And it was so,

she shall feign herself to be another woman. when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet, as she came in at the door, that he said, Come in, thou wife of Jeroboam; why feignest thou thyself to be another? for I am sent to thee with 110 heavy tidings. Go, tell Jeroboam, Thus saith Jehovah the God of Israel, Forasmuch as I exalted thee from among the people, and made thee prince over my people Israel, and rent the kingdom away from the house of David, and gave it thee and yet thou hast not been as my servant David, who kept my command115 ments, and who followed me with all his heart, to do that only which was right in mine eyes; but hast done evil above all that were before thee: for thou hast gone and made thee other gods, and molten images, to provoke me to anger, and hast cast me behind thy back therefore, behold, I will bring evil upon the 120 house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam every man child, and him that is shut up, and him that is left at large in Israel, and will utterly sweep away the house of Jeroboam, as a man sweepeth away dung, till it be all gone. Him that dieth of Jeroboam in the city shall the dogs eat; and him that dieth 125 in the field shall the fowls of the air eat for Jehovah hath spoken it. Arise thou therefore, get thee to thine own house and when thy feet enter into the city, the child shall die. And Jeroboam's wife arose, and departed, and came to Tirzah and when she came to the threshold of the door, the 130 child died; and they buried him; and all Israel mourned for him, according to the word of Jehovah, which he spake by the hand of his servant Ahijah the prophet. And the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he warred, and how he reigned, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of 135 Israel. And the days which Jeroboam reigned were two and twenty years and he slept with his fathers, and Nadab his son reigned in his stead.

14.21. And Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty and one years old when he began to reign, 140 and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which Jehovah did choose out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. And Judah did evil in the sight of Jehovah, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins which they had committed, above all that their fathers had done. 145 And it came to pass in the fifth year of king Rehoboam, that

Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem and he took away the treasures of the house of Jehovah, and the treasures of the king's house; he even took away all: and he took away all the shields of gold which Solomon had made. And king Rehoboam made in their stead brazen shields, and committed 150 them unto the hands of the chief of the guard, which kept the door of the king's house. And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their days. And Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David. And Abijam his son reigned in his stead.

155

15.1. Now in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam the son of Nebat reigned Abijam over Judah. Three years reigned he in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom. And he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him and his heart was not 160 perfect with Jehovah his God, as the heart of David his father. And there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam all the days of his life. Now the rest of the acts of Abijam, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? And Abijam slept with his fathers; and 165 they buried him in the city of David; and Asa his son reigned in his stead.

LESSON LXVII

ASA, BAASHA, OMRI

I KINGS 15.9 to 16.28

15.9. And in the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel reigned Asa over Judah. And forty and one years reigned he in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom. And Asa did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, as did David his father. And he took 5 away the sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. And also Maachah his mother, even her he removed from being queen, because she had made an idol for Ashérah; and Asa destroyed her idol, and burnt it by the brook Kidron. But the high places were not removed: 10 nevertheless Asa's heart was perfect with Jehovah all his days. And he brought in the things which his father had dedicated,

and the things which himself had dedicated, into the house of Jehovah, silver, and gold, and vessels. And there was war 15 between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days. And Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah, and built Ramah, that he might not suffer any to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. Then Asa took all the silver and the gold that were left in the treasures of the house of Jehovah, and the treasures 20 of the king's house, and delivered them into the hand of his servants and king Asa sent them to Ben-hadad, the son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus, saying, There is a league between me and thee, and between my father and thy father: behold, I have sent unto 25 thee a present of silver and gold; come and break thy league with Baasha king of Israel, that he may depart from me. So Ben-hadad hearkened unto king Asa, and sent the captains of the hosts which he had against the cities of Israel, and smote Ijon, and Dan, and Abel-beth-maachah, and all Cinneroth, with 30 all the land of Naphtali. And it came to pass, when Baasha heard thereof, that he left off building of Ramah, and dwelt in Tirzah. Then king Asa made a proclamation throughout all Judah; none was exempted: and they took away the stones of Ramah, and the timber thereof, wherewith Baasha had 35 builded; and king Asa built with them Geba of Benjamin, and Mizpah. The rest of all the acts of Asa, and all his might, and all that he did, and the cities which he built, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? Nevertheless in the time of his old age he was diseased in his 40 feet. And Asa slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father: and Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his stead.

