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from the forefront of the house, from between his altar and the house of the LORD, and put it on the north side of his altar. 15 And king Ahaz commanded

Urijah the priest, saying, Upon the great altar burn the morning burnt offering, and the evening meal offering, and the king's burnt offering, and his meal offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land, and their meal offering, and their drink offerings; and sprinkle upon it all the blood of the burnt offering, and all the blood of the sacrifice: but the brasen altar shall be for me to 16 inquire by. Thus did Urijah the priest, according to all that 17 king Ahaz commanded. And king Ahaz cut off the 'borders of the bases, and removed the laver from off them; and took down the sea from off the brasen oxen that were under it, and put it upon a pavement of stone. 18 And the covered way for the sabbath that they had built in the house, and the king's entry without, turned he unto the house of the LORD, because of 19 the king of Assyria. Now the rest of the acts of Ahaz which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the 20 kings of Judah? And Ahaz

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slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David and Hezekiah his son reigned in his stead.

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1 Or, panels

2 Or, covered place 3 Or, round

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Hoshea besieged in Samaria by Shalmaneser, King of Assyria. Israel carried away captive.

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In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah began Hoshea the son 2 of Elah to reign in Samaria over Israel, and reigned nine years. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, yet not as the 3 kings of Israel that were before him. Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria; and Hoshea became his servant, and brought 4 him presents. And the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea; for he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and offered no present to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year: therefore the king 5 of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in prison. Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and 6 besieged it three years. In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away unto Assyria, and placed them in Halah, and in Habor, on the river of Gozan, and in the cities 7 of the Medes. And it was so, because the children of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, which brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared 8 other gods, and walked in the statutes of the nations, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, 9 which they 1made. And the children of Israel did secretly things that were not right against the LORD their God, and they built them high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced Io city. And they set them up 'pillars and Asherim upon every high hill, II and under every green tree: and there they burnt incense in all the

high places, as did the nations whom the LORD carried away before 12 them; and wrought wicked things to provoke the LORD to anger: and they served idols, whereof the LORD had said unto them, Ye shall not 13 do this thing. Yet the LORD testified unto Israel, and unto Judah, by the hand of every prophet, and of every seer, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you 14 by the hand of my servants the prophets. Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their neck, like to the neck of their fathers, who 15 believed not in the LORD their God. And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified unto them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the nations that were round about them, concerning whom the LORD had charged them that they should not do like 16 them. And they forsook all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made an Asherah, 17 and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal. And they

caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do that which was 18 evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger. Therefore the

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LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: 19 there was none left but the tribe of Judah only. Also Judah kept not the commandments of the LORD their God, but walked in the statutes 20 of Israel which they 'made. And the LORD rejected all the seed of Israel, and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of spoilers, 21 until he had cast them out of his sight. For he rent Israel from the house of David; and they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king: and Jeroboam drave Israel from following the LORD, and made them sin a 22 great sin. And the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam 23 which he did; they departed not from them; until the LORD removed Israel out of his sight, as he spake by the hand of all his servants the prophets. So Israel was carried away out of their own land to Assyria, unto this day.

The worship of Jehovah established among the Assyrian Colonists. 24 And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Avva, and from Hamath and Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel: 25 and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof. And so it was, at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they feared not the LORD therefore the LORD sent lions among them, which killed some 26 of them. Wherefore they spake to the king of Assyria, saying, The nations which thou hast carried away, and placed in the cities of Samaria, know not the manner of the God of the land: therefore he hath sent lions among them, and, behold, they slay them, because they 27 know not the manner of the God of the land. Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, Carry thither one of the priests whom ye brought from thence; and let them go and dwell there, and let him 28 teach them the manner of the God of the land. So one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and dwelt in Beth-el, 29 and taught them how they should fear the LORD. Howbeit every

nation made gods of their own, and put them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities 30 wherein they dwelt. And the men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made 31 Ashima, and the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burnt their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the 32 3gods of Sepharvaim. So they feared the LORD, and made unto them from among themselves priests of the high places, which sacrificed for 33 them in the houses of the high places. They feared the LORD, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations from among 34 whom they had been carried away. Unto this day they do after the former manners: they fear not the LORD, neither do they after their statutes, or after their ordinances, or after the law or after the commandment which the LORD commanded the children of Jacob, whom he 35 named Israel; with whom the LORD had made a covenant, and charged them, saying, Ye shall not fear other gods, nor bow yourselves to them,

1 Or, practised

S.

