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h B. 'Himself' (1) is probably a mis

; but the LXX retains our texts. k Here,

1 The Hebrew of A. and B. is the same, but R. V. has 'officers' in A. as above, B. avoids the technical terms for the royal bodyguard, and substitutes ordinary words which, however, hardly convey the same sense. Note also that the gate of the guard (A.) becomes the upper gate (B.).

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§ 36. But Joash in 11. 2. There is no rule in this case. Cf. the variations Jehoram and Joram, Jehonadab and Jonadab, Jehohanan and Johanan. b The technical expression used here may be found in Lev. 27. 2, and B.'s paraphrase of it (ver. 6) must be read in connexion with Ex. 30. 16. The word (NVD) translated 'tax' (B. ver. 6) is used of the firstfruits of oblations in Ezek. 20. 40.

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So the king commanded, and they made a chest, and set it without at the gate of the house 9 of the LORD. And they made a proclamation through Judah and Jerusalem, to bring in for the LORD the tax that Moses the servant of God laid upon Israel 10 in the wilderness. And all the princes and all the people rejoiced, and brought in, and cast into the chest, until they had made an end.

11 And it was so, that at what time the chest was brought unto the king's office by the hand of the Levites, and when they saw that there was much money, the king's scribe and the chief priest's officer came and emptied the chest, and took it, and carried it to its place again. Thus they did day by day, and gathered money in abundance.

12

And the king and Jehoiada gave it to such as did the work of the service of the house of the LORD; and they hired masons

.6 .Cf. B. ver .הראש .B .הגדול .A •

A. 2 Kings 12.

(Continued.)

the LORD and they paid it out to the carpenters and the builders, that wrought upon the 12 house of the LORD, and to the masons and the hewers of stone, and for buying timber and hewn stone to repair the breaches of the house of the LORD, and for all that was laid out for the house to repair it.

13

But there were not made for the house of the LORD cups of silver, snuffers, basons, trumpets, any vessels of gold, or vessels of silver, of the money that was brought into the house of the 14 LORD for they gave that to them that did the work, and repaired therewith the house of 15 the LORD. Moreover they

reckoned not with the men, into whose hand they delivered the money to give to them that did the work for they dealt faith16 fully. The money for the guilt

offerings, and the money for the sin offerings, was not brought into the house of the LORD: it was the priests'. 17 Then Hazael king of Syria went up, and fought against Gath, and took it: and Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem. 18 And Jehoash king of Judah took all the hallowed things that Jehoshaphat, and Jehoram, and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own hallowed things, and all the gold that was found in the treasures of the house of the LORD, and of the king's house, and sent it to Hazael king of Syria and he went away from Jerusalem d

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B. 2 Chron. 24.

(Continued.)

and carpenters to restore the house of the LORD, and also such as wrought iron and brass to repair the house of the LORD. 13 So the workmen wrought, and the work was perfected by them, and they set up the house of God in its state, and strengthened it.

14

23

And when they had made an end, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada, whereof were made vessels for the house of the LORD, even vessels to minister, and to offer withal, and spoons, and vessels of gold and silver. And they offered burnt offerings in the house of the LORD continually all the days of Jehoiada.

(Death of Jehoiada; murder of his son.)

And it came to pass at the end of the year, that the army of the Syrians came up against him: and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people, and sent all the spoil of them unto the king of Damas24 cus. For the army of the Syrians came with a small company of men; and the LORD delivered a very great host into their hand, because they had forsaken the LORD, the God of their fathers. So they executed judgement upon Joash.

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d B.'s account is more detailed and humiliating than A.'s. It is plain that Hazael (whom B. does not name) came up to Jerusalem, wrought much destruction, and carried off great spoil.

A. 2 Kings 12.

(Continued.)

Joash at the house of Millo, on the way that goeth down to Silla. 21 For Jozacar the son of Shimeath, and Jehozabad the son of Shomer, his servants, smote him, and he died; and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David: and Amaziah his son reigned in his stead.

B. 2 Chron. 24.

(Continued.)

and he died: and they buried him in the city of David, but they buried him not in the 26 sepulchres of the kings. And these are they that conspired against him; Zabad the son of Shimeath the Ammonitess, and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith the 27 Moabitess. Now concerning his

sons, and the greatness of the burdens upon him, and the rebuilding of the house of God, behold, they are written in the commentary of the book of the kings'. And Amaziah his son reigned in his stead.

(§ 37.)

A. 2 Kings 14.

(Histories of Jehoahaz and Jehoash, kings of Israel.)

[In the second year of Joash son of Joahaz king of Israel began Amaziah the son of Joash king of 2 Judah to reign.] He was twenty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Jehoaddina 3 of Jerusalem. And he did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, yet not like David his father: [he did according to all that Joash his father had done. 4 Howbeit the high places were not

.שמר

B. 2 Chron. 25.

(Continuous.)

Amaziah was twenty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Jehoaddan 2 of Jerusalem. And he did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, yet not with a perfect heart.

B. reads for 5, and prefixes the divine name. B. also reads " for f Here, for the first time, the present text of A. apparently fails us. The prophetic midrash or history, as we have it, does not contain the details referred to concerning the sons of Joash. But the text of B. is ambiguous here. 21 simply means and his sons.' Possibly the word ought to be joined to the previous verse. The LXX seems to endorse this view.

§ 37.-NOTE. This § is a good example of the way in which B. incorporates materials from other prophetic sources with the midrash or history contained in A., the text of which is manifestly before the writer. a Another reading, Jehoaddan.

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