# verses

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And when all Israel saw that the king had not heeded them, the people answered the king, saying: What portion do we have in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. To your tents, O Israel! Now, see to your own house, O David! And Israel departed to their tents.


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And King Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was over the tribute, but all Israel stoned him with stones, and he died. Therefore King Rehoboam mounted his chariot in haste to flee to Jerusalem.


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And it came to pass when all Israel heard that Jeroboam had come back, that they sent for him and called him to the congregation, and made him king over all Israel. There was no one who followed the house of David, but the tribe of Judah only.


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And when Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah with the tribe of Benjamin, one hundred and eighty thousand choice men who were warriors, to fight against the house of Israel, that he might restore the kingdom to Rehoboam the son of Solomon.


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Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people, saying,


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Thus says Jehovah: You shall not go up nor fight against your brethren the children of Israel. Let every man return to his house, for this thing has come about from Me. Therefore they obeyed the Word of Jehovah, and returned to go back, according to the Word of Jehovah.


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And Jeroboam built Shechem in the mountains of Ephraim, and dwelt there. Also he went out from there and built Penuel.


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If these people go up to offer sacrifices at the house of Jehovah in Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn back to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and go back to Rehoboam king of Judah.


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Therefore the king took counsel, made two calves of gold, and said to them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Behold your gods, O Israel, which brought you up from the land of Egypt!


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He made houses on the high places, and made priests from among all the people, who were not of the sons of Levi.


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And Jeroboam instituted a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the feast that was in Judah, and offered sacrifices on the altar. Thus he did at Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he had made. And at Bethel he installed the priests of the high places which he had made.


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Thus he offered up on the altar which he had made at Bethel on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, in the month which he had contrived in his own heart. And he ordained a feast for the children of Israel, and offered sacrifices on the altar and burned incense.


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And behold, a man of God went from Judah to Bethel by the Word of Jehovah, and Jeroboam was standing by the altar to burn incense.


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And he cried out against the altar by the Word of Jehovah, and said, O altar, altar! Thus says Jehovah: Behold, a son, Josiah by name, shall be born to the house of David; and on you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and men's bones shall be burned on you.


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And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign that Jehovah has spoken this: Behold, the altar shall split apart, and the ashes on it shall be poured out.


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So it came to pass when King Jeroboam heard the utterance of the man of God, who cried out against the altar in Bethel, that he stretched forth his hand from the altar, saying, Arrest him! And his hand, which he had stretched forth toward him, withered, so that he could not pull it back to himself.


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The altar also was split apart, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the Word of Jehovah.


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And the king answered and said to the man of God, Please entreat the face of Jehovah your God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me. So the man of God entreated Jehovah, and the king's hand was restored to him, and became as before.


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And the king said to the man of God, Come home with me and refresh yourself, and I will give you a reward.


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But the man of God said to the king, If you were to give me half your house, I would not go in with you; nor would I eat bread nor drink water in this place.


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For so it was commanded me by the Word of Jehovah, saying, You shall not eat bread, nor drink water, nor return by the same way you have come.


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Now an old prophet dwelt in Bethel, and his sons came and recounted to him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel; they also told their father the words which he had spoken to the king.


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And their father said to them, Which way did he go? For his sons had seen which way the man of God had gone, who had come from Judah.


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And he said to his sons, Saddle the donkey for me. So they saddled the donkey for him; and he rode on it,


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and went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak. And he said to him, Are you the man of God who came from Judah? And he said, I am.


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And he said, I cannot return with you nor go in with you; neither can I eat bread nor drink water with you in this place.


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For I have been told by the Word of Jehovah, You shall not eat bread nor drink water there, nor return by going the way you came.


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And he said to him, I too am a prophet as you are, and an angel has spoken to me by the Word of Jehovah, saying, Bring him back with you to your house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied to him.


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And it happened, as they sat at the table, that the Word of Jehovah came to the prophet who had brought him back;


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and he cried out to the man of God who had come from Judah, saying, Thus says Jehovah: Because you have disobeyed the Word of Jehovah, and have not kept the commandment with which Jehovah your God has charged you,


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but you turned back, ate bread, and drank water in the place of which He said to you, Eat no bread and drink no water, your corpse shall not come to the tomb of your fathers.


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So it was, after he had eaten bread and after he had drunk, that he saddled the donkey for him, the prophet whom he had brought back.


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And when he left, a lion met him on the road and killed him. And his corpse was thrown on the road, and the donkey was standing by it. The lion also was standing by the corpse.


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And behold, men were passing by and saw the corpse thrown on the road, and the lion standing by the corpse. And they came and spoke of it in the city where the old prophet dwelt.


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Now when the prophet who had brought him back from the way heard it, he said, It is the man of God who had been rebellious against the mouth of Jehovah. Therefore Jehovah has delivered him to the lion, which has torn him and killed him, according to the Word of Jehovah which He had spoken to him.


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And he went and found his corpse thrown on the road, and the donkey and the lion standing by the corpse. The lion had not eaten the corpse nor torn the donkey.


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And the prophet took up the corpse of the man of God, laid it on the donkey, and brought it back. So the old prophet came to the city to mourn, and to bury him.


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So it was, after he had buried him, that he spoke to his sons, saying, When I am dead, then bury me in the tomb where the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones.


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For the word which he has cried out by the Word of Jehovah against the altar in Bethel, and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria, shall surely come to pass.


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After these events Jeroboam did not turn from his evil way, but he went back to making priests from among all the people for the high places; whoever wished, he confirmed his hand, and he became one of the priests of the high places.


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And this matter was the sin of the house of Jeroboam, so as to annihilate and destroy it from the face of the earth.


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And Jeroboam said to his wife, Please arise, and disguise yourself, that they may not recognize you as the wife of Jeroboam, and go to Shiloh. Behold, Ahijah the prophet is there, who told me that I would be king over this people.


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Also take with you ten loaves, some cakes, and a jar of honey, and go to him; he will tell you what shall become of the child.


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And Jeroboam's wife did so; she arose and went to Shiloh, and came to the house of Ahijah. But Ahijah could not see, for his eyes had become fixed by reason of his age.


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And Jehovah had said to Ahijah, Behold, the wife of Jeroboam is coming to ask you something about her son, for he is sick. Thus and thus you shall say to her; for it will be, when she comes in, that she will pretend to be another woman.


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And so it was, when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet as she came in the door, that he said, Come in, wife of Jeroboam! Why do you pretend to be another person? For I am sent to you with a difficult message.


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Go, say to Jeroboam, Thus says Jehovah the God of Israel: Because I have exalted you from among the people, and appointed you ruler over My people Israel,


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and tore the kingdom away from the house of David, and gave it to you; and yet you have not been as My servant David, who kept My commandments and who walked after Me with all his heart, to do only what was right in My eyes;


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but you have done more evil than all who were before you, for you have gone and made for yourself other gods and molten images to provoke Me to anger, and have cast Me behind your back;


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therefore behold, I am bringing calamity upon the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam him who urinates against a wall, both bond and free in Israel; I will consume the remnant of the house of Jeroboam, as one takes away the dung for burning until it is all gone.


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The dogs shall eat whoever of Jeroboam dies in the city, and the birds of the heavens shall eat whoever dies in the field; for Jehovah has spoken!


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And all Israel shall mourn for him and bury him, for he is the only one of Jeroboam who shall come to the grave; because out of the whole house of Jeroboam, only in him there is found something good toward Jehovah the God of Israel.


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Moreover Jehovah shall raise up for Himself a king over Israel who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam that day. What? Even straightaway!


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For Jehovah shall strike Israel, as a reed flutters in the water. He will uproot Israel from this good land which He has given to their fathers, and will scatter them beyond the River, because they have made their groves, provoking Jehovah to anger.


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And Jeroboam's wife arose and departed, and came to Tirzah. And as she was entering the threshold of the house, the boy died.


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And they buried him; and all Israel mourned for him, according to the Word of Jehovah which He had spoken by the hand of His servant Ahijah the prophet.


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Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he made war and how he reigned, behold they are written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel.


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The days that Jeroboam reigned were twenty-two years. And he rested with his fathers, and Nadab his son reigned in his place.


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And Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king. He reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which Jehovah had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put His name there. His mother's name was Naamah, an Ammonitess.


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And Judah did evil in the eyes of Jehovah, and they provoked Him to jealousy with their sins which they sinned, more than all that their fathers had done.


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For they also built for themselves high places, sacred pillars, and groves on every high hill and under every green tree.


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And there were also male temple prostitutes in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations which Jehovah had cast out before the children of Israel.


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And it came to pass in the fifth year of King Rehoboam that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem.


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And he took away the treasures of the house of Jehovah and the treasures of the king's house; he took away everything. He also took away all the gold shields which Solomon had made.


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And King Rehoboam made bronze shields in their place, and committed them to the hands of the chief runners who guarded the door to the king's house.


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And whenever the king went to the house of Jehovah, the runners carried them, then brought them back into the guardroom.


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Now the rest of the acts of Rehoboam, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah.


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So Rehoboam rested with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the City of David. His mother's name was Naamah, an Ammonitess. And Abijam his son reigned in his place.


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And he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him; his heart was not perfect toward Jehovah his God, as was the heart of his father David.


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Nevertheless for David's sake Jehovah his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, to set up his son after him to establish Jerusalem;


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because David had done what was right in the eyes of Jehovah, and had not turned aside from anything that He had commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.


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And the rest of the acts of Abijam, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah. And there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam.


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And Abijam rested with his fathers, and they buried him in the City of David. And Asa his son reigned in his place.


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And he reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Maachah the daughter of Abishalom.


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And he took away the male temple prostitutes from the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made.


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Also he removed Maachah his mother from being queen mother, because she had made a horrible thing in a grove. And Asa cut down her horrible thing and burned it by the Brook Kidron.


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But the high places were not removed. Nevertheless Asa's heart was perfect toward Jehovah all his days.


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He also brought into the house of Jehovah the things which his father had set apart, and the things which he himself had set apart: silver and gold and utensils.


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And Baasha king of Israel came up against Judah, and built Ramah, that he might let no one go out or come in to Asa king of Judah.


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Then Asa took all the silver and gold that was left in the treasuries of the house of Jehovah and the treasuries of the king's house, and delivered them into the hand of his servants. And King Asa sent them to Ben-Hadad the son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, who dwelt in Damascus, saying,


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Let there be a treaty between you and me, as there was between my father and your father. Behold, I have sent you a present of silver and gold. Come and break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel, so that he will withdraw from me.


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So Ben-Hadad heeded King Asa, and sent the commanders of his forces against the cities of Israel. And he struck Ijon, Dan, Abel Beth Maachah, and all Chinnereth, with all the land of Naphtali.


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Then King Asa made a proclamation throughout all Judah; no one was exempted. And they took away the stones and timber of Ramah, which Baasha had used for building; and with them King Asa built Geba of Benjamin, and Mizpah.


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The rest of all the acts of Asa, all his might, all that he did, and the cities which he built, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah. But in the time of his old age he was diseased in his feet.


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So Asa rested with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the City of David his father. And Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place.


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Now Nadab the son of Jeroboam had become king over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel two years.


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And he did evil in the eyes of Jehovah, and walked in the ways of his father, and in his sin by which he had made Israel sin.


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And Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him. And Baasha killed him at Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines, while Nadab and all Israel was laying siege to Gibbethon.


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And it was so, when he became king, that he killed all the house of Jeroboam. He did not leave to Jeroboam anyone that breathed, until he had destroyed him, according to the Word of Jehovah which He had spoken by His servant Ahijah the Shilonite,


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because of the sins of Jeroboam, which he had sinned and by which he had made Israel sin, because of his provocation with which he had provoked Jehovah the God of Israel to anger.


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Now the rest of the acts of Nadab, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel.


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In the third year of Asa king of Judah, Baasha the son of Ahijah became king over all Israel in Tirzah, and reigned twenty-four years.


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He did evil in the eyes of Jehovah, and walked in the ways of Jeroboam, and in his sin by which he had made Israel sin.


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Inasmuch as I raised you up out of the dust and made you ruler over My people Israel, and you have walked in the ways of Jeroboam, and have made My people Israel sin, to provoke Me to anger with their sins,


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behold, I will consume away after Baasha and after his house, and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat.


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The dogs shall eat whoever dies of Baasha in the city, and the birds of the heavens shall eat whoever dies in the fields.


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Now the rest of the acts of Baasha, what he did, and his might, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel.


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And also the Word of Jehovah came by the prophet Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasha and his house, because of all the evil that he had done in the eyes of Jehovah to provoke Him to anger with the work of his hands, in being like the house of Jeroboam, and because he killed them.


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In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha became king over Israel, and reigned two years in Tirzah.


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Now his servant Zimri, commander of half his chariots, conspired against him as he was in Tirzah drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza, steward of his house in Tirzah.


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And Zimri went in and struck him and killed him in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his place.


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And it came to pass, when he began to reign, as soon as he was seated on his throne, that he killed all the household of Baasha; he did not leave him one who urinates against a wall, neither of his kinsmen nor of his friends.


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Thus Zimri destroyed all the household of Baasha, according to the Word of Jehovah, which He had spoken against Baasha by the hand of Jehu the prophet,


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for all the sins of Baasha and the sins of Elah his son, by which they had sinned and by which they had made Israel sin, in provoking Jehovah the God of Israel to anger with their vanities.


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Now the rest of the acts of Elah, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel.


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In the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, Zimri had reigned in Tirzah seven days. And the people were encamped against Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines.


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And the people who were encamped heard it said, Zimri has conspired and also has killed the king. So all Israel made Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel that day in the camp.


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And it happened, when Zimri saw that the city had been taken, that he went into the citadel of the king's house and burned the king's house down upon himself with fire, and died,


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because of the sins which he had sinned in doing evil in the eyes of Jehovah, in walking in the ways of Jeroboam, and in his sin which he had done to make Israel sin.


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Now the rest of the acts of Zimri, and the treason he committed, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel.


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Then the people of Israel were divided into two parts: half of the people followed after Tibni the son of Ginath, to make him king, and half after Omri.


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But the people following after Omri prevailed over the people following after Tibni the son of Ginath. So Tibni died and Omri reigned.


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In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri became king over Israel, and reigned twelve years. Six years he reigned in Tirzah.


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And he bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver; and he built on the hill, and called the name of the city which he built, Samaria, after the name of Shemer, owner of the hill.


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for he walked in all the ways of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in his sin by which he had made Israel sin, to provoke Jehovah the God of Israel to anger with their vanities.


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Now the rest of the acts of Omri which he did, and the might that he showed, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel.


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In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab the son of Omri became king over Israel; and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years.


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And it came to pass, as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took as wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians; and he went and served Baal and bowed down to him.


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And Ahab made a grove. Ahab did more to provoke Jehovah the God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him.


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In his days Hiel of Bethel built Jericho. He laid its foundation with Abiram his firstborn, and with his youngest son Segub he set up its gates, according to the Word of Jehovah, which He had spoken through Joshua the son of Nun.


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And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, As Jehovah the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except according to my word.


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And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.


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So he went and did according to the Word of Jehovah, for he went and stayed by the Brook Cherith, which is before the Jordan.


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And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank from the brook.


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Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to provide for you.


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So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold the widow woman was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, Please bring me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.


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And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.


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And she said, As Jehovah your God lives, I do not have a cake, only a handful of flour in a jar, and a little oil in a jug; and behold, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.


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And Elijah said to her, Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son.


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For thus says Jehovah the God of Israel: The jar of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jug of oil become empty, until the day that Jehovah sends rain upon the face of the earth.


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So she went and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate many days.


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The jar of flour was not used up, nor did the jug of oil become empty, according to the Word of Jehovah which He had spoken by the hand of Elijah.


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Now it happened after these things that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became sick; and his sickness was very severe until there was no breath left in him.


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So she said to Elijah, What have I to do with you, O man of God? Have you come to me to bring my iniquity to remembrance, and to kill my son?


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And he said to her, Give me your son. So he took him out of her bosom and carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his own bed.


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And he cried out unto Jehovah and said, O Jehovah my God, have You also brought tragedy upon the widow woman who is showing me hospitality, by killing her son?


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And he stretched himself out on the child three times, and cried out unto Jehovah and said, O Jehovah my God, I pray, let this child's soul return into him.


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And Jehovah heeded the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came back into him, and he revived.


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And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper room into the house, and gave him to his mother. And Elijah said, See, your son lives!


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Then the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that you are a man of God, and that the Word of Jehovah in your mouth is truth.


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And it came to pass after many days that the Word of Jehovah came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, Go, present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain upon the face of the earth.


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For so it was, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of Jehovah, that Obadiah had taken one hundred prophets and hidden them, fifty to a cave, and had fed them with bread and water.)


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And Ahab said to Obadiah, Go into the land to all the springs of water and to all the brooks; perhaps we may find grass to keep the horses and mules alive, so that we will not have to destroy any of the livestock.


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So they divided the land between them, to pass through it; Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.


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And as Obadiah was on his way, behold Elijah met him; and he recognized him, and fell on his face, and said, Is that you, my lord Elijah?


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And he said, How have I sinned, that you are delivering your servant into the hand of Ahab, to kill me?


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As Jehovah your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my master has not sent someone to hunt for you; and when they said, He is not here, he took an oath from the kingdom or nation that they did not find you.


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And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from you, that the Spirit of Jehovah will carry you to a place I do not know; so when I go and tell Ahab, and he cannot find you, he will kill me. But I your servant have feared Jehovah from my youth.


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Was it not reported to my lord what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of Jehovah, how I hid one hundred men of the prophets of Jehovah, fifty to a cave, and fed them with bread and water?


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And Elijah said, As Jehovah of Hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely present myself to him today.


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And he answered, I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father's house have, in that you have forsaken the commandments of Jehovah and have gone after the Baals.


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Now therefore, send and gather all Israel to me on Mount Carmel, the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, and the four hundred prophets of the groves, who eat at Jezebel's table.


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And Elijah came to all the people, and said, How long will you be limping between two divided opinions? If Jehovah is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow after him. But the people answered him not a word.


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Then Elijah said to the people, I alone am left a prophet of Jehovah; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men.


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Therefore let them give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other bull, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it.


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Then you call on the name of your gods, and I will call upon the name of Jehovah; and the god who answers by fire, He is God. So all the people answered and said, The word is good.


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And Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, Choose one bull for yourselves and prepare it first, for you are many; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it.


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So they took the bull which was given them, and they prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even till noon, saying, O Baal, hear us! But there was no voice; no one answered. Then they leaped about the altar which they had made.


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And so it was, at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened.


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So they cried aloud, and cut themselves, as was their custom, with knives and lances, until the blood gushed out on them.


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And when midday was past, they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice. But there was no voice; no one answered, no one paid attention.


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Then Elijah said to all the people, Come near to me. So all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of Jehovah that was broken down.


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And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the Word of Jehovah had come, saying, Israel shall be your name.


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And with the stones he built an altar in the name of Jehovah; and he made a trench around the altar large enough to hold two seahs of seed.


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And he put the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood, and said, Fill four waterpots with water, and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.


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Then he said, Do it a second time, and they did it a second time; and he said, Do it a third time, and they did it a third time.


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And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, Jehovah the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your Word.


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Testify, O Jehovah, testify, that this people may know that You are Jehovah God, and that You have turned their hearts around back to You.


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Then the fire of Jehovah fell and consumed the burnt offering, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench.


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And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, Jehovah, He is God! Jehovah, He is God!


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And Elijah said to them, Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let one of them escape! So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the Brook Kishon and slaughtered them there.


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So Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees,


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and said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. So he went up and looked, and said, There is nothing. And seven times he said, Go back.


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And it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there is a cloud, as small as a man's hand, rising out of the sea! So he said, Go up, say to Ahab, Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you.


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And it happened in the meantime that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. So Ahab rode away and went to Jezreel.


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And the hand of Jehovah came upon Elijah; and he girded up his loins and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.


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And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, also how he had killed all the prophets with the sword.


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And Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.


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And when he saw that, he arose and ran for his life, and came to Beer-sheba of Judah, and left his servant there.


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But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he requested for his soul that he might die, and said, It is enough! Now, Jehovah, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!


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And as he lay and slept under a broom tree, behold an angel touched him, and said to him, Arise and eat.


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And he looked, and behold, by his head was a cake baked on coals, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank, and turned and lay down.


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And the Angel of Jehovah came back the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you.


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And he arose, and ate and drank; and he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights as far as Horeb, the mountain of God.


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And there he came into a cave, and spent the night there; and behold, the Word of Jehovah came to him, and He said to him, What are you doing here, Elijah?


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And he said, I have been very zealous for Jehovah the God of Hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek my soul, to take it away.


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And He said, Go out, and stand on the mountain before Jehovah. And behold, Jehovah passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before Jehovah, but Jehovah was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but Jehovah was not in the earthquake;


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and after the earthquake a fire, but Jehovah was not in the fire; and after the fire a whisper of a small voice.


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And so it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave; and behold, a voice came to him, and said, What are you doing here, Elijah?


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And he said, I have been very zealous for Jehovah the God of Hosts; because the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek my soul, to take it away.


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And Jehovah said to him: Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; and when you have come there, anoint Hazael as king over Syria.


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Also you shall anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi as king over Israel. And Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place.


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It shall be that whoever escapes the sword of Hazael, Jehu shall kill; and whoever escapes the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall kill.


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Yet I have left in Israel seven thousand, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.


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So he departed from there, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he was with the twelfth. And Elijah passed by him and threw his mantle on him.


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And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah, and said, Please let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow after you. And he said to him, Turn and go back, for what have I done to you?


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So Elisha turned back from after him, and took a yoke of oxen and slaughtered them and boiled their flesh, using the oxen's implements, and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and went after Elijah, and served him.


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Now Ben-Hadad the king of Syria gathered all his forces together; thirty-two kings were with him, with horses and chariots. And he went up and besieged Samaria, and made war against it.


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And the king of Israel answered and said, My lord, O king, just as you say, I and all that I have are yours.


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And the messengers came back and said, Thus says Ben-Hadad, saying, Indeed I have sent to you, saying, You shall deliver to me your silver and your gold, your wives and your children;


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but I will send my servants to you tomorrow about this time, and they shall search your house and the houses of your servants. And it shall be, that whatever is pleasant in your eyes, they shall put it in their hands and take it away.


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So the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, Notice, please, and see how this man seeks evil, for he sent to me for my wives, my children, my silver, and my gold; and I have not withheld from him.


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Therefore he said to the messengers of Ben-Hadad, Tell my lord the king, All that you sent for to your servant the first time I will do, but this thing I cannot do. And the messengers departed and brought back word to him.


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And Ben-Hadad sent to him and said, The gods do so to me, and more also, if enough dust is left of Samaria for a handful for each of the people who follow me.


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And the king of Israel answered and said, Tell him, Let not the one who puts on his armor boast like the one who takes it off.


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And it happened when Ben-Hadad heard this message, as he and the kings were drinking at the booths, that he said to his servants, Get ready. And they stationed themselves against the city.


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And behold, a certain prophet approached Ahab king of Israel, saying, Thus says Jehovah: Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, I am delivering it into your hand today, and you shall know that I am Jehovah.


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So Ahab said, By whom? And he said, Thus says Jehovah: By the young rulers of the provinces. Then he said, Who shall begin the battle? And he answered, You.


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Then he mustered the young rulers of the provinces, and there were two hundred and thirty-two; and after them he mustered all the people, all the sons of Israel; seven thousand.


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So they went out at noon. Meanwhile Ben-Hadad and the thirty-two kings helping him were getting drunk in the booths.


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And the young rulers of the provinces went out first. And Ben-Hadad sent out, and they reported to him, saying, Men have come out of Samaria!


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And he said, If they have come out for peace, take them alive; and if they have come out for war, take them alive.


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And each one struck his man; so the Syrians fled, and Israel pursued them; and Ben-Hadad the king of Syria escaped on a horse with the horsemen.


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And the king of Israel went out and struck the horses and chariots, and struck the Syrians with a great slaughter.


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And the prophet came to the king of Israel and said to him, Go, strengthen yourself; take note, and see what you should do, for at the return of the year the king of Syria will come up against you.


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And the servants of the king of Syria said to him, Their gods are gods of the hills. Therefore they were stronger than us; but if we fight against them in the plain, will we not be stronger than them.


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and you shall muster an army like the army that you have lost, horse for horse and chariot for chariot. Then we shall fight against them in the plain; surely we will be stronger than them. And he heeded their voice and did so.


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So it was, at the turn of the year, that Ben-Hadad mustered the Syrians and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel.


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And the sons of Israel were mustered and given provisions, and they went against them. Now the sons of Israel encamped before them like two little flocks of goats, while the Syrians filled the land.


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And a man of God came and spoke to the king of Israel, and said, Thus says Jehovah: Because the Syrians have said, Jehovah is God of the hills, but He is not God of the valleys, therefore I will deliver all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am Jehovah.


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And they encamped opposite each other for seven days. So it was that on the seventh day the battle was joined; and the children of Israel killed one hundred thousand foot soldiers of the Syrians in one day.


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And the rest fled to Aphek, into the city; where a wall fell on twenty-seven thousand of the men who were left. And Ben-Hadad fled and came into the city, into an inner chamber.


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And his servants said to him, Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings. Please, let us put sackcloth on our loins and ropes around our heads, and go out to the king of Israel; perhaps he will preserve alive your soul.


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So they girded sackcloth on their loins and put ropes around their heads, and came to the king of Israel and said, Your servant Ben-Hadad says, Please preserve my soul alive. And he said, Is he still alive? He is my brother.


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Now the men observed carefully, and they quickly grasped at this word and said, Your brother Ben-Hadad. And he said, Go, bring him. Then Ben-Hadad came out to him; and he had him come up into the chariot.


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And Ben-Hadad said to him, The cities which my father took from your father I will restore; and you shall make streets for yourself in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria. And Ahab said, I will send you away with this treaty. So he made a treaty with him and sent him away.


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And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said to his neighbor, By the Word of Jehovah, Strike me, please. And the man refused to strike him.


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And he said to him, Because you have not obeyed the voice of Jehovah, behold, as soon as you depart from me, a lion shall kill you. And as soon as he left him, a lion found him and killed him.


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And he found another man, and said, Strike me, please. So the man struck him, to strike and wound him.


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And the prophet departed and waited for the king by the road, and disguised himself with a cover over his eyes.


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And as the king passed by, he cried out to the king and said, Your servant went out into the midst of the battle; and there, a man came over and brought a man to me, and said, Guard this man; if by any means he is missing, your soul shall be for his soul, or else you shall pay a talent of silver.


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And while your servant was busy here and there, he was gone. And the king of Israel said to him, So shall your judgment be; you yourself have decided it.


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And he hastened to take the covering away from his eyes; and the king of Israel recognized him as one of the prophets.


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And he said to him, Thus says Jehovah: Because you have sent away out of your hand a man whom I devoted to utter destruction, therefore your soul shall go for his soul, and your people for his people.


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And it came to pass after these things that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard which was in Jezreel, next to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria.


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And Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a vegetable garden, because it is near, next to my house; and for it I will give you a vineyard better than it. Or, if it is good in your eyes, I will give you its price in money.


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So Ahab went into his house sullen and angry because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him; for he had said, I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers. And he lay down on his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no food.


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And Jezebel his wife came to him, and said to him, Why is your spirit so sullen that you are not eating food?


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And he said to her, Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite, and said to him, Give me your vineyard for money; or else, if it pleases you, I will give you another vineyard for it. And he answered, I will not give you my vineyard.


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And Jezebel his wife said to him, Do you now rule over Israel? Arise, eat food, and let your heart be joyful. I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.


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And she wrote letters in Ahab's name, sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters to the elders and the nobles who were dwelling in the city with Naboth.


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and seat two men, sons of worthlessness, before him to bear witness against him, saying, You have blasphemed God and the king. Then take him out, and stone him, that he may die.


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So the men of his city, the elders and nobles who were inhabitants of his city, did as Jezebel had sent to them, as it was written in the letters which she had sent to them.


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And two men, sons of worthlessness, came in and sat before him; and the men of worthlessness testified against him, against Naboth, before the people, saying, Naboth has blasphemed God and the king! Then they took him outside the city and stoned him with stones, so that he died.


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And it came to pass, when Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money; for Naboth is not alive, but has died.


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So it was, when Ahab heard that Naboth had died, that Ahab got up and went down to take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.


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Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who lives in Samaria. Behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone down to take possession of it.


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And you shall speak to him, saying, Thus says Jehovah: Have you murdered and also taken possession? And you shall speak to him, saying, Thus says Jehovah: In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, dogs shall lick your blood, even yours.


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So Ahab said to Elijah, Have you found me, O my enemy? And he answered, I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do evil in the eyes of Jehovah:


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Behold, I shall bring evil upon you. I shall take away your posterity, and shall cut off from Ahab in Israel everyone who urinates against a wall, both bond and free.


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I have delivered up your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, because of the provocation with which you have provoked Me to anger, and made Israel sin.


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And concerning Jezebel Jehovah also spoke, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.


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The dogs shall eat whoever of Ahab dies in the city, and the birds of the heavens shall eat whoever dies in the field.


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Surely there had not been one like Ahab who had sold himself to do wickedness in the eyes of Jehovah, which his wife Jezebel had instigated.


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And he did exceedingly abominably to follow after the idols, according to all that the Amorites had done, whom Jehovah had cast out before the children of Israel.


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So it was, when Ahab heard those words, that he tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his flesh, and fasted and lay in sackcloth, and walked about softly.


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Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring about the evil in his days; but in the days of his son I will bring about the evil upon his house.


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And it came to pass, in the third year, that Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went down to visit the king of Israel.


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And the king of Israel said to his servants, Have you known that Ramoth in Gilead is ours, but we are being inactive to take it out of the hand of the king of Syria?


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And he said to Jehoshaphat, Will you go with me to fight at Ramoth Gilead? And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.


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So the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, Shall I go against Ramoth Gilead to fight, or shall I refrain? And they said, Go up, for the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king.


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And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may inquire of Jehovah; but I hate him, because he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so!


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Then the king of Israel summoned a certain official and said, Bring Micaiah the son of Imlah quickly!


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And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, having put on their robes, sat each on his throne, at a vacant spot at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets were prophesying before them.


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And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made horns of iron for himself; and he said, Thus says Jehovah: With these you shall thrust at the Syrians to destroy them.


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And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramoth Gilead and prosper, for Jehovah will deliver it into the king's hand.


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And the messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah spoke to him, saying, Behold now, the words of the prophets with one mouth are agreeable to the king. Please, let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak pleasant things.


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So he came to the king; and the king said to him, Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall we refrain? And he answered him, Go and prosper, for Jehovah will deliver it into the hand of the king!


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And the king said to him, How many times shall I adjure you to speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of Jehovah?


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Then he said, I have seen all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep having no shepherd. And Jehovah said, These have no master. Let each return to his house in peace.


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And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell you he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?


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And Micaiah said, Therefore hear the Word of Jehovah: I saw Jehovah sitting on His throne, and all the host of Heaven standing by, on His right hand and on His left.


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And Jehovah said, Who will persuade Ahab to go up, that he may fall at Ramoth Gilead? So one said this, and another was saying that.


