Sennacherib's blafphemy. lands? were the gods of the those lands any ways able to deliver their Judah and Jerufalem. lands out of mine hand?

II. CHRONICLES. Hezekiah's fickness and death. nations of there was wrath upon him, and upon

14 Who was there among all the gods of those nations that my fathers utterly destroyed, that could deliver his people out of mine hand, that your God should be able to deliver you out of mine hand?

15 Now therefore let not Hezekiah deceive you, nor perfuade you on this manner, neither yet believe him for no god of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver his people out of mine hand, and out of the hand of my fathers: how much less shall your God deliver you out of mine hand?

16 And his fervants spake yet more against the Lord God, and against his fervant Hezekiah.

26 Notwithstanding Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerufalem, so that the wrath of the Lord came not upon them in the days of Hezekiah.

27 And Hezekiah had exceeding much riches and honour: and he made himself treafuries for filver, and for gold, and for precious stones, and for spices, and for shields, and for all manner of pleasant jewels;

28 Storehouses also for the increase of corn, and wine, and oil; and stalls for all manner of beasts, and cotes for flocks.

29 Moreover he provided him cities, and poffeffions of flocks and herds in abundance: for God had given him fubstance very much.

30 This fame Hezekiah also stopped the upper watercourse of Gihon, and brought

17 He wrote also letters to rail on the LORD God of Ifrael, and to speak against him, saying, As the gods of the nations of other lands have not delivered their it straight down to the weft fide of the people out of mine hand, so shall not city of David. And Hezekiah profpered the God of Hezekiah deliver his people in all his works. out of mine hand.

18 Then they cried with a loud voice in the Jews' speech unto the people of Jerufalem that avere on the wall, to affright them, and to trouble them; that they might take the city.

19 And they spake against the God of Jerufalem, as against the gods of the people of the earth, which were the work of the hands of man.

20 And for this cause Hezekiah the king, and the prophet Ifaiah the son of Amoz, prayed and cried to heaven.

21 And the LORD fent an angel, which cut off all the mighty men of valour, and the leaders and captains in the camp of the king of Affyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he was come into the house of his god, they that came forth of his own bowels flew him there with the fword.

22 Thus the LORD faved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerufalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Afsyria, and from the hand of all other, and guided them on every fide.

31 Howbeit in the business of the ambaffaders of the princes of Babylon, who fent unto him to enquire of the wonder that was done in the land, God left him, to try him, that he might know all that was in his heart.

32 Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and his goodness, behold, they are written in the vision of Ifaiah the prophet, the fon of Amoz, and in the book of the kings of Judah and Ifrael.

33 And Hezekiah flept with his fathers, and they buried him in the chiefeft of the fepulchres of the fons of David: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerufalem did him honour at his death. And Manasseh his fon reigned in his ftead. CHAP. XXXIII. I Manaffeh's wicked reign. II He is carried into Babylon. 12 Upon his prayer he is released. 20 Amon fucceedeth him. 21 He being flain by his own fervants, 25 Fofiah fucceedeth him.

twelve years old

when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty and five years in Jerufalem: 2 But did that which was evil in the fight of the LORD, like unto the abominacast out before the children of Ifrael.

23 And many brought gifts unto the LORD to Jerufalem, and presents to He-tions of the heathen, whom the LORD had

zekiah king of Judah fo that he was magnified in the light of all nations from thenceforth.

24 In thofe days Hezekiah was fick to the death, and prayed unto the LORD:and he spake unto him, and he gave him a fign. 25 But Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him; for his heart was lifted up: therefore

3 For he built again the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down, and he reared up altars for Baalim, and made groves, and worshipped all thre hoft of heaven, and served them.

4 Alfo he built altars in the house of the LORD, whereof the LORD had faid, In Jerufalem shall my name be for ever.

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Chap. xxxiv.

13 And prayed unto him: and he was intreated of him, and heard his fupplication, and brought him again to Jeru-began to reign, and he reigned in Je

TOSIAH was eight years old when he rufalem one and thirty years.

2 And he did that which was right in the fight of the LORD, and walked in the ways of David his father, and declined neither to the right hand, nor to the left.

3 For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to feek after the God of David his father: and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerufalem from the high places, and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images.

4 And they brake down the altars of Baalim in his prefence; and the images, that quere on high above them, he cut down; and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images, he brake in pieces, and made dust of them, and ftrowed

Jofiah repaireth the temple. II. CHRONICLES. The book of the luru found. trowed it upon the graves of them that had facrificed unto them.

5 And he burnt the bones of the priests upon their altars, and cleanfed Judah and Jerufalem.

6 And fo did be in the cities of Manaffeh, and Ephraim, and Simeon, even unto Naphtali, with their mattocks round about.

7 And when he had broken down the altars and the groves, and had beaten the graven images into powder, and cut down all the idols throughout all the land of Ifrael, he returned to Jerufalem.

89 Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land, and the houfe, he fent Shaphan the fon of Azaliah, and Maafeiah the governor of the city, and Joah the fon of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of the LORD his God.

