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Zachariah the son of Jeroboam reign over Israel in Samaria six 9 months. And he did [that which was] evil in the sight of the LORD, as his fathers had done he departed not from the sins 10 of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin. And Shallum the son of Jabesh conspired against him, and smote him before the people, and slew him, and reigned in his stead.* 11 And the rest of the acts of Zachariah, behold, they [are] writ12 ten in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel. This [was] the word of the LORD which he spake unto Jehu, saying, Thy sons shall sit on the throne of Israel unto the fourth [generation.] And so it came to pass. Herein God showed himself faithful to his engagements.

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Shallum the son of Jabesh began to reign in the nine and thirtieth year of Uzziah king of Judah,t and he reigned a full 14 month in Samaria. For Menahem the son of Gadi hearing that Shallum had slain Zachariah, and usurped the kingdom, determined to dispute his title to it; and he went up from Tirzah, and came to Samaria, and smote Shallum the son of Jabesh in Samaria, 15 and slew him, and reigned in his stead. And 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 smote Tiphsah, and all that [were] therein, and the coasts thereof from Tirzah because they opened not [to him,] therefore he smote [it; and] all the women therein that were with child he ripped up. He began his reign with acts of the greatest injustice and cruelty; for when he came back to the place where the army lay, the city refusing to own his title to the kingdom, he smote it, and was guilty of the most horrible barbarity; by which he intended to intimidate others, and prevent any future resistance.

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In the nine and thirtieth year of Azariah king of Judah began Menahem the son of Gadi to reign over Israel, [and reigned] 18 ten years in Samaria. And he did [that which was] evil in the sight of the LORD: he departed not all his days from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.

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[And] Pul the king of Assyria came against the land :‡ and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver, that his hand might be with him to confirm the kingdom in his hand; to turn 20 back his army and purchase his friendship. And Menahem exacted the money of Israel, [even] of all the mighty men of wealth, of each man fifty shekels of silver, to give to the king

Who Shallum was, and what his pretence for this conspiracy, is not related. It seems that the king was secretly hated, and that many were engaged in it; that they destroyed the king publicly; and thus the prophecy in Amos vii. 9. was accomplishe

In Matthew i. 8, 9. he is, called Ozias; and v. 1. of this chapter, Azariah.

We read in 1 Chron. v. 26. that before this he had taken these captive beyond Jordan. Sir Isaac Newton is of opinion that this Pul was the founder of the Assyrian empire; and was probably the king of Nineveh, to whom Jonah was sent; (see his history in Prideaux's Connect.) at this period his history began.

About six pounds five shillings each; the whole amounted to near three hundred and seventy five thousand pounds.

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of Assyria; to ingratiate himself with the common people, he laid this tax on the great men. So the king of Assyria turned back, and stayed not there in the land.

And 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 22 of Israel? And Menahem slept with his fathers; and Pekahiah his son reigned in his stead.

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In the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah Pekahiah the son of Menahem began to reign over Israel in Samaria, [and reign 24 ed] two years. And he did [that which was] evil in the sight

of the LORD he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the 25 son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin. But Pekah the son of Remaliah, a captain of his, conspired against him, as his father had done against Shallum, and smote him in Samaria, in the palace of the king's house, with Argob and Arieh, two eminent courtiers who were about the king, and with him fifty men of the Gileadites, who were the king's guards: and he killed him, and 26 reigned in his room. And 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.

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In the two and fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah Pekah the son of Remaliah began to reign over Israel in Samarja, 28. [and reigned] twenty years. And he did [that which was] evil in the sight of the LORD: he departed not from the sins 29 of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin. In the days of Pekah king of Israel came Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, the son of Pul, called by heathen historians, Arbaces, and took Ijon and Abelbethmaachah, and Janoah, and Kedesh, and Hazor, and Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and carried them captive to Assyria. This was the second time that some of the Israelites were carried captive; he now took two tribes within Jordan.