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And Jehovah said to him, In what way? And he said, I will go out and be a spirit of falsehood in the mouth of all his prophets. And Jehovah said, You shall entice him, and also prevail. Go out and do so.


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Therefore now behold, Jehovah has put a spirit of falsehood in the mouth of all these prophets of yours, and Jehovah has spoken calamity against you.


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Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah went near and struck Micaiah on the cheek, and said, Which way did the spirit from Jehovah go from me to speak to you?


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So the king of Israel said, Take Micaiah, and return him to Amon the ruler of the city and to Joash the king's son;


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and say, Thus says the king: Put this fellow in prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and water of affliction, until I come in peace.


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And Micaiah said, If you return to come back in peace, Jehovah has not spoken by me. And he said, All you people, pay attention!


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And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, I will disguise myself and go into battle; but you put on your robes. So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into the battle.


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Now the king of Syria had commanded the thirty-two commanders of his chariots, saying, Fight with no one small or great, but only with the king of Israel.


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And so it was, when the commanders of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, Surely it is the king of Israel! Therefore they turned aside to fight against him, and Jehoshaphat cried out.


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And it happened, when the commanders of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, that they turned back from pursuing him.


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Now a certain man drew a bow at random, and struck the king of Israel between the joints of his armor. So he said to the driver of his chariot, Turn your hand and take me out of the battle, for I am wounded.


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And the battle increased that day; and the king was propped up in his chariot, facing the Syrians, and died at evening. And the blood ran out from the wound onto the floor of the chariot.


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And as the sun was going down, a shout went throughout the camp, saying, Every man to his city, and every man to his own land!


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And someone washed the chariot at a pool in Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood; and they washed his armor; according to the Word of Jehovah which He had spoken.


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Now the rest of the acts of Ahab, and all that he did, the ivory house which he built and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel.


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Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi.


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And he walked in all the ways of his father Asa. He did not turn aside from them, doing what was right in the eyes of Jehovah. Nevertheless the high places were not taken away, for the people offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places.


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Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, the might that he showed, and how he made war, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah.


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And the rest of the male temple prostitutes, who had remained in the days of his father Asa, he removed out of the land.


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Jehoshaphat had made merchant ships to go to Ophir for gold; but they did not go, for the ships were wrecked at Ezion Geber.


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Then Ahaziah the son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, Let my servants go with your servants in the ships. But Jehoshaphat would not.


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And Jehoshaphat rested with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the City of David his father. And Jehoram his son reigned in his place.


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Ahaziah the son of Ahab became king over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned two years over Israel.


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And he did evil in the eyes of Jehovah, and walked in the ways of his father and in the ways of his mother and in the ways of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin;


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for he served Baal and bowed down to him, and provoked Jehovah the God of Israel to anger, according to all that his father had done.


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Now Ahaziah fell through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria, and was ill; so he sent messengers and said to them, Go, inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this sickness.


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And the Angel of Jehovah spoke to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say to them, Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron?


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Now therefore, thus says Jehovah: You shall not come down from the bed on which you have gone up, but you shall die the death. And Elijah departed.


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And they said to him, A man came up to meet us, and said to us, Go, return to the king who sent you, and say to him, Thus says Jehovah: Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending to inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you shall not come down from the bed upon which you have gone up, but you shall die the death.


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So they answered him, A hairy man girded with a leather waistband around his loins. And he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite.


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Then the king sent to him a commander of fifty with his fifty. So he went up to him; and behold, he was sitting on the top of a hill. And he spoke to him: Man of God, the king has said, Come down!


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And Elijah answered and said to the commander of fifty, If I am a man of God, then let fire come down from the heavens and consume you and your fifty. And fire came down from the heavens and consumed him and his fifty.


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Then he sent to him another commander of fifty with his fifty. And he answered and said to him: Man of God, thus has the king said, Come down quickly!


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And Elijah answered and said to them, If I am a man of God, let fire come down from the heavens and consume you and your fifty. And the fire of God came down from the heavens and consumed him and his fifty.


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Again, he sent a third commander of fifty with his fifty. And the third commander of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and implored him, and said to him: Man of God, please let my life and the life of these fifty servants of yours be precious in your eyes.


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Behold, fire has come down from the heavens and burned up the first two commanders of fifties with their fifties. But let my life now be precious in your eyes.


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And the Angel of Jehovah said to Elijah, Go down with him; do not be afraid of him. So he arose and went down with him to the king.


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And he said to him, Thus says Jehovah: Because you have sent messengers to inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of His Word? Therefore you shall not come down from the bed upon which you have gone up, but you shall die the death.


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So Ahaziah died according to the Word of Jehovah which Elijah had spoken. Because he had no son, Jehoram became king in his place, in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah.


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Now the rest of the acts of Ahaziah which he did, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel.


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And it came to pass, when Jehovah was about to take Elijah up into Heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah and Elisha went from Gilgal.


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Then Elijah said to Elisha, Stay here, please, for Jehovah has sent me on to Bethel. But Elisha said, As Jehovah lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you! So they went down to Bethel.


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And the sons of the prophets who were at Bethel came out to Elisha, and said to him, Do you know that Jehovah will take away your master from over you today? And he said, Yes, I know; keep silent!


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Then Elijah said to him, Elisha, stay here, please, for Jehovah has sent me on to Jericho. But he said, As Jehovah lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you! So they came to Jericho.


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And the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho came to Elisha and said to him, Do you know that Jehovah will take away your master from over you today? And he answered, Yes, I know; keep silent!


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Then Elijah said to him, Stay here, please, for Jehovah has sent me on to the Jordan. But he said, As Jehovah lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you! So the two of them went on.


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And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went and stood in view of them at a distance, while the two of them stood by the Jordan.


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And Elijah took his mantle, rolled it up, and struck the water; and it was divided this way and that, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground.


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And so it was, when they had crossed over, that Elijah said to Elisha, Ask! What shall I do for you, before I am taken away from you? And Elisha said, Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.


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And he said, You have asked a hard thing. If you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so.


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And it happened as they continued on and talked, that behold, a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into Heaven.


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And Elisha was watching and crying out, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen! So he saw him no more. And he took hold of his own clothes and tore them into two pieces.


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He also took up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan.


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And he took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, and said, Where is Jehovah the God of Elijah? And when he also had struck the water, it was divided this way and that; and Elisha crossed over.


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And when the sons of the prophets from Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah rests upon Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed to the ground before him.


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And they said to him, Behold now, there are fifty strong men with your servants. Please let them go and search for your master, lest perhaps the Spirit of Jehovah has taken him up and cast him upon some mountain or into some valley. And he said, You shall not send.


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And when they pressed him till he was ashamed, he said, Send! So they sent fifty men, and they searched for three days but did not find him.


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And when they came back to him (for he had stayed in Jericho), he said to them, Did I not say to you, Do not go?


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And the men of the city said to Elisha, Behold, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord sees; but the water is bad, and the ground barren.


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And he went out to the spring of the water, and cast the salt in there, and said, Thus says Jehovah: I have healed this water; from it there shall be no more death or barrenness.


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And he went up from there to Bethel; and as he was going up the road, some little boys came from the city and mocked him, and said to him, Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!


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And he turned around and looked at them, and cursed them in the name of Jehovah. And two bears came out of the forest and ripped apart forty-two of the children.


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Now Jehoram the son of Ahab became king over Israel at Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned twelve years.


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And he did evil in the eyes of Jehovah, but not like his father and mother; for he put away the pillar of Baal that his father had made.


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Nevertheless he clung to the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin; he did not depart from them.


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Now Mesha the king of Moab was a raiser of sheep, and he had brought to the king of Israel one hundred thousand lambs and the wool of one hundred thousand rams.


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And he went and sent to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, saying, The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to fight against Moab? And he said, I will go up; I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.


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So the king of Israel went with the king of Judah and the king of Edom, and they made a circuit of a seven days' journey; and there was no water for the camp, nor for the cattle at their feet.


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And the king of Israel said, Alas! For Jehovah has called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab!


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But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not a prophet of Jehovah here, that we may inquire of Jehovah by him? So one of the servants of the king of Israel answered and said, Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who poured water on the hands of Elijah.


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And Jehoshaphat said, The Word of Jehovah is with him. So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.


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And Elisha said to the king of Israel, What have I to do with you? Go to the prophets of your father and the prophets of your mother. But the king of Israel said to him, No, for Jehovah has called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab.


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And Elisha said, As Jehovah of Hosts lives, before whom I stand, surely were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not pay attention to you, nor look at you.


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But now bring me a minstrel. And it happened, when the minstrel played, that the hand of Jehovah came upon him.


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For thus says Jehovah: You shall not see wind, nor shall you see rain; yet the valley shall be filled with water, so that you, your cattle, and your animals may drink.


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And this is but a slight thing in the eyes of Jehovah; He has also delivered the Moabites into your hand.


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Also you shall strike every fortified city and every choice city, and shall cut down every good tree, and stop up every spring of water, and ruin every good piece of land with stones.


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And it happened in the morning, when the grain offering was offered, that behold, water came by way of Edom, and the land was filled with water.


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And when all the Moabites had heard that the kings had come up to fight against them, all who were able to bear arms and older were gathered; and they took their stand at the border.


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And they rose up early in the morning, and the sun was shining on the water; and the Moabites saw the water on the other side as red as blood.


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And they said, This is blood; the kings have laid waste to make desolate, and have struck down one another; now therefore, Moab, to the spoils!


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So when they came to the camp of Israel, Israel rose up and struck the Moabites, so that they fled before them; and they entered, striking to kill the Moabites.


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And they tore down the cities, and each man threw a stone on every good piece of land and filled it; and they stopped up all the springs of water and cut down all the good trees. But they left the stones of Kir Haraseth. However the slingers surrounded and struck it.


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And when the king of Moab saw that the battle had prevailed against him, he took with him seven hundred men who drew swords, to break through to the king of Edom, but they could not.


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Then he took his firstborn son who would have reigned in his place, and offered him as a burnt offering upon the wall. And there was great wrath against Israel; so they departed from him and returned to their own land.


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Now a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared Jehovah. And the creditor is coming to take my two children to be his slaves.


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And Elisha said to her, What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house? And she said, Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a flask of oil.


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Then he said, Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors; empty vessels; do not gather just a few.


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And when you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you and your sons; and pour it into all those vessels, and set aside the full ones.


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So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured it out.


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And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, Bring me another vessel. And he said to her, There is not another vessel. And the oil stopped.


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Then she came and reported to the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil and pay your debt; and you and your sons live on the rest.


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And it happened one day that Elisha went to Shunem, where there was a notable woman, and she prevailed upon him to eat food. So it was, as often as he passed by, he would turn aside there to eat food.


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And she said to her husband, Behold now, I know that this is a holy man of God, who passes by us continually.


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Please, let us make a small walled upper room; and let us put a bed for him there, and a table and a chair and a lampstand; and it shall be, whenever he comes to us, he can turn aside there.


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And he said to Gehazi his servant, Summon this Shunammite. And when he had summoned her, she stood before him.


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And he said to him, Say now to her, Behold, you have been concerned for us with all this care. What shall I do for you? Shall I speak on your behalf to the king or to the commander of the army? She answered, I am dwelling among my own people.


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So he said, What then is to be done for her? And Gehazi answered, Truly, she has no son, and her husband is old.


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And he said, At the appointed time according to the time of life you shall embrace a son. And she said, No, my lord. Man of God, do not lie to your maidservant!


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And the woman conceived and bore a son at the appointed time, according to the time of life, as Elisha had spoken to her.


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And she called to her husband, and said, Please send me one of the young men and one of the donkeys, that I may run to the man of God and come back.


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And he said, Why are you going to him today? It is neither the new moon nor the sabbath. And she said, It will be well.


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And she saddled a donkey, and said to her servant, Lead on and go; do not slacken the pace for me unless I say so.


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So she departed, and went to the man of God at Mount Carmel. And so it was, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to his servant Gehazi, Behold, the Shunammite!


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Please run now to meet her, and say to her, Is it well with you? Is it well with your husband? Is it well with the child? And she answered, It is well.


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And when she came to the man of God at the hill, she took hold of his feet; and Gehazi came near to push her away; but the man of God said, Let her alone; for her soul is bitter, and Jehovah has hidden it from me, and has not told me.


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Then he said to Gehazi, Gird up your loins, and take my staff in your hand, and go. If you meet anyone, do not greet him; and if anyone greets you, do not answer him; but lay my staff on the face of the boy.


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And the mother of the boy said, As Jehovah lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you. So he arose and went after her.


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And Gehazi went on before them, and laid the staff on the face of the boy; but there was neither voice nor hearing. Therefore he went back to meet him, and reported to him, saying, The boy has not awakened.


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And he went up and lay on the child, and put his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands; and he stretched himself out on the child, and the flesh of the child became warm.


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He returned and walked back and forth in the house, and again went up and stretched himself out on him; then the boy sneezed seven times, and the boy opened his eyes.


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And he summoned Gehazi and said, Summon this Shunammite. So he summoned her. And when she came in to him, he said, Take up your son.


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And Elisha returned to Gilgal. Now there was a famine in the land, and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him; and he said to his servant, Put on the large pot, and boil stew for the sons of the prophets.


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And one of them went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered from it a lapful of wild gourds, and came and sliced them into the pot of stew, though they did not know what they were.


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And they poured out for the men to eat. And it happened, as they were eating the stew, that they cried out and said, Man of God, there is death in the pot! And they could not eat it.


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So he said, Then bring some flour. And he put it into the pot, and said, Pour it out for the people, that they may eat. And there was nothing harmful in the pot.


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And a man came from Baal Shalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley bread, and fresh heads of grain in his sack. And he said, Give it to the people, that they may eat.


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But his servant said, What? Shall I set this before one hundred men? He said again, Give it to the people, that they may eat; for thus says Jehovah: They shall eat and have some left over.


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Now Naaman, a chief of the army of the king of Syria, was a great and honorable man before his master, because by him Jehovah had given deliverance to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, but a leper.


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And the Syrians had gone out on raids, and had brought back captive a little girl from the land of Israel; and she was before Naaman's wife.


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And she said to her mistress, If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! For he would take away his leprosy.


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And he went in and told his master, saying, Thus and thus has spoken the girl, who is from the land of Israel.


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And the king of Syria said, Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel. So he departed and took in his hand ten talents of silver, six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of clothing.


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Then he came to the king of Israel with the letter which said, As this letter comes to you, behold, I have sent Naaman my servant to you, that you may take away his leprosy.


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And it happened, when the king of Israel read the letter, that he tore his clothes and said, Am I God, to kill and make alive, that this man sends a man to me to take away his leprosy? Therefore please consider, and see how he seeks a quarrel with me.


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So it was, when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, Why have you torn your clothes? Please let him come to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.


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And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.


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But Naaman was furious, and went away and said, Behold I thought He would go forth to come out to me, and would have stood and called upon the name of Jehovah his God, and waved his hand over the place, and taken away the leprosy.


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Are not the Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage.


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And his servants came near and spoke to him, and said, My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, Wash, and be clean?


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So he went down and dipped seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little boy, and he was clean.


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And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came and stood before him; and he said, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel; now therefore, please take a gift from your servant.


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But he said, As Jehovah lives, before whom I stand, I shall take nothing. And he pressed him to take it, but he refused.


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So Naaman said, Then, if not, please let your servant be given two mule-loads of earth; for your servant will no longer offer either burnt offering or sacrifice to other gods, but unto Jehovah.


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Yet in this thing may Jehovah pardon your servant: when my master goes into the house of Rimmon to bow down there, and he supports himself on my hand, and I bow down in the house of Rimmon; when I bow down in the house of Rimmon, may Jehovah please pardon your servant in this thing.


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But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, Behold, my master has spared Naaman this Syrian, in not receiving from his hands what he brought; but as Jehovah lives, I will run after him and take something from him.


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So Gehazi ran after Naaman. And when Naaman saw him running after him, he got down from the chariot to meet him, and said, Is all well?


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And he said, All is well. My master has sent me, saying, Behold, just now two young men of the sons of the prophets have come to me from the mountains of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two changes of garments.


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And Naaman said, Please, take two talents. And he urged him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of garments, and handed them to two of his servants; and they carried them before him.


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And when he came to the hill, he took them from their hand, and deposited them in the house; and he sent the men away, and they departed.


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And he went in and stood before his master; and Elisha said to him, Where have you been, Gehazi? And he said, Your servant did not go anywhere.


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Then he said to him, Did not my heart go with you when the man turned back from his chariot to meet you? Is it a time to receive money and to receive clothing, olive groves and vineyards, sheep and oxen, male and female servants?


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Therefore the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and your seed always. And he went out from his presence leprous as snow.


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And the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, See now, the place where we are dwelling with you is too small for us.


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Please, let us go to the Jordan, and let every man take a beam from there, and let us make there a place where we may dwell. So he answered, Go.


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But as one was cutting down a log, the iron ax head fell into the water; and he cried out and said, Alas, master! For it was borrowed.


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And the man of God said, Where did it fall? And he showed him the place. So he cut off a stick, and threw it in there, and the iron floated.


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Now the king of Syria was making war against Israel; and he consulted with his servants, saying, My camp will be in such and such a place.


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And the man of God sent to the king of Israel, saying, Beware that you do not pass this place, for the Syrians are coming down there.


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Then the king of Israel sent someone to the place of which the man of God had told him. Thus he warned him, and he was watchful there, not just once or twice.


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Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was enraged over this thing; and he called his servants and said to them, Will you not report to me which of us is for the king of Israel?


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And one of his servants said, No one, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.


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So he said, Go and see where he is, that I may send and seize him. And it was reported to him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan.


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Therefore he sent horses and chariots and a great army there, and they came by night and surrounded the city.


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And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, behold, the army was surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, Alas, my master! What shall we do?


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And Elisha prayed, and said, Jehovah, I pray, open his eyes that he may see. And Jehovah opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.


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And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed to Jehovah, and said, Strike this people, I pray, with blindness. And He struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.


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And Elisha said to them, This is not the way, nor is this the city. Follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you seek. But he led them to Samaria.


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And so it was, when they had come to Samaria, that Elisha said, Jehovah, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. And Jehovah opened their eyes, and they saw; and behold, they were in the middle of Samaria!


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Now when the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, My father, shall I smite them? Shall I smite them?


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But he answered, You shall not smite them. Would you kill those whom you have taken captive with your sword and your bow? Set food and water before them, that they may eat and drink and go to their master.


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So he prepared a great feast for them; and after they ate and drank, he sent them away and they went to their master. So the marauding bands from Syria came no more into the land of Israel.


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And it happened after this that Ben-Hadad king of Syria gathered all his army, and went up and besieged Samaria.


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And there was a great famine in Samaria; and behold, they besieged it until a donkey's head was sold for eighty shekels of silver, and one-fourth of a kab of dove droppings for five shekels of silver.


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And as the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried out to him, saying, Help, my lord, O king!


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And he said, If Jehovah does not help you, where can I find help for you? From the threshing floor or from the winepress?


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And the king said to her, What is troubling you? And she answered, This woman said to me, Give your son, that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.


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So we boiled my son, and ate him. And I said to her on the next day, Give your son, that we may eat him; but she hid her son.


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And it happened when the king heard the words of the woman, that he tore his clothes; and as he passed by on the wall, the people looked, and behold, he had sackcloth inside on his flesh.


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Then he said, God do so to me and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat remains on him today.


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And Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. And the king sent a man before him, but before the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, Do you see how this son of a murderer has sent someone to take away my head? Behold, when the messenger comes, shut the door, and hold him fast at the door. Is not the sound of his master's feet behind him?


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And while he was still talking with them, behold, the messenger was coming down to him; and he said, Behold, this evil is from Jehovah; why should I wait for Jehovah any longer?


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Then Elisha said, Hear the Word of Jehovah. Thus says Jehovah: Tomorrow about this time a seah of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria.


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So an officer on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God and said, Behold, if Jehovah would make windows in the heavens, could this thing be? And he said, Behold, you shall see it with your eyes, but you shall not eat of it.


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Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate; and they said to one another, Why are we sitting here until we will have died?


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If we say, We will enter the city, the famine is in the city, and we shall die there. And if we sit here, we are also dead. Now therefore, come, let us fall to the camp of the Syrians. If they keep us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall have died.


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And they rose at twilight to go to the camp of the Syrians; and when they had come to the edge of the Syrian camp, behold, no one was there.


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For Jehovah had caused the camp of the Syrians to hear the sound of chariots and the sound of horses, the sound of a great army; so they said to one another, Behold, the king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites and the kings of the Egyptians to come upon us!


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Therefore they arose and fled at twilight, and left the camp; their tents, their horses, and their donkeys; and they fled for their lives.


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And when the lepers came to the edge of the camp, they went into one tent and ate and drank, and carried from it silver and gold and clothing, and went and hid them; then they came back and entered another tent, and carried some from there also, and went and hid it.


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Then they said to one another, We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news, and we are remaining silent. If we wait until morning light, some punishment will come upon us. Now therefore, come, let us go and tell the king's household.


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So they went and called to the gatekeepers of the city, and reported to them, saying, We went to the Syrian camp, and behold, no one was there, no voice of man; only horses and donkeys tied, and the tents as they were.


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So the king arose in the night and said to his servants, Let me now tell you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we are hungry; therefore they have gone out of the camp to hide themselves in the field, saying, When they come out of the city, we shall catch them alive, and get into the city.


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And one of his servants answered and said, Please, let several men take five of the remaining horses which are left in the city. Behold, they may either become like all the multitude of Israel that are left in it; or behold, they may become like all the multitude of Israel left from those who are consumed; so let us send them and see.


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Therefore they took two chariots with horses; and the king sent them after the Syrian camp, saying, Go and see.


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And they went after them to the Jordan; and behold, all the way was full of garments and weapons which the Syrians had thrown away in their haste. So the messengers returned and reported to the king.


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Then the people went out and plundered the camp of the Syrians. And a seah of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, according to the Word of Jehovah.


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Now the king had appointed the officer on whose hand he leaned to have charge of the gate. But the people trampled him in the gate, and he died, just as the man of God had spoken, who had spoken when the king came down to him.


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So it happened just as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, Two seahs of barley for a shekel, and a seah of fine flour for a shekel, shall be sold tomorrow about this time in the gate of Samaria.


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And that officer had answered the man of God, and said, Now behold, if Jehovah would make windows in the heavens, could such a thing be? And he had said, Behold, you shall see it with your eyes, but you shall not eat of it.


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Then Elisha spoke to the woman whose son he had restored to life, saying, Arise and go, you and your household, and stay wherever you can; for Jehovah has called for a famine, and furthermore, it will come upon the land for seven years.


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So the woman arose and did according to the word of the man of God, and she went with her household and dwelt in the land of the Philistines seven years.


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And it came to pass, at the end of seven years, that the woman returned from the land of the Philistines; and she went to cry out to the king for her house and for her land.


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Now the king was speaking with Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, saying, Tell me, please, all the great things that Elisha has done.


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And it happened, as he was telling the king how he had restored the dead to life, that behold, the woman whose son he had restored to life, was crying out to the king for her house and for her land. And Gehazi said, My lord, O king, this is the woman, and this is her son whom Elisha restored to life.


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And when the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed a certain officer to her, saying, Restore all that was hers, and all the proceeds of the fields from the day that she left the land until now.


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And Elisha came to Damascus, and Ben-Hadad king of Syria was sick; and it was reported to him, saying, The man of God has come here.


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And the king said to Hazael, Take a present in your hand, and go to meet the man of God, and inquire of Jehovah by him, saying, Shall I remain alive of this disease?


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So Hazael went to meet him and took a present with him, of every good thing of Damascus, forty camel-loads; and he came and stood before him, and said, Your son Ben-Hadad king of Syria has sent me to you, saying, Shall I remain alive of this disease?


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And Elisha said to him, Go, say to him, You shall live to remain alive. However Jehovah has shown me that he shall die the death.


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And Hazael said, Why is my lord weeping? He answered, Because I know the evil that you will do to the children of Israel: Their strongholds you will set on fire, and their young men you will kill with the sword; and you will dash their children, and rip open their women with child.


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And Hazael said, But what is your servant; a dog, that he should do this great thing? And Elisha answered, Jehovah has shown me that you will become king over Syria.


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And he departed from Elisha, and came to his master, who said to him, What did Elisha say to you? And he answered, He told me that you will live to remain alive.


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But it happened on the next day that he took a thick cloth and dipped it in water, and spread it over his face so that he died; and Hazael reigned in his place.


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Now in the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab, king of Israel, Jehoshaphat having been king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat began to reign as king of Judah.


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And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife; and he did evil in the eyes of Jehovah.


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Yet Jehovah would not destroy Judah, for the sake of his servant David, as He had promised him to give a lamp to him and his sons all their days.


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So Joram passed over to Zair, and all his chariots with him. And he rose up by night and struck the Edomites who had surrounded him and the commanders of the chariots; and the people fled to their tents.


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Thus Edom has been in revolt against the hand of Judah to this day. Then Libnah revolted at the same time.


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Now the rest of the acts of Joram, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah.


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So Joram rested with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the City of David. And Ahaziah his son reigned in his place.


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In the twelfth year of Joram the son of Ahab, king of Israel, Ahaziah the son of Jehoram, king of Judah, began to reign.


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Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Athaliah the daughter of Omri, king of Israel.


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And he walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, and did evil in the eyes of Jehovah, like the house of Ahab, for he was the son-in-law to the house of Ahab.


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And he went with Joram the son of Ahab to war against Hazael king of Syria at Ramoth Gilead; and the Syrians struck Joram.


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Then King Joram went back to Jezreel to be healed from the wounds with which the Syrians had struck him at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. And Ahaziah the son of Jehoram, king of Judah, went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.


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And Elisha the prophet summoned one of the sons of the prophets, and said to him, Gird up your loins, take this flask of oil in your hand, and go to Ramoth Gilead.


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Now when you have come there, look for Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, and go in and make him rise up from among his brothers. And when you have brought him to an inner room,


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take the flask of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, Thus says Jehovah: I have anointed you king over Israel. And when you have opened the door and fled, do not delay.


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And when he came in, behold, the commanders of the army were sitting. And he said, I have a message for you, commander. And Jehu said, For which one of us? And he said, For you, commander.


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And he arose and went into the house. And he poured the oil on his head, and said to him, Thus says Jehovah the God of Israel: I have anointed you king over the people of Jehovah, over Israel.


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And you shall strike down the house of Ahab your master, that I may avenge the blood of My servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of Jehovah, at the hand of Jezebel.


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For the whole house of Ahab shall perish; and I shall cut off from Ahab all those who urinate against a wall in Israel, both bond and free.


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Thus I shall make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah.


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The dogs shall eat Jezebel on the plot of ground at Jezreel, for there shall be no one to bury her. And he opened the door and fled.


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Then Jehu came out to the servants of his master, and one of them said to him, Is all well? Why did this madman come to you? And he said to them, You know the man and his talk.


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And they said, A lie! Tell us now. So he said, Thus and thus he has spoken to me, saying, Thus says Jehovah: I have anointed you king over Israel.


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Then each man hastened to take his garment and put it under him on the top of the steps; and they blew the shofar, saying, Jehu is king!


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So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, conspired against Joram. (Now Joram had been defending Ramoth Gilead, he and all Israel, against Hazael king of Syria.


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But King Joram had returned to Jezreel to be healed from the wounds with which the Syrians had struck him when he fought with Hazael king of Syria.) And Jehu said, If you are so minded, let no one leave or escape from the city to go and report it in Jezreel.


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So Jehu rode and went to Jezreel, for Joram was lying there; and Ahaziah king of Judah had come down to see Joram.


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Now a watchman was standing on the tower in Jezreel, and he saw the company of Jehu as he came, and said, I see a multitude. And Joram said, Get a horseman and send him to meet them, and let him say, Is it peace?


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So the horseman went to meet him, and said, Thus says the king: Is it peace? And Jehu said, What have you to do with peace? Turn around and follow me. So the watchman reported, saying, The messenger went to them, but has not returned.


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Then he sent out a second horseman who came to them, and said, Thus says the king: Is it peace? And Jehu answered, What have you to do with peace? Turn around and follow me.


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So the watchman reported, saying, He went up to them and has not returned; and the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi, for he drives madly!


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Then Joram said, Make ready. And his chariot was made ready. And Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his chariot; and they went out to meet Jehu, and met him on the portion of Naboth the Jezreelite.


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And it happened, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, Is it peace, Jehu? So he answered, What peace, as long as the harlotries of your mother Jezebel and her witchcraft are so many?


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And Jehu drew his bow with full strength and shot Jehoram between his arms; and the arrow came out at his heart, and he sank down in his chariot.


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Then Jehu said to Bidkar his officer, Pick him up, and throw him into the parcel of the land of Naboth the Jezreelite; for remember, when you and I were riding together behind Ahab his father, that Jehovah had laid this burden upon him:


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Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons, says Jehovah, and I will repay you in this plot, says Jehovah. Now therefore, take and throw him on the plot of ground, according to the Word of Jehovah.


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And when Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this, he fled by the way of the garden house. And Jehu pursued him, and said, Strike him also in the chariot, at the ascent of Gur, which is by Ibleam. And he fled to Megiddo, and died there.


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And his servants carried him in the chariot to Jerusalem, and buried him in his tomb with his fathers in the City of David.


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Now when Jehu came to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she put black paint on her eyes and adorned her head, and looked down through a window.


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And he lifted up his face to the window, and said, Who is on my side? Who? And two or three officials looked down at him.


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And he said, Throw her down! So they threw her down, and some of her blood spattered on the wall and on the horses; and he trampled her.


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And when he came in, he ate and drank. Then he said, Go now, see to this accursed woman, and bury her, for she was a king's daughter.


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And they went to bury her, but they found no more of her than the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands.


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Therefore they came back and reported to him. And he said, This is the Word of Jehovah, which He has spoken by His servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, On the plot of ground at Jezreel dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel;


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and the corpse of Jezebel shall be as dung on the face of the land, in the plot at Jezreel, so that they shall not say, This is Jezebel.


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Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote and sent letters to Samaria, to the rulers of Jezreel, to the elders, and to those rearing Ahab's sons, saying:


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Now as soon as this letter comes to you, since your master's sons are with you, and you have chariots and horses, a fortified city also, and weapons,


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choose the best and most upright of your master's sons, set him on his father's throne, and fight for your master's house.


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But they were exceedingly afraid, and said, Behold, two kings have not stood before him; how then can we stand?


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And he who was over the house, and he who was over the city, the elders also, and those rearing the sons, sent to Jehu, saying, We are your servants, we will do all you tell us; but we will not make anyone king. Do what is good in your eyes.


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Then he wrote a second letter to them, saying: If you are for me and will obey my voice, take the heads of the men, your master's sons, and come to me at Jezreel by this time tomorrow. Now the king's sons, seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, who were rearing them.


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So it was, when the letter came to them, that they took the king's sons and slaughtered seventy persons, put their heads in baskets and sent them to him at Jezreel.


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And a messenger came and reported to him, saying, They have brought the heads of the king's sons. And he said, Lay them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until morning.


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And it came about in the morning, that he went out and stood, and said to all the people, You are righteous. Behold, I have conspired against my master and killed him; but who killed all these?


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Know now that nothing has fallen to the earth of the Word of Jehovah which Jehovah has spoken concerning the house of Ahab; for Jehovah has done what He has spoken by the hand of His servant Elijah.


