh; and the priests who kept watch over the threshold put in it all the money which was brought into the house of Yahweh. 10 Now it happened that when they saw that there was much money in the chest, athe king’s scribe and the high priest came up and tied it in bags and counted the money which was found in the house of Yahweh. 11 And they gave the money, which was weighed out, into the hands of those who did the work, who had the oversight of the house of Yahweh; and they paid it out to the craftsmen of wood and the builders who worked on the house of Yahweh; 12 and ato the masons and the hewers of stone, and for buying timber and hewn stone to repair the damages to the house of Yahweh, and for all that was laid out for the house to repair it. 13 But athere were not made for the house of Yahweh bsilver cups, snuffers, bowls, trumpets, any vessels of gold, or vessels of silver from the money which was brought into the house of Yahweh; 14 for they gave that to those who did the work, and with it they repaired the house of Yahweh. 15 Moreover, athey did not require an accounting from the men into whose hand they paid the money in order to pay those who did the work, for they were doing it faithfully. 16 The amoney from the guilt offerings and bthe money from the sin offerings was not brought into the house of Yahweh; cit was for the priests.
17 Then aHazael king of Aram went up and fought against Gath and captured it, and bHazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem. 18 aAnd Jehoash king of Judah took all the holy things that Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had set apart as holy, and bhis own holy things and all the gold that was found among the treasuries of the house of Yahweh and of the king’s house, and sent them to Hazael king of Aram. Then he went away from Jerusalem.
Amaziah Reigns over Judah
19 Now the rest of the acts of Joash and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 20 aAnd his servants arose and made a conspiracy and bstruck down Joash at cthe house of Millo as he was going down to Silla. 21 Now Jozacar the son of Shimeath and Jehozabad the son of aShomer, his servants, struck him and he died; and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David, and bAmaziah his son became king in his place.
Jehoahaz Reigns over Israel
In the twenty-third year of Joash the son of Ahaziah, king of Judah, Jehoahaz the son of Jehu became king over Israel at Samaria, and he reigned seventeen years. 2 And he did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, awith which he made Israel sin; he did not depart from them. 3 aSo the anger of Yahweh burned against Israel, and He gave them continually into the hand of bHazael king of Aram, and into the hand of cBen-hadad the son of Hazael. 4 Then aJehoahaz entreated the face of Yahweh, and Yahweh listened to him; for bHe saw the oppression of Israel, how the king of Aram oppressed them. 5 And Yahweh gave Israel a asavior, so that they came out from under the hand of the Arameans; and the sons of Israel lived in their tents as formerly. 6 Nevertheless they did not depart from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, awith which he made Israel sin, but walked in them; and bthe Asherah also remained standing in Samaria. 7 For he did not leave to Jehoahaz any people for the army except 50 horsemen and 10 chariots and 10,000 foot soldiers, for the king of Aram had caused them to perish and amade them like the dust at threshing. 8 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz, and all that he did and his might, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 9 And Jehoahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria; and Joash his son became king in his place.
Jehoash Reigns over Israel
10 In the thirty-seventh year of Joash king of Judah, Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz became king over Israel in Samaria and reigned sixteen years. 11 And he did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh; he did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, with which he made Israel sin, but he walked in them. 12 aNow the rest of the acts of Joash and all that he did and his might with which he fought against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 13 So Joash slept with his fathers, and Jeroboam sat on his throne; and Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.
The Death of Elisha
14 Now Elisha became sick with the illness of which he was to die. So Joash the king of Israel came down to him and wept over him and said, “aMy father, my father, the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” 15 And Elisha said to him, “Take a bow and arrows.” So he took a bow and arrows. 16 Then he said to the king of Israel, “Put your hand on the bow.” And he put his hand on it, then Elisha placed his hands on the king’s hands. 17 And he said, “Open the window toward the east,” and he opened it. Then Elisha said, “Shoot!” And he shot. And he said, “Yahweh’s arrow of salvation, even the arrow of salvation over Aram; for you will strike the Arameans at aAphek until you have consumed them.” 18 Then he said, “Take the arrows,” and he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground,” and he struck it three times and stood still. 19 So athe man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck five or six times, then you would have struck Aram until you would have consumed it. But now you shall strike Aram bonly three times.”
20 And Elisha died, and they buried him. Now athe marauding bands of the Moabites would enter into the land in the spring of the year. 21 Now it happened that they were burying a man, and behold, they saw a marauding band; and they cast the man into the grave of Elisha. And when the man touched the bones of Elisha he abecame alive and stood up on his feet.
22 Now aHazael king of Aram had oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz. 23 But aYahweh was gracious to them and bhad compassion on them and turned to them because of cHis covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not bring them to ruin or cast them from His presence until now.
24 Then Hazael king of Aram died, and Ben-hadad his son became king in his place. 25 Then aJehoash the son of Jehoahaz took again from the hand of Ben-hadad the son of Hazael the cities which he had taken in war from the hand of Jehoahaz his father. bThree times Joash struck him and recovered the cities of Israel.
