THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT CONNECTED, IN THE HISTORY OF THE JEWS AND NEIGHBOURING NATIONS, FROM The Declension of the Kingdoms of ISRAEL and JUDAI, to the Time of CHRIST. BOOK I. THE ancient empire of the Affyrians, which had governed T diffolved on the death of Sardanapalus, there Anno 747! arose up a two empires in its ftead; the one founded by Arbaces, governor of Media, and the other by Belefis, governor of Babylon, who were the two principal commanders that headed the confpiracy, whereby the former empire was brought to an end; which they having, on their fuccefs, parted among themselves, Belefis had Babylon, Chaldea, and Arabia, and Arbaces all the reft. This happened in the feventh year after the building of Rome, and in the fecond year of the eighth Olympiad, which was the feven hundred and forty-feventh year before Chrift, i. e. before the beginning of the vulgar æra, by which we now compute the years from his incarnation. VOL. I. Α Arbaces * Diodorus Siculus, lib. 2. Athenæus, lib. 1 Herodotus, lib. i Juftin. lib. 1. c. 3. Arbaces is in fcripture called a Tiglath-Pilefer and Thilgath-Pilneler; in Elian, Thilgamus; and by Caftor, Ninus junior. He fixed his royal feat at Nineveh, the fame place where the former Affyrian kings had their refidence, and there he governed his new erected empire nineteen years. f с Belefis is the fame with Nabonaffer, from the beginning of whofe reign at Babylon commenceth the famous aftronomical æra, from him called the æra of Nabonaffer. He is by Nicolas Damafcenus called Nanibrus, and in the holy fcripture Baladan, being the father of Merodac or Mordac-Empadus, who fent an embally to King Hezekiah, to congratulate him on his recovery from his ficknefs; which will be hereafter spoken of. And these two empires God was pleased to raise up to be his inftruments in their turns to punish the iniquities of his own people; the firft for the overthrowing of the kingdom of Ifrael, and the other for the overthrowing of the kingdom of Judah-; a's fhall be fhewn in the fequel of this hiftory. In the fixth year of Tiglath-Pileser 8, Ahaz began to reign over Judah; who being a very wicked and impious An. 742. prince, God ftirred up against him Rezin, king of SyAhaz 1. ria, and Pekah, king of Ifrael, who, confederating together, invaded his land with a great army, and, having harafied it all over, pent him up in Jerufalem, and there befieged him. Their defign was ", on the taking of that city, to have wholly extirpated the houfe of David, and to have fet up a new king over Judah, the fon of Tabeal. Who this perfon was, is no where faid in fcripture; but he feemeth to have been fome potent and factious Jew, who, having revolted from his mafter, the king of Judah, excited and stirred up this war against him, out of an ambitious aim of plucking him down from his throne, and reigning in his ftead. But it being the will of God only to punish Ahaz for his wickedness, and not the whole family of David, for which he had always, for the fake of David, expreffed mercy and favour, he was pleafed to prevent the mischief, by blasting the whole defign; and therefore he fent the prophet Ifaiah unto Ahaz, to encourage him aliantly to withstand the enemy in the defence of the city, and to affure him that they fhould not prevail against him; and for this he gave him two figns, the one to be accomplished speedily, and the other fome ages after. The In Eclogis Valefii, p. 426, &c. f Ifaiah xxxix. 1. 2 Kings xvi. 2 Chron. xxvii h Ifai. vii. The first was, that the prophet should take him a wife, who fhould immediately on that marriage conceive a fon, and that, before that fon fhould be of age to difcern between good and evil, both these kings fhould be cut off from the land; which accordingly came to país: For the prophet a immediately after taking a wife, before Maher-fhalal-hash-baz, the fon born to him of that marriage, arrived at the age of difcerning between good and evil, both these kings were flain; Rezin in the third year of Ahaz, and Pekah the next year after. The other fign was, that a virgin fhould conceive, and bear a fon, who should be called Emmanuel, that is, God with us, the Meffias that was promised, God manifefted in our nature, and for a while here dwelling with us to accomplish the great work of our falvation. Which prophecy was then delivered to comfort and fupport the drooping and defponding fpirits of the house of David; who feeing fo great a force armed againft them; and intending their deftruction, were under terrible apprehenfions, as if their utter extirpation were then at hand. From which defpair this prophecy fully relieved them, in affuring them, that their house fhould ftand, and continue, till this prediction fhould be accomplished, and the Meffias born of their race, in fuch manner as was hereby foretold. After this, the two kings, according to the words of the prophet, failing of their defign, were forced to raise the fiege, and return home, without prevailing in the enterprise which they had undertaken. An. 741. Ahaz 2. But Ahaz, after this, instead of being reformed by the mercy, growing more wicked and perverfe than before, in abfolutely rejecting the God of Ifrael, and cleaving to the worst abominations of the heathen nations round him, even to the making of his fons pafs through the fire to Molech; the next year after, d God brought again upon him the fame two confederated kings, from whom he had delivered him the former year, who, coming with forces better appointed, and councils better concerted than before, divided themselves into three armies; the first under Rezin, king of Syria, the fecond under Pekah, king of Ifrael, and the third under Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim; and with thefe tree ar mies, the more to distract him, they invaded him in three dif ferent parts of his kingdom at the fame time. Rezin, in his ravage, having loaded his army with spoils, and taken a vast nu.nber of captives, returned with them to Damafcus, thinking it his A 2 best |