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Kingdom of Judah.

Kingdom of Israel.

2 Kings 17.

my servants the proph14 Notwithstand

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ing they would not hear, but hardened their neck, like to the neck of their fathers, who believed not in the LORD their God. 15 And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified unto them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the nations that were round about them, concerning whom the LORD had charged them that they should not do like them. 16 And they forsook all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made an Asherah, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal. 17 And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger. 18 Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only. 19 Also Judah kept not the commandments of the LORD their God, but walked in the stat

Kingdom of Judah.

Kingdom of Israel.

2 Kings 17.

a

utes of Israel which
they made. 20 And
the LORD rejected all
the seed of Israel, and
afflicted them, and de-
livered them into the
hand of spoilers, until
he had cast them out of

his sight. 21 For he
rent Israel from the
house of David; and
they made Jeroboam
the son of Nebat king:
and Jeroboam 'drave
Israel from following
the LORD, and made
them sin a great sin.
22 And the children of
Israel walked in all the
sins of Jeroboam which
he did; they departed
not from them; 23 un-
til the LORD removed
Israel out of his sight,
as he spake by the hand
of all his servants the
prophets. So Israel was
carried away out of
their own land to As-
syria, unto this day.

(2) THE PEOPLES THAT WERE BROUGHT TO INHABIT SAMARIA.

2 Kings 17:24.

24 And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Avva, and from Hamath and Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel: and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof.

(3) THE PLAGUE OF THE LIONS.

2 Kings 17:25, 26.

25 And so it was, at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they feared not the LORD: therefore the LORD sent lions among them, which killed some of them. 26 Wherefore they

a Or, "practised.” ¿According to another reading, "drew Israel away."

a Or, "god."

Kingdom of Judah.

Kingdom of Israel.

2 Kings 17.

spake to the king of Assyria, saying, The nations which thou hast carried away, 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.

(4) THE MIXED CHARACTER of the SamARITANS' RELIGION.

2 Kings 17:27-41.

27 Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, Carry thither one of the priests whom ye brought from thence; and let them go and dwell there, and let him teach them the manner of the God of the land. 28 So one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and dwelt in Beth-el, and taught them how they should fear the LORD. 29 Howbeit every nation made gods of their own, and put them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities wherein they dwelt. 30 And the men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima, 31 and the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burnt their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the

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gods of Sepharvaim. 32 So they feared the LORD, and made unto them from among themselves priests of the high places, which sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places. 33 They feared the LORD, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations from among whom they had been carried away. 34 Unto this day they do after the former manners: they fear not the LORD, neither do they after their statutes, or after their ordinances, or after the law or after the commandment which the LORD commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel; 35 with whom the LORD had made a covenant, and charged them, saying, Ye shall not fear other gods, nor bow yourselves to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them: 36 but the LORD, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a stretched out arm, him shall ye fear, and unto him shall ye bow yourselves, and to him shall

Kingdom of Judah.

Kingdom of Israel.
2 Kings 17.

ye sacrifice: 37 and the statutes and the ordinances, and the law and the commandment, which he wrote for you, ye shall observe to do for evermore; and ye shall not fear other gods; 38 and the covenant that I have made with you ye shall not forget; neither shall ye fear other gods: 39 but the LORD your God shall ye fear; and he shall deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies. 40 Howbeit they did not hearken, but they did after their former manner. 41 So these nations feared the LORD, and served their graven images; their children likewise, and their children's children, as did their fathers, so do they unto this day.

PART III.

THE KINGDOM OF JUDAH AFTER THE FALL OF THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL.

175. THE REIGN of hezeKIAH (LAST 23 YEARS).
(1) HEZEKIAH THROWS OFF THE ASSYRIAN YOKE.
2 Kings 18:76.

76 And he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and served him not.

(2) HEZEKIAH'S SUCCESSFUL PHILISTINE CAMPAIGN.

2 Kings 18:8.

8 He smote the Philistines unto Gaza and the borders thereof, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city.

(3) SennacherIB'S FIRST INVASION OF JUDAH.'

2 Kings 18:13-16.

13 Now in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah did Sennacherib king of Assyria come up against all the fenced cities of Judah, and took them. 14 And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria to Lachish, saying, I have offended; return from me: that which thou puttest on me will I bear. And the king of Assyria appointed unto Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold. 15 And Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasures of the king's house. 16 At that time did Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the temple of the LORD, and from the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria.

d

a It is not to be understood by the title of this section that the event mentioned below in (1) necessarily happened within a year after the fall of Samaria. The events in (1) and (2) occurred some time between the seventh and fourteenth years of Hezekiah's reign. b Cf. Isaiah 36: 1. See Appendix, $7. c Heb. Sanherib." dOr, "door posts."

(4) HEZEKIAH'S ILLNESS AND RECOVERY." 2 Kings 20:1-II.

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I In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live. 2 Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the LORD, saying, 3 Remember now, O LORD, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore. 4 And it came to pass, afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle part of the city, that the word of the LORD came to him, saying, 5 Turn again, and say to Hezekiah the prince of my people, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the LORD. 6 And I will add unto thy days fifteen years; and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake. 7 And Isaiah said, Take a cake of figs. And they took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered. 8 And Hezekiah said unto Isaiah, What shall be the sign that the LORD will heal me, and that I shall go up unto the house of the LORD the third day? 9 And Isaiah said, This shall be the sign unto thee from the LORD, that the LORD will do the thing that he hath spoken: 'shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or go back ten steps? 10 And Hezekiah answered, It is a light thing for the shadow to decline ten steps: nay, but let the shadow return backward ten steps. 11 And Isaiah the prophet cried unto the LORD: and he brought the shadow ten steps backward, by which it had gone down on the dial of Ahaz.

2 Chronicles 32:24.

24 In those days Hezekiah was sick even unto death: and he prayed unto the LORD; and he spake unto him, and gave him a sign.

(5) HEZEKIAH'S RECEPTION OF THE BABYLONIAN EMBASSY. 2 Kings 20:12-19.

12 At that time Berodach-baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present unto Hezekiah: for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick. 13 And Hezekiah hearkened unto them, and shewed them all the house of his precious things, the silver, and the

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2 Chronicles 32: 31, 25, 26.

31 Howbeit in the business of the 'ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, who sent unto him to inquire of the wonder that was done in the land, God left him, to try him, that he might know all that was in his heart. 25 But Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done unto See Appendix, $7. bOr," out of." "the shadow is gone forward ten steps, i In Isaiah 39:3, Merodach-baladan."

a With this and following subsections, cf. Isaiah 38:1, etc. another reading, "the middle court." dOr," leader." Or, etc. Or," degrees." g Heb." steps." hOr, "wonder.' 7 Heb. interpreters.'

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c According to shall it go back," k Or," spicery."

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