Good News Translation (GNT)

Jehu Is Anointed King of Israel

1 Meanwhile the prophet Elisha called one of the young prophets and said to him, “Get ready and go to Ramoth in Gilead. Take this jar of olive oil with you,

2 and when you get there look for Jehu, the son of Jehoshaphat and grandson of Nimshi. Take him to a private room away from his companions,

3 pour this olive oil on his head, and say, ‘The Lord proclaims that he anoints you king of Israel.’ Then leave there as fast as you can.”

4 So the young prophet went to Ramoth,

5 where he found the army officers in a conference. He said, “Sir, I have a message for you.”

Jehu asked, “Which one of us are you speaking to?”

“To you, sir,” he replied.

6 Then the two of them went indoors, and the young prophet poured the olive oil on Jehu’s head and said to him, “The Lord, the God of Israel, proclaims: ‘I anoint you king of my people Israel.

7 You are to kill your master the king, that son of Ahab, so that I may punish Jezebel for murdering my prophets and my other servants.

8 All of Ahab’s family and descendants are to die; I will get rid of every male in his family, young and old alike.

9 I will treat his family as I did the families of King Jeroboam of Israel and of King Baasha of Israel.

10 Jezebel will not be buried; her body will be eaten by dogs in the territory of Jezreel.’” After saying this, the young prophet left the room and fled.

11 Jehu went back to his fellow officers, who asked him, “Is everything all right? What did that crazy fellow want with you?”

“You know what he wanted,” Jehu answered.

12 “No we don’t!” they replied. “Tell us what he said!”

“He told me that the Lord proclaims: ‘I anoint you king of Israel.’”

13 At once Jehu’s fellow officers spread their cloaks at the top of the steps for Jehu to stand on, blew trumpets, and shouted, “Jehu is king!”

King Joram of Israel Is Killed

14-15 Then Jehu plotted against King Joram, who was in Jezreel, where he had gone to recover from the wounds which he had received in the battle at Ramoth against King Hazael of Syria. So Jehu said to his fellow officers, “If you are with me, make sure that no one slips out of Ramoth to go and warn the people in Jezreel.”

16 Then he got into his chariot and set off for Jezreel. Joram had still not recovered, and King Ahaziah of Judah was there, visiting him.

17 A guard on duty in the watchtower at Jezreel saw Jehu and his men approaching. “I see some men riding up!” he called out.

Joram replied, “Send a rider to find out if they are friends or enemies.”

18 The messenger rode out to Jehu and said to him, “The king wants to know if you come as a friend.”

“That’s none of your business!” Jehu answered. “Fall in behind me.”

The guard on the watchtower reported that the messenger had reached the group but was not returning.

19 Another messenger was sent out, who asked Jehu the same question. Again Jehu answered, “That’s none of your business! Fall in behind me.”

20 Once more the guard reported that the messenger had reached the group but was not returning. And he added, “The leader of the group is driving his chariot like a madman, just like Jehu!”

21 “Get my chariot ready,” King Joram ordered. It was done, and he and King Ahaziah rode out, each in his own chariot, to meet Jehu. They met him at the field which had belonged to Naboth.

22 “Are you coming in peace?” Joram asked him.

“How can there be peace,” Jehu answered, “when we still have all the witchcraft and idolatry that your mother Jezebel started?”

23 “It’s treason, Ahaziah!” Joram cried out, as he turned his chariot around and fled.

24 Jehu drew his bow, and with all his strength shot an arrow that struck Joram in the back and pierced his heart. Joram fell dead in his chariot,

25 and Jehu said to his aide Bidkar, “Get his body and throw it in the field that belonged to Naboth. Remember that when you and I were riding together behind King Joram’s father Ahab, the Lord spoke these words against Ahab:

26 ‘I saw the murder of Naboth and his sons yesterday. And I promise that I will punish you here in this same field.’ So take Joram’s body,” Jehu ordered his aide, “and throw it in the field that belonged to Naboth, so as to fulfill the Lord’s promise.”

King Ahaziah of Judah Is Killed

27 King Ahaziah saw what happened, so he fled in his chariot toward the town of Beth Haggan, pursued by Jehu. “Kill him too!” Jehu ordered his men, and they wounded himas he drove his chariot on the road up to Gur, near the town of Ibleam. But he managed to keep on going until he reached the city of Megiddo, where he died.

28 His officials took his body back to Jerusalem in a chariot and buried him in the royal tombs in David’s City.

29 Ahaziah had become king of Judah in the eleventh year that Joram son of Ahab was king of Israel.

Queen Jezebel Is Killed

30 Jehu arrived in Jezreel. Jezebel, having heard what had happened, put on eye shadow, arranged her hair, and stood looking down at the street from a window in the palace.

31 As Jehu came through the gate, she called out, “You Zimri!You assassin! Why are you here?”

32 Jehu looked up and shouted, “Who is on my side?” Two or three palace officials looked down at him from a window,

33 and Jehu said to them, “Throw her down!” They threw her down, and her blood spattered on the wall and on the horses. Jehu drove his horses and chariot over her body,

34 entered the palace, and had a meal. Only then did he say, “Take that cursed woman and bury her; after all, she is a king’s daughter.”

35 But the men who went out to bury her found nothing except her skull and the bones of her hands and feet.

36 When they reported this to Jehu, he said, “This is what the Lord said would happen, when he spoke through his servant Elijah: ‘Dogs will eat Jezebel’s body in the territory of Jezreel.