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Thus Jehu killed all who remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men and his acquaintances and his priests, until he left him no one remaining.


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And he arose and departed and went to Samaria. On the way, at the house of the shepherds at Beth Eked,


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Jehu met the brothers of Ahaziah king of Judah, and said, Who are you? And they answered, We are the brothers of Ahaziah; we have come down to greet the sons of the king and the sons of the queen mother.


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And he said, Take them alive! So they took them alive, and killed them at the well of Beth Eked, forty-two men; and he left none of them.


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And when he departed from there, he met Jehonadab the son of Rechab, coming to meet him; and he blessed him and said to him, Is your heart upright, as my heart is with your heart? And Jehonadab answered, It is. Jehu said, If it is, give me your hand. So he gave him his hand, and he took him up to him into the chariot.


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And when he came to Samaria, he killed all who remained to Ahab in Samaria, till he had destroyed them, according to the Word of Jehovah which He had spoken to Elijah.


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Then Jehu gathered all the people together, and said to them, Ahab served Baal a little, Jehu shall serve him much.


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Now therefore, call to me all the prophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his priests. Let no one be missing, for I have a great sacrifice to Baal. Whoever is missing shall not live. But Jehu acted with cunning, in order to destroy those serving Baal.


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Then Jehu sent throughout all Israel; and all those serving Baal came, so that there was not a man left who did not come. So they came into the house of Baal, and the house of Baal was full from one end to the other.


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And he said to the one over the wardrobe, Bring out the vestments for all those serving Baal. So he brought out vestments for them.


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And Jehu and Jehonadab the son of Rechab went into the house of Baal, and said to those serving Baal, Search and see that no servants of Jehovah are here with you, but only those serving Baal.


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So they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had appointed for himself eighty men outside, and had said, If any of the men whom I have brought into your hands escapes, whoever lets him escape, it shall be his soul for the soul of the other.


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Now it happened, as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, that Jehu said to the runners and the officers, Go in and strike them; let no one come out! And they killed them with the edge of the sword; then the runners and the officers threw them out, and went into the city of the house of Baal.


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Then they broke down the sacred pillar of Baal, and tore down the house of Baal and made it an outhouse to this day.


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However Jehu did not turn away from after the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin, that is, from the golden calves that were at Bethel and Dan.


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And Jehovah said to Jehu, Because you have done well in doing what is right in My eyes, and have done to the house of Ahab all that was in My heart, your sons shall sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation.


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But Jehu took no heed to walk in the Law of Jehovah the God of Israel with all his heart; for he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam, who had made Israel sin.


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In those days Jehovah began to cut off Israel; and Hazael struck them in all the territory of Israel


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from the Jordan eastward: all the land of Gilead; Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh; from Aroer, which is by the River Arnon, including Gilead and Bashan.


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Now the rest of the acts of Jehu, all that he did, and all his might, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel.


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So Jehu rested with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria. And Jehoahaz his son reigned in his place.


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When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son had died, she arose and destroyed all the royal seed.


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But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king's sons who were being murdered; and they hid him and his nurse in the bedroom, from Athaliah, so that he was not killed.


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So he was hidden with her in the house of Jehovah for six years, while Athaliah was reigning over the land.


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In the seventh year Jehoiada sent and brought the commanders of hundreds, the mercenaries and runners, and brought them into the house of Jehovah to him. And he made a covenant with them and took an oath from them in the house of Jehovah, and showed them the king's son.


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And he commanded them, saying, This is what you shall do: One-third of you who come on the Sabbath shall be keeping watch over the king's house,


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one-third shall be at the gate of Sur, and one-third at the gate behind the runners. You shall keep the watch of the house by turns.


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The two parts of you who go out on the Sabbath shall keep the watch of the house of Jehovah for the king.


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And you shall surround the king on all sides, every man with his weapons in his hand; and whoever comes within range, let him be put to death. You shall be with the king as he goes out and as he comes in.


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Thus the commanders of the hundreds did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded. Each of them took his men who were going in on the Sabbath, with those who were going out on the Sabbath, and came to Jehoiada the priest.


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And the priest gave the commanders of hundreds the spears and shields which had belonged to King David, that were in the house of Jehovah.


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And the runners stood, every man with his weapons in his hand, all around the king, from the right side of the house to the left side of the house, by the altar and the house.


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And he brought out the king's son, put the crown on him, and gave him the Testimony; they made him king and anointed him, and they clapped their hands and said, Long live the king!


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Now when Athaliah heard the sound of the runners and the people, she came to the people in the house of Jehovah.


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And when she looked, behold, the king was standing by the pillar according to the custom; and the rulers and the trumpeters were by the king. All the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets. So Athaliah tore her clothes and cried out, Treason! Treason!


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And Jehoiada the priest commanded the commanders of the hundreds, those mustering the army, and said to them, Take her outside from the ranks of the house, and whoever follows after her, slay with the sword. For the priest had said, Do not let her be killed in the house of Jehovah.


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So they laid hands on her; and she went by way of the horses' entrance into the king's house, and there she was put to death.


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And Jehoiada made a covenant between Jehovah, the king, and the people, to be the people of Jehovah; and also between the king and the people.


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And all the people of the land went to the house of Baal, and tore it down. They thoroughly broke in pieces its altars and images, and killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. And the priest appointed officers over the house of Jehovah.


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And he took the commanders of hundreds, the mercenaries, the runners, and all the people of the land; and they brought the king down from the house of Jehovah, and went by way of the gate of the runners to the king's house. And he sat on the throne of the kings.


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And all the people of the land rejoiced; and the city was at peace, for they had slain Athaliah with the sword in the king's house.


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In the seventh year of Jehu, Jehoash became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Zibiah of Beer-sheba.


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Jehoash did what was right in the eyes of Jehovah all the days in which Jehoiada the priest had instructed him.


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But the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.


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And Jehoash said to the priests, All the money of the consecrated things that are brought into the house of Jehovah, each man's poll tax money, each man's valuation money, and all the money that a man purposes in his heart to bring into the house of Jehovah;


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let the priests take it themselves, each from his acquaintance; and let them repair the breaches of the house, wherever any breach is found.


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But it was so, by the twenty-third year of King Jehoash, that the priests had not repaired the breaches of the house.


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So King Jehoash summoned Jehoiada the priest and the other priests, and said to them, Why have you not repaired the breaches of the house? Now therefore, do not take more money from your acquaintances, but give it for repairing the breaches of the house.


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And the priests agreed that they would neither receive more money from the people, nor repair the breaches of the house.


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And Jehoiada the priest took a chest, bored a hole in its lid, and set it beside the altar, on the right side as one comes into the house of Jehovah; and the priests who kept the door put there all the money brought into the house of Jehovah.


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So it was, whenever they saw that there was much money in the chest, that the king's scribe and the high priest came up and put it in bags, and counted the money that was found in the house of Jehovah.


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Then they gave the money, which had been weighed out, into the hands of those doing the work, who had the oversight of the house of Jehovah; and they brought it out to the craftsmen and builders who worked on the house of Jehovah,


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and to masons and stonecutters, and for buying timber and hewn stone, to repair the breaches of the house of Jehovah, and for all that was brought out to make the house strong.


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However there were not made for the house of Jehovah basins of silver, snuffers, bowls, trumpets, any articles of gold or articles of silver, from the money brought into the house of Jehovah;


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Moreover they did not require an accounting from the men into whose hands they gave the money to give to the workmen, for they were dealing faithfully.


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The money from the trespass offerings and the money from the sin offerings was not brought into the house of Jehovah. It belonged to the priests.


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Then Hazael king of Syria went up and fought against Gath, and took it; and then Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem.


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And Jehoash king of Judah took all the consecrated things that his fathers, Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and Ahaziah, kings of Judah, had set apart, and his own consecrated things, and all the gold found in the treasuries of the house of Jehovah and in the king's house, and sent them to Hazael king of Syria. Then he went away from Jerusalem.


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Now the rest of the acts of Joash, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah.


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And his servants rose up and conspired treason, and killed Joash in the house of the Millo, which goes down to Silla.


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For Jozachar the son of Shimeath and Jehozabad the son of Shomer, his servants, struck him. So he died, and they buried him with his fathers in the City of David. And Amaziah his son reigned in his place.


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In the twenty-third year of Joash the son of Ahaziah, king of Judah, Jehoahaz the son of Jehu became king over Israel in Samaria, and reigned seventeen years.


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And he did evil in the eyes of Jehovah, and followed after the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin. He did not depart from them.


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And the anger of Jehovah burned against Israel, and He delivered them into the hand of Hazael king of Syria, and into the hand of Ben-Hadad the son of Hazael, all their days.


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So Jehoahaz entreated Jehovah, and Jehovah gave heed to his face; for He saw the oppression of Israel, because the king of Syria oppressed them.


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And Jehovah gave Israel a savior, so that they escaped from under the hand of the Syrians; and the children of Israel dwelt in their tents as before.


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Nevertheless they did not depart from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, who had made Israel sin, but walked in them; and the groves also remained in Samaria.


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For he did not leave to Jehoahaz any of the people except for fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand foot soldiers; for the king of Syria had destroyed them and made them like the dust at threshing.


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Now the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz, all that he did, and his might, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel.


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And Jehoahaz rested with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria. And Joash his son reigned in his place.


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In the thirty-seventh year of Joash king of Judah, Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz became king over Israel in Samaria, and reigned sixteen years.


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And he did evil in the eyes of Jehovah. He did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin, but walked in them.


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Now the rest of the acts of Joash, all that he did, and his might with which he fought against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel.


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So Joash rested with his fathers. And Jeroboam sat on his throne. And Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.


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Now Elisha had become sick with the illness from which he would die. And Joash the king of Israel came down to him, and wept over his face, and said, O my father, my father, the chariots of Israel and their horsemen!


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And he said to the king of Israel, Put your hand on the bow. So he put his hand on it, and Elisha put his hands on the king's hands.


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And he said, Open the east window; and he opened it. Then Elisha said, Shoot; and he shot. And he said, The arrow of Jehovah's deliverance and the arrow of deliverance from Syria; for you shall strike the Syrians at Aphek till you have destroyed them.


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Then he said, Take the arrows; so he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, Strike the ground; so he struck three times, and stopped.


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And the man of God was angry with him, and said, You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck Syria to finish them off! But now you will strike Syria only three times.


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And Elisha died, and they buried him. And the raiding bands from Moab invaded the land in the beginning of the year.


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And so it was, as they were burying a man, that behold, they saw a band of raiders; and they threw the man into the tomb of Elisha; and when the man was let go and hit the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood up on his feet.


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But Jehovah was gracious to them, had compassion on them, and regarded them, because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not yet destroy them or cast them from His presence.


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And Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz took back from the hand of Ben-Hadad, the son of Hazael, the cities which he had taken out of the hand of Jehoahaz his father in battle. Three times Joash struck him and restored the cities of Israel.


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In the second year of Joash the son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel, Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, became king.


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He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem.


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And he did what was right in the eyes of Jehovah, yet not like his father David; he did everything as his father Joash had done.


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However the high places were not taken away, and the people were still sacrificing and burning incense on the high places.


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And it happened, as soon as the kingdom had been secured in his hand, that he struck his servants who had killed his father the king.


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But the children of the murderers he did not execute, according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, in which Jehovah had commanded, saying, Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor shall children be put to death for their fathers; but a person shall be put to death for his own sin.


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He killed ten thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt, and took Sela by war, and called its name Joktheel to this day.


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Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, Come, let us look one another in the face.


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And Jehoash king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, Give your daughter to my son as wife; and a wild beast that was in Lebanon passed by and trampled the thistle.


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You have attacked to strike Edom, and your heart has lifted you up. Glory in that, and stay at your house; why stir yourself up over evil so that you fall, you and Judah with you?


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But Amaziah would not listen. Therefore Jehoash king of Israel went out; so he and Amaziah king of Judah looked each other in the face at Beth Shemesh of Judah.


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And Jehoash king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash, the son of Ahaziah, at Beth Shemesh; and came to Jerusalem, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate; four hundred cubits.


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And he took all the gold and silver, all the articles that were found in the house of Jehovah and in the treasuries of the king's house, and hostages, and returned to Samaria.


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Now the rest of the acts of Jehoash which he did; his might, and how he fought with Amaziah king of Judah; are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel.


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So Jehoash rested with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. And Jeroboam his son reigned in his place.


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And Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, lived fifteen years after the death of Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel.


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Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah.


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And they conspired treason against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish; but they sent after him to Lachish and killed him there.


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And they brought him on horses, and he was buried at Jerusalem with his fathers in the City of David.


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And all the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king instead of his father Amaziah.


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In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, became king in Samaria, and reigned forty-one years.


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And he did evil in the eyes of Jehovah; he did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin.


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He restored the territory of Israel from the entrance of Hamath to the sea of the plain, according to the Word of Jehovah the God of Israel, which He had spoken through His servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet who was from Gath Hepher.


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For Jehovah saw that the affliction of Israel was very bitter; and whether bond or free, there was no helper for Israel.


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And Jehovah had not spoken to blot out the name of Israel from under the heavens; but He saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.


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Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, and all that he did; his might, how he made war, and how he recovered for Israel from Damascus and Hamath what had belonged to Judah; are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel.


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So Jeroboam rested with his fathers, the kings of Israel. And Zechariah his son reigned in his place.


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In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Azariah the son of Amaziah, king of Judah, became king.


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He was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jecholiah of Jerusalem.


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And he did what was right in the eyes of Jehovah, according to all that his father Amaziah had done,


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except that the high places were not removed; the people were still sacrificing and burning incense on the high places.


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And Jehovah struck the king, so that he was a leper until the day of his death; so he dwelt in a separate house. And Jotham the king's son was over the house, judging the people of the land.


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Now the rest of the acts of Azariah, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah.


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So Azariah rested with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the City of David. And Jotham his son reigned in his place.


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In the thirty-eighth year of Azariah king of Judah, Zechariah the son of Jeroboam reigned over Israel in Samaria six months.


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And he did evil in the eyes of Jehovah, as his fathers had done; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin.


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And Shallum the son of Jabesh conspired against him, and struck and killed him in front of the people, and reigned in his place.


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Now the rest of the acts of Zechariah, behold, they are written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel.


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This was the Word of Jehovah which He had spoken to Jehu, saying, Your sons shall sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation. And so it was.


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Shallum the son of Jabesh became king in the thirty-ninth year of Uzziah king of Judah; and he reigned a month of days in Samaria.


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For Menahem the son of Gadi went up from Tirzah, came to Samaria, and struck Shallum the son of Jabesh in Samaria and killed him; and reigned in his place.


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Now the rest of the acts of Shallum, and the treason he had conspired, behold, they are written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel.


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Menahem struck Tiphsah, all who were there, and its territory from Tirzah; because they did not open to him, therefore he struck it. All the pregnant women he ripped open.


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In the thirty-ninth year of Azariah king of Judah, Menahem the son of Gadi became king over Israel, and reigned ten years in Samaria.


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And he did evil in the eyes of Jehovah; he did not depart all his days from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin.


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And Pul king of Assyria came against the land; and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver, that his hand might be with him to strengthen the kingdom under his hand.


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And Menahem brought out the money from Israel, from all the mighty men of wealth, from each man fifty shekels of silver, to give to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria turned back, and did not stay there in the land.


text:
Now the rest of the acts of Menahem, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel.


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In the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekahiah the son of Menahem became king over Israel in Samaria, and reigned two years.


text:
And he did evil in the eyes of Jehovah; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin.


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Then Pekah the son of Remaliah, an officer of his, conspired against him and struck him in Samaria, in the palace of the king's house, along with Argob and Arieh; and with him were fifty men of Gilead. He killed him and reigned in his place.


text:
Now the rest of the acts of Pekahiah, and all that he did, behold, they are written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel.


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In the fifty-second year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekah the son of Remaliah became king over Israel in Samaria, and reigned twenty years.


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In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria came and took Ijon, Abel Beth Maachah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali; and he carried them captive to Assyria.


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Then Hoshea the son of Elah conspired treason against Pekah the son of Remaliah, and struck and killed him; and he reigned in his place in the twentieth year of Jotham the son of Uzziah.


text:
Now the rest of the acts of Pekah, and all that he did, behold, they are written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel.


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In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, Jotham the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, began to reign.


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He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jerusha the daughter of Zadok.


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And he did what was right in the eyes of Jehovah; he did according to all that his father Uzziah had done.


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However the high places were not removed; the people were still sacrificing and burning incense on the high places. He built the Upper Gate of the house of Jehovah.


text:
Now the rest of the acts of Jotham, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah.


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In those days Jehovah began to send Rezin king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah against Judah.


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So Jotham rested with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the City of David his father. And Ahaz his son reigned in his place.


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In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, Ahaz the son of Jotham king of Judah began to reign.


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Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and he did not do what was right in the eyes of Jehovah his God, as his father David had done.


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But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel. He also made his son pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom Jehovah had cast out before the children of Israel.


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Then Rezin king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, came up to Jerusalem to make war; and they besieged Ahaz but could not overcome him.


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At that time Rezin king of Syria restored Elath to Syria, and cleared out the men of Judah from Elath. Then the Syrians went to Elath, and dwell there to this day.


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So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria, saying, I am your servant and your son. Come up and save me from the hand of the king of Syria and from the hand of the king of Israel, who are rising up against me.


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And Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of Jehovah, and in the treasuries of the king's house, and sent it as a present to the king of Assyria.


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So the king of Assyria heeded him; for the king of Assyria went up against Damascus and took it, carried its people captive to Kir, and killed Rezin.


text:
Now King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria, and saw an altar that was at Damascus; and King Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the design of the altar and its pattern, according to all its workmanship.


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And Urijah the priest built an altar according to all that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus. And Urijah the priest had it made before King Ahaz returned from Damascus.


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And when the king came back from Damascus, the king saw the altar; and the king approached the altar and went up to it.


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So he sacrificed his burnt offering with smoke and his grain offering; and he poured his drink offering and sprinkled the blood of his peace offerings on the altar.


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He also brought the bronze altar from before Jehovah, from the front of the house, from between his altar and the house of Jehovah; and put it on the north side of his altar.


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And King Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying, On the great new altar burn the morning burnt offering with smoke, the evening grain offering, the king's burnt offering, and his grain offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land, their grain offering, and their drink offerings; and sprinkle on it all the blood of the burnt offering and all the blood of the sacrifice. But the bronze altar shall be for me to inquire by.


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And King Ahaz cut off the rims of the carts, and removed the lavers from them; and he took down the sea from the bronze oxen that were under it, and put it on a pavement of stones.


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And the covered Sabbath structure which they had built in the house, he removed from the house of Jehovah, along with the king's outer entrance, before the king of Assyria.


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Now the rest of the acts of Ahaz which he did, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah.


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So Ahaz rested with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the City of David. And Hezekiah his son reigned in his place.


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In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea the son of Elah became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned nine years.


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Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against him; and Hoshea became his servant, and paid him tribute.


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And the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea; for he had sent messengers to So, king of Egypt, and brought no tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year. Therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in prison.


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Now the king of Assyria went throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria and besieged it for three years.


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In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria took Samaria and carried Israel away to Assyria, and settled them in Halah and by the Habor, the River of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.


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For so it was that the children of Israel had sinned against Jehovah their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and they feared other gods,


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and had walked in the statutes of the nations whom Jehovah had cast out before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made.


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And the children of Israel secretly did things against Jehovah their God that were not right, and they built for themselves high places in all their cities, from watchtower to fortified city.


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There they burned incense on all the high places, like the nations whom Jehovah had carried away before them, and did evil things to provoke Jehovah to anger;


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Yet Jehovah testified against Israel and against Judah, by the hand of all of His prophets and every seer, saying, Turn away from your evil ways, and keep My commandments and My statutes, according to all the Law which I have commanded your fathers, and which I have sent to you by the hand of My servants the prophets.


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Nevertheless they would not hear, but stiffened their necks, like the necks of their fathers, who had not believed in Jehovah their God.


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And they rejected His statutes and His covenant that He had made with their fathers, and His testimonies which He had testified against them; they went after their vanities, became vain, and went after the nations who were all around them, concerning whom Jehovah had charged them that they should not do like them.


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And they left all the commandments of Jehovah their God, made for themselves molten images, two calves, made a grove and bowed down to all the host of the heavens, and served Baal.


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And they caused their sons and daughters to pass through the fire, practiced divination of witchcraft and fortunetelling, and sold themselves to do evil in the eyes of Jehovah, to provoke Him to anger.


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Therefore Jehovah was very angry with Israel, and removed them away from before His face; there was no one left but only the tribe of Judah.


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Also Judah did not keep the commandments of Jehovah their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they had made.


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And Jehovah rejected all the seed of Israel, afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of plunderers, until He had cast them away from before His face.


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For He tore Israel from the house of David, and they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king. And Jeroboam drove Israel from following after Jehovah, and made them sin a great sin.


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For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they have not departed from them,


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until Jehovah had removed Israel from before His face, as He had said by all His servants the prophets. Thus Israel was carried away from their own land into Assyria, as it is this day.


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Then the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Ava, Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and settled them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel; and they took possession of Samaria and dwelt in its cities.


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And it was so, at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they did not fear Jehovah; therefore Jehovah sent lions among them, which killed some of them.


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So they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, The nations whom you have removed and placed in the cities of Samaria do not know the ordinances of the God of the land; therefore He has sent lions among them, and behold, they are killing them because they do not know the ordinances of the God of the land.


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So the king of Assyria commanded, saying, Send there one of the priests whom you have brought from there; let him go and dwell there, and let him teach them the ordinances of the God of the land.


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Then one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and dwelt in Bethel, and taught them how they should fear Jehovah.


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However nation by nation they continued making gods of their own, and put them in the houses on the high places which those from Samaria had made, nation by nation in the cities where they were living.


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and the Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the Sepharvites burned their children in fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.


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So they feared Jehovah; and from among all of them they appointed for themselves priests of the high places, who attended to the houses of the high places for them.


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They feared Jehovah, and also served their own gods; according to the manner of the nations from where they were carried away.


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To this day they continue doing according to the former manner; they do not fear Jehovah, nor do they follow their statutes or their ordinances, or the Law and commandments which Jehovah has commanded the sons of Jacob, whom He had ordained with the name, Israel;


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with whom Jehovah had made a covenant and charged them, saying: You shall not fear other gods, nor bow down to them nor serve them nor sacrifice to them;


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but Jehovah, who has brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great power and an outstretched arm, Him you shall fear, to Him you shall bow down, and to Him you shall offer sacrifice.


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And the statutes, the ordinances, the Law, and the commandments which He has written for you, you shall take heed to do forever; you shall not fear other gods.


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Thus these nations feared Jehovah, while also serving their graven images. And their children and their children's children have continued doing as their fathers have done, even to this day.


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Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea the son of Elah, king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign.


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He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah.


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He removed the high places and broke the sacred pillars, chopped down the groves and broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made; for until those days the children of Israel burned incense to it, and called it Nehushtan.


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He trusted in Jehovah the God of Israel, so that after him was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, nor who were before him.


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For he clung to Jehovah; he did not turn aside from following after Him, but kept His commandments, which Jehovah had commanded Moses.


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Jehovah was with him; he prospered wherever he went. And he rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him.


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And it came to pass in the fourth year of King Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea the son of Elah, king of Israel, that Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria and besieged it.


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And at the end of three years they took it. In the sixth year of Hezekiah, that is, the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was captured.


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And the king of Assyria carried Israel away captive to Assyria, and led them to Halah and the Habor, the River of Gozan, and to the cities of the Medes,


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because they had not obeyed the voice of Jehovah their God, but transgressed His covenant and all that Moses the servant of Jehovah had commanded; they had neither heeded nor done them.


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And in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them.


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And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, I have done wrong; turn away from me; whatever you impose upon me I will endure. And the king of Assyria assessed Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.


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And Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of Jehovah and in the treasuries of the king's house.


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At that time Hezekiah stripped the gold from the doors of the temple of Jehovah, and from the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria.


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And the king of Assyria sent Tartan, Rabsaris, and Rabshakeh from Lachish, with great forces against Jerusalem, to King Hezekiah. And they went up and came to Jerusalem. And when they had come up, they went and stood by the aqueduct of the upper pool, which was on the highway to the Fuller's Field.


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And when they had called out to the king, Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder, came out to them.


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And Rabshakeh said to them, Say now to Hezekiah, Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: What confidence is this in which you have trusted?


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You have spoken of having counsel and power for war; but they are mere words of the lips. And in whom have you trusted, that you have rebelled against me?


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Now behold, you have trusted in the staff of this broken reed, Egypt, on which if a man leans, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all those trusting in him.


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But if you say to me, We have trusted in Jehovah our God, is it not He whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has removed, and has said to Judah and Jerusalem, You shall bow down before this altar in Jerusalem?


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Now therefore, I urge you, give a pledge to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses; if you are able on your part to put riders on them!


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How then will you turn away the face of one governor of the least of my master's servants, and put your trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen?


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Have I now come up without Jehovah against this place to destroy it? Jehovah has said to me, Go up against this land, and destroy it.


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Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, Shebna, and Joah said to Rabshakeh, Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it; and do not speak to us in the Jewish language in the hearing of the people on the wall.


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But Rabshakeh said to them, Has my master sent me to your master and to you to speak these words, and not also to the men who sit on the wall, who will eat their own dung and drink their own urine with you?


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Then Rabshakeh stood and called out with a loud voice in the Jewish language, and spoke, saying, Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria!


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Thus says the king: Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he shall not be able to deliver you out of his hand;


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nor let Hezekiah make you trust in Jehovah, saying, Jehovah will rescue to deliver us; this city shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.


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Do not listen to Hezekiah; for thus says the king of Assyria: Make a peace treaty and come out to me; and every one of you shall eat from his own vine and every one from his own fig tree, and every one of you shall drink the waters of his own cistern;


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until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive groves and honey, that you may live and not die. But do not listen to Hezekiah, lest he persuade you, saying, Jehovah will deliver us.


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Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim and Hena and Ivah? Have they delivered Samaria out of my hand?


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Who among all the gods of the lands have delivered their lands out of my hand, that Jehovah should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?


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But the people kept quiet and answered him not a word; for the king's commandment was, Do not answer him.


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Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and reported to him the words of Rabshakeh.


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And so it was, when King Hezekiah heard it, that he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of Jehovah.


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And he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz.


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And they said to him, Thus says Hezekiah: This day is a day of trouble, and rebuke, and contempt; for the children have come to birth, but there is no strength to bring forth.


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It may be that Jehovah your God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to reproach the living God, and will rebuke the words which Jehovah your God has heard. Therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is found left.


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And Isaiah said to them, Thus you shall say to your master, Thus says Jehovah: Do not be afraid of the words which you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me.


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Behold, I will send a spirit upon him, and he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.


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And Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah, for he heard that he had departed from Lachish.


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And the king heard concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, Behold, he has come out to wage war with you. So he again sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying,


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Thus you shall speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying: Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you, saying, Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.


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Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands by utterly destroying them; and shall you be delivered?


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Have the gods of the nations delivered those whom my fathers have destroyed, Gozan and Haran and Rezeph, and the children of Eden who were in Telassar?


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Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah?


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And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of Jehovah, and spread it before Jehovah.


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And Hezekiah prayed before Jehovah, and said: O Jehovah the God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made the heavens and earth.


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Extend Your ear, O Jehovah, and hear; open Your eyes, O Jehovah, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God.


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and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were not gods, but the work of men's hands; wood and stone. Therefore they destroyed them.


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Now therefore, O Jehovah our God, I pray, save us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are Jehovah God, You alone.


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Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, Thus says Jehovah the God of Israel: I have heard that which you have prayed to Me against Sennacherib king of Assyria.


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This is the word which Jehovah has spoken concerning him: The virgin daughter of Zion has despised you and laughed you to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem Has shaken her head behind you!


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Whom have you reproached and blasphemed? Against whom have you raised your voice, and lifted up your eyes on high? Against the Holy One of Israel!


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By your messengers you have reproached the Lord, and said: By the multitude of my chariots I have come up to the height of the mountains, next to Lebanon; I will cut down its tall cedars and its choice cypress trees; I will enter the ends of its lodging places, into its forest at Carmel.


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I have dug and drunk strange waters, and with the soles of my feet I have dried up all the rivers of Egypt.


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Have you not heard? From long ago I have made it, and from ancient times I have formed it. Now I have brought it to pass, that you should crush fortified cities into heaps of ruins.


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Therefore their inhabitants were short handed; they were shattered and put to shame; they were as the grass of the field and the green herb, as the grass on the housetops and grain blighted before it is grown.


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Because your rage against Me and your arrogance have come up into My ears, therefore I will put my hook in your nose and My bridle in your lips, and I will turn you back by the way which you have come.


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This shall be a sign to you: You shall eat this year such as grows of itself, and in the second year what springs from the same; also in the third year sow and reap, plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them.


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And the remnant who have escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward.


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For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant, and those who escape from Mount Zion. The zeal of Jehovah of Hosts shall do this.


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Therefore thus says Jehovah concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor build a siege mound against it.


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By the way that he came, by the same shall he return; and he shall not come into this city, says Jehovah.


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And it came to pass that night that the Angel of Jehovah went out, and struck in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when they arose early in the morning, behold, all of them were dead corpses.


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Now it came to pass, as he was bowing down in the house of Nisroch his god, that his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place.


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In those days Hezekiah had become sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, came to him and said to him, Thus says Jehovah: Set your house in order, for you are dying, and shall not live.


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Remember now, O Jehovah, I pray, how I have walked before You in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done what was good in Your eyes. And Hezekiah wailed with great weeping.


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And it happened, before Isaiah had gone out into the middle court, that the Word of Jehovah came to him, saying,


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Return and say to Hezekiah the ruler of My people, Thus says Jehovah the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of Jehovah.


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And I will add to your days fifteen years. I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for My own sake, and for the sake of My servant David.


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And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, What is the sign that Jehovah will heal me, and that I shall go up to the house of Jehovah the third day?


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And Isaiah said, This is the sign to you from Jehovah, that Jehovah will do the thing which He has spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten steps or go backward ten steps?


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And Hezekiah answered, It is an easy thing for the shadow to go down ten steps; no, but let the shadow go backward ten steps.


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So Isaiah the prophet cried out to Jehovah, and He brought the shadow ten steps backward, by which it had gone down on the sundial of Ahaz.


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At that time Berodach-Baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that Hezekiah had been sick.


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And Hezekiah was attentive to them, and showed them all the house of his treasures; the silver and gold, the spices and precious ointment, and all the house of his weapons; all that was found among his treasures. There was nothing in his house or in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them.


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Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah, and said to him, What did these men say, and from where did they come to you? So Hezekiah said, They came from a distant land, from Babylon.


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And he said, What have they seen in your house? So Hezekiah answered, They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shown them.


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Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and what your fathers have laid in store until this day, shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left, says Jehovah.


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And they shall take away some of your sons who shall come forth from you, whom you shall beget; and they shall be officials in the palace of the king of Babylon.


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And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, The Word of Jehovah which you have spoken is good! For he thought, Will there not be peace and truth in my days?


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Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah; all his might, and how he made a pool and a tunnel and brought water into the city; are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah.


