5 the Lord. Therefore he assembled the priests and the Levites and said to them, Go out into the cities of Juda and collect money from all Israel to repair the house of the Lord from 6 year to year, and use diligence in speaking. And when the Levites made no speed, king Joas called Jodae the chief, and said to him, Why hast thou not watched over the Levites, to oblige them to bring in from Juda and Jerusalem, what is ordained by Moses the man of God. And as he had assembled all Is7 rael to the tabernacle of the testimony, because Gotholia that wicked woman and her sons had plundered the house of God, and had applied the holy things of the house of the Lord to $ the Baalims, therefore the king said, Let a chest be made, and 9 set at the gate of the house of the Lord on the outside, and let proclamation be made in Juda and Jerusalem, to bring in for the Lord, as Moses the servant of God enjoined on Israel, 10 in the wilderness. Then all the chiefs and the people gave11 they brought, and cast into the chest, until it was full, and

then the chest was carried by the Levites to the king's overseers. When they saw that there was much money in it, the king's secretary, and the high priest's overseer, emptied the 12 chest, and set it again in its place. Thus they did from day to

day. And when they had collected much money, the king and Jodae the priest, gave it to the workmen, for the service of the house of the Lord: and they hired masons and carpenters, to repair the house of the Lord, and manufacturers of iron and brass, 13 to furnish the house of the Lord with utensils. So the work-' men wrought, and the work advanced under their hands, and they re-established the house of the Lord in its former state, 14 and strengthened it. And when they had finished, they brought the remainder of the money, to the king and Jodae. And when they had made utensils for the house of the Lord, im. plements used in the service of burnt offerings, and censers of gold and silver, they offered whole burnt offerings in the house of the Lord continually, all the days of Jodae.

15

When Jodae was old, being full of days, he died at the age of a hundred and thirty years, and they buried him in the city 16 of David with the kings, because he had exercised goodness

with respect to Israel, and with respect to God and his house. 17 And after the death of Jodae the chiefs of Juda came and paid

18 homage to the king; and the king hearkened to them. And they forsook the house of the Lord God of their fathers, and served the Astartes and the idols, and there was wrath against Juda 19 and against Jerusalem at that time. When he had sent prophets to them to turn them to the Lord, and they would not hearkenwhen he had testified against them and they would not obey; 20 then the Spirit of God came upon Azarias the priest, the son of Jodae, and he stood above the people and said, Thus saith the Lord, Why do you transgress the commandments of the Lord? You cannot prosper. Because you have forsaken the 21 Lord, therefore he will forsake you. Upon this they fell upon

him and stoned him by the command of the king, in the court 22 of the house of the Lord. Thus Joas remembered not the kindness which Jodae his father had done him, but put to death his son, and when he was dying he said, May the Lord see and 23 judge. And it came to pass that at the end of the year, the army of Syria came up against him. They came up against Juda and Jerusalem, and having destroyed all the chiefs of the people, among the people, they sent the spoils of them to the king of 24 Damascus. Though the army of Syria consisted of but few men,

yet God delivered a very great army into their hands, because 25 they had forsaken the Lord the God of their fathers. On Joas also he executed judgment: for after they were gone from him, as he was left in great distress, his servants conspired against him, for the blood of the son of Jodae the priest, and put him to death on his bed. And when he was dead, they buried him in the 26 city of David, but not in the tomb of the kings. Now they

who conspired against him were Zabeb the son of Samaath the Ammonite, and Jozabed the son of Samareth the Moabite, and 27 all his sons, for the five were with him. Now as for the rest of his acts, behold they are written in the book of the kings. And Amasias his son reigned in his stead.

XXV. Amasias was twenty five years old when he began to

reign, and he reigned twenty nine years in Jerusalem, and his 2 mother's name was Joadaen of Jerusalem; and he did what was 3 right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a perfect heart. Now when the kingdom was established in his hand, he put to death 4 his servants who had slain the king his father. But, according to the covenant of the law of the Lord, he did not put to death

their children, as it is written-as the Lord commanded saying, Fathers shall not be put to death for children; nor shall children be put to death for fathers; but they shall die every one 5 for his own crime. Then Amasias assembled the house of Juda and appointed them according to the houses of their patriarchal families, to be captains of thousands and captains of hundreds throughout all Juda and Jerusalem. And having numbered them from twenty years old and upwards, he found them to be three hundred thousand, able to go forth to war armed with 6 spears and shields. Then he hired from Israel a hundred chi

liads, men mighty in power, for a hundred talents of silver. 7 But there came to him a man of God and said, O king, the army

of Israel must not go with thee, for the Lord is not with Israel. 8 For if thou thinkest to strengthen thyself with any of these