37 Her remains will be scattered there like dung, so that no one will be able to identify them.’”

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/2KI/9-7a7b236dad2fe3e0d6f7fdd4b8f70ea4.mp3?version_id=68—

The Descendants of Ahab Are Killed

1 There were seventy descendants of King Ahab living in the city of Samaria. Jehu wrote a letter and sent copies to the rulers of the city,to the leading citizens, and to the guardians of Ahab’s descendants. The letter read:

2 “You are in charge of the king’s descendants, and you have at your disposal chariots, horses, weapons, and fortified cities. So then, as soon as you receive this letter,

3 you are to choose the best qualified of the king’s descendants, make him king, and fight to defend him.”

4 The rulers of Samaria were terrified. “How can we oppose Jehu,” they said, “when neither King Joram nor King Ahaziah could?”

5 So the officer in charge of the palace and the official in charge of the city, together with the leading citizens and the guardians, sent this message to Jehu: “We are your servants, and we are ready to do anything you say. But we will not make anyone king; do whatever you think best.”

6 Jehu wrote them another letter: “If you are with me and are ready to follow my orders, bring the heads of King Ahab’s descendants to me at Jezreel by this time tomorrow.”

The seventy descendants of King Ahab were under the care of the leading citizens of Samaria, who were bringing them up.

7 When Jehu’s letter was received, the leaders of Samaria killed all seventy of Ahab’s descendants, put their heads in baskets, and sent them to Jehu at Jezreel.

8 When Jehu was told that the heads of Ahab’s descendants had been brought, he ordered them to be piled up in two heaps at the city gate and to be left there until the following morning.

9 In the morning he went out to the gate and said to the people who were there, “I was the one who plotted against King Joram and killed him; you are not responsible for that. But who killed all these?

10 This proves that everything that the Lord said about the descendants of Ahab will come true. The Lord has done what he promised through his prophet Elijah.”

11 Then Jehu put to death all the other relatives of Ahab living in Jezreel, and all his officers, close friends, and priests; not one of them was left alive.

The Relatives of King Ahaziah Are Killed

12 Jehu left Jezreel to go to Samaria. On the way, at a place called “Shepherds’ Camp,”

13 he met some relatives of the late King Ahaziah of Judah and asked them, “Who are you?”

“Ahaziah’s relatives,” they answered. “We are going to Jezreel to pay our respects to the children of Queen Jezebel and to the rest of the royal family.”

14 Jehu ordered his men, “Take them alive!” They seized them, and he put them to death near a pit there. There were forty-two people in all, and not one of them was left alive.

All Remaining Relatives of Ahab Are Killed

15 Jehu started out again, and on his way he was met by Jonadab son of Rechab. Jehu greeted him and said, “You and I think alike. Will you support me?”

“I will,” Jonadab answered.

“Give me your hand, then,” Jehu replied. They clasped hands, and Jehu helped him up into the chariot,

16 saying, “Come with me and see for yourself how devoted I am to the Lord.” And they rode on together to Samaria.

17 When they arrived there, Jehu killed all of Ahab’s relatives, not sparing even one. This is what the Lord had told Elijah would happen.

The Worshipers of Baal Are Killed

18 Jehu called the people of Samaria together and said, “King Ahab served the god Baal a little, but I will serve him much more.

19 Call together all the prophets of Baal, all his worshipers, and all his priests. No one is excused; I am going to offer a great sacrifice to Baal, and whoever is not present will be put to death.” (This was a trick on the part of Jehu by which he meant to kill all the worshipers of Baal.)

20 Then Jehu ordered, “Proclaim a day of worship in honor of Baal!” The proclamation was made,

21 and Jehu sent word throughout all the land of Israel. All who worshiped Baal came; not one of them failed to come. They all went into the temple of Baal, filling it from one end to the other.

22 Then Jehu ordered the priest in charge of the sacred robes to bring the robes out and give them to the worshipers.

23 After that, Jehu himself went into the temple with Jonadab son of Rechab and said to the people there, “Make sure that only worshipers of Baal are present and that no worshiper of the Lord has come in.”

24 Then he and Jonadab went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings to Baal. He had stationed eighty men outside the temple and had instructed them: “You are to kill all these people; anyone who lets one of them escape will pay for it with his life!”

25 As soon as Jehu had presented the offerings, he said to the guards and officers, “Go in and kill them all; don’t let anyone escape!” They went in with drawn swords, killed them all, and dragged the bodies outside. Then they went on into the inner sanctuary of the temple,

26 brought out the sacred pillar that was there, and burned it.

27 So they destroyed the sacred pillar and the temple, and turned the temple into a latrine—which it still is today.

28 That was how Jehu wiped out the worship of Baal in Israel.

29 But he imitated the sin of King Jeroboam, who led Israel into the sin of worshiping the gold bull-calves he set up in Bethel and in Dan.

30 The Lord said to Jehu, “You have done to Ahab’s descendants everything I wanted you to do. So I promise you that your descendants, down to the fourth generation, will be kings of Israel.”

31 But Jehu did not obey with all his heart the Law of the Lord, the God of Israel; instead, he followed the example of Jeroboam, who led Israel into sin.

