unto them. And they left the house of Jehovah the God of 115 their fathers, and served the Ashérahs and idols: and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their trespass. Yet he sent prophets to them, to bring them again unto Jehovah; and they testified against them: but they would not give ear. And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the 120 priest, which stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of Jehovah, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken Jehovah, he hath also forsaken you. And they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the 125 court of the house of Jehovah. Thus Joash the king remem

bered not the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but slew his son. And when he died, he said, Jehovah look upon it, and require it. And it came to pass at the end of the year, that the host of Syria came up against him: and they 130 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 Damascus. For the army of the Syrians came with a small company of men, and Jehovah delivered a very great host into their hand, because they had forsaken Jehovah 135 the God of their fathers. So they executed judgment against Joash. And when they were departed from him, (for they left him in great diseases,) his own servants conspired against him for the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest, and slew him on his bed, and he died and they buried him in the city of David, 140 but they buried him not in the sepulchres of the kings. And these are they that conspired against him; Zabad the son of Shimeath an Ammonitess, and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith a Moabitess. Now concerning his sons, and the greatness of the burdens laid upon him, and the repairing of the house of God, 145 behold, they are written in the commentary of the book of the kings. And Amaziah his son reigned in his stead.

LESSON LXXVIII

JEROBOAM II

2 KINGS 13.1 to 15.7

13.1. In the three and twentieth year of Joash the son of Ahaziah king of Judah Jehoahaz the son of Jehu began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned seventeen years. And he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to 5 sin; he departed not therefrom. And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Israel, and he delivered them into the hand of Hazael king of Syria, and into the hand of Ben-hadad the son of Hazael, all their days. And Jehoahaz besought Jehovah, and Jehovah hearkened unto him: for he saw the oppression of 10 Israel, because the king of Syria oppressed them. For he had not left of the people to Jehoahaz but fifty horsemen, and ten chariots, and ten thousand footmen; for the king of Syria had destroyed them, and had made them like the dust by threshing. Now the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz, and all that he did, and 15 his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? And Jehoahaz slept with his fathers; and they buried him in Samaria: and Jehoash his son reigned in his stead. In the thirty and seventh year of Joash king of Judah began Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz to reign over Israel in 20 Samaria, and reigned sixteen years.

13.14. Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died. And Jehoash the king of Israel came down unto him, and wept over his face, and said, O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And Elisha said 25 unto him, Take bow and arrows. And he took unto him bow and arrows. And he said to the king of Israel, Bend the bow: and he bent it. And Elisha put his hands upon the king's hands. And he said, Open the window eastward. opened it. Then Elisha said, Shoot. And he shot. said, The arrow of Jehovah's deliverance, and the arrow of deliverance from Syria: for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek, till thou have consumed them. And he said, Take the

And he
And he 30

arrows. And he took them. 35 Israel, Smite upon the ground.

And he said unto the king of And he smote thrice, and stayed. And the man of God was wroth with him, and said, Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times; then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it; whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice.

40 13.22. But Hazael king of Syria oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz. And Jehovah was gracious unto them, and had compassion on them, and had respect unto them, because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not destroy them, neither cast he them from his presence as yet. 45 So Hazael king of Syria died; and Ben-hadad his son reigned in his stead. And Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz took again out of the hand of Ben-hadad the son of Hazael the cities, which he had taken out of the hand of Jehoahaz his father by war. Three times did Jehoash beat him, and recovered the cities of 50 Israel.

Howbeit

14.1. In the second year of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel reigned Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah. He was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother's 55 name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem. And he did that which was right in the sight of Jehovah, yet not like David his father: he did according to all things as Joash his father did. the high places were not taken away as yet the people did sacrifice and burnt incense on the high places. And it came to 60 pass, as soon as the kingdom was confirmed in his hand, that he slew his servants which had slain the king his father. But the children of the murderers he slew not: according unto that which is written in the book of the law of Moses, wherein Jehovah commanded, saying, The fathers shall not be put to 65 death for the children, nor the children be put to death for the fathers; but every man shall be put to death for his own sin. He slew of Edom in the valley of salt ten thousand, and took Selah by war, and called the name of it Joktheel unto this day.

14.8. Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash, the son of 70 Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, Come, let us look one another in the face. And Jehoash the king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, Give

thy daughter to my son to wife and there passed by a wild beast that was in Lebanon, and trode down the thistle. Thou 75 hast indeed smitten Edom, and thine heart hath lifted thee up: glory of this, and tarry at home: for why shouldest thou meddle to thy hurt, that thou shouldest fall, even thou, and Judah with thee? But Amaziah would not hear. Therefore Jehoash king of Israel went up; and he and Amaziah king of Judah looked 80 one another in the face at Beth-shemesh, which belongeth to Judah. And Judah was put to the worse before Israel; and they fled every man to their tents. And Jehoash king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash the son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh, and came to Jerusalem, and brake 85 down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim unto the corner gate, four hundred cubits. And he took all the gold and silver, and all the vessels that were found in the house of Jehovah, and in the treasures of the king's house, and hostages, and returned to Samaria. Now the rest of the acts of Jehoash 90 which he did, and his might, and how he fought with Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? And Jehoash slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel; and Jeroboam his son reigned in his stead.

95

14.17. And Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah lived after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel fifteen years. And the rest of the acts of Amaziah, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah ? Now they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem; and he 100 fled to Lachish; but they sent after him to Lachish, and slew him there. And they brought him on horses: and he was buried at Jerusalem with his fathers in the city of David. And all the people of Judah took 1Azariah, which was sixteen years old, and made him king instead of his father Amaziah. He 105 built Elath, and restored it to Judah, after that the king slept with his fathers.

14.23. In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah Jeroboam the son of Jehoash king of Israel began to reign in Samaria, and reigned forty and one years. And he did 110 that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah he departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel 1 In the book of Chronicles he is called Uzziah.

to sin. He restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the 2Arábah, according to the word of 115 Jehovah the God of Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, which was of Gath-hepher. For Jehovah saw the affliction of Israel, that it was very bitter for there was none shut up, nor left at large, nor any helper for Israel. And Jehovah said not that he would 120 blot out the name of Israel from under heaven: but he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Jehoash. Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, and all that he did, and his might, how he warred, and how he recovered Damascus, and Hamath, which belonged to Judah, for Israel, are they not written in the book 125 of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? And Jeroboam slept with his fathers, even with the kings of Israel; and Zachariah his son reigned in his stead.

15.1. In the twenty and seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel began Azariah son of Amaziah king of Judah to reign. 130 Sixteen years old was he when he began to reign, and he reigned two and fifty years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Jecholiah of Jerusalem. And he did that which was right in the sight of Jehovah, according to all that his father Amaziah had done; save that the high places were not removed: the 135 people sacrificed and burnt incense still on the high places. And Jehovah smote the king, so that he was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a several house. And Jotham the king's son was over the house, judging the people of the land. And the rest of the acts of Azariah, and all that he did, 140 are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? So Azariah slept with his fathers; and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David and Jotham his son reigned in his stead.

2 The Arábah is the deep valley which contains the lower end of the Jordan and the Dead Sea, and runs southwards from the Dead Sea.

3 This number is probably an error, as it is inconsistent with what is stated in verses 13, 17, 23 of the last chapter.