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Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hephzibah.


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And he did evil in the eyes of Jehovah, according to the abominations of the nations whom Jehovah had cast out before the children of Israel.


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For he rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; he raised up altars for Baal, and made a grove, as Ahab king of Israel had done; and he bowed down to all the host of the heavens and served them.


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He also built altars in the house of Jehovah, of which Jehovah had said, In Jerusalem I will put My name.


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He also made his son pass through the fire, practiced witchcraft and fortunetelling, and consulted necromancers and mediums. He did much evil in the eyes of Jehovah, to provoke Him to anger.


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And he set a graven image in the grove that he had made, in the house of which Jehovah had said to David and to Solomon his son, In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put My name forever;


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and I will not make the feet of Israel wander anymore from the land which I have given to their fathers; only if they take heed to do according to all that I have commanded them, and according to all the Law that My servant Moses has commanded them.


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But they have paid no attention, and Manasseh caused them to err, to do more evil than the nations whom Jehovah had destroyed before the children of Israel.


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Because Manasseh king of Judah has done these abominations (he has acted more wickedly than all the Amorites who were before him, and has also made Judah sin with his idols),


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therefore thus says Jehovah the God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whoever hears of it, both his ears shall tingle.


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And I shall stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samaria and the plummet of the house of Ahab; I shall wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it face down.


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Thus I will forsake the remnant of My inheritance and deliver them into the hand of their enemies; and they shall become spoils and plunder to all their enemies,


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because they have done evil in My eyes, and have provoked Me to anger since the day their fathers had come out of Egypt, even to this day.


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Moreover Manasseh shed very much innocent blood, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to the other, besides his sin by which he made Judah sin, to do evil in the eyes of Jehovah.


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Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh; all that he did, and the sin that he sinned; are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah.


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So Manasseh rested with his fathers, and was buried in the garden of his own house, in the garden of Uzza. And his son Amon reigned in his place.


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Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Meshullemeth the daughter of Haruz of Jotbah.


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Thus he walked in all the ways that his father had walked; and he served the idols that his father had served, and bowed down to them.


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But the people of the land struck all those conspiring against King Amon. And the people of the land made his son Josiah king in his place.


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Now the rest of the acts of Amon which he did, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah.


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Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath.


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And he did what was right in the eyes of Jehovah, and walked in all the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.


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And it came to pass, in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, that the king sent Shaphan the scribe, the son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, to the house of Jehovah, saying:


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Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, that he may count the money which has been brought into the house of Jehovah, which the doorkeepers have gathered from the people.


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And let them deliver it into the hand of those doing the work, who are the overseers in the house of Jehovah; let them give it to those who are in the house of Jehovah doing the work, to repair the breaches of the house;


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However there was no accounting made with them of the money delivered into their hand, because they were dealing faithfully.


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Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, I have found the Book of the Law in the house of Jehovah. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it.


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And Shaphan the scribe came to the king and brought back word to the king, saying, Your servants have gathered the money found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of those who are doing the work, who oversee the house of Jehovah.


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And Shaphan the scribe reported to the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest has given me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king.


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And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Achbor the son of Michaiah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king's servant, saying,


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Go, inquire of Jehovah for me, for the people and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that has been found; for great is the wrath of Jehovah that has been kindled against us, because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us.


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So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe. (She dwelt in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter.) And they spoke with her.


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Thus says Jehovah: Behold, I am bringing evil upon this place and upon its inhabitants; all the Words of the Book which the king of Judah has read;


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because they have forsaken Me and burned incense to other gods, that they might provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands. Therefore My wrath has been kindled against this place, and shall not be quenched.


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But as for the king of Judah who sent you to inquire of Jehovah, thus you shall say to him, Thus says Jehovah the God of Israel: Concerning the words which you have heard;


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because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before Jehovah when you heard what I have spoken against this place and against its inhabitants, that they would become a desolation and a curse, and you tore your clothes and wept before Me, I also have heard you, says Jehovah.


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Behold therefore, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace; and your eyes shall not see all the evil that I am bringing upon this place. So they brought back word to the king.


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And the king went up to the house of Jehovah with all the men of Judah, and with him all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; the priests and the prophets and all the people, both small and great. And he read in their ears all the Words of the Book of the Covenant which was found in the house of Jehovah.


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Then the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before Jehovah, to follow Jehovah and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes, with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the Words of this covenant that were written in this Book. And all the people stood for the covenant.


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And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, the priests of the second order, and the doorkeepers, to bring out of the temple of Jehovah all the articles that were made for Baal, for the grove, and for all the host of the heavens; and he burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and carried their ashes to Bethel.


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And he put an end to the idolatrous priests whom the kings of Judah had dedicated to burn incense on the high places in the cities of Judah and in the places all around Jerusalem, and those burning incense to Baal, to the sun, to the moon, to the zodiac, and to all the host of the heavens.


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And he brought out the grove from the house of Jehovah, to the Brook Kidron outside Jerusalem, burned it at the Brook Kidron and pulverized the ashes, and threw its ashes on the graves of the sons of the people.


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And he tore down the houses of the male temple prostitutes that were in the house of Jehovah, where the women were weaving shelters for the grove.


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And he brought all the priests from the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had burned incense, from Geba to Beer-sheba; also he broke down the high places at the gates which were at the entrance of the Gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which were to one's left of the city gate.


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Nevertheless the priests of the high places did not come up to the altar of Jehovah in Jerusalem, but they ate unleavened bread among their brethren.


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And he defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the children of the sons of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter pass through the fire to Molech.


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And he did away with the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun, at the entrance to the house of Jehovah, by the chamber of Nathan-Melech, the official who was in the court; and he burned the chariots of the sun with fire.


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The altars that were on the roof of the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars which Manasseh had made in the two courts of the house of Jehovah, the king beat them down and ran and hurled their dust into the Brook Kidron.


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And the king defiled the high places that were east of Jerusalem, which were on the south of the mount of corruption, which Solomon king of Israel had built for Ashtaroth the abomination of the Sidonians, for Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, and for Milcom the abomination of the children of Ammon.


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And he broke in pieces the sacred pillars and chopped down the groves, and filled their places with the bones of men.


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Moreover the altar that was at Bethel, and the high place which Jeroboam the son of Nebat had made, by which he had made Israel to sin, both that altar and the high place he tore down; and he burned the high place and pulverized it to dust, and burned the grove.


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And as Josiah turned, he saw the tombs that were there on the mountain. And he sent and took the bones out of the tombs and burned them on the altar, and defiled it according to the Word of Jehovah which the man of God had proclaimed, who had proclaimed these things.


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Then he said, What monument is this that I see? And the men of the city said to him, It is the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and proclaimed these things which you have done against the altar of Bethel.


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And he said, Let him alone; let no one disturb his bones. So they let his bones alone, with the bones of the prophet that had come from Samaria.


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And Josiah also took away all the houses of the high places that were in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made to provoke to anger; and he did to them according to all the deeds he had done at Bethel.


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And he slaughtered all the priests of the high places who were there, on the altars, and burned men's bones on them; and he returned to Jerusalem.


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And the king commanded all the people, saying, Keep the Passover to Jehovah your God, as it is written in this Book of the Covenant.


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Surely such a Passover had never been held since the days of the judges who judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel nor the kings of Judah.


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It was in the eighteenth year of King Josiah that this Passover was observed unto Jehovah in Jerusalem.


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Moreover Josiah put away the mediums and fortunetellers, the household images and idols, all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, that he might perform the Words of the Law which were written in the Book that Hilkiah the priest had found in the house of Jehovah.


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And before him there was no king like him, who turned to Jehovah with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses; nor after him has any arisen like him.


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Nevertheless Jehovah had not turned from His great burning wrath, with which His anger had been kindled against Judah, because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked Him.


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And Jehovah said, I will also remove Judah from before My face, as I have removed Israel, and will cast off this city Jerusalem which I have chosen, and the house of which I had said, My name shall be there.


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Now the rest of the acts of Josiah, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah.


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In his days Pharaoh Necho king of Egypt went up against the king of Assyria, to the River Euphrates; and King Josiah went out to meet him. And Pharaoh Necho killed him at Megiddo when he saw him.


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And his servants made him ride dead from Megiddo, brought him to Jerusalem, and buried him in his own tomb. And the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, anointed him, and made him king in his father's place.


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Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.


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And Pharaoh Necho put him in bonds at Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem; and he imposed on the land a tribute of one hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold.


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And Pharaoh Necho made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in place of his father Josiah, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. And Pharaoh took Jehoahaz and he came to Egypt, and he died there.


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And Jehoiakim gave the silver and gold to Pharaoh; but he taxed the land to give money at the mouth of Pharaoh; he exacted the silver and gold from the people of the land, from every one according to his assessment, to give it to Pharaoh Necho.


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Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Zebudah the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah.


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In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant for three years. Then he turned and rebelled against him.


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And Jehovah sent against him raiding bands of Chaldeans, bands of Syrians, bands of Moabites, and bands of the sons of Ammon; He sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the Word of Jehovah which He had spoken by the hand of His servants the prophets.


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Surely at the mouth of Jehovah this came upon Judah, to remove them from before His face because of the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done,


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and also because of the innocent blood that he had shed; for he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, which Jehovah was not willing to forgive.


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Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah.


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And the king of Egypt did not come out of his land anymore, for the king of Babylon had taken all that belonged to the king of Egypt from the Brook of Egypt to the River Euphrates.


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Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. His mother's name was Nehushta the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem.


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At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jerusalem, and the city was besieged.


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And Jehoiachin king of Judah, his mother, his servants, his princes, and his officials went out to the king of Babylon; and the king of Babylon took him in the eighth year of his reign.


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And he carried out from there all the treasures of the house of Jehovah and the treasures of the king's house, and he cut in pieces all the articles of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of Jehovah, as Jehovah had spoken.


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He also carried into captivity all Jerusalem: all the commanders and all the mighty men of valor, ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths. No one remained except the poorest people of the land.


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And he carried Jehoiachin captive to Babylon. The king's mother, the king's wives, his officials, and the mighty ones of prominence of the land he carried into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon.


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All the men of valor, seven thousand, and craftsmen and smiths, one thousand, all who were strong and fit for war, these the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon.


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And the king of Babylon made Mattaniah, his uncle, king in his place, and changed his name to Zedekiah.


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Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.


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For through the anger of Jehovah it happened in Jerusalem and Judah, until He had cast them out from before His face, that Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.


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Thus it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his forces came against Jerusalem and encamped against it; and they built a siege wall against it all around.


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By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land.


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And the city was broken into, and all the men of war fled at night by way of the gate between the two walls, which was by the king's garden, even though the Chaldeans were encamped all around against the city. And the king went the way toward the plain.


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And the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king, and they overtook him in the plains of Jericho; and all his army was scattered from him.


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So they took the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, and they pronounced judgment upon him.


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And they killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, put out the eyes of Zedekiah, bound him with bronze fetters, and brought him to Babylon.


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And in the fifth month, on the seventh of the month (which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem.


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He burned the house of Jehovah and the king's house; all the houses of Jerusalem, that is, all the houses of distinction, he burned with fire.


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And all the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard broke down the walls of Jerusalem all around.


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And Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive the rest of the people who remained in the city and the defectors who had fallen out to the king of Babylon, with the rest of the multitude.


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The bronze pillars that were in the house of Jehovah, and the carts and the bronze sea that were in the house of Jehovah, the Chaldeans broke in pieces, and carried the bronze to Babylon.


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They also took away the pots, the shovels, the snuffers, the spoons, and all the bronze utensils which were used in service.


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The firepans and the basins, the things of gold in gold and of silver in silver, the captain of the guard carried away.


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The two pillars, one Sea, and the carts, which Solomon had made for the house of Jehovah, the bronze of all these articles was without weight.


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The height of one pillar was eighteen cubits, and the capital on it was of bronze. The height of the capital was three cubits, and the network and pomegranates all around the capital were all of bronze. The second pillar was the same, with a network.


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And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the second priest, and the three doorkeepers.


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He also took out of the city an official who had charge of the men of war, five men who were found in the city who looked after the king's presence, the chief marshal of the army who mustered the people of the land, and sixty men of the people of the land who were found in the city.


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And the king of Babylon struck them and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. Thus Judah was carried away captive from its land.


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And he made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, governor over the people who remained in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left.


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And when all the commanders of the forces, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah; Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, Johanan the son of Careah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of a Maachathite, they and their men.


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And Gedaliah swore before them and their men, and said to them, Do not be afraid of the servants of the Chaldeans. Dwell in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.


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But it happened in the seventh month that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal seed, came with ten men and struck Gedaliah, the Jews, as well as the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah, so that they died.


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And all the people, small and great, and the commanders of the forces, arose and went to Egypt; for they were afraid before the Chaldeans.


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And it came to pass in the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh of the month, that Evil-Merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison.


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He spoke kindly to him, and gave him a more prominent seat than those of the kings who were with him in Babylon.


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And Jehoiachin changed from his prison garments, and he ate bread continually before him all the days of his life.


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And a continual allowance was rationed to him by the king, the matter day by day, all the days of his life.


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The sons of Keturah, Abraham's concubine: She bore Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. The sons of Jokshan: Sheba and Dedan.


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Now these were the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before a king reigned over the children of Israel: Bela the son of Beor; and the name of his city: Dinhabah.


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And when Husham died, Hadad the son of Bedad, who struck Midian in the field of Moab, reigned in his place. The name of his city was Avith.


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And when Baal-Hanan died, Hadad reigned in his place; and the name of his city: Pai. His wife's name: Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mezahab.


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The sons of Judah: Er, Onan, and Shelah. These three were born to him by the daughter of Shua, the Canaanitess. Er, the firstborn of Judah, was evil in the eyes of Jehovah, so He killed him.


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Caleb the son of Hezron had sons by Azubah, his wife, and by Jerioth. Now these were her sons: Jesher, Shobab, and Ardon.


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And afterward Hezron went in to the daughter of Machir the father of Gilead, whom he had taken when he was sixty years old; and she bore him Segub.


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(Geshur and Syria took from them the towns of Jair, with Kenath and its daughter-villages; sixty cities.) All these belonged to the sons of Machir the father of Gilead.


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The sons of Jerahmeel, the firstborn of Hezron: Ram, the firstborn, and Bunah, Oren, Ozem, and Ahijah.


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The sons of Caleb the brother of Jerahmeel: Mesha, his firstborn, who was the father of Ziph; and his son: Mareshah, the father of Hebron.


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She also bore Shaaph the father of Madmannah, Sheva the father of Machbenah and the father of Gibea. And the daughter of Caleb was Achsah.


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These, the sons of Caleb the son of Hur; the firstborn of Ephrathah: Shobal the father of Kirjath Jearim,


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The families of Kirjath Jearim were the Ithrites, the Puthites, the Shumathites, and the Mishraites. From these came the Zorathites and the Eshtaolites.


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The sons of Salma: Bethlehem, the Netophathites, Atroth Beth Joab, half of the Manahethites, and the Zorites.


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The families of the scribes who dwelt at Jabez: the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, and the Suchathites. These, the Kenites who came from Hammath, the father of the house of Rechab.


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Now these were the sons of David who were born to him in Hebron: The firstborn was Amnon, by Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; the second, Daniel, by Abigail the Carmelitess;


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the third, Absalom the son of Maacah, the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur; the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith;


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These six were born to him in Hebron. There he reigned seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years.


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And these were born to him in Jerusalem: Shimea, Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon; four by Bathshua the daughter of Ammiel.


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The sons of Josiah: Johanan the firstborn, the second Jehoiakim, the third Zedekiah, and the fourth Shallum.


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The sons of Pedaiah: Zerubbabel and Shimei. The sons of Zerubbabel: Meshullam, Hananiah, and Shelomith their sister;


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The sons of Hananiah: Pelatiah and Jeshaiah, the sons of Rephaiah, the sons of Arnan, the sons of Obadiah, and the sons of Shechaniah.


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The son of Shechaniah: Shemaiah. The sons of Shemaiah: Hattush, Igal, Bariah, Neariah, and Shaphat; six.


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And Reaiah the son of Shobal begot Jahath, and Jahath begot Ahumai and Lahad. These, the families of the Zorathites.


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These, the sons of the father of Etam: Jezreel, Ishma, and Idbash; and the name of their sister: Hazelelponi;


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and Penuel the father of Gedor, and Ezer the father of Hushah. These were the sons of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah the father of Bethlehem.


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Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I have borne him with sorrow.


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And Jabez called upon the God of Israel saying, Oh, that You might bless me, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would deal to bless me, keeping me from evil, to not be hurt. And God brought to pass what he had asked.


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And Eshton begot Beth-Rapha, Paseah, and Tehinnah the father of Ir-Nahash. These, the men of Rechah.


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The sons of Ezrah: Jether, Mered, Epher, and Jalon. And Mered's wife bore Miriam, Shammai, and Ishbah the father of Eshtemoa.


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His wife Jehudijah bore Jered the father of Gedor, Heber the father of Sochoh, and Jekuthiel the father of Zanoah. And these were the sons of Bithiah the daughter of Pharaoh, whom Mered took.


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The sons of Hodiah's wife, the sister of Naham, were the fathers of Keilah the Garmite and Eshtemoa the Maachathite.


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The sons of Shelah the son of Judah: Er the father of Lecah, Laadah the father of Mareshah, and the families of the house of the linen workers of the house of Ashbea;


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also Jokim, the men of Chozeba, and Joash; Saraph, who ruled in Moab, and Jashubi-Lehem. Now these records are ancient.


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These were the potters and the inhabitants of Netaim and Gederah; they dwelt there with the king for his work.


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Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters; but his brothers did not have many children, nor did any of their families multiply like the sons of Judah.


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Beth Marcaboth, Hazar Susim, Beth Biri, and at Shaaraim. These, their cities until the reign of David.


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and all the villages that were around these cities as far as Baal; these, their dwelling places. Their genealogy:


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Ziza the son of Shiphi, the son of Allon, the son of Jedaiah, the son of Shimri, the son of Shemaiah;


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these mentioned by name were chiefs in their families, and their father's house increased abundantly.


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And they went to the entrance of Gedor, as far as the east side of the valley, to seek pasture for their flocks.


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And they found rich, good pasture, and the land was broad, quiet, and peaceful; for those from Ham lived there formerly.


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These recorded by name came in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah; and they struck their tents and the Meunim who were found there, and utterly destroyed them, as it is to this day. So they dwelt in their place, because there was pasture for their flocks there.


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Now some of them, five hundred men of the sons of Simeon, went to Mount Seir, with Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah, and Uzziel, the sons of Ishi as their heads.


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Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel (he was indeed the firstborn, but because he defiled his father's bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph, the son of Israel, for the genealogy to not be reckoned according to the birthright;


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yet Judah has prevailed over his brothers, and from him is the chief ruler, although the birthright was Joseph's);


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and Beerah his son, whom Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria carried into captivity. He was chief of the Reubenites.


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And his brethren by their families, when the genealogy of their generations was reckoned: the chief, Jeiel, and Zechariah,


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and Bela the son of Azaz, the son of Shema, the son of Joel, who dwelt in Aroer, as far as Nebo and Baal Meon.


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Eastward they settled as far as the entrance of the wilderness this side of the River Euphrates, because their cattle had multiplied in the land of Gilead.


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Now in the days of Saul they made war with the Hagrites, who fell by their hand; and they dwelt in their tents before the east of Gilead.


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and their brethren of their father's house: Michael, Meshullam, Sheba, Jorai, Jachan, Zia, and Eber; seven.


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These were the sons of Abihail the son of Huri, the son of Jaroah, the son of Gilead, the son of Michael, the son of Jeshishai, the son of Jahdo, the son of Buz:


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And they dwelt in Gilead, in Bashan and in its daughter-villages, and in all the common lands of Sharon within their borders.


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All these were reckoned by genealogies in the days of Jotham king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam king of Israel.


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The sons of Reuben, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh had forty-four thousand seven hundred and sixty valiant men, men able to bear shield and sword, shooting with the bow, and trained in war, going out to war.


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And they were helped against them, and the Hagrites and all who were with them were delivered into their hand, for they cried out unto God in the battle; and He was entreated for them, because they had trusted in Him.


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And they took away their livestock; fifty thousand camels, two hundred and fifty thousand sheep, and two thousand donkeys; and one hundred thousand souls of men;


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for many fell down slain, because the war was of God. And they dwelt in their place until the captivity.


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Thus the children of the half-tribe of Manasseh dwelt in the land. They multiplied from Bashan to Baal Hermon, Senir and Mount Hermon.


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These were the heads of their fathers' houses: Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah, and Jahdiel; mighty men of valor, famous men, and heads of their fathers' houses.


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And they were unfaithful to the God of their fathers, and went whoring after the gods of the peoples of the land, whom God had destroyed before them.


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So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria, and the spirit of Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria; and he carried the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh into captivity. He brought them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and the River Gozan to this day.


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The children of Amram: Aaron, Moses, and Miriam. The sons of Aaron: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.


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Johanan begot Azariah (it was he who served as priest in the house that Solomon built in Jerusalem),


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Jehozadak went into captivity when Jehovah carried Judah and Jerusalem into captivity by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar.


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The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their fathers.


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Now these are the ones whom David appointed over the service of song in the house of Jehovah, after the ark was in its resting place.


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They were serving with song before the dwelling place of the tent of meeting, until Solomon had built the house of Jehovah in Jerusalem, and they attended to their service according to the ordinance.


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And these are the ones who attended with their sons; of the sons of the Kohathites: Heman the singer, the son of Joel, the son of Samuel,


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Their brethren, the sons of Merari, on the left hand: Ethan the son of Kishi, the son of Abdi, the son of Malluch,


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And their brethren, the Levites, were appointed to all the service of the tabernacle of the house of God.


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But Aaron and his sons were offering sacrifices with smoke upon the altar of burnt offering and upon the altar of incense, all the service of the Holy of Holies, to make atonement for Israel, according to all that Moses the servant of God had commanded.


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These were their dwelling places throughout their encampments in their territory, for they were given by lot to the sons of Aaron, of the family of the Kohathites:


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And to the sons of Aaron they gave cities of refuge: Hebron, also Libnah with its common lands, Jattir, Eshtemoa with its common lands,


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And from the tribe of Benjamin: Geba with its common lands, Alemeth with its common lands, and Anathoth with its common lands. All their cities among their families; thirteen.


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To the rest of the family of the tribe of the Kohathites they gave by lot ten cities from the half-tribe of Manasseh.


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And to the sons of Gershon, throughout their families, they gave thirteen cities from the tribe of Issachar, from the tribe of Asher, from the tribe of Naphtali, and from the tribe of Manasseh in Bashan.


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To the sons of Merari, throughout their families, they gave twelve cities from the tribe of Reuben, from the tribe of Gad, and from the tribe of Zebulun.


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And they gave by lot from the tribe of the children of Judah, from the tribe of the children of Simeon, and from the tribe of the children of Benjamin these cities which are called by their names.


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And some of the families of the sons of Kohath were given cities as their territory from the tribe of Ephraim.


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And they gave them cities of refuge: Shechem with its common lands in the mountains of Ephraim, Gezer with its common lands,


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And from the half-tribe of Manasseh: Aner with its common lands and Bileam with its common lands, for the families of the rest of the sons of Kohath.


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To the sons of Gershon from the family of the half-tribe of Manasseh: Golan in Bashan with its common lands and Ashtaroth with its common lands.


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And from the tribe of Naphtali: Kedesh in Galilee with its common lands, Hammon with its common lands, and Kirjathaim with its common lands.


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To the rest of the sons of Merari from the tribe of Zebulun: Rimmon with its common lands and Tabor with its common lands.


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And on the other side of the Jordan, across from Jericho, on the east side of the Jordan, from the tribe of Reuben: Bezer in the wilderness with its common lands, Jahzah with its common lands,


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The sons of Tola: Uzzi, Rephaiah, Jeriel, Jahmai, Jibsam, and Shemuel, heads of their father's house. The sons of Tola were mighty men of valor in their generations; their number in the days of David was twenty-two thousand six hundred.


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The son of Uzzi: Izrahiah. The sons of Izrahiah: Michael, Obadiah, Joel, and Ishiah; all these five were chiefs.


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And with them, by their generations, according to their fathers' houses, were thirty-six thousand troops ready for war; for they had many wives and sons.


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Their brethren among all the families of Issachar were mighty men of valor, reckoned by their genealogies, eighty-seven thousand.


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The sons of Bela: Ezbon, Uzzi, Uzziel, Jerimoth, and Iri; five. They were heads of their fathers' houses, and they were reckoned by their genealogies, twenty-two thousand and thirty-four mighty men of valor.


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The sons of Becher: Zemirah, Joash, Eliezer, Elioenai, Omri, Jerimoth, Abijah, Anathoth, and Alemeth; all these, the sons of Becher.


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They were reckoned by genealogy according to their generations, heads of their fathers' houses, twenty thousand two hundred mighty men of valor.


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The son of Jediael: Bilhan. The sons of Bilhan: Jeush, Benjamin, Ehud, Chenaanah, Zethan, Tarshish, and Ahishahar.


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All these sons of Jediael were heads of their fathers' houses; there were seventeen thousand two hundred mighty men of valor fit to go out for war and battle.


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Machir took as his wife the sister of Huppim and Shuppim, whose name was Maachah. The name of the second was Zelophehad, and Zelophehad had daughters.


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Maachah the wife of Machir bore a son, and she called his name Peresh. The name of his brother was Sheresh, and his sons were Ulam and Rakem.


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Zabad his son, Shuthelah his son, and Ezer and Elead. The men of Gath who were born in that land killed them because they came down to take away their cattle.


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And when he went in to his wife, she conceived and bore a son; and he called his name Beriah, because of the evil upon his house.


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Their possessions and dwelling places: Bethel and its daughter-villages, to the east Naaran, to the west Gezer and its daughter-villages, and Shechem and its daughter-villages, as far as Azzah and its daughter-villages;


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and by the borders of the children of Manasseh were Beth Shean and its daughter-villages, Taanach and its daughter-villages, Megiddo and its daughter-villages, Dor and its daughter-villages. In these dwelt the sons of Joseph, the son of Israel.


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All these were the sons of Asher, heads of their fathers' houses, choice, mighty men of valor, chief leaders. And they were reckoned by genealogies among the army, fit for battle; twenty-six thousand men.


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These are the sons of Ehud, who were the heads of the fathers' houses of the inhabitants of Geba, and took them in exile to Manahath:


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And Shaharaim begot children in the land of Moab, after he had sent away Hushim and Baara his wives.


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and Beriah and Shema, heads of fathers of the inhabitants of Aijalon, who drove out the inhabitants of Gath.


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Azel had six sons whose names were these: Azrikam, Bocheru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan. All these, the sons of Azel.


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The sons of Ulam were mighty men of valor; archers. They had many sons, and sons of sons; one hundred and fifty. These were all sons of Benjamin.


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Thus all Israel was reckoned by genealogies, and behold, they were written in the book of the kings of Israel. And Judah was carried away captive to Babylon because of their unfaithfulness.


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Now the first inhabitants who dwelt in their possessions in their cities were Israelites, priests, Levites, and the temple slaves.


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Some of the sons of Judah, the sons of Benjamin, and the sons of Ephraim and Manasseh dwelt in Jerusalem:


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Uthai the son of Ammihud, the son of Omri, the son of Imri, the son of Bani, of the sons of Perez, the son of Judah.


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Ibneiah the son of Jeroham; Elah the son of Uzzi, the son of Michri; Meshullam the son of Shephatiah, the son of Reuel, the son of Ibnijah;


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and their brethren, according to their generations; nine hundred and fifty-six. All these men were heads of fathers in their fathers' houses.


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Azariah the son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub, the ruler over the house of God;


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Adaiah the son of Jeroham, the son of Pashur, the son of Malchijah; Maasai the son of Adiel, the son of Jahzerah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Meshillemith, the son of Immer;


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and their brethren, heads of their fathers' houses; one thousand seven hundred and sixty. They were very able men for the work of the service of the house of God.


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The Levites: Shemaiah the son of Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, of the sons of Merari;


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Obadiah the son of Shemaiah, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun; and Berechiah the son of Asa, the son of Elkanah, who lived in the villages of the Netophathites.


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Until then they had been gatekeepers for the camps of the sons of Levi at the King's Gate to the east.


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Shallum the son of Kore, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, and his brethren, from his father's house, the Korahites, were in charge of the work of the service, gatekeepers of the tent. Their fathers had been keepers at the entrance to the camp of Jehovah.


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All those chosen as gatekeepers were two hundred and twelve. They were reckoned by their genealogy, in their villages. David and Samuel the seer had appointed them in their faithfulness.


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So they and their sons had charge of the gates of the house of Jehovah, the house of the tent, by watches.


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In this trust were four chief gatekeepers; Levites. And they had charge over the chambers and treasuries of the house of God.


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They lodged all around the house of God because theirs was the charge for opening up morning by morning.


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Some of them were over the vessels of service, for they brought them in by count and took them out by count.


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Some of them were appointed over the furnishings and over all the implements of the sanctuary, and over the fine flour and the wine and the oil and the frankincense and the spices.


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Mattithiah of the Levites, the firstborn of Shallum the Korahite, had the trust over the things that were made in the pans.


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Some of their brethren of the sons of the Kohathites were to prepare the Bread in Rows Sabbath by Sabbath.


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These were the singers, heads of fathers of the Levites, who stayed in the chambers, and were free from other duties; for this was their occupation day and night.


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These heads of fathers of the Levites were heads throughout their generations; and dwelt in Jerusalem.


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And Mikloth begot Shimeam. And they dwelt with their brethren at Jerusalem, across from their brethren.


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And Azel had six sons whose names were these: Azrikam, Bocheru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan; these, the sons of Azel.


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Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines, and fell slain on Mount Gilboa.


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And the Philistines followed hard after Saul and his sons. And the Philistines killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul's sons.


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And the battle was heavy against Saul; and the archers found him, and he was wounded by the archers.


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And Saul said to his armorbearer, Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and abuse me. But his armorbearer would not, for he was greatly afraid. So Saul took a sword and fell on it.


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And when all the men of Israel who were in the valley saw that they had fled and that Saul and his sons had died, they forsook their cities and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them.


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So it happened the next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.


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And they stripped him and took his head and his weapons, and sent throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news to their idols and among the people.


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all the valiant men arose and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons; and they brought them to Jabesh, and buried their bones under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.


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Thus Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he had transgressed against Jehovah, because he had not kept the Word of Jehovah, and because he asked counsel to seek after a medium.


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He had not inquired after Jehovah; therefore He killed him, and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.


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Also, in time past, even when Saul was king, you were the one who led Israel out and brought them in; and Jehovah your God said to you, You shall shepherd My people Israel, and be ruler over My people Israel.


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Therefore all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and David made a covenant with them at Hebron before Jehovah. And they anointed David king over Israel, according to the Word of Jehovah by the hand of Samuel.


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And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem, which is Jebus, where the Jebusites were, the inhabitants of the land.


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And the inhabitants of Jebus said to David, You shall not come in here. Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion; the City of David.


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And David said, Whoever strikes the Jebusites first shall be chief commander. And Joab the son of Zeruiah went up first, and became chief.


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And he built the city all around, from the Millo and all around. And Joab restored the rest of the city.