Amaziah Reigns over Judah
aIn the second year of Joash son of Joahaz king of Israel, bAmaziah the son of Joash king of Judah became king. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jehoaddin of Jerusalem. 3 And he did what was right in the sight of Yahweh, yet not like David his father; he did according to all that Joash his father had done. 4 Only athe high places were not taken away; bthe people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. 5 Now it happened as soon as the kingdom was strong in his hand, that he astruck down his servants who had struck down the king his father. 6 But the sons of those who struck him down he did not put to death, according to what is written in the book of the Law of Moses, which Yahweh commanded, saying, “aFathers shall not be put to death for their sons, nor sons be put to death for their fathers; but beach shall be put to death for his own sin.”
7 He struck down 10,000 of Edom in athe Valley of Salt and seized bSela by war and named it cJoktheel to this day.
8 aThen Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, “bCome, let us face each other.” 9 And Jehoash king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, “aThe thorn bush which was in Lebanon sent to the cedar which was in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son as a wife.’ But a beast of the field that was in Lebanon passed by and trampled the thorn bush. 10 aYou have indeed struck down Edom, and byour heart has lifted you up. Enjoy your glory and stay at home; for why should you provoke calamity so that you, even you, would fall, and Judah with you?”
11 But Amaziah would not listen. So Jehoash king of Israel went up; and he and Amaziah king of Judah faced each other at aBeth-shemesh, which belongs to Judah. 12 And Judah was defeated by Israel, and athey fled each to his tent. 13 Then Jehoash king of Israel seized Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash the son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh, and came to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from athe Gate of Ephraim to bthe Corner Gate, 400 cubits. 14 aAnd he took all the gold and silver and all the utensils which were found in the house of Yahweh, and in the treasuries of the king’s house, the hostages also, and returned to Samaria.
15 aNow the rest of the acts of Jehoash which he did, and his might 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 So Jehoash slept with his fathers and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel; and Jeroboam his son became king in his place.
17 aAnd Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah lived fifteen years after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel. 18 Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 19 And they conspired against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to aLachish; but they sent after him to Lachish and put him to death there. 20 Then they carried him on horses, and he was buried at Jerusalem with his fathers in the city of David. 21 And all the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the place of his father Amaziah. 22 aHe built Elath and restored it to Judah after the king slept with his fathers.
Jeroboam II Reigns over Israel
23 In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah, Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel became king in Samaria and reigned forty-one years. 24 And he did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh; he did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel sin. 25 aHe restored the border of Israel from bLebo-hamath as far as cthe Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of Yahweh, the God of Israel, which He spoke through His servant dJonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was of eGath-hepher. 26 For aYahweh saw the affliction of Israel, which was very bitter; for bthere was neither bond nor free, nor was there any helper for Israel. 27 aBut Yahweh did not say that He would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven, so He saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.
Zechariah Reigns over Israel
28 Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam and all that he did and his might, how he fought and how he restored aDamascus and bHamath to Judah in Israel, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 29 And Jeroboam slept with his fathers, even with the kings of Israel, and Zechariah his son became king in his place.
Azariah Reigns over Judah
aIn the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Azariah son of Amaziah king of Judah became king. 2 He was asixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Jecoliah of Jerusalem. 3 And he did what was right in the sight of Yahweh, according to all that his father Amaziah had done. 4 Only athe high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. 5 aThen Yahweh smote the king, so that he was a leper to the day of his death. And he blived in a separate house, while Jotham the king’s son was over the house, judging the people of the land. 6 Now 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 And Azariah slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David, and Jotham his son became king in his place.
Zechariah Reigns over Israel
8 aIn the thirty-eighth year of Azariah king of Judah, Zechariah the son of Jeroboam became king over Israel in Samaria for six months. 9 And he did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, as his fathers had done; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel sin. 10 Then Shallum the son of Jabesh conspired against him and astruck him before the people and put him to death and became king in his place. 11 Now the rest of the acts of Zechariah, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. 12 This is athe word of Yahweh which He spoke to Jehu, saying, “Your sons to the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.” And so it was.
Shallum Reigns over Israel
13 Shallum son of Jabesh became king in the athirty-ninth year of Uzziah king of Judah, and he reigned one month in bSamaria. 14 Then Menahem son of Gadi went up from aTirzah and came to Samaria, and struck Shallum son of Jabesh in Samaria, and put him to death and became king in his place. 15 Now the rest of the acts of Shallum and his conspiracy which he made, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. 16 Then Menahem struck Tiphsah and all who were in it and its borders from Tirzah, because they did not open to him; therefore he struck it and ripped up aall its pregnant women.
Menahem Reigns over Israel
17 In the athirty-ninth year of Azariah king of Judah, Menahem son of Gadi became king over Israel and reigned ten years in Samaria. 18 And he did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh; he did not depart all his days from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel sin.