The Death of Jehu

32 At that time the Lord began to reduce the size of Israel’s territory. King Hazael of Syria conquered all the Israelite territory

33 east of the Jordan, as far south as the town of Aroer on the Arnon River—this included the territories of Gilead and Bashan, where the tribes of Gad, Reuben, and East Manasseh lived.

34 Everything else that Jehu did, including his brave deeds, is recorded inThe History of the Kings of Israel.

35 He died and was buried in Samaria, and his son Jehoahaz succeeded him as king.

36 Jehu had ruled in Samaria as king of Israel for twenty-eight years.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/2KI/10-d2b42706e0d00dea3d6fd49d231dfae8.mp3?version_id=68—

Queen Athaliah of Judah

1 As soon as King Ahaziah’s mother Athaliah learned of her son’s murder, she gave orders for all the members of the royal family to be killed.

2 Only Ahaziah’s son Joash escaped. He was about to be killed with the others, but was rescued by his aunt Jehosheba, who was King Jehoram’s daughter and Ahaziah’s half sister. She took him and his nurse into a bedroom in the Temple and hid him from Athaliah, so that he was not killed.

3 For six years Jehosheba took care of the boy and kept him hidden in the Temple, while Athaliah ruled as queen.

4 But in the seventh year Jehoiada the priest sent for the officers in charge of the royal bodyguard and of the palace guards, and told them to come to the Temple, where he made them agree under oath to what he planned to do. He showed them King Ahaziah’s son Joash

5 and gave them the following orders: “When you come on duty on the Sabbath, one third of you are to guard the palace;

6 another third are to stand guard at the Sur Gate, and the other third are to stand guard at the gate behind the other guards.

7 The two groups that go off duty on the Sabbath are to stand guard at the Temple to protect the king.

8 You are to guard King Joash with drawn swords and stay with him wherever he goes. Anyone who comes near you is to be killed.”

9 The officers obeyed Jehoiada’s instructions and brought their men to him—those going off duty on the Sabbath and those going on duty.

10 He gave the officers the spearsand shields that had belonged to King David and had been kept in the Temple,

11 and he stationed the men with drawn swords all around the front of the Temple, to protect the king.

12 Then Jehoiada led Joash out, placed the crown on his head, and gave him a copy of the laws governing kingship. Then Joash was anointed and proclaimed king. The people clapped their hands and shouted, “Long live the king!”

13 Queen Athaliah heard the noise being made by the guards and the people, so she hurried to the Temple, where the crowd had gathered.

14 There she saw the new king standing by the column at the entrance of the Temple, as was the custom. He was surrounded by the officers and the trumpeters, and the people were all shouting joyfully and blowing trumpets. Athaliah tore her clothes in distress and shouted, “Treason! Treason!”

15 Jehoiada did not want Athaliah killed in the Temple area, so he ordered the army officers: “Take her out between the rows of guards, and kill anyone who tries to rescue her.”

16 They seized her, took her to the palace, and there at the Horse Gate they killed her.

Jehoiada’s Reforms

17 The priest Jehoiada had King Joash and the people make a covenant with the Lord that they would be the Lord’s people; he also made a covenant between the king and the people.

18 Then the people went to the temple of Baal and tore it down; they smashed the altars and the idols, and killed Mattan, the priest of Baal, in front of the altars.

Jehoiada put guards on duty at the Temple,

19 and then he, the officers, the royal bodyguard, and the palace guards escorted the king from the Temple to the palace, followed by all the people. Joash entered by the Guard Gate and took his place on the throne.

20 All the people were filled with happiness, and the city was quiet, now that Athaliah had been killed in the palace.

21 Joash became king of Judah at the age of seven.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/2KI/11-81bbf513bb488d5b206cbbbf4305ba75.mp3?version_id=68—

King Joash of Judah

1 In the seventh year of the reign of King Jehu of Israel, Joash became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for forty years. His mother was Zibiah from the city of Beersheba.

2 Throughout his life he did what pleased the Lord, because Jehoiada the priest instructed him.

3 However, the pagan places of worship were not destroyed, and the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.

4 Joash called the priests and ordered them to save up the money paid in connection with the sacrifices in the Temple, both the dues paid for the regular sacrifices and the money given as freewill gifts.

5 Each priest was to be responsible for the money brought by those he served, and the money was to be used to repair the Temple, as needed.

6 But by the twenty-third year of Joash’s reign the priests still had not made any repairs in the Temple.

7 So he called in Jehoiada and the other priests and asked them, “Why aren’t you repairing the Temple? From now on you are not to keep the money you receive; you must hand it over, so that the repairs can be made.”

8 The priests agreed to this and also agreed not to make the repairs in the Temple.

9 Then Jehoiada took a box, made a hole in the lid, and placed the box by the altar, on the right side as one enters the Temple. The priests on duty at the entrance put in the box all the money given by the worshipers.

10 Whenever there was a large amount of money in the box, the royal secretary and the High Priest would come, melt down the silver, and weigh it.

11 After recording the exact amount, they would hand the silver over to the men in charge of the work in the Temple, and these would pay the carpenters, the builders,

12 the masons, and the stone cutters, buy the timber and the stones used in the repairs, and pay all other necessary expenses.

13 None of the money, however, was used to pay for making silver cups, bowls, trumpets, or tools for tending the lamps, or any other article of silver or of gold.