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These were the heads of the mighty men with David, who strengthened themselves with him in his kingdom, with all Israel, to make him king, according to the Word of Jehovah concerning Israel.


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This is the number of David's mighty men: Jashobeam the son of a Hachmonite, chief of the thirty; he had lifted up his spear against three hundred, killed at one time.


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He was with David at Pasdammim. Now the Philistines had gathered there for battle, and there was a parcel of land full of barley; and the people had fled before the Philistines.


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But they took their stand in the middle of that field, recovered it, and killed the Philistines. And Jehovah saved by a great deliverance.


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And three of the thirty chief men went down to the rock to David, into the cave of Adullam; and the army of the Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim.


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And David said longingly, Oh, that someone would give me a drink of water from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate.


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So the three broke through the camp of the Philistines, drew water from the well of Bethlehem by the gate, and took it and brought it to David. But David would not drink it, but poured it out to Jehovah,


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and said, Far be it from me, O my God, to do this. Shall I drink the blood of these men with their souls? For at the risk of their lives they have brought it. Therefore he would not drink it. These things were done by the three mighty men.


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Abishai the brother of Joab was chief of another three. He had lifted up his spear against three hundred men, killed them, and had a name among the three.


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Of the three he was more honored than the other two; therefore he became their commander. However he did not attain to the first three.


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Benaiah was the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man from Kabzeel, who had done many deeds. He had killed two lion-like ones of Moab. He also had gone down and killed a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day.


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And he killed an Egyptian, a man five cubits in stature. In the Egyptian's hand was a spear like a weaver's beam; and he went down to him with a staff, wrested the spear out of the Egyptian's hand, and killed him with his own spear.


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Behold, he was honored among the thirty, but he did not attain to the first three. And David appointed him over his guard.


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And the mighty ones of the army were Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem,


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Now these were the ones who came to David at Ziklag while he was still restrained from before Saul the son of Kish; and they were among the mighty men, helping in the war,


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armed with bows, using both the right hand and the left in hurling stones and shooting arrows with the bow; Saul's brethren from Benjamin.


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The chief: Ahiezer, then Joash, the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite; Jeziel and Pelet the sons of Azmaveth; Berachah, and Jehu the Anathothite;


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Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty man among the thirty, and over the thirty; Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, and Jozabad the Gederathite;


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Some Gadites had separated over to David at the stronghold in the wilderness, mighty men of valor, men of war fit for battle, who could handle shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were as swift as gazelles on the mountains:


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These were from the sons of Gad, chiefs of the army; the least was over a hundred, and the greatest was over a thousand.


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These are the ones who crossed over the Jordan in the first month, when it was overflowing all its banks; and they put to flight all those in the valleys, to the east and to the west.


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And David went out to meet them, and answered and said to them, If you have come peaceably to me to help me, my heart will be united with you; but if to betray me to my enemies, since there is no wrong in my hands, may the God of our fathers see it and judge.


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And when the Spirit had clothed Amasai, chief of the thirty, he said: We are yours, O David; we are on your side, O son of Jesse. Peace, peace to you, and peace to your helpers. For your God helps you. So David received them, and assigned them to the chiefs among the troops.


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Some from Manasseh had fallen out to David when he was going with the Philistines to battle against Saul; but they did not help them, for the lords of the Philistines sent him away after taking counsel, saying, He may fall out to his master Saul with our heads.


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When he went to Ziklag, those of Manasseh who had fallen out to him: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai; heads of thousands from Manasseh.


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And they helped David against the bands of raiders, for they were all mighty men of valor, and they were commanders in the army;


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for at that time they came to David day by day to help him, until it was a great camp, like the host of God.


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These were the numbers of the divisions that were equipped for war, who had come to David at Hebron to turn over the kingdom of Saul to him, according to the mouth of Jehovah:


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of the sons of Benjamin, kindred of Saul, three thousand (for until then the greater number of them were keeping the charge of guarding the house of Saul);


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of the sons of Ephraim twenty thousand eight hundred, mighty men of valor, famous men throughout the house of their fathers;


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of the half-tribe of Manasseh eighteen thousand, who had been designated by name to come and make David king;


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of the sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, their chiefs were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their command;


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of Zebulun there were fifty thousand who could go out to war and set the battle in array with all implements of war, to help with undivided heart;


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of the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh, from the other side of the Jordan, one hundred and twenty thousand armed for battle with every kind of implement of war.


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All these men of war, who could keep ranks, came to Hebron with a perfect heart, to make David king over all Israel; and all the rest of Israel were of one heart to make David king.


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And they were there with David three days, eating and drinking, for their brethren had prepared for them.


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Moreover those who were near to them, from as far away as Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, were bringing food on donkeys and camels, on mules and oxen; provisions of flour and cakes of figs and cakes of raisins, wine and oil and oxen and sheep abundantly, for there was joy in Israel.


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And David said to all the assembly of Israel, If it seems good to you, and it is of Jehovah our God, let us send out and broadcast to our brethren everywhere who are left in all the land of Israel, and to the priests and Levites who are with them in their cities and their common lands, that they may gather together to us;


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and let us bring around the ark of our God to us, for we have not inquired at it since the days of Saul.


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So David gathered all Israel together, from Shihor of Egypt to the entrance of Hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kirjath Jearim.


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And David and all Israel went up to Baalah, to Kirjath Jearim of Judah, to bring up from there the ark of Jehovah God, who dwells between the cherubim, where His name has been proclaimed.


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And they made the ark of God ride on a new cart from the house of Abinadab, and Uzza and Ahio were leading the cart.


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And David and all Israel were making sport before God with all their might, with singing, with harps, with lutes, with tambourines, with cymbals, and with trumpets.


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And when they came to the threshing floor of Chidon, Uzza put out his hand to take hold of the ark, for the oxen had fallen.


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And the anger of Jehovah burned against Uzza, and He struck him because he had put his hand on the ark; and he died there before God.


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And David was furious because Jehovah had violently burst forth upon Uzza; therefore that place is called Perez Uzza to this day.


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So David did not take away the ark with him into the City of David, but turned it aside into the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite.


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And the ark of God remained with the household of Obed-Edom in his house three months. And Jehovah blessed the house of Obed-Edom and all that he had.


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Now Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar timber, with masons and craftsmen, to build him a house.


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Thus David perceived that Jehovah had established him as king over Israel, for his kingdom had been exalted on high for the sake of His people Israel.


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Now when the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over all Israel, all the Philistines went up to seek David. And David heard of it and went out to face them.


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And David inquired of God, saying, Shall I go up against the Philistines? Have You delivered them into my hand? And Jehovah said to him, Go up, for I have delivered them into your hand.


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So they went up to Baal Perazim, and David struck them there. And David said, God has broken through to my enemies by my hand like a breakthrough of water. Therefore they called the name of that place Baal Perazim.


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And David again inquired of God, and God said to him, You shall not go up after them; circle around them, and come upon them in front of the balsam trees.


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And it shall be, when you hear a sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then you shall go out to battle, for God has gone out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.


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So David did as God had commanded him, and they struck the camp of the Philistines from Gibeon as far as Gezer.


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And David's fame went out into all the lands, for Jehovah had put the dread of him upon all the nations.


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David built houses for himself in the City of David; and he prepared a place for the ark of God, and pitched a tent for it.


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Then David said, No one may carry the ark of God but the Levites, for Jehovah has chosen them to carry the ark of God and to serve before Him continually.


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And David gathered all Israel together at Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of Jehovah to its place, which he had prepared for it.


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And David summoned Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and the Levites: Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab;


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and he said to them, You are the heads of the fathers of the Levites; consecrate yourselves, you and your brethren, that you may bring up the ark of Jehovah the God of Israel to the place I have prepared for it.


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For because you did not do it the first time, Jehovah our God has burst out against us, because we had not inquired of Him concerning the ordinance.


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So the priests and the Levites consecrated themselves to bring up the ark of Jehovah the God of Israel.


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And the sons of the Levites carried the ark of God on their shoulders, by its poles, as Moses had commanded according to the Word of Jehovah.


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And David commanded the chiefs of the Levites to appoint their brethren as singers with instruments of song, lutes, harps, and resounding cymbals, to raise the voice with joy.


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So the Levites appointed Heman the son of Joel; and of his brethren, Asaph the son of Berechiah; and of their brethren the sons of Merari, Ethan the son of Kushaiah;


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and with them their brethren of the second rank. The gatekeepers: Zechariah, Ben, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Elipheleh, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, and Jeiel.


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Directing with harps on the Sheminith: Mattithiah, Elipheleh, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah.


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Sounding the trumpets before the ark of God: Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer, the priests. Doorkeepers for the ark: Obed-Edom and Jehiah.


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Thus David, the elders of Israel, and the commanders over thousands went to bring up the ark of the covenant of Jehovah from the house of Obed-Edom with joy.


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And so it was, as God helped the Levites who were carrying the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, that they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams.


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David was clothed with a robe of fine linen, as were all the Levites who bore the ark, the singers, and Chenaniah the leader in uplifting singing. David also wore a linen ephod.


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Thus all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of Jehovah with shouting and with the sound of the shofar, with trumpets and with cymbals, sounding aloud with lutes and harps.


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And it happened, as the ark of the covenant of Jehovah came to the City of David, that Michal, Saul's daughter, looked through a window and saw King David whirling and playing; and she despised him in her heart.


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So they brought the ark of God, and set it in the midst of the tent that David had pitched for it. And they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before God.


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And when David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of Jehovah.


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And he distributed to everyone of Israel, both man and woman, to everyone a loaf of bread, a piece of meat, and a cake of raisins.


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And he appointed some of the Levites to minister before the ark of Jehovah, to commemorate, to thank, and to praise Jehovah the God of Israel:


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Asaph the chief, and next to him Zechariah, then Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, and Obed-Edom, Jeiel with lutes and harps, Asaph with resounding cymbals,


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and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests continually with the trumpets before the ark of the covenant of God.


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On that day David first gave this psalm by the hand of Asaph and his brethren, to give thanks unto Jehovah:


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Ascribe unto Jehovah the glory due His name; bring an offering, and come before Him. Oh, bow down before Jehovah in the beauty of holiness.


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Let the Heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; and let them say among the nations, Jehovah reigns.


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Then the trees of the forest shall cry out for joy before Jehovah, for He has come to judge the earth.


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And say, Save us, O God of our salvation; gather us together, and deliver us from the nations, to give thanks to Your holy name, to boast in Your praise.


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Blessed be Jehovah the God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting. And all the people said, Amen; and praised Jehovah.


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Thus he left Asaph and his brothers there before the ark of the covenant of Jehovah to minister before the ark continually, according to the matter day by day;


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and Obed-Edom with his sixty-eight brethren: Obed-Edom the son of Jeduthun and Hosah, the gatekeepers;


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and Zadok the priest and his brethren the priests, before the tabernacle of Jehovah at the high place that was at Gibeon,


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to offer burnt offerings unto Jehovah on the altar of burnt offering continually morning and evening, and to do according to all that is written in the Law of Jehovah which He had commanded Israel;


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and with them Heman and Jeduthun and the rest who were chosen, who were designated by name, to give thanks unto Jehovah, because His mercy is eternal;


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and with them Heman and Jeduthun, to sound aloud with trumpets and cymbals and the instruments of song of God; and the sons of Jeduthun were gatekeepers.


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Now it came to pass, when David had been dwelling in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, Behold now, I am dwelling in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of Jehovah is under curtains.


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For I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up Israel, even to this day, but have gone from tent to tent, and from one tabernacle to another.


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Wherever I have walked about with all Israel, have I spoken a word to any of the judges of Israel, whom I had commanded to shepherd My people, saying, Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?


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Now therefore, thus shall you say to My servant David, Thus says Jehovah of Hosts: I have taken you from the sheepfold, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people Israel.


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And I have been with you wherever you have gone, and have cut off all your enemies before you, and have made you a name like the name of the great ones of the earth.


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Moreover I have established a place for My people Israel, and have planted them, that they may dwell in their place and move no more, for the sons of wickedness to wear them out anymore, as previously,


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since the day that I have commanded judges to be over My people Israel. I have also subdued all your enemies. Furthermore I declare to you that Jehovah shall build you a house.


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And it shall be, when your days have been fulfilled to go to your fathers, that I will raise up your seed after you from your sons; and I will establish his kingdom.


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I will be his Father, and he shall be My son; and I will not take My mercy away from him, as I took it from him who was before you.


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And I will establish him in My house and in My kingdom forever; and his throne shall be established forever.


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Then King David went in and sat before Jehovah, and he said: Who am I, O Jehovah God? And what is my house, that You have brought me this far?


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And yet this was a small thing in Your eyes, O God; and You have also spoken of Your servant's house for a great while to come, and have regarded me according to the manner of a man of high degree, O Jehovah God.


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O Jehovah, for Your servant's sake, and according to Your own heart, You have done all this greatness, to make known all this greatness.


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O Jehovah, there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears.


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And what single nation on the earth is like Your people Israel, whom God has gone to redeem for Himself as a people; to make for Yourself a great name to be feared, to drive out nations before Your people whom You redeemed out of Egypt?


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For You designated Your people Israel as Your people forever; and You, Jehovah, have become their God.


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And now, O Jehovah, the word which You have spoken concerning Your servant and concerning his house, let it be established forever, and do as You have spoken.


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Let it even be established, that Your name may be magnified forever, saying, Jehovah of Hosts, the God of Israel, God to Israel. And let the house of Your servant David be established before You.


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For You, O my God, have disclosed to Your servant's ear that You will build him a house. Therefore Your servant has found heart to pray before You.


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Now You have been pleased to bless the house of Your servant, that it may be before You forever; for You have blessed it, O Jehovah, and it is blessed forever.


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After this it came to pass that David struck the Philistines, subdued them, and took Gath and its daughter-villages from the hand of the Philistines.


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And David struck Hadadezer king of Zobah as far as Hamath, as he went to establish his hand by the River Euphrates.


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David took from him one thousand chariots, seven thousand horsemen, and twenty thousand foot soldiers. And David also hamstrung all the chariot horses, except that he spared enough of them for one hundred chariots.


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When the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David killed of the Syrians twenty-two thousand men.


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Then David put garrisons in Syria of Damascus; and the Syrians became David's servants, and brought tribute. Thus Jehovah prospered David wherever he went.


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And David took the shields of gold that were on the servants of Hadadezer, and brought them to Jerusalem.


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Also from Tibhath and from Chun, cities of Hadadezer, David brought very much bronze, with which Solomon made the bronze sea, the pillars, and the articles of bronze.


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he sent Hadoram his son to King David, to ask after his welfare and to bless him, because he had fought against Hadadezer and struck him (for Hadadezer had been a man of war against Tou); along with all kinds of articles of gold, silver, and bronze.


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King David also consecrated these unto Jehovah, along with the silver and gold that he had brought from all these nations: Edom, Moab, the children of Ammon, the Philistines, and Amalek.


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He also put garrisons in Edom, and all the Edomites became David's servants. And Jehovah prospered David wherever he went.


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Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David's sons were chiefs at the king's side.


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It happened after this that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon died, and his son reigned in his place.


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And David said, I will show kindness to Hanun the son of Nahash, because his father showed kindness to me. So David sent messengers to comfort him concerning his father. And David's servants came to Hanun in the land of the children of Ammon to comfort him.


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And the leaders of the children of Ammon said to Hanun, In your eyes is David honoring your father in that he has sent comforters to you? Have not his servants come to you to search, to overthrow and to spy out the land?


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Therefore Hanun took David's servants, shaved them, and cut off their garments in the middle, at their buttocks, and sent them away.


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Then some went and reported to David about the men; and he sent to meet them, because the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said, Stay at Jericho until your beards have grown, and then return.


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And when the children of Ammon saw that they had made themselves odious to David, Hanun and the sons of Ammon sent a thousand talents of silver to hire for themselves chariots and horsemen from Syrian Naharaim, from Syrian Maachah, and from Zobah.


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So they hired for themselves thirty-two thousand chariots, with the king of Maachah and his people, who came and encamped before Medeba. Also the sons of Ammon gathered together from their cities, and came to battle.


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And the sons of Ammon came out and put themselves in battle array before the entrance to the city, and the kings who had come were by themselves in the field.


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And when Joab saw that the battle line was against him before and behind, he chose some of Israel's choice ones and put them in battle array to meet the Syrians.


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And the rest of the people he put into the hand of Abishai his brother, and they set themselves in battle array against the sons of Ammon.


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And he said, If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me; but if the sons of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will help you.


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Be of good courage, and let us be strong for our people and for the cities of our God; and may Jehovah do what is good in His eyes.


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So Joab and the people who were with him drew near for the battle against the Syrians, and they fled before him.


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And when the sons of Ammon saw that the Syrians had fled, they also fled before Abishai his brother, and entered the city. So Joab came to Jerusalem.


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So when the Syrians saw that they had been struck down before Israel, they sent messengers and brought the Syrians who were beyond the River, and Shophach the commander of Hadadezer's army went before them.


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And when it was reported to David, he gathered all Israel, crossed over the Jordan and came upon them, and set up in battle array against them. So when David had set up in battle array against the Syrians, they fought with him.


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And the Syrians fled before Israel; and David killed seven thousand charioteers and forty thousand foot soldiers of the Syrians, and killed Shophach the commander of the army.


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And when the servants of Hadadezer saw that they had been struck down before Israel, they made peace with David and served him. So the Syrians were not willing to help the sons of Ammon anymore.


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It happened at the time of the return of the year, at the time kings go out to battle, that Joab led out the armed forces and ravaged the land of the children of Ammon, and came and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem. And Joab struck Rabbah and overthrew it.


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And David took their king's crown from his head, and found it to weigh a talent of gold, and there were precious stones in it. And it was set on David's head. Also he brought out the spoils of the city; a very great amount.


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And he brought out the people who were in it, and cut them with saws, with iron picks, and with axes. Thus David did to all the cities of the children of Ammon. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.


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And it happened afterward that war rose up at Gezer with the Philistines, at which time Sibbechai the Hushathite killed Sippai, who was born to the giant. And they were subdued.


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Again there was war with the Philistines, and Elhanan the son of Jair killed Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver's beam.


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Yet again there was war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature, with twenty-four fingers and toes, six on each hand and six on each foot; and he also had been born to the giant.


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These were born to the giant in Gath, and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.


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And David said to Joab and to the rulers of the people, Go, number Israel from Beer-sheba to Dan, and bring the number of them to me that I may know it.


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And Joab answered, May Jehovah make His people a hundred times more than they are. But, my lord the king, are they not all my lord's servants? Why then does my lord desire this thing? Why should he be a cause of guilt to Israel?


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Nevertheless the king's word prevailed against Joab. Therefore Joab departed and went throughout all Israel and came to Jerusalem.


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And Joab gave the sum of the number of the people to David. All Israel had one million one hundred thousand men who drew the sword, and Judah had four hundred and seventy thousand men who drew the sword.


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So David said to God, I have sinned greatly, because I have done this thing; but now, I pray, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly.


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Go and speak to David, saying, Thus says Jehovah: I offer you three things; choose one of them for yourself, that I may do it to you.


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either three years of famine, or three months of being defeated before your foes with the sword of your enemies overtaking you, or else for three days the sword of Jehovah; the plague in the land, with the Angel of Jehovah destroying throughout all the territory of Israel. Now consider what word I shall return to the One sending me.


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And David said to Gad, I am in great distress. Please let me fall into the hand of Jehovah, for His mercies are very great; but do not let me fall into the hand of man.


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And God sent the Angel to Jerusalem to destroy it. As he was destroying, Jehovah looked and was moved to compassion regarding the evil, and said to the Angel who was destroying, It is enough; now restrain Your hand. And the Angel of Jehovah stood by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.


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And David lifted his eyes and saw the Angel of Jehovah standing between earth and the heavens, having in his hand a drawn sword stretched out over Jerusalem. And David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell on their faces.


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And David said to God, Was it not I who commanded the people to be numbered? I am the one who has sinned and done evil indeed; but these sheep, what have they done? Let Your hand, I pray, O Jehovah my God, be against me and my father's house, but not against Your people to be plagued.


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And the Angel of Jehovah commanded Gad to say to David that David should go and set up an altar unto Jehovah on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.


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And Ornan turned and saw the Angel; and his four sons who were with him hid themselves. Now Ornan had been threshing wheat.


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And David came to Ornan, and Ornan looked and saw David. And he went out from the threshing floor, and bowed to David with his face to the ground.


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And David said to Ornan, Give me the place of this threshing floor, that I may build an altar on it unto Jehovah. You shall give it to me for the full price, that the plague may be restrained from the people.


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And Ornan said to David, Take it to yourself, and let my lord the king do what is good in his eyes. See, I have also given you the oxen for burnt offerings, the threshing implements for wood, and the wheat for the grain offering; I have given it all.


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And King David said to Ornan, No, but I will buy to acquire it for the full price, for I will not take away what is yours for Jehovah, nor offer burnt offerings without cost.


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And David built there an altar unto Jehovah, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called upon Jehovah; and He answered him from the heavens by fire upon the altar of burnt offering.


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At that time, when David saw that Jehovah had answered him at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, then he sacrificed there.


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For the tabernacle of Jehovah and the altar of the burnt offering, which Moses had made in the wilderness, were at that time at the high place in Gibeon.


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But David could not go before it to inquire of God, for he had been terrified of the sword of the Angel of Jehovah.


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Then David said, This is the house of Jehovah God, and this is the altar of burnt offering for Israel.


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And David commanded to gather the sojourners in the land of Israel; and he appointed masons to cut hewn stones to build the house of God.


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And David prepared iron in abundance for the nails of the doors of the gates and for the joints, and bronze in abundance beyond weight,


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and cedar timber without number; for the Sidonians and those from Tyre brought cedar timber to David in abundance.


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And David said, Solomon my son is young and tender, and the house to be built for Jehovah must be exceedingly magnificent, for fame and glory throughout all lands. I will now make preparation for it. So David made abundant preparations before his death.


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And David said to Solomon: My son, as for me, it was in my heart to build a house to the name of Jehovah my God;


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but the Word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, You have shed much blood and have made great wars; you shall not build a house for My name, because you have shed much blood on the earth before Me.


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Behold, a son shall be born to you, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies all around. His name shall be Solomon, for I will give peace and tranquillity to Israel in his days.


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He shall build a house for My name, and he shall be My son, and I will be his Father; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.


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Now, my son, may Jehovah be with you; and may you prosper, and build the house of Jehovah your God, as He has spoken concerning you.


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Only may Jehovah give you wisdom and understanding, and give you charge concerning Israel, to keep the Law of Jehovah your God.


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Then you will prosper, if you take care to fulfill the statutes and judgments which Jehovah has commanded Moses concerning Israel. Be strong and of good courage; do not fear nor be dismayed.


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Now behold, in my affliction I have prepared for the house of Jehovah one hundred thousand talents of gold and one million talents of silver, and bronze and iron beyond weight, for it is in abundance. I have prepared timber and stone also, and you may add to them.


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Moreover there are workmen with you in abundance: hewers and craftsmen in stone and timber, and wise men for every kind of work.


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There is no counting the gold and silver and bronze and iron. Arise and get to work; for Jehovah is with you.


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Is not Jehovah your God with you? And has He not given you rest all around? For He has given the inhabitants of the land into my hand, and the land has been subdued before Jehovah and before His people.


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Now give your hearts and your souls to seek Jehovah your God. Therefore arise and build the sanctuary of Jehovah God, to bring the ark of the covenant of Jehovah and the holy vessels of God into the house that is to be built for the name of Jehovah.


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Now the Levites were numbered from the age of thirty years and above; and the head count of the men was thirty-eight thousand.


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Of these, twenty-four thousand were to oversee the work of the house of Jehovah, six thousand officers and judges,


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four thousand gatekeepers, and four thousand for praising Jehovah with instruments, which I have made, said David, to give praise.


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The sons of Shimei: Shelomith, Haziel, and Haran; three. These were the heads of the fathers of Laadan.


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Jahath was the first and Zizah the second. But Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons; therefore they were reckoned as one father's house.


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The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses. And Aaron was set apart, he and his sons perpetually, that he should consecrate the set apart, holy things, to burn incense before Jehovah, to serve Him, and to bless in His name perpetually.


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The sons of Eliezer: Rehabiah was head. And Eliezer had no other sons, but the sons of Rehabiah were very many.


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The sons of Hebron: Jeriah was the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth.


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And Eleazar died, and had no sons, but only daughters; and their brethren, the sons of Kish, took them as wives.


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These were the sons of Levi by their fathers' houses; heads of fathers as they were reckoned by the number of names by head count, who did the work for the service of the house of Jehovah, from the age of twenty years and above.


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For David had said, Jehovah the God of Israel has given rest to His people, that they may dwell in Jerusalem always;


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and also to the Levites, They shall no longer need to carry the tabernacle, nor any of the vessels for its service.


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because their function was to give a hand to the sons of Aaron in the service of the house of Jehovah, in the courts and in the chambers, in the purifying of all holy things and the work of the service of the house of God,


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both with the Bread in Rows and the fine flour for the grain offering, with the unleavened cakes and what is in the pans, with what is mixed and with all kinds of measures and sizes;


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and to offer the burnt offerings unto Jehovah on the Sabbaths and on the new moons and on the set feasts, by number according to their ordinance, continually before Jehovah;


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and that they should keep the charge of the tent of meeting, the charge of the holy place, and the charge of the sons of Aaron their brethren in the service of the house of Jehovah.


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These are the divisions of the sons of Aaron. The sons of Aaron: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.


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And Nadab and Abihu died before their father, and had no sons; and Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests.


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And David with Zadok of the sons of Eleazar, and Ahimelech of the sons of Ithamar, divided them according to the office of their service.


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There were more chief men found of the sons of Eleazar than of the sons of Ithamar, and thus they were divided. Among the sons of Eleazar were sixteen chief men of their fathers' houses, and eight heads of their fathers' houses among the sons of Ithamar.


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Thus they were divided by lot, these and these; for there were officers of the sanctuary and officers of the house of God, from the sons of Eleazar and from the sons of Ithamar.


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And the scribe, Shemaiah the son of Nethanel, one of the Levites, wrote them down before the king, the rulers, Zadok the priest, Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, and the heads of the fathers of the priests and Levites, one father's house taken for Eleazar and one for Ithamar.


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This was the assignment of their service to come into the house of Jehovah according to their ordinance by the hand of Aaron their father, as Jehovah the God of Israel had commanded him.


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And for the rest of the sons of Levi: of the sons of Amram, Shubael; of the sons of Shubael, Jehdeiah.


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Of the sons of Hebron, Jeriah was the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth.


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The sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth. These were the sons of the Levites according to their fathers' houses.


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These also cast lots, as their brothers the sons of Aaron did, in the presence of King David: Zadok, Ahimelech, and the heads of the fathers' houses of the priests and Levites, and the chief fathers, as well as their younger brethren.


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Moreover David and the commanders of the army separated for the service some of the sons of Asaph, of Heman, and of Jeduthun, for prophesying with harps, lutes, and cymbals. And the number of the skilled men performing their service,


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of the sons of Asaph: Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asharelah; the sons of Asaph were under the hand of Asaph, who prophesied under the hand of the king.


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Of Jeduthun, the sons of Jeduthun: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah; six; under the hand of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied with the harp to give thanks and to praise Jehovah.


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Of Heman, the sons of Heman: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel, Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, Romamti-Ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazioth.


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All these were the sons of Heman the king's seer in the Words of God, to exalt his horn; for God gave Heman fourteen sons and three daughters.


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All these were under the hands of their father for song in the house of Jehovah, with cymbals, lutes, and harps, for the service of the house of God, under the hand of the king: Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman.


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So the number of them, with their brethren who were trained in the songs of Jehovah, all with understanding: two hundred and eighty-eight.


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The first lot for Asaph came out for Joseph. The second for Gedaliah, him with his brethren and sons; twelve.


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The divisions of the gatekeepers: of the Korahites, Meshelemiah the son of Kore, of the sons of Asaph.


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The sons of Meshelemiah: Zechariah the firstborn, Jediael the second, Zebadiah the third, Jathniel the fourth,


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The sons of Obed-Edom: Shemaiah the firstborn, Jehozabad the second, Joah the third, Sacar the fourth, Nethanel the fifth,


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Also sons were born to Shemaiah his son, who ruled their fathers' houses, for they were mighty men of valor.


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The sons of Shemaiah: Othni, Rephael, Obed, and Elzabad; whose brothers Elihu and Semachiah were men of valor.


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All these were of the sons of Obed-Edom, they and their sons and their brethren, mighty men of valor for the service: sixty-two of Obed-Edom.


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Also Hosah, of the sons of Merari, had sons: Shimri the first (for though he was not the firstborn, his father made him the first),


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Hilkiah the second, Tebaliah the third, Zechariah the fourth; all the sons and brethren of Hosah, thirteen.


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Among these were the divisions of the gatekeepers, among the chief men, having duties just like their brethren, to serve in the house of Jehovah.


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The lot eastward fell to Shelemiah. And they cast lots for his son Zechariah, a wise counselor, and his lot came out for the north.


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To Shuppim and Hosah the lot came out for the west, for the Shallecheth Gate ascending to the highway; guard next to guard.


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On the east were six Levites, on the north four each day, on the south four each day, and for the storehouse two and two.


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Of the Levites, Ahijah was over the treasuries of the house of God and over the treasuries of the dedicated things.


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The sons of Laadan, the sons of the Gershonites of Laadan, heads of their fathers, of Laadan the Gershonite: Jehieli.


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His brethren by Eliezer: Rehabiah his son, Jeshaiah his son, Joram his son, Zichri his son, and Shelomith his son.


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This Shelomith and his brethren were over all the treasuries of the dedicated things which King David and the heads of fathers, the commanders over thousands and hundreds, and the commanders of the army, had consecrated.


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And all that Samuel the seer, Saul the son of Kish, Abner the son of Ner, and Joab the son of Zeruiah had consecrated, every dedicated thing, was under the hand of Shelomith and his brethren.


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Of the Izharites: Chenaniah and his sons were over the external business over Israel of the officials and judges.


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Of the Hebronites: Hashabiah and his brethren, one thousand seven hundred able men, had the oversight of Israel on the west side of the Jordan for all the business of Jehovah, and in the service of the king.


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Of the Hebronites: Jerijah was head of the Hebronites according to the generations of his fathers. In the fortieth year of the reign of David they were sought, and there were found among them mighty men of valor at Jazer of Gilead.


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And his brethren were two thousand seven hundred men of valor, heads of fathers, whom King David made overseers over the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, for every matter pertaining to God and the matters of the king.


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And the sons of Israel, according to their number, the heads of fathers, the commanders of thousands and hundreds and their officers, served the king in every matter in their divisions. These divisions came in and went out month by month throughout all the months of the year; each division having twenty-four thousand.


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Over the first division for the first month was Jashobeam the son of Zabdiel, and in his division were twenty-four thousand;


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Over the division of the second month was Dodai an Ahohite, and of his division Mikloth also was the ruler; in his division were twenty-four thousand.


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The third commander of the army for the third month was Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada the chief priest; in his division were twenty-four thousand.


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This was the Benaiah who was mighty among the thirty, and was over the thirty; in his division was Ammizabad his son.