9 And when they came to Hilkiah the high priest, they delivered the money that was brought into the house of God, which the Levites that kept the doors had gathered of the hand of Manaffeh and Ephraim, and of all the remnant of Ifrael, and of all Judah and Benjamin; and they returned to Jerufalem.

10 And they put it in the hand of the workmen that had the overfight of the house of the LORD, and they gave it to the workmen that wrought in the house of the LORD, to repair and amend the houfe:

II Even to the artificers and builders gave they it, to buy hewn ftone, and timber for couplings, and to floor the houfes which the kings of Judah had destroyed.

12 And the men did the work faithfully: and the overfeers of them were Jahath and Obadiah, the Levites, of the fons of Merari; and Zechariah and Meshullam, of the fons of the Kohathites, to fet it forward; and other of the Levites, all that could skill of inftruments of mufick.

13 Alfo they avere over the bearers of burdens, and quere overfeers of all that wrought the work in any manner of fervice and of the Levites there were fcribes, and officers, and porters.

14 And when they brought out the money that was brought into the house of the LORD, Hilkiah the priest found a book of the law of the LORD given by Mofes.

15 And Hilkiah anfwered and faid to Shaphan the fcribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the LORD. And Hilkiah delivered the book to Shaphan.

16 And Shaphan carried the book to the king, and brought the king word back again, faying, All that was committed to thy fervants, they do it.

17 And they have gathered together

the money that was found in the houfe of the LORD, and have delivered it into the hand of the overseers, and to the hand of the workmen.

18 Then Shaphan the fcribe told the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath given me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king.

19 And it came to pass, when the king. had heard the words of the law, that he rent his clothes.

20 And the king commanded Hilkiah, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Abdon the fon of Micah, and Shaphan the fcribe, and Afaiah a fervant of the king's, faying,

21 Go, enquire of the LORD for me, and for them that are left in Ifrael and in Judah, concerning the words of the book that is found for great is the wrath of the LORD that is poured out upon us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the LORD, to do after all that is written in this book.

22 And Hilkiah, and they that the king bad appointed, went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvath, the fon of Hafrah, keeper of the wardrobe; (now the dwelt in Jerufalem in the college :) and they spake to her to that effect.

23 And she anfwered them, Thus faith the LORD God of Ifrael, Tell ye the man that fent you to me,

24 Thus faith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the curses that are written in the book which they have read before the king of Judah :

25 Because they have forfaken me, and have burned incenfe unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore my wrath shall be poured out upon this place, and shall not be quenched.

26 And as for the king of Judah, who fent you to enquire of the LORD, so shall ye fay unto him, Thus faith the LORD God of Ifrael concerning the words which thou haft heard;

27 Because thine heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyfelf before God, when thou heardest his words againft this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, and humbledst thyself before me, and didst rend thy clothes, and weep before me; I have even heard thee alfo, faith the LORD.

28 Behold, I will gather thee to thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered to thy grave in peace, neither shall thine eyes fee all the evil that I will bring upon this place, and upon the inhabitants

of the fame. So they brought the king |
word again.

His pafsover.

7 And Jofiah gave to the people, of the flock, lambs and kids, all for the

29 Then the king fent and gathered paflover offerings, for all that were pretogether all the elders of Judah and Jerufalem.

30 And the king went up into the house of the LORD, and all the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerufalem, and the priests, and the Levites, and all the people, great and small: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant that was found in the house of the LORD.

31 And the king stood in his place, and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD, and to keep his commandments, and his teftimonies, and his statutes, with all his heart, and with all his foul, to perform the words of the covenant which are written in this book.

32 And he caufed all that were present in Jerufalem and Benjamin to stand to it. And the inhabitants of Jerufalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers.

33 And Jofiah took away all the abominations out of all the countries that pertained to the children of Ifrael, and made all that were present in Ifrael to ferve, even to serve the LORD their God. And all his days they departed not from following the LORD, the God of their fathers.

OREOVER Jofiah kept a paffover unto the LORD in Jerufalem: and they killed the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month.

2 And he fet the priests in their charges, and encouraged them to the fervice of the house of the LORD,

fent, to the number of thirty thousand, and three thousand bullocks: these were of the king's substance.

8 And his princes gave willingly unto the people, to the priests, and to the Levites: Hilkiah and Zechariah and Jehiel, rulers of the house of God, gave unto the priests for the paffover offerings two thousand and fix hundred small cattle, and three hundred oxen.

9 Conaniah also, and Shemaiah and Nethaneel, his brethren, and Hashabiah and Jehiel and Jofabad, chief of the Levites, gave unto the Levites for paffover offerings five thousand small cattle, and five hundred oxen.

10 So the fervice was prepared, and the priests ftood in their place, and the Levites in their courses, according to the king's commandment.

II And they killed the passover, and the priests fprinkled the blood from their hands, and the Levites flayed them.

12 And they removed the burnt offer. ings, that they might give according to the divisions of the families of the people, to offer unto the LORD, as it is written in the book of Mofes. And fo did they with the oxen.

13 And they roasted the passover with fire according to the ordinance: but the other holy offerings fod they in pots, and in caldrons, and in pans, and divided them fpeedily among all the people.