2 According to another reading, drew Israel away.
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3 Or, god

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36 nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them: but the LORD, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a stretched out arm, him shall ye fear, and unto him shall ye bow yourselves, and to 37 him shall ye sacrifice: and the statutes and the ordinances, and the law and the commandment, which he wrote for you, ye shall observe to do 38 for evermore; and ye shall not fear other gods: and the covenant that I have made with you ye shall not forget; neither shall ye fear other 39 gods: but the LORD your God shall ye fear; and he shall deliver you 40 out of the hand of all your enemies. Howbeit they did not hearken, 41 but they did after their former manner. So these nations feared the LORD, and served their graven images; their children likewise, and their children's children, as did their fathers, so do they unto this day.

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Hezekiah's destruction of the Asherah and Brazen Serpent.

2 Kings 18. I.

Now it came to pass in the third of Hoshea son of Elah year king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah 2 began to reign. Twenty and five years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem and his mother's name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah.

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And he did that which was right \ in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that David his father 4 had done. He removed the high places, and brake the pillars, and cut down the Asherah : and he brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made ; for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it; and 'he called it "Nehushtan. 5 He trusted in the LORD, the

God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor among 6 them that were before him. For

he clave to the LORD, he departed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses.

1 Or, it was called

2 That is, A piece of brass.

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2 Chronicles 29. 1. Hezekiah began to reign when he was five and twenty years old; and he reigned nine and twenty years in Jerusalem : and his mother's name was Abijah the daughter of Zechariah.

And he did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD according to all that David his 3 father had done. He in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of the LORD, and repaired 4 them. And he brought in the

priests and the Levites, and gathered them together into the 5 broad place on the east, and said unto them, Hear me, ye Levites; now sanctify yourselves, and sanctify the house of the LORD, the God of your fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out 6 of the holy place. For our fathers have trespassed, and done that which was evil in the sight of the LORD our God, and have forsaken him, and have turned away their faces from the habitation of the LORD, and turned their backs.

7 And the LORD was with him; whithersoever he went forth he prospered and he rebelled against the king of Assyria, 8 and served him not. He smote

the Philistines unto Gaza and the borders thereof, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city.

7 Also they have shut up the doors of the porch, and put out the lamps, and have not burned incense nor offered burnt offerings in the holy place unto 8 the God of Israel. Wherefore the wrath of the LORD was upon Judah and Jerusalem, and he hath delivered them to be 1tossed to and fro, to be an astonishment, and an hissing, as ye see with 9 your eyes. For, lo, our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity for 10 this. Now it is in mine heart to make a covenant with the LORD, the God of Israel, that his fierce anger may turn away II from us. My sons, be not now negligent for the LORD hath chosen you to stand before him, to minister unto him, and that ye should be his ministers, and burn incense.

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2 Chronicles 29. 12.

Restoration of the Temple by Hezekiah.

Then the Levites arose, Mahath the son of Amasai, and Joel the son of Azariah, of the sons of the Kohathites: and of the sons of Merari, Kish the son of Abdi, and Azariah the son of Jehallelel: and of the 13 Gershonites, Joah the son of Zimmah, and Eden the son of Joah: and of the sons of Elizaphan, Shimri and Jeuel: and of the sons of Asaph, 14 Zechariah and Mattaniah: and of the sons of Heman, Jehuel and 15 Shimei and of the sons of Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel. And they gathered their brethren, and sanctified themselves, and went in, according to the commandment of the king by the words of the LORD, 16 to cleanse the house of the LORD. And the priests went in unto the inner part of the house of the LORD, to cleanse it, and brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of the LORD into the court of the house of the LORD. And the Levites took it, to carry it 17 out abroad to the brook Kidron. Now they began on the first day of the first month to sanctify, and on the eighth day of the month came they to the porch of the LORD; and they sanctified the house of the LORD in eight days: and on the sixteenth day of the first month they 18 made an end. Then they went in to Hezekiah the king within the

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