14 It was all used to pay the workers and to buy the materials used in the repairs.

15 The men in charge of the work were thoroughly honest, so there was no need to require them to account for the funds.

16 The money given for the repayment offerings and for the offerings for sin was not deposited in the box; it belonged to the priests.

17 At that time King Hazael of Syria attacked the city of Gath and conquered it; then he decided to attack Jerusalem.

18 King Joash of Judah took all the offerings that his predecessors Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah had dedicated to the Lord, added to them his own offerings and all the gold in the treasuries of the Temple and the palace, and sent them all as a gift to King Hazael, who then led his army away from Jerusalem.

19 Everything else that King Joash did is recorded inThe History of the Kings of Judah.

20-21 King Joash’s officials plotted against him, and two of them, Jozacar son of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer, killed him at the house built on the land that was filled in on the east side of Jerusalem, on the road that goes down to Silla. Joash was buried in the royal tombs in David’s City, and his son Amaziah succeeded him as king.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/2KI/12-4d8ff34bace262eb149ceb67455a49b0.mp3?version_id=68—

King Jehoahaz of Israel

1 In the twenty-third year of the reign of Joash son of Ahaziah as king of Judah, Jehoahaz son of Jehu became king of Israel, and he ruled in Samaria for seventeen years.

2 Like King Jeroboam before him, he sinned against the Lord and led Israel into sin; he never gave up his evil ways.

3 So the Lord was angry with Israel, and he allowed King Hazael of Syria and his son Benhadad to defeat Israel time after time.

4 Then Jehoahaz prayed to the Lord, and the Lord, seeing how harshly the king of Syria was oppressing the Israelites, answered his prayer.

5 The Lord sent Israel a leader, who freed them from the Syrians, and so the Israelites lived in peace, as before.

6 But they still did not give up the sins into which King Jeroboam had led Israel, but kept oncommitting them; and the image of the goddess Asherah remained in Samaria.

7 Jehoahaz had no armed forces left except fifty cavalry troops, ten chariots, and ten thousand foot soldiers, because the king of Syria had destroyed the rest, trampling them down like dust.

8 Everything else that Jehoahaz did and all his brave deeds are recorded inThe History of the Kings of Israel.

9 He died and was buried in Samaria, and his son Jehoash succeeded him as king.

King Jehoash of Israel

10 In the thirty-seventh year of the reign of King Joash of Judah, Jehoash son of Jehoahaz became king of Israel, and he ruled in Samaria for sixteen years.

11 He too sinned against the Lord and followed the evil example of King Jeroboam, who had led Israel into sin.

12 Everything else that Jehoash did, including his bravery in the war against King Amaziah of Judah, is recorded inThe History of the Kings of Israel.

13 Jehoash died and was buried in the royal tombs in Samaria, and his son Jeroboam II succeeded him as king.

The Death of Elisha

14 The prophet Elisha was sick with a fatal disease, and as he lay dying, King Jehoash of Israel went to visit him. “My father, my father!” he exclaimed as he wept. “You have been the mighty defender of Israel!”

15 “Get a bow and some arrows,” Elisha ordered him. Jehoash got them,

16 and Elisha told him to get ready to shoot. The king did so, and Elisha placed his hands on the king’s hands.

17 Then, following the prophet’s instructions, the king opened the window that faced toward Syria. “Shoot the arrow!” Elisha ordered. As soon as the king shot the arrow, the prophet exclaimed, “You are the Lord’s arrow, with which he will win victory over Syria. You will fight the Syrians in Aphek until you defeat them.”

18 Then Elisha told the king to take the other arrows and strike the ground with them. The king struck the ground three times, and then stopped.

19 This made Elisha angry, and he said to the king, “You should have struck five or six times, and then you would have won complete victory over the Syrians; but now you will defeat them only three times.”

20 Elisha died and was buried.

Every year bands of Moabites used to invade the land of Israel.

21 One time during a funeral, one of those bands was seen, and the people threw the corpse into Elisha’s tomb and ran off.As soon as the body came into contact with Elisha’s bones, the man came back to life and stood up.

War between Israel and Syria

22 King Hazael of Syria oppressed the Israelites during all of Jehoahaz’ reign,

23 but the Lord was kind and merciful to them. He would not let them be destroyed, but helped them because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He has never forgotten his people.

24 At the death of King Hazael of Syria his son Benhadad became king.

25 Then King Jehoash of Israel defeated Benhadad three times and recaptured the cities that had been taken by Benhadad during the reign of Jehoahaz, the father of Jehoash.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/2KI/13-93030fa632566215b43f2200710f1bdc.mp3?version_id=68—

King Amaziah of Judah

1 In the second year of the reign of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz as king of Israel, Amaziah son of Joash became king of Judah

2 at the age of twenty-five, and he ruled in Jerusalem for twenty-nine years. His mother was Jehoaddin from Jerusalem.

3 He did what was pleasing to the Lord, but he was not like his ancestor King David; instead, he did what his father Joash had done.

4 He did not tear down the pagan places of worship, and the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.

5 As soon as Amaziah was firmly in power, he executed the officials who had killed his father, the king.

6 However, he did not kill their children but followed what the Lord had commanded in the Law of Moses: “Parents are not to be put to death for crimes committed by their children, and children are not to be put to death for crimes committed by their parents; people are to be put to death only for a crime they themselves have committed.”

7 Amaziah killed ten thousand Edomite soldiers in Salt Valley; he captured the city of Sela in battle and called it Joktheel, the name it still has.