15.25. And Nadab the son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and 45 reigned over Israel two years. And he did evil in the sight of Jehovah, and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin. And Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him; and Baasha smote him at Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines; for 50 Nadab and all Israel laid siege to Gibbethon. Even in the third year of Asa king of Judah did Baasha slay him, and reigned in his stead. And it came to pass, when he reigned,

that he smote all the house of Jeroboam; he left not to Jeroboam any that breathed, until he had destroyed him, according unto the saying of Jehovah, which he spake by his servant 55 Ahijah the Shilonite: because of the sins of Jeroboam which he sinned, and which he made Israel sin, by his provocation wherewith he provoked Jehovah the God of Israel to anger. Now the rest of the acts of Nadab, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? And there 60 was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.

15.33. In the third year of Asa king of Judah began Baasha the son of Ahijah to reign over all Israel in Tirzah, twenty and four years. And he did evil in the sight of Jehovah, and walked in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin wherewith he made 65 Israel to sin. (16.1) Then the word of Jehovah came to Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasha, saying, Forasmuch as I exalted thee out of the dust, and made thee prince over my people Israel; and thou hast walked in the way of Jeroboam, and hast made my people Israel to sin, to provoke me to anger with their sins ;70 behold, I will utterly sweep away Baasha and his house; and will make thy house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. Him that dieth of Baasha in the city shall the dogs eat; and him that dieth of his in the fields shall the fowls of the air eat. Now the rest of the acts of Baasha, and what he did, and 75 his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? So Baasha slept with his fathers, and was buried in Tirzah: and Elah his son reigned in his stead. And also by the hand of the prophet Jehu the son of Hanani came the word of Jehovah against Baasha, and against his house, both 80 because of all the evil that he did in the sight of Jehovah, in provoking him to anger with the work of his hands, in being like the house of Jeroboam, and because he killed him.

16.8. In the twenty and sixth year of Asa king of Judah began Elah the son of Baasha to reign over Israel in Tirzah, two 85 years. And his servant Zimri, captain of half his chariots, conspired against him, as he was in Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza steward of his house in Tirzah. And Zimri went in and smote him, and killed him, in the twenty and seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his 90 stead. And it came to pass, when he began to reign, as soon as he sat on his throne, that he slew all the house of Baasha:

he left him not one male child, neither of his kinsfolks, nor of his friends. Thus did Zimri destroy all the house of Baasha, 95 according to the word of Jehovah, which he spake against Baasha by Jehu the prophet, for all the sins of Baasha, and the sins of Elah his son, by which they sinned, and by which they made Israel to sin, in provoking Jehovah the God of Israel to anger with their vanities. Now the rest of the acts of Elah, and 100 all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

16.15. In the twenty and seventh year of Asa king of Judah did Zimri reign seven days in Tirzah. And the people were encamped against Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines. 105 And the people that were encamped heard say, Zimri hath conspired, and hath also slain the king: wherefore all Israel made Omri, the captain of the host, king over Israel that day in the camp. And Omri went up from Gibbethon, and all Israel with him, and they besieged Tirzah. And it came to pass, when 110 Zimri saw that the city was taken, that he went into the castle of the king's house, and burnt the king's house over him with fire, and died, for his sins which he sinned in doing evil in the sight of Jehovah, in walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin which he did, to make Israel to sin. Now the rest of the 115 acts of Zimri, and his treason that he wrought, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

16.21. Then were the people of Israel divided into two parts: half of the people followed Tibni the son of Ginath, to make him king; and half followed Omri. But the people that followed 120 Omri prevailed against the people that followed Tibni the son of Ginath so Tibni died, and Omri reigned. In the thirty and first year of Asa king of Judah began Omri to reign over Israel, twelve years: six years reigned he in Tirzah. And he bought the hill Samaria of Shemer for two talents of silver, and built on 125 the hill, and called the name of the city which he built, after the name of Shemer, owner of the hill, Samaria. But Omri wrought evil in the eyes of Jehovah, and did worse than all that were before him. For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to 130 sin, to provoke Jehovah the God of Israel to anger with their vanities. Now the rest of the acts of Omri which he did, and his might that he shewed, are they not written in the book of