Ephraimites, the Lord will rout thee before the enemy; for it 9 is in the power of the Lord to strengthen or to rout. And Amasias said to the man of God, But what must I do in respect to the hundred talents which I have given to the army of Israel? To which the man of God replied, It is in the power of 10 the Lord to give thee more than that. Then Amasias separated from the army which had come to him from Ephraim, that they might go to their place. Thereupon they were greatly incensed against Juda, and returned to their place in a rage. 11 And Amasias strengthened himself, and took his own people

and went to the valley of salt, and there smote of the sons of 12 Seir ten thousand. And the children of Juda took ten thousand alive and carried them to the top of a precipice, and threw them down from the top of the precipice, so that they were all 13 dashed to pieces. Now the soldiers of the army which Amasias had sent back, that they should not go with him to battle, had fallen on the cities of Juda from Samaria to Baithoron and "had smitten of them three thousand, and carried off much spoil. 14 And it happened that after Amasias came from smiting Idu

mea, a person brought him the gods of the children of Seir, and he set them up to be his gods, and bowed down before them 15 and sacrificed to them: therefore the wrath of the Lord was

against Amasias, and he sent a prophet to him and said to him, Why hast thou sought the gods of this people, which could 16 not deliver their own people out of thy hand? But while the

prophet was speaking to him he said to him, Have I made thee a counsellor of the king? Forbear, lest thou be scourged. Thereupon the prophet held his peace, for I know, said he, that he hath determined to destroy thee, because thou hast done 17 this, and hast not hearkened to my counsel. Then Amasias king of Juda took counsel and sent to Joas, son of Joachaz, son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, Come and let us look each 18 other in the face. Upon which Joas king of Israel sent to Amasias king of Juda saying, The thistle on Libanus sent to the cedar on Libanus saying, Give thy daughter to my son for a wife. But lo! the wild beasts on Libanus will come-nay the wild beasts on Libanus did come and trample down the 19 thistle. Thou hast said, Behold I have smitten Idumea, therefore thy stupid heart lifteth thee up. Abide now at home: why dost thou take counsel to thy hurt, that thou mayst fall 20 and Juda with thee? But Amasias would not hearken, for the

Lord had determined to deliver him up, because he sought. 21 the gods of the Idumeans. So Joas king of Israel went up;

and he and Amasias king of Juda looked each other in the 22 face at Baithsamys, which belongeth to Juda. And Juda was 23 routed before Israel, and fled every man to his habitation. And Joas king of Israel took Amasias king of Juda, son of Joas, son of Joachaz, at Baithsamys and brought him to Jerusalem, and broke down of the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim 24 to the gate of the corner, four hundred cubits; and he took

all the gold and silver, and all the vessels found in the house of the Lord, and in the custody of Abdedom; and the treasures of the king's house, and hostages, and returned to Samaria. 25 And Amasias the son of Joas, king of Juda, lived after the

death of Joas, the son of Joachaz, king of Israel, fifteen years. 26 Now the rest of the acts of Amasias, first and last, behold, are

they not written in the book of the kings of Juda and Israel? 27 And when Amasias departed wholly from the Lord, they

formed a conspiracy against him; whereupon he fled from Je28 rusalem to Lachis; but they sent after him to Lachis, and there put him to death, and they brought him up on horses, and buried him with his fathers in the city of David.

XXVI.

And all the people of the country took Ozias when he was sixteen years old, and made him king in the room of his

2 father Amasias. He had rebuilt Ailath and restored it to Ju3 da, after the king slept with his fathers. Ozias was sixteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty two years in Jerusalem, and his mother's name was Jechelia, of 4 Jerusalem. And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father Amasias had done; 5 and he continued to seek the Lord all the days of Zacharias, who instructed him in the fear of the Lord. In his days in6 deed he sought the Lord, and the Lord prospered him. And he went out and warred against the Philistines, and demolished the walls of Geth, and the walls of Jabner, and the walls of Azotus, and rebuilt the cities of Azotus, and among the Phi7 listines. And the Lord strengthened him against the Philis

tines, and against the Arabs, who dwelt in Petra, and against 8 the Minaians. So that the Minaians gave gifts to Ozias; for

his fame reached even to the entrance of Egypt; for he was 9 very powerful. And Ozias built towers in Jerusalem-that -over the gate of the corner, and that over the gate of the val10 ley, and those on the corners. And when he had fortified it, he

built towers in the wilderness, and dug many wells, for he had much cattle at Sephale, and in the plains, and vine dressers in the hilly country, and on Karmel, for he was fond of husband11 ry. Moreover Ozias had an army of fighting men, which went out in array for battle, and came in, in array, to be numbered. And they were numbered by Jeiel the scribe and Maasias the judge, under the direction of Ananias the king's lieutenant. 12. The whole number of the chiefs, the officers of the army, was two thousand six hundred; and the army of fighting men with them was three hundred and seven thousand five hundred. These were trained for battle to assist the king against 14 enemies. And Ozias provided for them-for all this army, shields and spears, and helmets, and breast plates, and bows, 15 and slings to cast stones. And he made in Jerusalem machines, contrived with great art, to be placed in the towers and at the corners, for shooting darts and throwing huge stones. And the fame of his preparations was spread far and wide, for he was wonderfully assisted until he became exceed16 ing strong. But when he became strong his heart was elated to his destruction; for he trespassed against the Lord his God'