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And Hoshea the son of Elah made a conspiracy 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, The reason seems to have been his expedition against Judah, of which we afterward read; and thus exposing his kingdom 31 to the ravages of the Assyrians. And 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.

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In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah king of Israel began Jotham the son of 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 mothers name 34 [was] Jerusha the daughter of Zadok. And he did [that which

was] right in the sight of the LORD: he did according to all that 35 his father Uzziah had done. Howbeit the high places were not removed the people sacrificed and burned incense still in the high places. He built the higher gate of the house of the LORD,

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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 37 Judah? In those days the LORD began to send against Judah 38 Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah, 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. See 2 Chron. xxvii. chapter, and the reflections there.

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CHAP. XVI.

Compared with 2 Chronicles xxviii.

The general character of Ahaz; he is attacked by Rezin and Pekah, and sends to Assyria for help; he adopts their idolatry; destroys the temple worship; and, dying ingloriously, is succeeded by good Hezekiah.

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N the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah Ahaz the son of Jotham king of Judah began to reign. His history requires peculiar attention in order to understand the proph2 ecies, especially that of Isaiah, who lived at this time. Twenty years old was Ahaz when he began to reign, and reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem, and did not [that which was] right in the sight of the LORD his God, like David his father; he was the worst king that Judah ever had, and was the more inexcusable 3 for having had so good a father. But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, he was as idolatrous as they; yea and made his son to pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of \ 4 Israel.* And he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree, not to Jehovah, but to idols; or some imaginary deities, whom they supposed inhabited the groves.

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Then Rezin king of Syria and, Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel came up to Jerusalem to war: and they besieged Ahaz, but could not overcome [him.] This was the first attempt to take and plunder Jerusalem, but was ineffectual, Isaiah vii. 7. God promised it should not succeed. What follows seems to be 6 another expedition, having divided their forces. At that time Rezin king of Syria recovered Elath to Syria, and drave the Jews from Elath and the Syrians came to Elath, and dwelt there 7 unto this day. So Ahaz sent messengers unto Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, saying, I [am] thy servant and thy son; I will

It is said in 2 Chronicles that he burnt his children. The worship of Molech began in Judah now. Whether the children were burnt, or only passed between two fires, it was designed as a kind of purification or dedication to their God. He was the first prince of Judah who was guilty of such abominable practices, like the Caananites. His predecessors only tol erated idolatry; but he encouraged it, and attended himself.

This was a port on the Red sea, which Ahaz's grandfather had recovered to Judah; and from whence they went to the Indies for gold. Here 2 Chron. xxviii. 1–21. may be properly introduced.

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hold my kingdom by thy favour, and pay thee tribute: come up, and save me out of the hand of the king of Syria, and out of the 8 hand of the king of Israel, which rise up against me. And Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasures of the king's house, and sent [it for] 9 a present to the king of Assyria. And the king of Assyria hearkened unto him: for the king of Assyria went up against Damascus, and took it, and carried [the people of] it captive to Kir, and slew Rezin. This present so far succeeded, that he made an excursion in favour of Ahaz; took Damascus, and slew the king, Amos i. 3, 5. and thereby put an end to the Syrian monarchy.*

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And king Ahaz went to Damascus, to meet Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, to compliment him on his success, and to do him homage, and saw an altar that [was] at Damascus, which struck his fancy and king Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the fashion of the altar, and the pattern of it, according to all the workmanship thereof; not only of its shape, but of all its carvings and decora11 tions. And Urijah the priest built an altar according to all that king Ahaz had sent from Damascus : so Urijah the priest made [it] against king Ahaz came from Damascus ; he weakly and wickedly complied, in direct opposition to the law of God. 12 And when the king was come from Damascus, the king saw the altar and the king approached to the altar and offered 13 thereon. And he burnt his burnt offering and his meat offering, and poured his drink offering, and sprinkled the blood of his peace offerings, upon the altar. He offered the sacrifice appointed by Moses, but in an irregular manner, and to the wrong object, 14 even to the Syrian deities, 2 Chron. xxviii. 23. And he brought also the brazen altar, which [was] before the LORD, from the forefront of the house, from between the altar and the house of the LORD, and put it on the north side of the altar; put it in 15 the place of God's altar. And king Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying, Upon the great new altar burn the morning burnt offering, and the evening meat offering, and the king's burnt sacrifice, and his meat offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land, and their meat offering, and their drink offerings; and sprinkle upon it all the blood of the burnt offering, and all the blood of the sacrifice, all public sacrifices; and the brazen altar shall be for me to inquire [by,] for my own 16 private use. Thus did Urijah the priest, according to all that king Ahaz commanded.