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The fourth for the fourth month was Asahel the brother of Joab, and Zebadiah his son after him; in his division were twenty-four thousand.


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The fifth commander for the fifth month was Shamhuth the Izrahite; in his division were twenty-four thousand.


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The sixth for the sixth month was Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite; in his division were twenty-four thousand.


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The seventh for the seventh month was Helez the Pelonite, of the sons of Ephraim; in his division were twenty-four thousand.


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The eighth for the eighth month was Sibbechai the Hushathite, of the Zarhites; in his division were twenty-four thousand.


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The ninth for the ninth month was Abiezer the Anathothite, of the Benjamites; in his division were twenty-four thousand.


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The tenth for the tenth month was Maharai the Netophathite, of the Zarhites; in his division were twenty-four thousand.


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The eleventh for the eleventh month was Benaiah the Pirathonite, of the sons of Ephraim; in his division were twenty-four thousand.


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The twelfth for the twelfth month was Heldai the Netophathite, of Othniel; in his division were twenty-four thousand.


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Furthermore, over the tribes of Israel: the ruler of the Reubenites, Eliezer the son of Zichri; of the Simeonites, Shephatiah the son of Maachah;


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of the sons of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Azaziah; of the half-tribe of Manasseh, Joel the son of Pedaiah;


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of the half-tribe of Manasseh in Gilead, Iddo the son of Zechariah; of Benjamin, Jaasiel the son of Abner;


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But David did not take the number of those twenty years old and under, because Jehovah had said He would multiply Israel like the stars of the heavens.


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Joab the son of Zeruiah began to count, but he did not finish, for wrath came upon Israel because of this; nor was the number recorded in the account of the chronicles of King David.


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Azmaveth the son of Adiel was over the king's treasuries; and Jehonathan the son of Uzziah was over the storehouses in the fields, in the cities, in the villages, and in the towers.


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And Shimei the Ramathite was over the vineyards, and Zabdi the Shiphmite was over the produce of the vineyards for the supply of wine.


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Baal-Hanan the Gederite was over the olive trees and the sycamore trees in the lowlands, and Joash was over the supply of oil.


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And Shitrai the Sharonite was over the herds that fed in Sharon, and Shaphat the son of Adlai was over the herds in the valleys.


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Also Jehonathan, David's uncle, was a counselor, a wise man, and a scribe; and Jehiel the son of Hachmoni was with the king's sons.


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After Ahithophel was Jehoiada the son of Benaiah, then Abiathar. And the commander of the king's army was Joab.


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Now David assembled at Jerusalem all the rulers of Israel: the chiefs of the tribes and the leaders of the divisions who served the king, the commanders over thousands and commanders over hundreds, and the officials over all the substance and possessions of the king and of his sons, with the overseers, the mighty men, and all the men of valor.


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And King David rose to his feet and said, Hear me, my brethren and my people: I had it in my heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, and for the footstool of our God, and had made preparations to build it.


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But God has said to me, You shall not build a house for My name, because you have been a man of war and have shed blood.


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However Jehovah the God of Israel chose me above all the house of my father to be king over Israel forever, for He has chosen Judah as the ruler; and of the house of Judah, the house of my father, and among the sons of my father, He has been pleased to make me king over all Israel.


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And of all my sons (for Jehovah has given me many sons) He has chosen my son Solomon to sit on the throne of the kingdom of Jehovah, over Israel.


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And He said to me, Your son Solomon shall build My house and My courts; for I have chosen him as My son, and I will be his Father.


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Moreover I will establish his kingdom forever, if he prevails to do My commandments and My judgments, as it is this day.


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Now therefore, in the eyes of all Israel the assembly of Jehovah, and in the ears of our God, take heed to seek out all the commandments of Jehovah your God, that you may possess this good land, and leave it as an inheritance for your children after you always.


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As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind; for Jehovah searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever.


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Then David gave his son Solomon the pattern for the porch, its houses, its treasuries, its upper chambers, its inner chambers, and the place of the mercy seat;


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and the pattern for all that he had by the Spirit, of the courts of the house of Jehovah, of all the chambers all around, of the treasuries of the house of God, and of the treasuries for the consecrated things;


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also for the divisions of the priests and the Levites, for all the work of the service of the house of Jehovah, and for all the vessels of service in the house of Jehovah.


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Gold by weight for the things of gold, for all the vessels used in every kind of service; also silver for all the vessels of silver by weight, for all the vessels used in every kind of service;


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the weight for the lampstands of gold, and their lamps of gold, by weight for each lampstand and its lamps; for the lampstands of silver by weight, for the lampstand and its lamps, according to the service of each lampstand.


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And by weight, the gold for the tables of the Bread in Rows, for each table, and silver for the tables of silver;


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also pure gold for the forks, the bowls, the pitchers of pure gold, and the golden basins; gold by weight for every basin; and for the silver basins, silver by weight for every basin;


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and refined gold by weight for the altar of incense, and for the construction of the chariot, that is, the gold cherubim that spread their wings and overshadowed the ark of the covenant of Jehovah.


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All this, said David, Jehovah has given me insight in writing, by His hand upon me, all these patterns of the workmanship.


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And David said to his son Solomon, Be strong and of good courage, and do it; do not fear nor be dismayed, for Jehovah God, my God, will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you, until you have finished all the work for the service of the house of Jehovah.


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Behold, the divisions of the priests and the Levites for all the service of the house of God; and every willing man of wisdom will be with you for all manner of workmanship, for every kind of service; also the rulers and all the people are here for whatever you say.


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Furthermore King David said to all the assembly: My son Solomon, the one whom God has chosen, is young and tender; and the work is great, because the temple is not for man but for Jehovah God.


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Now for the house of my God I have prepared with all my might: gold for things to be made of gold, silver for things of silver, bronze for things of bronze, iron for things of iron, wood for things of wood, onyx stones, stones to be set, antimony and of various colors, all kinds of precious stones, and alabaster stones in abundance.


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Moreover, because of my determination regarding the house of my God, I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the house of the sanctuary, from my own possessions of gold and silver:


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three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the houses;


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the gold for things of gold and the silver for things of silver, and for all kinds of work to be done by the hands of craftsmen. Who then is willing to consecrate his hand this day unto Jehovah?


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Then the heads of the fathers, chiefs of the tribes of Israel, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, with the officers over the king's business, offered free-will offerings.


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They gave for the service of the house of God five thousand talents and ten thousand darics of gold, ten thousand talents of silver, eighteen thousand talents of bronze, and one hundred thousand talents of iron.


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And those with whom precious stones were found, gave them to the treasury of the house of Jehovah, into the hand of Jehiel the Gershonite.


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And the people rejoiced, for they had offered willingly, because with a perfect heart they had offered willingly unto Jehovah; and King David also rejoiced with great joy.


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And David blessed Jehovah before the eyes of all the assembly, and David said: Blessed are You, Jehovah the God of Israel, our Father, forever and ever.


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Yours, O Jehovah, is the greatness, the power and the glory, the victory and the majesty; for all that is in the heavens and on earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O Jehovah, and You are exalted as head over all.


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Both riches and honor come from before You, and You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; it is in Your hand to make great and to give strength to all.


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But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly as this? For all things are from You, and out of Your own hand we have given to You.


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For we are strangers and sojourners before You, as were all our fathers; our days on earth are as a shadow, and there is no hope.


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O Jehovah our God, all this abundance that we have prepared to build You a house for Your holy name is out of Your hand, and is all Your own.


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I know also, my God, that You examine the heart and take pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of my heart I have willingly offered all these things; and now with joy I have seen Your people who are found here, to offer willingly to You.


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O Jehovah the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep this forever in the intent of the thoughts of the heart of Your people, and fix their heart toward You.


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And give my son Solomon a perfect heart to keep Your commandments and Your testimonies and Your statutes, to do all these things, and to build the temple for which I have made provision.


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And David said to all the assembly, Now bless Jehovah your God. So all the assembly blessed Jehovah the God of their fathers, and bowed down and prostrated themselves before Jehovah and the king.


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And they slaughtered sacrifices unto Jehovah and offered burnt offerings unto Jehovah on the next day: a thousand bulls, a thousand rams, a thousand lambs, with their drink offerings, and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel.


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And they ate and drank before Jehovah with great gladness that day. And they made Solomon the son of David king the second time, and anointed him before Jehovah as the prince, and Zadok as priest.


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And Solomon sat on the throne of Jehovah as king instead of David his father, and prospered; and all Israel obeyed him.


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All the rulers and the mighty men, and also all the sons of King David, set themselves under the hand of King Solomon.


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Thus Jehovah highly magnified Solomon in the eyes of all Israel, and bestowed upon him such royal majesty as had not been on any king before him in Israel.


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And the days that he reigned over Israel were forty years; seven years he reigned in Hebron, and thirty-three years he reigned in Jerusalem.


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And he died in a good old age, satisfied with days, riches and honor; and Solomon his son reigned in his place.


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Now the acts of King David, first and last, behold they are written in the book of Samuel the seer, in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the book of Gad the seer;


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of all his reign and his might, and the events that happened to him, to Israel, and to all the kingdoms of the lands.


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And Solomon the son of David strengthened himself in his kingdom, and Jehovah his God was with him and highly magnified him.


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And Solomon spoke to all Israel, to the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, to the judges, and to every leader in all Israel, the heads of the fathers;


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and Solomon, and all the assembly with him, went to the high place that was at Gibeon; for the tent of meeting of God, which Moses the servant of Jehovah had made in the wilderness, was there.


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But David had brought up the ark of God from Kirjath Jearim to the place David had prepared for it, for he had pitched a tent for it at Jerusalem.


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And the bronze altar that Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made, he put before the tabernacle of Jehovah; and Solomon and the assembly sought it out.


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And Solomon went up there to the bronze altar before Jehovah, which was at the tent of meeting, and offered a thousand burnt offerings on it.


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And Solomon said to God: You have shown great mercy to David my father, and have made me king in his place.


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Now, O Jehovah God, let Your promise to David my father be established, for You have made me king over a people like the dust of the earth for multitude.


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Now give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people; for who can judge this great people of Yours?


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And God said to Solomon: Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked riches or wealth or honor or the life of your enemies, nor have you asked long life; but have asked wisdom and knowledge for yourself, that you may judge My people over whom I have made you king;


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wisdom and knowledge are granted to you; and I will give you riches and wealth and honor, such as none of the kings who were before you have had, nor shall any after you have the like.


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So Solomon came to Jerusalem from the high place that was at Gibeon, from before the tent of meeting, and reigned over Israel.


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Also the king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedars as abundant as the sycamores which are in the lowland.


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And Solomon had horses exported out of Egypt and Mikveh; the king's merchants got them at Mikveh for a price.


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Now a chariot that came up and was brought out from Egypt was six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse one hundred and fifty; and thus, by their hand, they brought them out to all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Syria.


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Solomon numbered seventy thousand men to bear burdens, eighty thousand to quarry stone in the mountains, and three thousand six hundred to oversee them.


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And Solomon sent to Huram king of Tyre, saying: As you have dealt with David my father, and sent him cedars to build himself a house to dwell in,


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behold, I am building a house for the name of Jehovah my God, to consecrate it to Him, to burn before Him spiced incense, for the continual Bread in Rows, for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the Sabbaths, on the new moons, and on the set feasts of Jehovah our God, continually in Israel;


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but who is able to build Him a house, since the heavens and the Heaven of heavens cannot contain Him? Who am I then, that I should build Him a house, except to burn sacrifices with smoke before Him?


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Therefore now, send me a skilled man to work in gold and silver, in bronze and iron, in purple and crimson and violet, who has skill to engrave carvings with the wise men who are with me in Judah and Jerusalem, whom David my father has provided.


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Also send me cedar, cypress and algum from Lebanon, for I know that your servants know how to cut timber in Lebanon; and behold my servants will be with your servants,


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to prepare timber for me in abundance, for the house which I am building shall be great and wonderful.


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And behold, I will give to your servants, the cutters who are cutting timber, twenty thousand kors of ground wheat, twenty thousand kors of barley, twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil.


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And Huram the king of Tyre answered in writing, which he sent to Solomon: Because of Jehovah's love for His people, He has appointed you king over them.


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Huram also said: Blessed is Jehovah the God of Israel, who has made the heavens and earth, for He has given King David a wise son, endowed with prudence and understanding, who will build a house for Jehovah and a royal house for himself.


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(the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father, a man of Tyre), knowing how to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, stone and wood, purple and violet, fine linen and crimson, and to make any engraving and to accomplish any plan which may be given to him, with your craftsmen and with the craftsmen of my lord David your father.


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Now therefore, the wheat, the barley, the oil, and the wine of which my lord has spoken, let him send to his servants.


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And we will cut timber from Lebanon, as much as you need; we will bring it to you in rafts by sea to Joppa, and you will carry it up to Jerusalem.


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And Solomon numbered all the foreign men who were in the land of Israel, after the census in which David his father had numbered them; and there were found to be one hundred and fifty-three thousand six hundred.


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And he made seventy thousand of them bearers of burdens, eighty thousand stonecutters in the mountain, and three thousand six hundred overseers to make the people work.


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Thus Solomon began to build the house of Jehovah at Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where He had appeared to his father David, at the place that David had prepared on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.


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This is the foundation which Solomon laid for building the house of God: The length was sixty cubits (by cubits according to the former measure) and the width twenty cubits.


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And the porch that was in front of the sanctuary was twenty cubits long across the width of the house, and the height was one hundred and twenty. He overlaid the inside with pure gold.


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The great house he paneled with cypress which he covered with fine gold, and he put palm trees and chains on it.


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He also covered the house, the beams and thresholds, its walls and doors, with gold; and he engraved cherubim on the walls.


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And he made the house of the Holy of Holies. Its length was the same as the front of the house, twenty cubits, and its width twenty cubits. He covered it with six hundred talents of fine gold.


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In the house of the Holy of Holies he made two cherubim of sculpted work, and overlaid them with gold.


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The wings of the cherubim were twenty cubits in length: one wing of the one cherub was five cubits, touching the wall of the room, and the other wing was five cubits, touching the wing of the other cherub;


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one wing of the other cherub was five cubits, touching the wall of the room, and the other wing also was five cubits, touching the wing of the other cherub.


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He also made in front of the house two pillars thirty-five cubits high, and the capital that was on the top of each of them was five cubits.


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He made chains, as in the inner sanctuary, and put them on the tops of the pillars; and he made a hundred pomegranates, and put them on the chains.


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And he set up the pillars before the temple, one on the right hand and the other on the left; he called the name of the one on the right hand Jachin, and the name of the one on the left Boaz.


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Moreover he made a bronze altar: twenty cubits was its length, twenty cubits its width, and ten cubits its height.


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And he made the cast sea, ten cubits from brim to brim, a round circle. Its height was five cubits, and a line of thirty cubits circled around it.


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And underneath it were shapes like oxen encircling it all around, ten per cubit, all the way around the Sea. The oxen were cast in two rows, when it was cast.


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It stood on twelve oxen: three looking toward the north, three looking toward the west, three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east; the sea was set upon them, with all their back parts inward.


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It was a handbreadth thick; and its brim was shaped like the brim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It could hold three thousand baths.


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He also made ten basins, and put five on the right side and five on the left, to wash in them; such things as they offered for the burnt offering they washed in them, and the sea was for the priests to wash in.


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And he made ten lampstands of gold according to the ordinance, and set them in the temple, five on the right side and five on the left.


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He also made ten tables, and placed them in the temple, five on the right side and five on the left. And he made one hundred bowls of gold.


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Furthermore he made the court of the priests, and the great court and doors for the court; and he overlaid these doors with bronze.


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And Huram made the pots and the shovels and the bowls. And Huram finished doing the work that he was to do for King Solomon for the house of God:


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the two pillars and the bowls and capitals that were on top of the two pillars; the two networks covering the two bowls of the capitals which were on the tops of the pillars;


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four hundred pomegranates for the two networks (two rows of pomegranates for each network, to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the pillars);


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also the pots, the shovels, the forks, and all the utensils Huram-abi made of burnished bronze for King Solomon for the house of Jehovah.


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And Solomon had all these vessels made in such great abundance that the weight of the bronze was not ascertained.


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Thus Solomon had all the furnishings made for the house of God: the altar of gold and the tables on which was the Bread of the Presence,


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the lampstands with their lamps of pure gold, to burn according to the ordinance in front of the inner sanctuary,


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the snuffers, the bowls, the spoons, and the censers of pure gold. And the entrance of the house, its inner doors to the Holy of Holies, and the doors of the house of the temple, were gold.


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Thus all the work that Solomon had done for the house of Jehovah was finished; and Solomon brought in the things which his father David had consecrated: the silver and the gold and all the articles. And he put them in the treasuries of the house of God.


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And Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the chief fathers of the children of Israel, to Jerusalem, to bring the ark of the covenant of Jehovah up from the City of David, which is Zion.


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And they brought up the ark, the tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the tent; the priests, the Levites, brought them up.


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Also King Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel who were assembled with him before the ark, were sacrificing sheep and oxen that could not be counted or numbered for multitude.


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For the cherubim spread out their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim covered over the ark and its poles from above.


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And the poles were long enough that the ends of the poles of the ark could be seen from in front of the inner sanctuary; but they could not be seen from outside. And they are there to this day.


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Nothing was in the ark except the two tablets which Moses had put there at Horeb, when Jehovah had made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of Egypt.


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And it came to pass when the priests came out of the sanctuary (for all the priests who were present had consecrated themselves, without observing their divisions),


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and the Levites who were singing, all those of Asaph and Heman and Jeduthun, with their sons and their brethren, were standing to the east of the altar, clothed in white linen, having cymbals, lutes and harps, and with them one hundred and twenty priests sounding the trumpets;


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and those sounding the trumpets and those singing were as one, with one sound to be heard in praising and thanking Jehovah, to raise their voices with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of song, to praise Jehovah, saying: For He is good, for His mercy is eternal; that the house, the house of Jehovah, was filled with a cloud,


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so that the priests could not remain standing to serve before the cloud; for the glory of Jehovah had filled the house of God.


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And the king turned his face and blessed the whole assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel was standing.


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And he said: Blessed is Jehovah the God of Israel, who has fulfilled with His hands what He has spoken with His mouth to my father David, saying,


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Since the day that I brought My people out of the land of Egypt, I have chosen no city from any tribe of Israel in which to build a house, that My name might be there, nor have I chosen any man to be a ruler over My people Israel.


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Yet I have chosen Jerusalem, that My name may be there; and I have chosen David to be over My people Israel.


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But Jehovah said to my father David, Whereas it was in your heart to build a house for My name, you did well in that it was in your heart.


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Nevertheless you shall not build the house, but your son who will come from your loins, he shall build the house for My name.


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Thus Jehovah has fulfilled His word which He has spoken, and I have risen up in place of my father David, and sit on the throne of Israel, as Jehovah has spoken; and I have built the house for the name of Jehovah the God of Israel.


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And there I have put the ark, in which is the covenant of Jehovah which He has made with the children of Israel.


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And Solomon stood before the altar of Jehovah in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands


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(for Solomon had made a bronze platform five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high, and had set it in the midst of the court; and he stood on it, knelt down on his knees before all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands toward Heaven),


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and he said: O Jehovah, God of Israel, there is no God in the heavens or on earth like You, keeping Your covenant and mercy with Your servants who walk before You with all their hearts.


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You have kept what You have spoken to Your servant David my father; You have both spoken with Your mouth and fulfilled it with Your hand, as it is this day.


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Therefore, O Jehovah, God of Israel, now keep what You have spoken to Your servant David my father, saying, You shall not fail to have a man sitting before Me on the throne of Israel, only if your sons take heed to their way, to walk in My Law as you have walked before Me.


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And now, O Jehovah, God of Israel, let Your Word be established, which You have spoken to Your servant David.


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But will God indeed dwell with men on the earth? Behold, the heavens and the Heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this house which I have built.


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Yet have regard to the prayer of Your servant and his supplication, O Jehovah my God, and listen to the cry and the prayer which Your servant is praying before You:


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that Your eyes may be open toward this house day and night, toward the place where You have spoken to put Your name, that You may hear the prayer which Your servant prays toward this place.


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And may You hear the supplications of Your servant and of Your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. Hear from Heaven Your dwelling place, and when You have heard, forgive.


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If anyone sins against his neighbor, and has been required to swear an oath, and has come with an oath before Your altar in this house,


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then hear from Heaven, and act, and judge Your servants, to bring retribution on the wicked to bring his way upon his own head, and to justify the righteous to give him according to his righteousness.


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Or if Your people Israel are struck down before an enemy because they have sinned against You, and have returned and confessed Your name, and prayed and made supplication before You in this house,


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then hear from Heaven and forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them back to the land which You have given to them and their fathers.


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When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against You, when they have prayed toward this place and confessed Your name, and turned from their sin because You afflicted them,


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then hear in Heaven, and forgive the sin of Your servants, Your people Israel, that You may teach them the good way in which they should walk; and send rain on Your land which You have given to Your people as an inheritance.


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When there is famine in the land, pestilence or blight or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers; when their enemies besiege them in the land of their cities; whatever the plague or whatever the sickness;


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whatever prayer or supplication is made by anyone, or by all Your people Israel, when each one knows his own plague and his own grief, and has spread out his hands to this house:


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then hear from Heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive, and give to everyone according to all his ways, whose heart You know (for You alone have known the hearts of the sons of men),


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that they may fear You, to walk in Your ways all the days they live on the face of the land which You have given to our fathers.


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Moreover, concerning a foreigner, who is not of Your people Israel, but who has come from a distant land because of Your great name and Your mighty hand and Your outstretched arm, when they have come and prayed in this house;


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then hear from Heaven Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, that all peoples of the earth may know Your name and fear You, as do Your people Israel, and that they may know that this house which I have built is called by Your name.


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When Your people go out to battle against their enemies, wherever You send them, and when they have prayed to You toward this city which You have chosen and the house which I have built for Your name,


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When they sin against You (for there is no one who does not sin), and You have become angry with them and delivered them to the enemy, and they have taken them captive to a land far or near;


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yet when they have returned in their hearts in the land where they have been carried captive, and have turned back, and sought Your favor in the land of their captivity, saying, We have sinned, we have done perversely, and have acted wickedly;


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and when they have returned to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity, where they have been carried captive, and prayed toward their land which You have given to their fathers, the city which You have chosen, and toward the house which I have built for Your name:


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then hear from Heaven Your dwelling place their prayer and their supplications, and bring about justice, and forgive Your people who have sinned against You.


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Now therefore, Arise, O Jehovah God, to Your resting place, You and the ark of Your strength. Let Your priests, O Jehovah God, be clothed with salvation, and let Your saints rejoice in goodness.


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O Jehovah God, do not turn away the face of Your anointed; remember the faithfulness of Your servant David.


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And when Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from the heavens and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of Jehovah filled the house.


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And the priests were not able to enter the house of Jehovah, because the glory of Jehovah had filled the house of Jehovah.


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When all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of Jehovah upon the house, they bowed their faces to the ground on the pavement, and prostrated themselves and gave thanks unto Jehovah, saying: For He is good, for His mercy is eternal.


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King Solomon offered sacrifices of twenty-two thousand bulls and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep. Thus the king and all the people dedicated the house of God.


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The priests were stationed at their posts; the Levites also with instruments of song unto Jehovah, (which King David had made to give praise unto Jehovah, saying, For His mercy is eternal, whenever David offered praise by their hand), and the priests sounded trumpets opposite them, while all Israel were standing.


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Furthermore Solomon consecrated the middle of the court that was in front of the house of Jehovah; for there he offered burnt offerings and the fat of the peace offerings, because the bronze altar which Solomon had made was not able to receive the burnt offerings, the grain offerings, and the fat.


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At that time Solomon kept the feast seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great assembly from the entrance of Hamath to the Brook of Egypt.


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And on the eighth day they held a solemn assembly, for they observed the dedication of the altar seven days, and the feast seven days.


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On the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people away to their tents, joyful and glad of heart for the good that Jehovah had done to David, to Solomon, and to His people Israel.


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Thus Solomon finished the house of Jehovah and the king's house; and Solomon brought to successful conclusion all that came into his heart to make in the house of Jehovah and in his own house.


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And Jehovah appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him: I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice.


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When I shut up the heavens and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people,


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if My people who have been called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from the heavens, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.


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For now I have chosen and consecrated this house, that My name may be there always; and My eyes and My heart shall be there all the days.


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As for you, if you walk before Me as your father David has walked, and do according to all that I have commanded you, and keep My statutes and My judgments,


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then I will establish the throne of your kingdom, as I have covenanted with David your father, saying, You shall not fail to have a man ruling in Israel.


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But if you turn back and have forsaken My statutes and My commandments which I have set before you, and have gone and served other gods, and bowed down to them,


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then I will uproot them from My land which I have given them; and this house which I have consecrated for My name I will cast out from before My face, and will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples.


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And as for this lofty house, everyone who passes by it will be appalled and say, Why has Jehovah done thus to this land and this house?


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Then they will answer, Because they have forsaken Jehovah the God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and taken hold on other gods, and bowed down to them and served them; therefore He has brought all this evil upon them.


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It came to pass at the end of twenty years, in which Solomon had built the house of Jehovah and his own house,


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that the cities which Huram had given to Solomon, Solomon built them; and he caused the children of Israel to dwell there.


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also Baalath and all the storage cities that Solomon had, and all the chariot cities and the cities of the horsemen, and all that Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion.


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All the people who were left of the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, who were not of Israel;


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that is, their sons who were left in the land after them, whom the sons of Israel had not finished off; from these Solomon raised forced labor, as it is to this day.


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But Solomon did not make slaves for his work from the sons of Israel. They were men of war, commanders of his officers, commanders of his chariots, and his horsemen.


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And others were chiefs of the deputies of King Solomon: two hundred and fifty, who ruled over the people.


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And Solomon brought the daughter of Pharaoh up from the City of David to the house he had built for her; for he said, My wife shall not dwell in the house of David, king of Israel, because the places to which the ark of Jehovah has come are holy.


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And Solomon offered burnt offerings unto Jehovah on the altar of Jehovah which he had built before the porch,


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according to the matter of each day, offering according to the commandment of Moses, for the Sabbaths, the new moons, and the three appointed yearly feasts; the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Booths.


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And, according to the ordinance of David his father, he appointed the divisions of the priests for their service, the Levites for their charges, to praise and serve before the priests, as the charge of each day required, and the gatekeepers by their divisions at each gate; for thus was the commandment of David the man of God.


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They did not depart from the command of the king to the priests and Levites concerning any matter or concerning the treasuries.


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And all the work of Solomon was steadfast from the day of the foundation of the house of Jehovah until it was finished. Thus the house of Jehovah was completed.


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And Huram sent him ships by the hand of his servants, and servants who knew the sea. They went with the servants of Solomon to Ophir, and carried away four hundred and fifty talents of gold from there, and brought it to King Solomon.


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Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to Jerusalem to test Solomon with difficult questions, having a very great retinue, camels that bore spices, gold in abundance, and precious stones; and when she came to Solomon, she spoke with him about all that was in her heart.


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And Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing hidden from Solomon, that he could not explain it to her.


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the food of his table, the seating of his servants, the service of his waiters and their apparel, his cupbearers and their apparel, and his chamber by which he went up to the house of Jehovah, it took her breath away.


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And she said to the king: The word was true which I have heard in my own land, about your words and your wisdom.


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However I did not believe their words until I had come and my eyes saw it; and behold, the half of the greatness of your wisdom was not told me. You exceed the reports which I have heard.


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Happy are your men and happy are these your servants, who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom.


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Blessed is Jehovah your God, who has delighted in you, setting you on His throne to be king for Jehovah your God. In your God's love for Israel, to establish them forever, He has made you king over them, to do justice and righteousness.


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And she gave the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold, spices in great abundance, and precious stones; there had never been any spices such as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.


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Also, the servants of Huram and the servants of Solomon, who brought gold from Ophir, brought algum wood and precious stones.


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And the king made terraces of the algum wood for the house of Jehovah and for the king's house, also harps and lutes for the singers; and there had never before been seen such as these in the land of Judah.


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And King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all she desired, whatever she asked, besides what she had brought to the king. So she turned and went to her own land, she and her servants.


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besides what the traveling merchants and traders brought. And all the kings of Arabia and governors of the land brought gold and silver to Solomon.


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And King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels of hammered gold went into each shield.


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He also made three hundred shields of hammered gold; three hundred shekels of gold went into each shield. The king put them in the house of the Forest of Lebanon.


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The throne had six steps, with a footstool of gold, which were fastened to the throne; there were armrests on either side of the place of the seat, with two lions standing beside the armrests.


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Twelve lions stood there, one on each side of the six steps; nothing like this had been made for any other kingdom.


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All King Solomon's drinking vessels were gold, and all the vessels of the house of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Not one was silver, for it was accounted as nothing in the days of Solomon.


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For the king's ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram. Once every three years the ships came from Tarshish, bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.


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And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart.


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Each man brought his present: articles of silver and gold, garments, weapons, spices, horses, and mules, the matter year by year.


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Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king at Jerusalem.


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And he reigned over all the kings from the River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt.


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Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, first and last, are they not written in the book of Nathan the prophet, in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam the son of Nebat.


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And it happened, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard it, where he was in Egypt, where he had fled from the presence of King Solomon, that Jeroboam returned from Egypt.


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And they sent for him and called him. And Jeroboam and all Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying,


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Your father made our yoke heavy; now therefore, lighten the burdensome service of your father and his heavy yoke which he has put on us, and we will serve you.


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And King Rehoboam consulted the elders who stood before his father Solomon while he still lived, saying, How do you advise me to answer these people?


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And they spoke to him, saying, If you are kind to the people, and please them, and speak good words to them, they will be your servants forever.


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But he rejected the counsel which the elders had given him, and consulted the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him.


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And he said to them, What advice do you give? How should we answer this people who have spoken to me, saying, Lighten the yoke which your father had put on us?


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And the young men who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, Thus you should speak to the people who have spoken to you, saying, Your father made our yoke heavy, but you make it lighter on us; thus you shall say to them: My little finger shall be thicker than my father's loins!


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So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king had spoken, saying, Come back to me the third day.


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and he spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to it; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions!


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So the king did not consent to the people; for the turn of events was from God, that Jehovah might fulfill His word, which He had spoken by the hand of Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.


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And when all Israel saw that the king did not consent to them, the people answered the king, saying: What portion have we in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. Every man to your tents, O Israel! Now see to your own house, O David! And all Israel departed to their tents.


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And King Rehoboam sent Hadoram, who was over the labor force; but the sons of Israel stoned him with stones, and he died. So King Rehoboam mounted his chariot in haste to flee to Jerusalem.


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Now when Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he summoned up from the house of Judah and Benjamin one hundred and eighty thousand choice men who were warriors, to fight against Israel, that he might restore the kingdom to Rehoboam.


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Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, saying,


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Thus says Jehovah: You shall not go up or fight against your brethren. Let every man return to his house, for this thing has come about from Me. And they obeyed the words of Jehovah, and turned back from going against Jeroboam.


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Also in every city he put shields and spears, and made them very strong, having Judah and Benjamin on his side.


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For the Levites left their common lands and their possessions and came to Judah and Jerusalem, for Jeroboam and his sons had rejected them from serving as priests unto Jehovah.