8 Then Amaziah sent messengers to King Jehoash of Israel, challenging him to fight.

9 But King Jehoash sent back the following reply: “Once a thorn bush on the Lebanon Mountains sent a message to a cedar: ‘Give your daughter in marriage to my son.’ A wild animal passed by and trampled the bush down.

10 Now Amaziah, you have defeated the Edomites, and you are filled with pride. Be satisfied with your fame and stay at home. Why stir up trouble that will only bring disaster on you and your people?”

11 But Amaziah refused to listen, so King Jehoash marched out with his men and fought against him at Beth Shemesh in Judah.

12 Amaziah’s army was defeated, and all his soldiers fled to their homes.

13 Jehoash took Amaziah prisoner, advanced on Jerusalem, and tore down the city wall from Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate, a distance of two hundred yards.

14 He took all the silver and gold he could find, all the Temple equipment and all the palace treasures, and carried them back to Samaria. He also took hostages with him.

15 Everything else that Jehoash did, including his bravery in the war against King Amaziah of Judah, is recorded inThe History of the Kings of Israel.

16 Jehoash died and was buried in the royal tombs in Samaria, and his son Jeroboam II succeeded him as king.

The Death of King Amaziah of Judah

17 King Amaziah of Judah lived fifteen years after the death of King Jehoash of Israel.

18 Everything else that Amaziah did is recorded inThe History of the Kings of Judah.

19 There was a plot in Jerusalem to assassinate Amaziah, so he fled to the city of Lachish, but his enemies followed him there and killed him.

20 His body was carried back to Jerusalem on a horse and was buried in the royal tombs in David’s City.

21 The people of Judah then crowned his sixteen-year-old son Uzziah as king.

22 Uzziah reconquered and rebuilt Elath after his father’s death.

King Jeroboam II of Israel

23 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Amaziah son of Joash as king of Judah, Jeroboam son of Jehoash became king of Israel, and he ruled in Samaria for forty-one years.

24 He sinned against the Lord, following the wicked example of his predecessor King Jeroboam son of Nebat, who led Israel into sin.

25 He reconquered all the territory that had belonged to Israel, from Hamath Pass in the north to the Dead Sea in the south. This was what the Lord, the God of Israel, had promised through his servant the prophet Jonah son of Amittai from Gath Hepher.

26 The Lord saw the terriblesuffering of the Israelites; there was no one at all to help them.

27 But it was not the Lord’s purpose to destroy Israel completely and forever, so he rescued them through King Jeroboam II.

28 Everything else that Jeroboam II did, his brave battles, and how he restored Damascus and Hamath to Israel,are all recorded inThe History of the Kings of Israel.

29 Jeroboam died and was buried in the royal tombs, and his son Zechariah succeeded him as king.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/2KI/14-6b0ff3126a2032a5801708f6917741cb.mp3?version_id=68—

King Uzziah of Judah

1 In the twenty-seventh year of the reign of King Jeroboam II of Israel, Uzziah son of Amaziah became king of Judah

2 at the age of sixteen, and he ruled in Jerusalem for fifty-two years. His mother was Jecoliah from Jerusalem.

3 Following the example of his father, he did what was pleasing to the Lord.

4 But the pagan places of worship were not destroyed, and the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.

5 The Lord struck Uzziah with a dreaded skin disease that stayed with him the rest of his life. He lived in a separate house, relieved of all duties, while his son Jotham governed the country.

6 Everything else that Uzziah did is recorded inThe History of the Kings of Judah.

7 Uzziah died and was buried in the royal burial ground in David’s City, and his son Jotham succeeded him as king.

King Zechariah of Israel

8 In the thirty-eighth year of the reign of King Uzziah of Judah, Zechariah son of Jeroboam II became king of Israel, and he ruled in Samaria for six months.

9 He, like his predecessors, sinned against the Lord. He followed the wicked example of King Jeroboam son of Nebat, who led Israel into sin.

10 Shallum son of Jabesh conspired against King Zechariah, assassinated him at Ibleam,and succeeded him as king.

11 Everything else that Zechariah did is recorded inThe History of the Kings of Israel.

12 So the promise was fulfilled which the Lord had made to King Jehu: “Your descendants down to the fourth generationwill be kings of Israel.”

King Shallum of Israel

13 In the thirty-ninth year of the reign of King Uzziah of Judah, Shallum son of Jabesh became king of Israel, and he ruled in Samaria for one month.

14 Menahem son of Gadi went from Tirzah to Samaria, assassinated Shallum, and succeeded him as king.

15 Everything else that Shallum did, including an account of his conspiracy, is recorded inThe History of the Kings of Israel.

16 As Menahem was on his way from Tirzah, he completely destroyed the city of Tappuah,its inhabitants, and the surrounding territory, because the city did not surrender to him. He even ripped open the bellies of all the pregnant women.

King Menahem of Israel

17 In the thirty-ninth year of the reign of King Uzziah of Judah, Menahem son of Gadi became king of Israel, and he ruled in Samaria for ten years.

18 He sinned against the Lord, for until the day of his death he followed the wicked example of King Jeroboam son of Nebat, who led Israel into sin.

19 Tiglath Pileser, the emperor of Assyria, invaded Israel, and Menahem gave him thirty-eight tons of silver to gain his support in strengthening Menahem’s power over the country.