19 aPul, king of Assyria, came against the land, and Menahem gave Pul one thousand talents of silver so that his hand might be with him to bstrengthen the kingdom in his hand. 20 Then Menahem exacted the money from Israel, even from all the mighty men of valor, from each man fifty shekels of silver to pay the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria returned and did not stay there in the land. 21 Now 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 became king in his place.
Pekahiah Reigns over Israel
23 In athe fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekahiah son of Menahem became king over Israel in Samaria and reigned two years. 24 And he did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he made Israel sin. 25 Then Pekah son of Remaliah, his officer, conspired against him and struck him in Samaria, in athe castle of the king’s house with Argob and Arieh; and with him were fifty men of the Gileadites, and he put him to death and became king in his place. 26 Now 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.
Pekah Reigns over Israel
27 In athe fifty-second year of Azariah king of Judah, bPekah son of Remaliah became king over Israel in Samaria and reigned twenty years. 28 And he did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he made Israel sin.
29 In the days of Pekah king of Israel, aTiglath-pileser king of Assyria came and took Ijon and Abel-beth-maacah and Janoah and Kedesh and Hazor and Gilead and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali; and bhe took them away into exile to Assyria. 30 And Hoshea the son of Elah made a conspiracy against Pekah the son of Remaliah and struck him and put him to death and became king in his place, in the twentieth year of Jotham the son of Uzziah. 31 Now 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.
Jotham Reigns over Judah
32 In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah king of Israel, Jotham the son of Uzziah king of Judah became king. 33 aHe was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jerusha the daughter of Zadok. 34 aAnd he did what was right in the sight of Yahweh; he did according to all that his father Uzziah had done. 35 Only athe high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. bHe built the upper gate of the house of Yahweh. 36 Now the rest of the acts of Jotham and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 37 In those days aYahweh began to send Rezin king of Aram and Pekah the son of Remaliah against Judah. 38 And Jotham slept with his fathers, and he was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father; and Ahaz his son became king in his place.
Ahaz Reigns over Judah
In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, aAhaz the son of Jotham, king of Judah, became king. 2 aAhaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and he did not do what was right in the sight of Yahweh his God, as David his father had done. 3 But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, aand even made his son pass through the fire, baccording to the abominations of the nations whom Yahweh had dispossessed from before the sons of Israel. 4 He also asacrificed and burned incense on the high places and on the hills and under every green tree.
5 Then aRezin king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to wage war; and they besieged Ahaz, bbut could not overcome him. 6 At that time Rezin king of Aram restored aElath for Aram and cleared the Judeans out of Elath entirely; and the Arameans came to Elath and have lived there to this day.
Ahaz Sends for Help from Assyria
7 aSo Ahaz sent messengers to bTiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your son; come up and save me from the hand of the king of Aram and from the hand of the king of Israel, who are rising up against me.” 8 aAhaz also took the silver and gold that was found in the house of Yahweh and in the treasuries of the king’s house, and sent a gift to the king of Assyria. 9 aSo the king of Assyria listened to him; and the king of Assyria went up against Damascus and bseized it and took the people of it away into exile to cKir, and put Rezin to death.
Ahaz Has Urijah Build an Altar
10 Now King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet aTiglath-pileser king of Assyria and saw the altar which was at Damascus; and King Ahaz sent to bUrijah the priest the likeness of the altar and its pattern, according to all its workmanship. 11 So Urijah the priest built an altar; according to all that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus, thus Urijah the priest made it, before the coming of King Ahaz from Damascus. 12 So the king came from Damascus, and the king saw the altar; then athe king drew near the altar and made offerings on it, 13 and offered his burnt offering and his meal offering up in smoke, and poured his drink offering and splashed the blood of his peace offerings on the altar. 14 aNow as for the bronze altar, which was before Yahweh, he drew it away from the front of the house, from between bhis altar and the house of Yahweh, and he put it on the north side of his altar. 15 Then King Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying, “Upon the great altar offer up in smoke athe morning burnt offering and the evening grain offering and the king’s burnt offering and his grain offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land and their grain offering and their drink offerings; and splash on it all the blood of the burnt offering and all the blood of the sacrifice. But bthe bronze altar shall be for me to inquire by.” 16 So Urijah the priest did according to all that King Ahaz commanded.
17 Then King Ahaz acut off the borders of the stands and removed the laver from them; he also btook down the sea from the bronze oxen which were under it and put it on a pavement of stone. 18 And the covered way for the sabbath which they had built in the house, and the outer entry of the king, he removed from the house of Yahweh because of the king of Assyria.
Hezekiah Reigns over Judah
19 Now the rest of the acts of Ahaz which he did, are they not written ain the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 20 So aAhaz slept with his fathers and bwas buried with his fathers in the city of David; and Hezekiah his son became king in his place.
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