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And king Ahaz cut off the borders of the bases, and removed the laver from off them; and took down the sea from off the

It is said in 2 Chronicles xxviii. 21. that he helped him not; his sending to the king of Assyria was a mischief rather than a benefit: for though he delivered him from Damascus, yet not from the Edomites or Philistines. He exhausted his treasure, destroyed the Israelites, and opened his way to Judah. So that, upon the whole, he left him worse than he found him, especially as he had lost Elath, and with it all the East India trade, which supplied them with gold.

This seeming contradiction is illustrated by what happened in our own nation. The Britons called in the Saxons to help them against the Romans; who came, and assisted them for a while, but got the dominion of the country for themselves at last.

brazen oxen that [were] under it, and put it upon a pavement 18 of stones; intending to abolish the temple worship. And the

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covert for the sabbath that they had built in the house, and the king's entry without, turned he from the house of the LORD for the king of Assyria.

Now 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? 30 And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David, but not in the sepulchre of the kings, because of his idolatry: and Hezekiah his son reigned in his stead.

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REFLECTIONS.†

EFLECTIONS on our own imperfections and guilt, should make us candid and merciful to our brethren. Oded did not take every advantage of them, and treat them with severity. 2 Chron. xxviii. 9-11. When we are tempted to revenge, to continue our enmity, or find ourselves backward to submit for peace sake, or to make up differences, let us ask ourselves, Is there not with me, even with me, sins against the Lord my God? If he was strict to mark, or severe to punish, we could not stand before him, nor answer for one sin of a thousand. His eyes are upon our ways; he loveth peace and mercy; he hath judgment without mercy for him that showeth no mercy, James ii. 13.

2. How fond are men of their own inventions in the worship of God. Solomon's altar was a plain old fashioned one. Ahaz would have something new and fine; he wanted more show and ornament. This is often the case in christian churches. Christ's institutions are plain and simple, too much so for superstitious men : they must add sacraments and rites of their own, and impose them upon all worshippers. All innovations are dangerous, even in the circumstantials of divine worship. Adding ornaments to religious services, is generally spoiling them. The nearer we keep to the divine pattern the better.

3. The treachery and cowardice of Urijah the priest was highly scandalous. To ingratiate himself with the king, he makes his altar, offers sacrifices upon it, and submits to those subversions and profanations of the divine appointments, contrary to the law of God, and his duty as a priest. When those who should reprove great men for their sin, partake with them, or connive at their irregularity, it is a melancholy thing. Let us pray that our ministers may have more zeal and courage to adhere or return to God's institutions,

This was a canopy or cloth of state, which covered the throne on which the king sat on the sabbath and other public solemnities, and the way to that throne, which had some peculiar ornaments. These he sent to the king of Assyria, or as some interpret it, he defaced the ornaments and stopped up this way; to show that he would have no further commerce with the temple. And all this was done to ingratiate himself with the king of Assyria. This is that king Ahaz, that most notorious offender who never did any good, who never prospered in any attempt, who shut up the doors of God's house, who cut in pieces the vessels, who built altars in every corner of Jerusalem, and who sacrificed to the gods of Syria, though they could not help the Syrians themselves. This proved the ruin of him and all Ísrael, 2 Cheen. xxviii.

+ These reflections may also be read after 2 Chron. ch. xxviii.

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