20 Menahem got the money from the rich men of Israel by forcing each one to contribute fifty pieces of silver. So Tiglath Pileser went back to his own country.

21 Everything else that Menahem did is recorded inThe History of the Kings of Israel.

22 He died and was buried, and his son Pekahiah succeeded him as king.

King Pekahiah of Israel

23 In the fiftieth year of the reign of King Uzziah of Judah, Pekahiah son of Menahem became king of Israel, and he ruled in Samaria for two years.

24 He sinned against the Lord, following the wicked example of King Jeroboam son of Nebat, who led Israel into sin.

25 An officer of Pekahiah’s forces, Pekah son of Remaliah, plotted with fifty men from Gilead, assassinated Pekahiah in the palace’s inner fortressin Samaria, and succeeded him as king.

26 Everything else that Pekahiah did is recorded inThe History of the Kings of Israel.

King Pekah of Israel

27 In the fifty-second year of the reign of King Uzziah of Judah, Pekah son of Remaliah became king of Israel, and he ruled in Samaria for twenty years.

28 He sinned against the Lord, following the wicked example of King Jeroboam son of Nebat, who led Israel into sin.

29 It was while Pekah was king that Tiglath Pileser, the emperor of Assyria, captured the cities of Ijon, Abel Beth Maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, and Hazor, and the territories of Gilead, Galilee, and Naphtali, and took the people to Assyria as prisoners.

30 In the twentieth year of the reign of Jotham son of Uzziah as king of Judah, Hoshea son of Elah plotted against King Pekah, assassinated him, and succeeded him as king.

31 Everything else that Pekah did is recorded inThe History of the Kings of Israel.

King Jotham of Judah

32 In the second year of the reign of Pekah son of Remaliah as king of Israel, Jotham son of Uzziah became king of Judah

33 at the age of twenty-five, and he ruled in Jerusalem for sixteen years. His mother was Jerusha, the daughter of Zadok.

34 Following the example of his father Uzziah, Jotham did what was pleasing to the Lord.

35 But the pagan places of worship were not destroyed, and the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there. It was Jotham who built the North Gate of the Temple.

36 Everything else that Jotham did is recorded inThe History of the Kings of Judah.

37 It was while he was king that the Lord first sent King Rezin of Syria and King Pekah of Israel to attack Judah.

38 Jotham died and was buried in the royal tombs in David’s City, and his son Ahaz succeeded him as king.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/2KI/15-ebf8a1209af6eabcf0f7113c008337ff.mp3?version_id=68—

King Ahaz of Judah

1 In the seventeenth year of the reign of Pekah son of Remaliah as king of Israel, Ahaz son of Jotham became king of Judah

2 at the age of twenty, and he ruled in Jerusalem for sixteen years. He did not follow the good example of his ancestor King David; instead, he did what was not pleasing to the Lord his God

3 and followed the example of the kings of Israel. He even sacrificed his own son as a burnt offering to idols, imitating the disgusting practice of the people whom the Lord had driven out of the land as the Israelites advanced.

4 At the pagan places of worship, on the hills, and under every shady tree, Ahaz offered sacrifices and burned incense.

5 King Rezin of Syria and King Pekah of Israel attacked Jerusalem and besieged it, but could not defeat Ahaz. (

6 At the same time the king of Edomregained control of the city of Elath and drove out the Judeans who lived there. The Edomites settled in Elath and still live there.)

7 Ahaz sent men to Tiglath Pileser, the emperor of Assyria, with this message: “I am your devoted servant. Come and rescue me from the kings of Syria and of Israel, who are attacking me.”

8 Ahaz took the silver and gold from the Temple and the palace treasury, and sent it as a present to the emperor.

9 Tiglath Pileser, in answer to Ahaz’ plea, marched out with his army against Damascus, captured it, killed King Rezin, and took the people to Kir as prisoners.

10 When King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Emperor Tiglath Pileser, he saw the altar there and sent back to Uriah the priest an exact model of it, down to the smallest details.

11 So Uriah built an altar just like it and finished it before Ahaz returned.

12 On his return from Damascus, Ahaz saw that the altar was finished,

13 so he burned animal sacrifices and grain offerings on it and poured a wine offering and the blood of a fellowship offering on it.

14 The bronze altar dedicated to the Lord was between the new altar and the Temple, so Ahaz moved it to the north side of his new altar.

15 Then he ordered Uriah: “Use this large altar of mine for the morning burnt offerings and the evening grain offerings, for the burnt offerings and grain offerings of the king and the people, and for the people’s wine offerings. Pour on it the blood of all the animals that are sacrificed. But keep the bronze altar for me to use for divination.”

16 Uriah did as the king commanded.

17 King Ahaz took apart the bronze carts used in the Temple and removed the basins that were on them. He also took the bronze tank from the backs of the twelve bronze bulls and placed it on a stone foundation.

18 And in order to please the Assyrian emperor, Ahaz also removed from the Temple the platform for the royal throne and closed up the king’s private entrance to the Temple.

19 Everything else that King Ahaz did is recorded inThe History of the Kings of Judah.

20 Ahaz died and was buried in the royal tombs in David’s City, and his son Hezekiah succeeded him as king.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/2KI/16-73bb9078a1ab498b3e2c04779934f0d8.mp3?version_id=68—

King Hoshea of Israel

1 In the twelfth year of the reign of King Ahaz of Judah, Hoshea son of Elah became king of Israel, and he ruled in Samaria for nine years.