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And he appointed for himself priests for the high places, for the satyrs, and the calves which he had made.


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And those from all the tribes of Israel, such as set their hearts to seek Jehovah the God of Israel, came to Jerusalem to sacrifice to Jehovah the God of their fathers.


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So they strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and spent three years making Rehoboam the son of Solomon strong, because they walked in the ways of David and Solomon for three years.


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And Rehoboam took for himself as wife Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth the son of David, and of Abihail the daughter of Eliah the son of Jesse.


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After her he took Maacah the daughter of Absalom; and she bore him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith.


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And Rehoboam loved Maachah the granddaughter of Absalom more than all his wives and his concubines; for he took eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and begot twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.


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And Rehoboam appointed Abijah the son of Maachah as head, as prince among his brothers; to make him king.


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He dealt with discernment, and dispersed some of his sons throughout all the territories of Judah and Benjamin, to every fortified city; and he gave them provisions in abundance. He also sought many wives for them.


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Now it came to pass, when Rehoboam had established the kingdom and had strengthened himself, that he and all Israel with him forsook the Law of Jehovah.


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And it happened in the fifth year of King Rehoboam, that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, because they had transgressed against Jehovah,


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with twelve hundred chariots, sixty thousand horsemen, and people without number who came with him out of Egypt; the Lubim and the Sukkiim and the Ethiopians.


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Then Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and the rulers of Judah, who were gathered together in Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said to them, Thus says Jehovah: You have forsaken Me, and therefore I also have forsaken you to the hand of Shishak.


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And when Jehovah saw that they had humbled themselves, the Word of Jehovah came to Shemaiah, saying, They have humbled themselves; therefore I will not destroy them, but I will grant them a little deliverance. My wrath shall not be poured out upon Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak.


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Nevertheless they shall be his servants, that they may distinguish between My service and the service of the kingdoms of the earth.


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So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, and took away the treasures of the house of Jehovah and the treasures of the king's house; he took everything. He also carried away the gold shields which Solomon had made.


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Then King Rehoboam made bronze shields in their place, and committed them to the hands of the commanders of the runners, who guarded the doorway of the king's house.


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And whenever the king entered the house of Jehovah, the runners went and brought them out; then they returned them to the guardroom.


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When he humbled himself, the wrath of Jehovah turned back from him, so as not to destroy him completely; and also, conditions were good in Judah.


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Thus Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem and reigned. Now Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king; and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which Jehovah had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put His name there. His mother's name was Naamah, an Ammonitess.


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Now the acts of Rehoboam, first and last, are they not written in the book of Shemaiah the prophet, and of Iddo the seer concerning genealogies. And there were wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their days.


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So Rehoboam rested with his fathers, and was buried in the City of David. And Abijah his son reigned in his place.


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He reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Michaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. And there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.


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Abijah began the battle with an army of mighty men of war, four hundred thousand choice men. Jeroboam also drew up in battle formation against him with eight hundred thousand choice men, mighty men of valor.


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And Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim in the mountains of Ephraim, and said, Hear me, Jeroboam and all Israel:


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Should you not know that Jehovah the God of Israel gave the dominion over Israel to David forever, to him and his sons, by a covenant of salt?


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Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon the son of David, rose up and rebelled against his lord.


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And worthless men gathered to him, and strengthened themselves against Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and tenderhearted and could not withstand them.


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And now you think to prevail before the kingdom of Jehovah in the hand of the sons of David; and you are a great multitude, and with you are the gold calves which Jeroboam made for you as gods.


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Have you not cast out the priests of Jehovah, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and made for yourselves priests, like the peoples of other lands, so that whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bull and seven rams may be a priest of things that are not gods?


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But as for us, Jehovah is our God, and we have not forsaken Him; and the priests who serve Jehovah are the sons of Aaron, and the Levites in their service.


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And they burn with smoke unto Jehovah every morning and every evening, the burnt sacrifices and spiced incense; they also set the Bread in Rows in order on the pure gold table, and the lampstand of gold with its lamps to burn every evening; for we are keeping the command of Jehovah our God, but you have forsaken Him.


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Now behold, God Himself is with us as our head, and His priests with sounding trumpets to sound the alarm against you. O sons of Israel, do not fight against Jehovah the God of your fathers, for you shall not prosper.


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But Jeroboam caused an ambush to go around behind them; so they were in front of Judah, and the ambush was behind them.


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And when Judah looked around, behold the battle was before and behind them; and they cried out unto Jehovah, and the priests were sounding the trumpets.


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And the men of Judah gave a shout; and as the men of Judah shouted, it happened that God struck Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.


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And Abijah and his people struck them with a great slaughter; and five hundred thousand choice men of Israel fell slain.


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Thus the sons of Israel were subdued at that time; and the sons of Judah prevailed, because they had trusted on Jehovah the God of their fathers.


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And Abijah pursued Jeroboam and took cities from him: Bethel with its daughter-villages, Jeshanah with its daughter-villages, and Ephron with its daughter-villages.


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And Jeroboam did not recover strength again in the days of Abijah; and Jehovah struck him, and he died.


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Now the rest of the acts of Abijah, his ways, and his sayings are written in the midrash of the prophet Iddo.


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So Abijah rested with his fathers, and they buried him in the City of David. And Asa his son reigned in his place. In his days the land was quiet for ten years.


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for he removed the foreign altars and the high places, and broke down the sacred pillars and chopped down the groves.


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He also removed the high places and the incense altars from all the cities of Judah, and the kingdom was quiet before him.


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And he built fortified cities in Judah, for the land had rest; he had no war in those years, because Jehovah had given him rest.


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Therefore he said to Judah, Let us build these cities and make walls around them, and towers, gates, and bars, while the land is yet before us, because we have sought Jehovah our God; we have sought Him, and He has given us rest on every side. So they built and prospered.


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And Asa had an army of three hundred thousand from Judah who carried shields and spears, and from Benjamin two hundred and eighty thousand men who carried shields and drew bows; all these were mighty men of valor.


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Then Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million men and three hundred chariots, and he came to Mareshah.


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And Asa went out against him, and they set the battle in array in the Valley of Zephathah at Mareshah.


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And Asa cried out unto Jehovah his God, and said, Jehovah, it is nothing for You to help, whether with many or with those who have no strength; help us, O Jehovah our God, for we have trusted on You, and in Your name we go against this multitude. O Jehovah, You are our God; do not let man prevail against You.


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And Asa and the people who were with him pursued them to Gerar. So the Ethiopians fell, and they could not recover, for they were broken before Jehovah and His army. And they carried away very much spoils.


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And they struck all the cities around Gerar, for the fear of Jehovah had come upon them; and they plundered all the cities, for there was exceedingly much spoils in them.


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They also struck the tents of the livestock, and carried off sheep and camels in abundance, and returned to Jerusalem.


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And he went out before Asa, and said to him: Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin. Jehovah is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.


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but when in their trouble they turned to Jehovah the God of Israel, and sought Him, He was found by them.


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And in those times there was no peace to the one going out, nor to the one coming in, but great turmoil was on all the inhabitants of the lands.


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And nation has been destroyed by nation, and city by city; for God has vexed them with every distress.


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And when Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and removed the abominable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities which he had taken in the mountains of Ephraim; and he restored the altar of Jehovah that was before the porch of Jehovah.


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And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and those sojourning with them from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon, for they had fallen out to him in great numbers from Israel when they saw that Jehovah his God was with him.


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And they gathered together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.


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And they offered to Jehovah at that time seven hundred bulls and seven thousand sheep from the spoils they had brought.


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And they entered into a covenant to seek Jehovah the God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul;


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and whoever would not seek Jehovah the God of Israel was put to death, whether small or great, man or woman.


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And all Judah rejoiced at the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and sought Him with all their will; and He was found by them, and Jehovah gave them rest all around.


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He also removed Maachah, the mother of Asa the king, from being queen mother, because she had made a horrible thing for the grove; and Asa cut down her horrible thing, and crushed and burned it by the Brook Kidron.


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But the high places were not removed from Israel. Nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect all his days.


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He also brought into the house of God the things that his father had consecrated and that he himself had consecrated: silver and gold and vessels.


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In the thirty-sixth year of the reign of Asa, Baasha king of Israel came up against Judah and built Ramah, that he might let none go out or come in to Asa king of Judah.


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And Asa brought silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of Jehovah and of the king's house, and sent to Ben-Hadad king of Syria, who dwelt in Damascus, saying,


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Let there be a treaty between you and me, as there was between my father and your father. Behold, I have sent you silver and gold; come, break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel, so that he will withdraw from me.


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So Ben-Hadad heeded King Asa, and sent the commanders of his forces against the cities of Israel; and they struck Ijon, Dan, Abel Maim, and all the storage cities of Naphtali.


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And King Asa took all Judah, and they carried away the stones and timber of Ramah, which Baasha had used for building; and with them he built Geba and Mizpah.


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At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said to him: Because you have leaned on the king of Syria, and have not trusted on Jehovah your God, therefore the army of the king of Syria has escaped from your hand.


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Were the Ethiopians and the Lubim not a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet, because you trusted on Jehovah, He delivered them into your hand.


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For the eyes of Jehovah run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong for those whose hearts are perfect toward Him. In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on there will be wars for you.


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Then Asa was angry with the seer, and put him in the prison house, for he was enraged at him for this; and Asa oppressed some of the people at the same time.


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And so, the acts of Asa, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.


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And in the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa became diseased in his feet, and his sickness was severe; yet in his sickness he did not seek Jehovah, but the physicians.


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And they buried him in his own tomb, which he had made for himself in the City of David; and they laid him in the bed which was filled with spices and various ingredients prepared in a mixture of ointments; and they made a very great burning for him.


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And he placed forces in all the fortified cities of Judah, and set garrisons in the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim which Asa his father had taken.


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And Jehovah was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the former ways of his father David; he did not seek the Baals,


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but sought the God of his father, and walked in His commandments and not according to the deeds of Israel.


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Therefore Jehovah established the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah gave tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he had riches and honor in abundance.


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And his heart was exalted in the ways of Jehovah; moreover he removed the high places and groves out of Judah.


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Also in the third year of his reign he sent his rulers, Ben-Hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Michaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah.


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And with them he sent Levites: Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tob-adonijah, the Levites; and with them Elishama and Jehoram, the priests.


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So they taught in Judah, and had the Book of the Law of Jehovah with them; they went throughout all the cities of Judah and taught the people.


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And the fear of Jehovah was on all the kingdoms of the lands that were around Judah, so that they did not make war against Jehoshaphat.


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Also some of the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat gifts and tribute of silver; and the Arabians brought him flocks, seven thousand seven hundred rams and seven thousand seven hundred male goats.


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So Jehoshaphat went on to become highly magnified, and he built fortresses and storage cities in Judah.


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He had much property in the cities of Judah; and the men of war, mighty men of valor, were in Jerusalem.


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These are their numbers, according to their fathers' houses. Of Judah, the commanders of thousands: Adnah the commander, and with him three hundred thousand mighty men of valor;


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and next to him was Amasiah the son of Zichri, who willingly offered himself unto Jehovah, and with him two hundred thousand mighty men of valor.


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Of Benjamin: Eliada a mighty man of valor, and with him two hundred thousand men armed with bow and shield;


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Jehoshaphat had riches and honor in abundance; and allied himself with Ahab and became his son-in-law.


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At the end of some years he went down to visit Ahab in Samaria; and Ahab killed sheep and oxen in abundance for him and the people with him, and enticed him to go up with him to Ramoth Gilead.


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So Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, Will you go with me against Ramoth Gilead? And he answered him, I am as you are, and my people as your people; also with you in the war.


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So the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, four hundred men, and said to them, Shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I refrain? And they said, Go up, for God will deliver it into the king's hand.


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And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, There is still one man by whom to inquire of Jehovah; but I hate him, because he never prophesies good concerning me, but always evil. He is Micaiah the son of Imla. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so.


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The king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah, clothed in their robes, were sitting each on his throne; and they were sitting at a threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets were prophesying before them.


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Now Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah had made horns of iron for himself; and he said, Thus says Jehovah: With these you shall thrust at the Syrians to finish them off.


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And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramoth Gilead and prosper, for Jehovah has delivered it into the king's hand.


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And the messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah spoke to him, saying, Behold, the words of the prophets with one accord are favorable to the king. Therefore please let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak of good things.


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And he came to the king; and the king said to him, Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I refrain? And he said, Go and prosper, and they shall be delivered into your hand!


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And the king said to him, How many times shall I make you swear that you tell me nothing but the truth in the name of Jehovah?


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Then he said, I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And Jehovah said, These have no master. Let each return to his house in peace.


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Then Micaiah said, Therefore hear the Word of Jehovah: I have seen Jehovah sitting on His throne, and all the host of the heavens standing on His right hand and His left.


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And Jehovah said, Who will persuade Ahab king of Israel to go up, that he may fall at Ramoth Gilead? So one spoke in this manner, and another spoke in that manner.


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Then a spirit came forward and stood before Jehovah, and said, I will persuade him. Jehovah said to him, In what way?


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So he said, I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And the Lord said, You shall seduce him and also succeed; go out and do so.


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Therefore behold, Jehovah has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these prophets of yours, and Jehovah has spoken evil against you.


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Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah went near and struck Micaiah on the cheek, and said, Which way has the spirit from Jehovah gone from me to speak to you?


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And the king of Israel said, Take Micaiah, and return him to Amon the ruler of the city and to Joash the king's son;


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and say, Thus says the king: Put this one in prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and water of affliction until I return in peace.


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And Micaiah said, If indeed you do return in peace, Jehovah has not spoken by me. And he said, Pay attention, all you people!


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And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, I will disguise myself and go into battle; but you put on your robes. So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle.


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Now the king of Syria had commanded the commanders of the chariots who were with him, saying, Fight with no one small or great, but only with the king of Israel.


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So it was, when the commanders of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, It is the king of Israel! Therefore they surrounded him to engage in battle; but Jehoshaphat cried out, and Jehovah helped him, and God drew them away from him.


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For so it was, when the commanders of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, that they turned back from pursuing him.


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Now a certain man drew a bow at random, and struck the king of Israel between the joints of his armor. So he said to the driver of his chariot, Turn your hand and bring me out of the battle, for I am wounded.


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The battle increased that day, and the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot in view of the Syrians until evening; and about the time of sunset he died.


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And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out before him, and said to King Jehoshaphat, Should you help the wicked and love those hating Jehovah? Therefore wrath is upon you from before Jehovah.


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Nevertheless good things have been found in you, in that you have burned the groves from the land, and have fixed your heart to seek God.


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So Jehoshaphat dwelt at Jerusalem; and he went out again among the people from Beer-sheba to the mountains of Ephraim, and brought them back to Jehovah the God of their fathers.


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and said to the judges, Take heed to what you are doing, for you do not judge for man but for Jehovah, who is with you in the words of judgment.


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Now therefore, let the fear of Jehovah be upon you; take heed and do it, for there is no injustice with Jehovah our God, no partiality, nor taking of bribes.


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Moreover in Jerusalem, for the judgment of Jehovah and for disputes, Jehoshaphat appointed some of the chief fathers of Israel of the Levites and priests, who were brought back to Jerusalem.


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And he commanded them, saying, You shall do this in the fear of Jehovah, in faithfulness and with a perfect heart:


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Whatever case comes to you from your brethren who dwell in their cities, whether of bloodshed or offenses against Law or commandment, against statutes or ordinances, you shall warn them, that they not trespass against Jehovah and wrath come upon you and your brethren. Do this, and you shall not be guilty.


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And behold, Amariah the chief priest is over you in all matters of Jehovah; and Zebadiah the son of Ishmael, the ruler of the house of Judah, for all the king's matters; also the Levites will be officials before you. Deal firmly, and Jehovah will be with the good.


text:
And it happened after this that the sons of Moab and the sons of Ammon, along with others besides the Ammonites, came to battle against Jehoshaphat.


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And some came and reported to Jehoshaphat, saying, A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea, from Syria; and they are in Hazazon Tamar (which is En Gedi).


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And Jehoshaphat feared, and set his face to seek Jehovah, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.


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So Judah gathered together to seek the face of Jehovah; and from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the face of Jehovah.


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And Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of Jehovah, before the new court,


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and said: O Jehovah the God of our fathers, are You not God in Heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You?


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Are You not our God, who drove out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel, and gave it to the seed of Abraham Your friend forever?


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If evil comes upon us; sword, judgment, pestilence, or famine; we will stand before this house and before Your face (for Your name is in this house), and cry out to You in our affliction, and You will hear and save.


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And now, behold, the sons of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, whom You would not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned aside from them and have not destroyed them.


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Behold, they are rewarding us by coming to drive us out of Your possession which You have given us to inherit.


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O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.


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Now all Judah, with their little ones, their wives, and their children, were standing before Jehovah.


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Then the Spirit of Jehovah came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly.


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And he said, Give attention, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, O King Jehoshaphat. Thus says Jehovah to you: Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's.


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Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they are coming up by the ascent of Ziz, and you shall find them at the end of the valley before the wilderness of Jeruel.


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You shall not fight in this battle. Station yourselves, stand your ground and see the salvation of Jehovah for you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out before them, for Jehovah is with you.


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And Jehoshaphat bowed down with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before Jehovah to prostrate themselves before Jehovah.


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And the Levites of the sons of the Kohathites and of the sons of the Korahites stood up to praise Jehovah the God of Israel with loud voices on high.


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So they rose early in the morning and went out into the wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Listen to me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Trust in Jehovah your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.


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And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing unto Jehovah, and who should praise the glory of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying: Give thanks unto Jehovah, for His mercy is eternal.


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And when they began to cry out in songs of praise, Jehovah set ambushes against the sons of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were smitten.


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For the sons of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to utterly kill and destroy them. And when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another.


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So when Judah had come to the lookout point at the wilderness, they looked toward the multitude; and behold, the corpses, fallen to the earth. No one had escaped.


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And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to plunder the spoils, they found among them an abundance of property on the corpses, with precious jewelry, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away; and they were three days plundering the spoils because there was so much.


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And on the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Berachah, for there they blessed Jehovah; therefore the name of that place was called The Valley of Berachah to this day.


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Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, with Jehoshaphat at the head of them, to go back to Jerusalem with joy; for Jehovah had made them rejoice over their enemies.


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And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of the lands when they heard that Jehovah had fought against the enemies of Israel.


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So Jehoshaphat was king over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi.


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And he walked in the way of his father Asa, and did not turn aside from it, to do what was right in the eyes of Jehovah.


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Nevertheless the high places were not taken away, for as yet the people had not fixed their hearts to the God of their fathers.


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Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, first and last, behold they are written in the book of Jehu the son of Hanani, which is brought up in the book of the kings of Israel.


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After this Jehoshaphat king of Judah had made an alliance with Ahaziah king of Israel, who acted very wickedly.


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And he allied himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish, and they made the ships in Ezion Geber.


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But Eliezer the son of Dodavah of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because you have allied yourself with Ahaziah, Jehovah has broken your works. And the ships were wrecked, so that they were not able to go to Tarshish.


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And Jehoshaphat rested with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the City of David. And Jehoram his son reigned in his place.


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He had brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat: Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariah, Michael, and Shephatiah; all these were the sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel.


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Their father gave them many gifts of silver and gold and precious things, with fortified cities in Judah; but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram, because he was the firstborn.


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Now when Jehoram rose to power over the kingdom of his father, he strengthened himself and killed all his brothers with the sword, and also others of the rulers of Israel.


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And he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done, for he had the daughter of Ahab as a wife; and he did evil in the eyes of Jehovah.


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Yet Jehovah would not destroy the house of David, because of the covenant that He had made with David, and since He had promised to give a lamp to him and to his sons forever.


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So Jehoram went out with his commanders, and all his chariots with him. And he rose up by night and struck the Edomites who had surrounded him and the commanders of the chariots.


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Thus Edom has been in revolt from under the hand of Judah to this day. At that time Libnah revolted from under his hand, because he had forsaken Jehovah the God of his fathers.


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Moreover he made high places in the mountains of Judah, and caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to commit harlotry, and thrust Judah aside.


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And a writing came to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, Thus says Jehovah the God of your father David: Because you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat your father, or in the ways of Asa king of Judah,


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but have walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and have made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to play the harlot like the harlotry of the house of Ahab, and also have killed your brothers, those of your father's household, who were better than yourself,


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behold, Jehovah is striking your people with a great blow; your children, your wives, and all your possessions;


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and you shall have great sickness with a disease of your intestines, until your intestines come out by reason of the sickness, day by day.


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Moreover Jehovah stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines and the Arabians who were near the Ethiopians.


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And they came up into Judah and broke through, and carried away all the possessions that were found in the king's house, and also his sons and his wives, so that there was not a son left to him except Jehoahaz, the youngest of his sons.


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And it happened in the course of time, after the end of two years, that his intestines came out because of his sickness; so he died from the miserable disease. And his people made no burning for him, like the burnings for his fathers.


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He was thirty-two years old when he became king. He reigned in Jerusalem eight years and, and departed unloved. And they buried him in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.


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Then the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah his youngest son king in his place, for the raiders who came with the Arabians into the camp had killed all the older sons. So Ahaziah the son of Jehoram, king of Judah, reigned.


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Ahaziah was forty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Athaliah the daughter of Omri.


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Therefore he did evil in the eyes of Jehovah, like the house of Ahab; for they were his counselors after the death of his father, to his destruction.


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He also followed their counsel, and went with Jehoram the son of Ahab king of Israel to war against Hazael king of Syria at Ramoth Gilead; and the Syrians struck Joram.


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And he returned to Jezreel to heal from the wounds with which he was struck at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. And Azariah the son of Jehoram, king of Judah, went down to see Jehoram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.


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Now Ahaziah's destruction, when he went to Joram, was from God; for when he came, he went out with Jehoram against Jehu the son of Nimshi, whom Jehovah had anointed to cut off the house of Ahab.


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And it happened, when Jehu was executing judgment upon the house of Ahab, and found the princes of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah's brothers who served Ahaziah, that he killed them.


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He also sought for Ahaziah; and they caught him (he was hiding in Samaria), and brought him to Jehu. When they had killed him, they buried him, because, they said, he is the son of Jehoshaphat, who sought Jehovah with all his heart. So the house of Ahaziah had no one to retain power over the kingdom.


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Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and commanded to destroy all the royal seed of the house of Judah.


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But Jehoshabeath, the daughter of the king, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king's sons who were being killed, and put him and his nurse in a bedroom. So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of King Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the priest (for she was the sister of Ahaziah), hid him from Athaliah so that she did not kill him.


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And he was hiding with them in the house of God for six years, while Athaliah reigned over the land.


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In the seventh year Jehoiada strengthened himself, and made a covenant with the commanders of hundreds: Azariah the son of Jeroham, Ishmael the son of Jehohanan, Azariah the son of Obed, Maaseiah the son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat the son of Zichri.


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And they went throughout Judah and gathered the Levites from all the cities of Judah, and the chief fathers of Israel, and they came to Jerusalem.


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And all the assembly made a covenant with the king in the house of God. And he said to them, Behold, the king's son shall reign, as Jehovah has spoken of the sons of David.


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This is what you shall do: One-third of you entering on the Sabbath, of the priests and the Levites, shall be gatekeepers of the doors;


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one-third shall be at the king's house; and one-third at the gate of the foundation. All the people shall be in the courts of the house of Jehovah.


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But let no one come into the house of Jehovah except the priests and those of the Levites who serve. They may go in, for they are holy; but all the people shall keep the watch of Jehovah.


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And the Levites shall surround the king on all sides, every man with his weapons in his hand; and whoever comes into the house, let him be put to death. You are to be with the king when he comes in and when he goes out.


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So the Levites and all Judah did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded. And each man took his men who were to come in on the Sabbath, with those who were going out on the Sabbath; for Jehoiada the priest had not dismissed the divisions.


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And Jehoiada the priest gave to the commanders of hundreds the spears and the large and small shields which had belonged to King David, that were in the house of God.


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And he stationed all the people, every man with his weapon in his hand, from the right side of the house to the left side of the house, along by the altar and by the house, all around the king.


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And they brought out the king's son, put the crown on him, gave him the Testimony, and made him king. And Jehoiada and his sons anointed him, and said, Long live the king!


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Now when Athaliah heard the sound of the people running and praising the king, she came to the people into the house of Jehovah.


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When she looked, behold, the king was standing by his pillar at the entrance; and the rulers and the trumpeters were by the king. All the people of the land were joyful, blowing trumpets, and singing with instruments of song, and leading in praise. So Athaliah tore her clothes and said, Treason! Treason!


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And Jehoiada the priest brought out the commanders of hundreds who mustered the forces, and said to them, Bring her out of the area of the house, and slay with the sword whoever follows her. For the priest had said, Do not kill her in the house of Jehovah.


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So they laid hands on her, and she came by way of the entrance of the Horse Gate by the king's house, and they killed her there.


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And Jehoiada made a covenant between himself, the people, and the king, to be the people of Jehovah.


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And all the people went to the house of Baal, and tore it down. They broke in pieces its altars and images, and killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars.


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Jehoiada also appointed the oversight of the house of Jehovah into the hand of the priests, the Levites, whom David had assigned to the house of Jehovah, to offer the burnt offerings of Jehovah, as it is written in the Law of Moses, with gladness and song, by the hands of David.


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And he stationed the gatekeepers at the gates of the house of Jehovah, so that no one who was in any way unclean could enter.


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And he took the commanders of hundreds, the nobles, the rulers of the people, and all the people of the land, and brought the king down from the house of Jehovah; and they came through the Upper Gate to the king's house, and made the king sit on the throne of the kingdom.


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So all the people of the land rejoiced; and the city was quiet, for they had slain Athaliah with the sword.


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Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Zibiah of Beer-sheba.


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And he gathered the priests and the Levites, and said to them, Go out to the cities of Judah, and gather from all Israel money to repair the house of your God from year to year, and see that you do it quickly. However the Levites did not do it quickly.


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So the king called Jehoiada the chief priest, and said to him, Why have you not required the Levites to bring in from Judah and from Jerusalem the offering of Moses the servant of Jehovah and of the assembly of Israel, for the tent of witness?


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For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken into the house of God, and had also offered all the consecrated things of the house of Jehovah to the Baals.


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And they made a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem to bring to Jehovah the offering that Moses the servant of God had laid upon Israel in the wilderness.


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And all the rulers and all the people rejoiced, brought and threw into the chest until they were all finished.


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So it was, at that time, when the chest was brought to the king's official by the hand of the Levites, and when they saw that there was much money, that the king's scribe and the high priest's officer came and emptied the chest, and took it and returned it to its place. Thus they did day by day, and gathered money in abundance.


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And the king and Jehoiada gave it to those who did the work of the service of the house of Jehovah; and they hired masons and craftsmen to repair the house of Jehovah, and also craftsmen in iron and bronze to restore the house of Jehovah.


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So the workmen labored, and the work of restoration excelled in their hands; they built up the house of God to its proper measure and strengthened it.


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When they had finished, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada; they made from it vessels for the house of Jehovah, utensils for serving and offering, spoons and vessels of gold and silver. And they offered burnt offerings in the house of Jehovah continually all the days of Jehoiada.


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And Jehoiada grew old and satisfied with days, and died; he was one hundred and thirty years old at his death.


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And they buried him in the City of David among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, both toward God and His house.


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And after the death of Jehoiada the rulers of Judah came and bowed down to the king. And the king gave heed to them.


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And they forsook the house of Jehovah the God of their fathers, and served the groves and idols; and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem because of their trespass.


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And He sent prophets to them, to bring them back to Jehovah; and they testified against them, but they would not listen.


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And the Spirit of God clothed Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, who stood above the people, and said to them, Thus says God: Why do you transgress the commandments of Jehovah, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken Jehovah, He also has forsaken you.


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So they conspired against him, and at the command of the king they stoned him with stones in the court of the house of Jehovah.


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Thus Joash the king did not remember the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but killed his son; and as he died, he said, May Jehovah take notice, and require it!


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So it happened at the turning of the year that the army of Syria came up against him; and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the rulers of the people from among the people, and sent all their spoils to the king of Damascus.


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For the army of the Syrians came with a small company of men; but Jehovah delivered a very great army into their hand, because they had forsaken Jehovah the God of their fathers. Thus they executed judgment against Joash.


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And when they had withdrawn from him (for they left him severely wounded), his own servants conspired against him because of the blood of the son of Jehoiada the priest, and killed him on his bed. So he died. And they buried him in the City of David, but they did not bury him in the tombs of the kings.


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These are the ones who conspired against him: Zabad the son of Shimeath the Ammonitess, and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith the Moabitess.


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Now concerning his sons, and the great many tributes to him, and the repairing of the house of God, behold, they are written in the midrash of the book of the kings. And Amaziah his son reigned in his place.


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Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem.


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Now it happened, when the kingdom had been secured to him, that he executed his servants who had killed his father the king.


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However he did not execute their children, but did as it is written in the Law in the Book of Moses, where Jehovah had commanded, saying, The fathers shall not be put to death for their sons, nor shall the sons be put to death for their fathers; but each shall die for his own sin.


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Moreover Amaziah gathered Judah together and set over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, according to their fathers' houses, throughout all Judah and Benjamin; and he numbered them from twenty years old and above, and found them to be three hundred thousand choice men, able to go to war, handling spear and shield.


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He also hired one hundred thousand mighty men of valor from Israel for one hundred talents of silver.


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But a man of God came to him, saying, O king, do not let the army of Israel go with you, for Jehovah is not with Israel; with any of the sons of Ephraim.


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But if you do go, do it. Be strong in battle. But even so, God shall make you stumble before the enemy; for God has power to help and to overthrow.


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And Amaziah said to the man of God, But what shall we do about the hundred talents which I have given to the troops of Israel? And the man of God answered, Jehovah has much more than this to give you.


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So Amaziah dismissed the troops that had come to him from Ephraim, to go back to their place. Therefore their anger burned greatly against Judah, and they returned to their place in burning anger.


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And Amaziah strengthened himself, and led his people and went to the Valley of Salt and killed ten thousand of the sons of Seir.


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And the sons of Judah took captive ten thousand alive, brought them to the top of the rock, and cast them down from the top of the rock, so that they all were ripped to pieces.


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But as for the troops which Amaziah had dismissed, so that they should not go with him to battle, they raided the cities of Judah from Samaria to Beth Horon, killed three thousand in them, and plundered much spoils.


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And it came about, after Amaziah came from the slaughter of the Edomites, that he brought the gods of the children of Seir, set them up to be his gods, and bowed down before them and burned incense to them.


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Therefore the anger of Jehovah burned against Amaziah, and He sent him a prophet who said to him, Why have you sought the gods of the people, which could not rescue their own people from your hand?


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So it was, as he spoke with him, that the king said to him, Have we made you the king's counselor? Stop! Why should you be killed? So the prophet stopped, and said, I know that God has given counsel to destroy you, because you have done this and have not heeded my counsel.


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Now Amaziah king of Judah took counsel and sent to Joash the son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, Come, let us look each other in the face.


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And Joash king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, Give your daughter to my son as wife; and a wild beast that was in Lebanon passed by and trampled the thistle.


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Behold, you say that you have struck the Edomites, and your heart is lifted up to boast. Stay at home now; why should you excite yourself to evil, that you should fall; you and Judah with you?