14 And afterward they made ready for themselves, and for the priests: becaufe the priests the fons of Aaron were bufied in offering of burnt offerings and the fat until night; therefore the Levites prepared for themselves, and forthe priests the fons of Aaron.

3 And faid unto the Levites that taught all Ifrael, which were holy unto the LORD, 15 And the fingers the fons of Afaph Put the holy ark in the house which Solo- were in their place, according to the mon the fon of David king of Ifrael did commandment of David, and Afaph, and build; it shall not be a burden upon your Heman, and Jeduthun the king's feer; shoulders: ferve now the LORD your God, and his people Ifrael,

4 And prepare yourselves by the houses of your fathers, after your courses, according to the writing of David king of Ifrael, and according to the writing of Solomon his fon.

5 And stand in the holy place according to the divisions of the families of the fathers of your brethren the people, and after the divifion of the families of the Levites.

6 So kill the passover, and fanctify yourselves, and prepare your brethren, that they may do according to the word of the LORD by the hand of Mofes.

and the porters waited at every gate; they might not depart from their fervice; for their brethren the Levites prepared

for them.

16 So all the fervice of the LORD was prepared the fame day, to keep the paffover, and to offer burnt offerings upon the altar of the LORD, according to the commandment of king Jofiah.

17 And the children of Ifrael that were present kept the passover at that time, and the feast of unleavened bread feven days.

18 And there was no passover like to that kept in Ifrael from the days of Dd2 Samuel Jofiah is flain.

II. CHRONICLES.

Samuel the prophet; neither did all the kings of Ifrael keep fuch a pafsover as Jofiah kept, and the priests, and the Levites, and all Judah and Ifrael that were prefent, and the inhabitants of Jerufalem.

19 In the eighteenth year of the reign of Jofiah was this pafsover kept.

20 After all this, when Jofiah had prepared the temple, Necho king of Egypt came up to fight against Charchemish by Euphrates: and Jofiah went out against him.

21 But he fent ambaffadors to him, faying, What have I to do with thee, thou king of Judah? I come not againft thee this day, but against the house wherewith I have war: for God commanded me to make hafte: forbear thee from meddling with God, who is with me, that he deftroy thee not.

22 Nevertheless Jofiah would not turn his face from him, but difguifed himself, that he might fight with him, and hearkened not unto the words of Necho from the mouth of God, and came to fight in the walley of Megiddo.

23 And the archers shot at king Jofiah; and the king faid to his fervants, Have me away; for I am fore wounded.

24 His fervants therefore took him out of that chariot, and put him in the fecond chariot that he had; and they brought him to Jerufalem, and he died, and was buried in one of the fepulchres of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerufalem mourned for Jofiah.

Jehoahaz depofed, Sc.

in an hundred talents of filver and a talent of gold.

4 And the king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerufalem, and turned his name to Jehoiakim. And Necho took Jehoahaz his brother, and carried him to Egypt.

51 Jehoiakim was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerufalem: and he did that which was evil in the fight of the LORD his God.

6 Against him came up Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and bound him in fetters, to carry him to Babylon.

7 Nebuchadnezzar alfo carried of the veffels of the house of the Lord to Babylon, and put them in his temple at Babylon.

8 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and his abominations which he did, and that which was found in him, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Ifrael and Judah: and Jehoiachin his fon reigned in his stead.

9 Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerufalem : and he did that which was evil in the fight of the Lord.

10 And when the year was expired, king Nebuchadnezzar fent, and brought him to Babylon, with the goodly vessels of the house of the LORD, and made Zedekiah his brother king over Judah and Jerufalem.

11 Zedekiah quas one and twenty years old when he began to reign, and

25 And Jeremiah lamented for Jofiah: and all the finging men and the fing-reigned eleven years in Jerufalem.

ing women fpake of Jofiah in their lamentations to this day, and made them an ordinance in Ifrael: and, behold, they are written in the lamentations.

26 Now the rest of the acts of Jofiah, and his goodness, according to that which quas written in the law of the LORD,

27 And his deeds, first and laft, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Ifrael and Judah.

CHAP. XXXVI.

12 And he did that which was evil in the fight of the LORD his God, and humbled not himfelf before Jeremiah the prophet Speaking from the mouth of the LORD.

13 And he alfo rebelled against king Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him fwear by God: but he stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart from turning unto the LORD God of Ifrael.

14 Moreover all the chief of the priests, and the people, tranfgreffed very much

Jeboabaz deposed by Phar..ob. 5 Jeboi-after all the abominations of the heathen;

akim reigning ill is carried into Babylon. 9 Jehoiachin fucceedeth. II Zedekiab's ill reign. 22 The proclamation of Cyrus. HEN the people of the land took Jehoahaz the fon of Jofian, and made him king in his father's ftead in Jerufalem.

T

2 Jehoahaz was twenty and three years old when he began to reign, and he reign ed three months in Jerufalem.

3 And the king of Egypt put him down at Jerufalem, and condemned the land

and polluted the house of the LORD which he had hallowed in Jerufalem.

15 And the LORD God of their fathers fent to them by his messengers, rifing up betimes, and fending; because he had compaffion on his people, and on his dwelling place:

16 But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and mifufed his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy.

17 There