2 He sinned against the Lord, but not as much as the kings who had ruled Israel before him.

3 Emperor Shalmaneser of Assyria made war against him; Hoshea surrendered to Shalmaneser and paid him tribute every year.

4 But one year Hoshea sent messengers to So, king of Egypt,asking for his help, and stopped paying the annual tribute to Assyria. When Shalmaneser learned of this, he had Hoshea arrested and put in prison.

The Fall of Samaria

5 Then Shalmaneser invaded Israel and besieged Samaria. In the third year of the siege,

6 which was the ninth year of the reign of Hoshea, the Assyrian emperorcaptured Samaria, took the Israelites to Assyria as prisoners, and settled some of them in the city of Halah, some near the Habor River in the district of Gozan and some in the cities of Media.

7 Samaria fell because the Israelites sinned against the Lord their God, who had rescued them from the king of Egypt and had led them out of Egypt. They worshiped other gods,

8 followed the customs of the people whom the Lord had driven out as his people advanced, and adopted customs introduced by the kings of Israel.

9 The Israelites didthings that the Lord their God disapproved of. They built pagan places of worship in all their towns, from the smallest village to the largest city.

10 On all the hills and under every shady tree they put up stone pillars and images of the goddess Asherah,

11 and they burned incense on all the pagan altars, following the practice of the people whom the Lord had driven out of the land. They aroused the Lord’s anger with all their wicked deeds

12 and disobeyed the Lord’s command not to worship idols.

13 The Lord had sent his messengers and prophets to warn Israel and Judah: “Abandon your evil ways and obey my commands, which are contained in the Law I gave to your ancestors and which I handed on to you through my servants the prophets.”

14 But they would not obey; they were stubborn like their ancestors, who had not trusted in the Lord their God.

15 They refused to obey his instructions, they did not keep the covenant he had made with their ancestors, and they disregarded his warnings. They worshiped worthless idols and became worthless themselves, and they followed the customs of the surrounding nations, disobeying the Lord’s command not to imitate them.

16 They broke all the laws of the Lord their God and made two metal bull-calves to worship; they also made an image of the goddess Asherah, worshiped the stars, and served the god Baal.

17 They sacrificed their sons and daughters as burnt offerings to pagan gods; they consulted mediums and fortunetellers, and they devoted themselves completely to doing what is wrong in the Lord’s sight, and so aroused his anger.

18 The Lord was angry with the Israelites and banished them from his sight, leaving only the kingdom of Judah.

19 But even the people of Judah did not obey the laws of the Lord their God; they imitated the customs adopted by the people of Israel.

20 The Lord rejected all the Israelites, punishing them and handing them over to cruel enemies until at last he had banished them from his sight.

21 After the Lord had separated Israel from Judah, the Israelites made Jeroboam son of Nebat their king. Jeroboam caused them to abandon the Lord and led them into terrible sins.

22 They followed Jeroboam and continued to practice all the sins he had committed,

23 until at last the Lord banished them from his sight, as he had warned through his servants the prophets that he would do. So the people of Israel were taken into exile to Assyria, where they still live.

The Assyrians Settle in Israel

24 The emperor of Assyria took people from the cities of Babylon, Cuth, Ivvah, Hamath, and Sepharvaim, and settled them in the cities of Samariain place of the exiled Israelites. They took possession of these cities and lived there.

25 When they first settled there, they did not worship the Lord, and so he sent lions, which killed some of them.

26 The emperor of Assyria was told that the people he had settled in the cities of Samaria did not know the law of the god of that land, and so the god had sent lions, which were killing them.

27 So the emperor commanded: “Send back one of the priests we brought as prisoners; have himgo back and live there, in order to teach the people the law of the god of that land.”

28 So an Israelite priest who had been deported from Samaria went and lived in Bethel, where he taught the people how to worship the Lord.

29 But the people who settled in Samaria continued to make their own idols, and they placed them in the shrines that the Israelites had built. Each different group made idols in the cities they were living in:

30 the people of Babylon made idols of the god Succoth Benoth; the people of Cuth, idols of Nergal; the people of Hamath, idols of Ashima;

31 the people of Ivvah, idols of Nibhaz and Tartak; and the people of Sepharvaim sacrificed their children as burnt offerings to their gods Adrammelech and Anammelech.

32 These people also worshiped the Lord and chose from among their own number all sorts of people to serve as priests at the pagan places of worship and to offer sacrifices for them there.

33 So they worshiped the Lord, but they also worshiped their own gods according to the customs of the countries from which they had come.

34 They still carry on their old customs to this day. They do not worship the Lord nor do they obey the laws and commands which he gave to the descendants of Jacob, whom he named Israel.

35 The Lord had made a covenant with them and had ordered them: “Do not worship other gods; do not bow down to them or serve them or offer sacrifices to them.

36 You shall obey me, the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt with great power and strength; you are to bow down to me and offer sacrifices to me.

37 You shall always obey the laws and commands that I wrote for you. You shall not obey other gods,

38 and you shall not forget the covenant I made with you.

39 You shall obey me, the Lord your God, and I will rescue you from your enemies.”

40 But those people would not listen, and they continued to follow their old customs.

41 So those people worshiped the Lord, but they also worshiped their idols; and to this day their descendants continue to do the same.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/2KI/17-ad61c211efd9dd7e6740e5a09d37514b.mp3?version_id=68—

King Hezekiah of Judah

1 In the third year of the reign of Hoshea son of Elah as king of Israel, Hezekiah son of Ahaz became king of Judah

2 at the age of twenty-five, and he ruled in Jerusalem for twenty-nine years. His mother was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah.

3 Following the example of his ancestor King David, he did what was pleasing to the Lord.

4 He destroyed the pagan places of worship, broke the stone pillars, and cut down the images of the goddess Asherah. He also broke in pieces the bronze snake that Moses had made, which was called Nehushtan. Up to that time the people of Israel had burned incense in its honor.

5 Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel; Judah never had another king like him, either before or after his time.

6 He was faithful to the Lord and never disobeyed him, but carefully kept all the commands that the Lord had given Moses.

7 So the Lord was with him, and he was successful in everything he did. He rebelled against the emperor of Assyria and refused to submit to him.

8 He defeated the Philistines and raided their settlements, from the smallest village to the largest city, including Gaza and its surrounding territory.

9 In the fourth year of Hezekiah’s reign—which was the seventh year of King Hoshea’s reign over Israel—Emperor Shalmaneser of Assyria invaded Israel and besieged Samaria.

10 In the third year of the siege Samaria fell; this was the sixth year of Hezekiah’s reign and the ninth year of Hoshea’s reign.

11 The Assyrian emperortook the Israelites to Assyria as prisoners and settled some of them in the city of Halah, some near the Habor River in the district of Gozan, and some in the cities of Media.

12 Samaria fell because the Israelites did not obey the Lord their God, but broke the covenant he had made with them and disobeyed all the laws given by Moses, the servant of the Lord. They would not listen and they would not obey.

The Assyrians Threaten Jerusalem

13 In the fourteenth year of the reign of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib, the emperor of Assyria, attacked the fortified cities of Judah and conquered them.

14 Hezekiah sent a message to Sennacherib, who was in Lachish: “I have done wrong; please stop your attack, and I will pay whatever you demand.” The emperor’s answer was that Hezekiah should send him ten tons of silver and one ton of gold.

15 Hezekiah sent him all the silver in the Temple and in the palace treasury;

16 he also stripped the gold from the temple doors and the gold with which he himself had covered the doorposts, and he sent it all to Sennacherib.

17 The Assyrian emperor sent a large army from Lachish to attack Hezekiah at Jerusalem; it was commanded by his three highest officials. When they arrived at Jerusalem, they occupied the road where the cloth makers work by the ditch that brings water from the upper pool.

18 Then they sent for King Hezekiah, and three of his officials went out to meet them: Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who was in charge of the palace; Shebna, the court secretary; and Joah son of Asaph, who was in charge of the records.

19 One of the Assyrian officials told them that the emperor wanted to know what made King Hezekiah so confident.

20 He demanded, “Do you think that words can take the place of military skill and might? Who do you think will help you rebel against Assyria?

21 You are expecting Egypt to help you, but that would be like using a reed as a walking stick—it would break and jab your hand. That is what the king of Egypt is like when anyone relies on him.”

22 The Assyrian official went on, “Or will you tell me that you are relying on the Lord your God? It was the Lord’s shrines and altars that Hezekiah destroyed, when he told the people of Judah and Jerusalem to worship only at the altar in Jerusalem.

23 I will make a bargain with you in the name of the emperor. I will give you two thousand horses if you can find that many men to ride them!

24 You are no match for even the lowest ranking Assyrian official, and yet you expect the Egyptians to send you chariots and cavalry!

25 Do you think I have attacked your country and destroyed it without the Lord’s help? The Lord himself told me to attack it and destroy it.”

26 Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah told the official, “Speak Aramaic to us, sir. We understand it. Don’t speak Hebrew; all the people on the wall are listening.”

27 He replied, “Do you think you and the king are the only ones the emperor sent me to say all these things to? No, I am also talking to the people who are sitting on the wall, who will have to eat their excrement and drink their urine, just as you will.”

28 Then the official stood up and shouted in Hebrew, “Listen to what the emperor of Assyria is telling you!

29 He warns you not to let Hezekiah deceive you. Hezekiah can’t save you.

30 And don’t let him persuade you to rely on the Lord. Don’t think that the Lord will save you and that he will stop our Assyrian army from capturing your city.

31 Don’t listen to Hezekiah. The emperor of Assyria commands you to come out of the city and surrender. You will all be allowed to eat grapes from your own vines and figs from your own trees, and to drink water from your own wells—

32 until the emperor resettles you in a country much like your own, where there are vineyards to give wine and there is grain for making bread; it is a land of olives, olive oil, and honey. If you do what he commands, you will not die, but live. Don’t let Hezekiah fool you into thinking that the Lord will rescue you.

33 Did the gods of any other nations save their countries from the emperor of Assyria?

34 Where are they now, the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? Did anyone save Samaria?

35 When did any of the gods of all these countries ever save their country from our emperor? Then what makes you think the Lord can save Jerusalem?”

36 The people kept quiet, just as King Hezekiah had told them to; they did not say a word.

37 Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah tore their clothes in grief, and went and reported to the king what the Assyrian official had said.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/363/32k/2KI/18-d725ad086a06d9d455cfad5328dfc983.mp3?version_id=68—