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But Amaziah would not listen, for it was from God, to deliver them into the hand of their enemies, because they had resorted to the gods of Edom.


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So Joash king of Israel went out; and he and Amaziah king of Judah looked one another in the face at Beth Shemesh, which belongs to Judah.


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And Joash the king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, at Beth Shemesh; and he brought him to Jerusalem, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate; four hundred cubits.


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And he took all the gold and silver, all the vessels that were found in the house of God with Obed-Edom, the treasures of the king's house, and hostages, and returned to Samaria.


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And Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, lived fifteen years after the death of Joash the son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel.


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Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, from first to last, behold, are they not written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.


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After the time that Amaziah turned away from following Jehovah, they conspired treason against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish; but they sent after him to Lachish and killed him there.


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And all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king instead of his father Amaziah.


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Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jecholiah of Jerusalem.


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And he did what was right in the eyes of Jehovah, according to all that his father Amaziah had done.


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He sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God; and in the days that he sought Jehovah, God made him prosper.


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And he went out and made war against the Philistines, and broke down the wall of Gath, the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod; and he built cities around Ashdod and among the Philistines.


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God helped him against the Philistines, against the Arabians who lived in Gur-Baal, and against the Meunim.


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The Ammonites also brought tribute to Uzziah. His fame spread as far as the entrance of Egypt, for he became exceedingly strong.


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And Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, at the Valley Gate, and at the corner of the wall, and fortified them.


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He also built towers in the wilderness, and dug many wells, for he had much livestock, both in the lowlands and in the plains; he also had farmers and vinedressers in the mountains and in Carmel, for he loved the soil.


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Moreover Uzziah had forces making war who went out to war by divisions, according to the number of their muster by the hand of Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the officer, under the hand of Hananiah, one of the king's commanders.


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And under their hand was a military force of three hundred and seven thousand five hundred, that made war with mighty power, to help the king against the enemy.


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And Uzziah provided for them, for the entire army, shields, spears, helmets, body armor, bows, and stones for the slings.


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And he made devices in Jerusalem, invented by skillful men, to be on the towers and the corners, to shoot arrows and large stones. And his fame spread far and wide, for he was marvelously helped till he became strong.


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But when he was strong his heart was lifted up, to his destruction, for he transgressed against Jehovah his God to enter the temple of Jehovah to burn incense on the altar of incense.


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And they withstood King Uzziah, and said to him, It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense unto Jehovah, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense. Get out of the sanctuary, for you have trespassed! You shall have no honor from Jehovah God.


text:
And Uzziah became enraged; and he had a censer in his hand to burn incense. And while he was angry with the priests, leprosy broke out on his forehead, before the priests in the house of Jehovah, beside the incense altar.


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And Azariah the chief priest and all the priests looked towards him, and behold, on his forehead he was leprous; so they hurried him out of that place. Indeed he also hurried to get out, because Jehovah had struck him.


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And King Uzziah was a leper until the day of his death. He dwelt in a separate house, because he was a leper; for he was cut off from the house of Jehovah. And Jotham his son was over the king's house, judging the people of the land.


text:
Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, from first to last, the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz has written.


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So Uzziah rested with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the field of burial which belonged to the kings, for they said, He is a leper. And Jotham his son reigned in his place.


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Jotham was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jerusha the daughter of Zadok.


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And he did what was right in the eyes of Jehovah, according to all that his father Uzziah had done (although he did not enter the temple of Jehovah). But the people continued to do corruptly.


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Moreover he built cities in the mountains of Judah, and in the forests he built fortresses and towers.


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He also fought with the king of the Ammonites and prevailed over them. And the children of Ammon gave him in that year one hundred talents of silver, ten thousand kors of wheat, and ten thousand of barley. The children of Ammon paid this to him in the second and third years also.


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Now the rest of the acts of Jotham, and all his wars and his ways, behold they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.


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So Jotham rested with his fathers, and they buried him in the City of David. And Ahaz his son reigned in his place.


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Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and he did not do what was right in the eyes of Jehovah, like his father David.


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He burned incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burned his children in the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom Jehovah had cast out before the children of Israel.


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Therefore Jehovah his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria. They struck him, and carried away a great multitude of them as captives, and brought them to Damascus. Then he was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who struck him down with a great slaughter.


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For Pekah the son of Remaliah killed one hundred and twenty thousand in Judah in one day, all valiant men, because they had forsaken Jehovah the God of their fathers.


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Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, killed Maaseiah the king's son, Azrikam the officer over the house, and Elkanah who was second to the king.


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And the sons of Israel carried away captive of their brethren two hundred thousand women, sons, and daughters; and they also took away much spoils from them, and brought the spoils to Samaria.


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But a prophet of Jehovah was there, whose name was Oded; and he went out before the army that came to Samaria, and said to them: Behold, because Jehovah the God of your fathers was angry with Judah, He has delivered them into your hand; but you have killed them in a rage that reaches up to the heavens.


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And now you propose to subject the children of Judah and Jerusalem to be your male and female slaves; but do you not also have guilt of your own before Jehovah your God?


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Now listen to me, therefore, and return the captives, whom you have taken captive from your brethren, for the fierce wrath of Jehovah is upon you.


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Then some of the heads of the sons of Ephraim, Azariah the son of Johanan, Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai, stood up against those who came from the war,


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and said to them, You shall not bring the captives here, for we are already guilty before Jehovah. You intend to add to our sins and to our guilt; for our guilt is great, and there is fierce wrath against Israel.


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Then the men who were designated by name rose up and took the captives, and from the spoils they clothed all who were naked among them, dressed them and gave them sandals, gave them food and drink, and anointed them; and they let all the feeble ones ride on donkeys. So they brought them to their brethren at Jericho, the city of palm trees; and returned to Samaria.


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The Philistines also had invaded the cities of the lowland and of the south of Judah, and had taken Beth Shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Sochoh with its daughter-villages, Timnah with its daughter-villages, and Gimzo with its daughter-villages; and dwelt there.


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For Jehovah had humbled Judah because of Ahaz king of Israel; for he had led Judah into lack of restraints, and to trespass in unfaithfulness unto Jehovah.


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For Ahaz took part of the treasures from the house of Jehovah, from the house of the king, and from the rulers, and he gave it to the king of Assyria; but he did not help him.


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For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus which had struck him, saying, Because the gods of the kings of Syria help them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me. But they were the ruin of him and of all Israel.


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So Ahaz gathered the vessels of the house of God, cut in pieces the utensils of the house of God, shut up the doors of the house of Jehovah, and made for himself altars in every corner of Jerusalem.


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And in every single city of Judah he made high places to burn incense to other gods, and provoked to anger Jehovah the God of his fathers.


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Now the rest of his acts and all his ways, from first to last, behold they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.


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So Ahaz rested with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, in Jerusalem; but they did not bring him into the tombs of the kings of Israel. And Hezekiah his son reigned in his place.


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Hezekiah became king when he was twenty-five years old, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abijah the daughter of Zechariah.


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In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of Jehovah and repaired them.


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and said to them: Hear me, you Levites. Now consecrate yourselves, consecrate the house of Jehovah the God of your fathers, and carry out the filth from the holy place.


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For our fathers have been unfaithful and done evil in the eyes of Jehovah our God; they have forsaken Him, have turned their faces away from the dwelling place of Jehovah, and turned their backs on Him.


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They have also shut up the doors of the porch, put out the lamps, and have not burned incense or offered burnt offerings in the holy place unto the God of Israel.


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Therefore the wrath of Jehovah is upon Judah and Jerusalem, and He has given them up to trembling and terror, to horror, and to hissing, as you see with your eyes.


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For behold, because of this our fathers have fallen by the sword; and our sons, our daughters, and our wives are in captivity.


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Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with Jehovah the God of Israel, that His fierce wrath may turn away from us.


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Now my sons, do not be negligent, for Jehovah has chosen you to stand before Him, to serve Him, and that you should serve Him and burn incense.


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Then these Levites rose up: Mahath the son of Amasai and Joel the son of Azariah, of the sons of the Kohathites; of the sons of Merari, Kish the son of Abdi and Azariah the son of Jehallelel; of the Gershonites, Joah the son of Zimmah and Eden the son of Joah;


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And they gathered their brethren, consecrated themselves, and went according to the commandment of the king, by the words of Jehovah, to cleanse the house of Jehovah.


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And the priests went into the inner part of the house of Jehovah to cleanse it, and brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of Jehovah, to the court of the house of Jehovah. And the Levites took it out and carried it to the Brook Kidron.


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And they began to consecrate on the first day of the first month, and on the eighth day of the month they came to the porch of Jehovah. Then they consecrated the house of Jehovah in eight days, and by the sixteenth day of the first month they had finished.


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And they went in to King Hezekiah and said, We have cleansed all the house of Jehovah, the altar of burnt offerings with all its utensils, and the table of the Bread in Rows with all its utensils.


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Moreover all the articles which King Ahaz in his reign had cast aside in his unfaithfulness we have prepared and consecrated; and behold, they are before the altar of Jehovah.


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Then King Hezekiah arose early, gathered the rulers of the city, and went up to the house of Jehovah.


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And they brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats for a sin offering for the kingdom, for the sanctuary, and for Judah. And he commanded the priests, the sons of Aaron, to offer them on the altar of Jehovah.


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So they killed the bulls, and the priests received the blood and sprinkled it on the altar. Likewise they killed the rams and sprinkled the blood on the altar. They also killed the lambs and sprinkled the blood on the altar.


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Then they brought out the male goats for the sin offering before the king and the assembly, and they laid their hands on them.


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And the priests killed them; and they offered their blood on the altar as a sin offering to make atonement for all Israel; for the king had commanded the burnt offering and the sin offering for all Israel.


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And he stationed the Levites in the house of Jehovah with cymbals, with lutes, and with harps, according to the commandment of David, of Gad the king's seer, and of Nathan the prophet; for thus was the commandment of Jehovah by the hand of his prophets.


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And Hezekiah commanded them to offer the burnt offering on the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the song of Jehovah also began, with the trumpets and by the hand of the instruments of David, king of Israel.


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So all the assembly bowed down, the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded; all this until the burnt offering was finished.


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And when they had finished offering, the king and all who were present with him bowed down and prostrated themselves.


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Moreover King Hezekiah and the rulers commanded the Levites to praise Jehovah with the words of David and of Asaph the seer. So they praised with gladness, and they bowed down and prostrated themselves.


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Then Hezekiah answered and said, Now that you have confirmed your hands unto Jehovah, come near, and bring sacrifices and thank offerings to the house of Jehovah. And the assembly brought in sacrifices and thank offerings, and as many as were of a willing heart brought burnt offerings.


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And the number of the burnt offerings which the assembly brought was seventy bulls, one hundred rams, and two hundred lambs; all these for a burnt offering unto Jehovah.


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But the priests were too few, so that they were not able to flay all the burnt offerings; therefore their brethren the Levites supported them until the work was ended and until the other priests had consecrated themselves, for the Levites were more upright in heart to consecrate themselves than the priests.


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Also the burnt offerings were in abundance, with the fat of the peace offerings and with the drink offerings for the burnt offerings. Thus the service of the house of Jehovah was set in order.


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And Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced that God had prepared the people, since the thing came about suddenly.


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And Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of Jehovah at Jerusalem, to keep the Passover unto Jehovah the God of Israel.


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For the king and his rulers and all the assembly in Jerusalem had taken counsel to keep the Passover in the second month.


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For they could not keep it at the regular time, because a sufficient number of priests had not consecrated themselves, nor had the people gathered together at Jerusalem.


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So they established a decree throughout all Israel, from Beer-sheba to Dan, that they should come to keep the Passover unto Jehovah the God of Israel at Jerusalem, for they had not done it for many days as it is written.


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And the runners went throughout all Israel and Judah with the letters from the king and his rulers, and spoke according to the command of the king: O Children of Israel, return unto Jehovah the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel; then He will return to the remnant of you who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria.


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And do not be like your fathers and your brethren, who have been unfaithful to Jehovah the God of their fathers, so that He gave them up to desolation, as you see.


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Now do not stiffen your necks, like your fathers, but give your hands unto Jehovah; and enter His sanctuary, which He has consecrated for all time, and serve Jehovah your God, that the fierceness of His wrath may turn away from you.


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For if you return to Jehovah, your brethren and your children shall find compassion before those holding them captive, to come back to this land; for Jehovah your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn His face from you if you return to Him.


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So the runners passed from city to city through the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, as far as Zebulun; but they laughed at them, mocking them.


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Also the hand of God was on Judah to give them singleness of heart to obey the command of the king and the rulers, at the Word of Jehovah.


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And many people, a very great assembly, gathered at Jerusalem to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the second month.


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They arose and took away the altars that were in Jerusalem, and they took away all the incense altars and cast them into the Brook Kidron.


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Then they slaughtered the Passover on the fourteenth day of the second month. The priests and the Levites were ashamed, and consecrated themselves, and brought the burnt offerings to the house of Jehovah.


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They stood in their place according to the ordinance, according to the Law of Moses the man of God; the priests were sprinkling the blood from the hand of the Levites.


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For many in the assembly had not sanctified themselves; therefore the Levites had charge of the slaughter of the Passover for everyone who was not clean, to consecrate them to Jehovah.


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For a multitude of the people, many from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the Passover contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, O good Jehovah, provide atonement for everyone


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who has prepared his heart to seek God, Jehovah the God of his fathers, though not according to the purification of the sanctuary.


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So the children of Israel found at Jerusalem kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with great joy; and the Levites and the priests were praising Jehovah day by day, with loud instruments unto Jehovah.


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And Hezekiah spoke to the heart of all the Levites who were teaching the good understanding of Jehovah; and they ate throughout the feast seven days, offering peace offerings and making confession unto Jehovah the God of their fathers.


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And the whole assembly took counsel to keep the feast another seven days, and they kept it another seven days with joy.


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For Hezekiah king of Judah had given to the assembly a thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep, and the rulers had given to the assembly a thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep; and a great number of priests consecrated themselves.


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The whole assembly of Judah rejoiced, along with the priests and Levites, all the assembly that came from Israel, the sojourners who came from the land of Israel, and those dwelling in Judah.


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So there was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the days of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel, there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem.


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Then the priests, the Levites, rose up and blessed the people, and their voice was heard; and their prayer came up to His holy dwelling place, to the heavens.


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Now when all this was finished, all Israel who were present went out to the cities of Judah and broke the sacred pillars in pieces, chopped down the groves, and threw down the high places and the altars; from all Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh; until they had utterly destroyed them all. Then all the children of Israel returned to their own cities, each to his possession.


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And Hezekiah appointed the divisions of the priests and the Levites according to their divisions, each man according to his service, the priests and Levites for burnt offerings and peace offerings, to serve, to give thanks, and to praise in the gates of the camp of Jehovah.


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The king also appointed a portion of his possessions for the burnt offerings: for the morning and evening burnt offerings, the burnt offerings for the Sabbaths and the new moons and the set feasts, as it is written in the Law of Jehovah.


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Moreover he commanded the people who dwelt in Jerusalem to give the portion for the priests and the Levites, that they might grow strong in the Law of Jehovah.


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As soon as the word spread, the children of Israel brought in abundance the firstfruits of grain and wine, oil and honey, and of all the produce of the field; and they brought in abundantly the tithe of everything.


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And the children of Israel and Judah, who dwelt in the cities of Judah, brought the tithe of oxen and sheep; also the tithe of holy things which were consecrated to Jehovah their God they laid in heaps upon heaps.


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And when Hezekiah and the rulers came and saw the heaps, they blessed Jehovah and His people Israel.


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And Azariah the chief priest, from the house of Zadok, answered him and said, Since the people began to bring the offerings into the house of Jehovah, we have had enough to eat and have plenty left, for Jehovah has blessed His people; and what is left is this great abundance.


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And they faithfully brought in the offerings, the tithes, and the consecrated things; Cononiah the Levite had charge of them, and Shimei his brother was next.


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Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismachiah, Mahath, and Benaiah were overseers under the hand of Cononiah and Shimei his brother, at the appointment of Hezekiah the king and Azariah the ruler of the house of God.


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Kore the son of Imnah the Levite, the keeper of the east gate, was over the freewill offerings to God, to distribute the offerings of Jehovah and the set apart, holy things.


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And under him were Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah, trusted in the cities of the priests, to distribute to the divisions by the hand of their brethren, to the great as well as the small.


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Besides those males from three years old and up who were reckoned by genealogy, they distributed to everyone who entered the house of Jehovah his portion day by day for the service of his charge, according to his division,


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and to the priests who were reckoned by genealogy according to their father's house, and to the Levites from twenty years old and up according to their charge, by their divisions,


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and to all who were reckoned by genealogy; their little ones and their wives, their sons and daughters, the whole company of them; for in their faithfulness they sanctified themselves in holiness.


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Also for the sons of Aaron the priests, who were in the fields of the common lands of their cities, in each city, there were men who were designated by name to distribute portions to all the males among the priests and to all who were reckoned by genealogy among the Levites.


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Thus Hezekiah did throughout all Judah, and he did what was good and right and true before Jehovah his God.


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And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, in the Law and in the commandment, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered.


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After these deeds of faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and entered Judah; he encamped against the fortified cities, thinking to break through for himself.


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And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come, and that his purpose was to make war against Jerusalem,


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he took counsel with his rulers and mighty men to stop the water from the springs which were outside the city; and they helped him.


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So, many people gathered together who stopped all the springs and the brook that ran through the land, saying, Why should the kings of Assyria come and find much water?


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And he strengthened himself, built up all the wall that was broken, raised it up to the towers, and built another wall outside; he also restored the Millo in the City of David, and made weapons and shields in abundance.


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And he assigned commanders of war over the people, gathered them together to him in the open place of the city gate, and spoke to their heart, saying,


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Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid nor dismayed before the king of Assyria, nor before all the multitude that is with him; for there are more with us than with him.


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With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is Jehovah our God, to help us and to fight our battles. And the people were bolstered by the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.


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After this, Sennacherib king of Assyria sent his servants to Jerusalem (but he and all the forces with him laid siege against Lachish), to Hezekiah king of Judah, and to all Judah who were in Jerusalem, saying,


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Thus says Sennacherib king of Assyria: In what are you trusting, that you remain under siege in Jerusalem?


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Is not Hezekiah enticing you to give yourselves over to die by famine and by thirst, saying, Jehovah our God will deliver us from the hand of the king of Assyria?


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Has not the same Hezekiah taken away His high places and His altars, and commanded Judah and Jerusalem, saying, You shall bow down before one altar and burn incense on it?


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Do you not know what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of other lands? Were the gods of the nations of those lands in any way able to deliver their lands out of my hand?


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


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Now therefore, do not let Hezekiah deceive you nor entice you like this, and do not believe him; for no god of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver his people out of my hand or the hand of my fathers. How much less will your God deliver you out of my hand.


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He had also written letters to reproach Jehovah the God of Israel, and to speak against Him, saying, As the gods of the nations of other lands have not delivered their people from my hand, so the God of Hezekiah will not deliver His people from my hand.


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Then they called out with a loud voice in the Jewish language to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to frighten them and terrify them, that they might capture the city.


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And they spoke against the God of Jerusalem, as against the gods of the peoples of the lands; the work of men's hands.


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Now because of this King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah, the son of Amoz, prayed and cried out to the heavens.


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And Jehovah sent an angel who cut down every mighty man of valor, rulers, and commanders in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned shamefaced to his own land. And when he went into the house of his god, he fell by the sword of some of the offspring of his own body.


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Thus Jehovah saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria, and from the hand of all others, and guided them on every side.


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And many brought gifts unto Jehovah at Jerusalem, and choice things to Hezekiah king of Judah, so that he was exalted in the eyes of all the nations thereafter.


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In those days Hezekiah was sick unto death, and he prayed to Jehovah; and He spoke to him and gave him a sign.


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But Hezekiah did not return according to the favor shown him, for his heart had become haughty; therefore wrath was over him and over Judah and Jerusalem.


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Then Hezekiah humbled himself for the haughtiness of his heart, he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of Jehovah did not come upon them in the days of Hezekiah.


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Hezekiah had very great riches and honor. And he made himself treasuries for silver, for gold, for precious stones, for spices, for shields, and for all kinds of desirable objects;


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storehouses for the harvest of grain, wine, and oil; and stalls for all kinds of livestock, and folds for flocks.


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Moreover he provided cities for himself, and possessions of flocks and herds in abundance; for God had given him very much property.


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This same Hezekiah also stopped the water outlet of upper Gihon, and brought the water by tunnel to the west side of the City of David. And Hezekiah prospered in all his pursuits.


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However, regarding the ambassadors of the rulers of Babylon, who were sent to him to inquire about the wonder that had happened in the land, God left him alone, to test him, to know all his heart.


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Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and his goodness, behold they are written in the vision of Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, and in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.


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So Hezekiah rested with his fathers, and they buried him in the upper tombs of the sons of David; and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem honored him at his death. And Manasseh his son reigned in his place.


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For he rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down; he raised up altars for the Baals, and made groves; and he bowed down to all the host of the heavens and served them.


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He also built altars in the house of Jehovah, of which Jehovah had said, In Jerusalem shall My name be always.


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He also caused his sons to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom; he practiced fortunetelling, witchcraft and sorcery, and consulted mediums and necromancers. He did much evil in the eyes of Jehovah, to provoke Him to anger.


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And he set a graven image, the idol which he had made, in the house of God, of which God had said to David and to Solomon his son, In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put My name always;


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and I will not again remove the foot of Israel from the land which I have appointed for your fathers; only if they take heed to do all that I have commanded them, according to the whole Law and the statutes and the ordinances by the hand of Moses.


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So Manasseh caused Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to go astray, to do more evil than the nations whom Jehovah had destroyed before the children of Israel.


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Therefore Jehovah brought upon them the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh with hooks, bound him with bronze fetters, and carried him off to Babylon.


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And when he was in distress, he entreated Jehovah his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers,


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and prayed to Him; and He was entreated of him, heard his supplication, and brought him back to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh recognized that Jehovah was God.


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After this he built a wall outside the City of David on the west side of Gihon, in the valley, as far as the entrance of the Fish Gate; and it encircled Ophel, and he raised it to a very great height. And he stationed commanders of the forces in all the fortified cities of Judah.


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He took away the foreign gods and the idol out of the house of Jehovah, and all the altars that he had built in the mount of the house of Jehovah and in Jerusalem; and he cast them out of the city.


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He also repaired the altar of Jehovah, sacrificed peace offerings and thank offerings on it, and commanded Judah to serve Jehovah the God of Israel.


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Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, his prayer to his God, and the words of the seers who spoke to him in the name of Jehovah the God of Israel, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel.


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Also his prayer and his entreaty, and all his sin and unfaithfulness, and the places where he built high places and set up groves and graven images, before he was humbled, behold, they are written among the sayings of the seers.


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So Manasseh rested with his fathers, and they buried him in his own house. And his son Amon reigned in his place.


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And he did evil in the eyes of Jehovah, as his father Manasseh had done; for Amon sacrificed to all the graven images which his father Manasseh had made, and served them.


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And he did not humble himself before Jehovah, as his father Manasseh had humbled himself, but Amon exceeded his guilt.


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But the people of the land executed all those who had conspired against King Amon. And the people of the land made his son Josiah king in his place.


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And he did what was right in the eyes of Jehovah, and walked in the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.


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For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the groves, the graven images, and the molten images.


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They broke down the altars of the Baals in his presence, and the incense altars which were above them he cut down; and the groves, the graven images, and the molten images he broke in pieces, and pulverized them and scattered them on the graves of those who had sacrificed to them.


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and also in the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, as far as Naphtali and all around; with chopping tools.


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When he had broken down the altars and the groves, had beaten the carved images into powder, and cut down all the incense altars throughout all the land of Israel, he returned to Jerusalem.


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In the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land and the house, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of Jehovah his God.


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And when they came to Hilkiah the high priest, they delivered the money that was brought into the house of God, which the Levites who kept the doors had gathered from the hand of Manasseh and Ephraim, from all the remnant of Israel, from all Judah and Benjamin, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.


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And they gave it into the hand of the workmen who had the oversight of the house of Jehovah; and they gave it to the workmen who worked in the house of Jehovah, to repair and restore the house.


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They gave it to the craftsmen and builders to buy hewn stone and timber for couplings, and to make beams for the houses which the kings of Judah had destroyed.


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And the men did the work faithfully. Their overseers were Jahath and Obadiah the Levites, of the sons of Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam, of the sons of the Kohathites, to supervise. Others of the Levites were teaching the instruments of song,


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were over the burden bearers, and were overseers of all who did work in any kind of service. And some of the Levites were scribes, officers, and gatekeepers.


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Now when they brought out the money that was brought into the house of Jehovah, Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of Jehovah given by the hand of Moses.


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And Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan the scribe, I have found the Book of the Law in the house of Jehovah. And Hilkiah gave the Book to Shaphan.


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So Shaphan carried the Book to the king, bringing the king word, saying, All that was committed to your servants they are doing.


text:
And they have gathered the money that was found in the house of Jehovah, and have given it into the hand of the overseers and the workmen.


text:
Then Shaphan the scribe reported to the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest has given me a Book. And Shaphan read it before the king.


text:
And the king commanded Hilkiah, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Abdon the son of Micah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah a servant of the king, saying,


text:
Go, inquire of Jehovah for me, and for those who are left in Israel and Judah, concerning the Words of the Book that has been found; for great is the wrath of Jehovah that has been poured out upon us, because our fathers have not kept the Word of Jehovah, to do according to all that is written in this Book.


text:
So Hilkiah and those from the king went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tokhath, the son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe. (She was living in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter.) And they spoke to her regarding this.


text:
Thus says Jehovah: Behold, I am bringing evil upon this place and upon its inhabitants, all the curses that are written in the Book which they have read before the king of Judah,


text:
because they have forsaken Me and burned incense to other gods, to 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.


text:
But as for the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of Jehovah, thus you shall speak to him, Thus says Jehovah the God of Israel, whose Words you have heard:


text:
Because your heart has been tender, and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His Words against this place and against its inhabitants, and you humbled yourself before Me, and you tore your clothes and wept before Me, I also have heard you, says Jehovah.


text:
Behold, I am gathering you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace; and your eyes shall not see all the evil which I am bringing upon this place and its inhabitants. So they brought back word to the king.


text:
And the king went up to the house of Jehovah, with all the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem; 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 which had been found in the house of Jehovah.


text:
And the king stood in his place and made a covenant before Jehovah, to walk after Jehovah, and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to do the Words of the covenant that were written in this Book.


text:
And he caused all who were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand to it. So the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers.


text:
And Josiah removed all the abominations from all the land of the children of Israel, and caused all who were found in Israel to serve, being subject unto Jehovah their God. All his days they did not depart from following Jehovah the God of their fathers.


text:
And Josiah kept a Passover unto Jehovah in Jerusalem, and they slaughtered the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month.


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And he stationed the priests at their charges and encouraged them in the service of the house of Jehovah.


text:
And he said to the Levites who were teaching all Israel, who were set apart unto Jehovah: Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David, king of Israel, has built. It shall not be a burden on your shoulders. Now serve Jehovah your God and His people Israel.


text:
Prepare yourselves according to your fathers' houses, according to your divisions, according to the writings of David king of Israel and the writings of Solomon his son.


text:
And stand in the holy place according to the divisions of the fathers' houses of your brethren, the sons of the people, and according to the division of the father's house of the Levites.


text:
Now slaughter the Passover, consecrate yourselves, and prepare them for your brethren, that they may do according to the Word of Jehovah by the hand of Moses.


text:
And Josiah gave the sons of the people lambs and young goats from the flock, all for Passover for all who were present, to the number of thirty thousand, as well as three thousand oxen; these were from the king's possessions.


text:
And his rulers contributed willingly to the people, to the priests, and to the Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, rulers of the house of God, gave to the priests two thousand six hundred Passover lambs, and three hundred oxen.


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Also Conaniah, his brothers Shemaiah and Nethanel, and Hashabiah and Jeiel and Jozabad, chief of the Levites, contributed to the Levites five thousand Passover lambs, and five hundred oxen.


text:
Thus the service was prepared, and the priests stood in their places, and the Levites in their divisions, according to the king's command.


text:
And they slaughtered the Passover lambs; and the priests sprinkled the blood with their hands, while the Levites were flaying.


text:
And they removed the burnt offerings to distribute them by the divisions of the fathers' houses to the sons of the people, to offer unto Jehovah, as it is written in the Book of Moses; and also with the oxen.


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They also roasted the Passover with fire according to the ordinance; and the other holy things they boiled in pots, in kettles, and in pans, and brought them quickly to all the sons of the people.


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Then afterward they prepared for themselves and for the priests, because the priests, the sons of Aaron, were busy in offering burnt offerings and fat until night; therefore the Levites prepared for themselves and for the priests, the sons of Aaron.


text:
And the singers, the sons of Asaph, were in their places, according to the command of David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king's seer. Also the gatekeepers were at each gate; they did not leave their service, because their brethren the Levites prepared for them.


text:
Thus all the service of Jehovah was prepared the same day, to keep the Passover and to offer burnt offerings on the altar of Jehovah, according to the command of King Josiah.


text:
And the children of Israel found there, kept the Passover at that time, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days.


text:
And there had not been kept in Israel any Passover like that since the days of Samuel the prophet; and none of the kings of Israel had kept such a Passover as Josiah kept, with the priests and the Levites, all Judah and Israel found there, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.


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After all this, when Josiah had prepared the house, Necho king of Egypt came up to fight against Carchemish by the Euphrates; and Josiah went out to meet him.


text:
But he sent messengers to him, saying, What have I to do with you, O king of Judah? I have not come against you this day, but against the house with which I have war; for God has commanded me to make haste. Refrain from meddling with God, who is with me, that you not be destroyed.


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Nevertheless Josiah would not turn his face from him, but disguised himself so that he might fight with him, and did not heed the words of Necho from the mouth of God. So he came to fight in the Valley of Megiddo.


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And the archers shot King Josiah; and the king said to his servants, Take me away, for I am severely wounded.


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His servants therefore took him out of that chariot and put him in the second chariot that he had, and they brought him to Jerusalem. So he died, and was buried in the tombs of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.


text:
Jeremiah also lamented for Josiah. And to this day all the singing men and the singing women speak of Josiah in their lamentations. They made it an ordinance in Israel; and behold, they are written in the Lamentations.


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Now the rest of the acts of Josiah and his goodness, according to what was written in the Law of Jehovah,


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and his deeds from first to last, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.


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And the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and made him king in his father's place in Jerusalem.


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And the king of Egypt deposed him at Jerusalem; and he fined the land one hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold.


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Then the king of Egypt made Jehoahaz's brother Eliakim king over Judah and Jerusalem, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. And Necho took Jehoahaz his brother and brought him to Egypt.


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Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And he did evil in the eyes of Jehovah his God.


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Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against him, and bound him in bronze fetters to carry him to Babylon.


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Nebuchadnezzar also brought away some of the vessels from the house of Jehovah to Babylon, and put them in his temple at Babylon.


text:
Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, the abominations which he had done, and what was found against him, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. And Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place.


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Jehoiachin was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months and ten days. And he did evil in the eyes of Jehovah.


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At the turn of the year King Nebuchadnezzar sent and brought him to Babylon, with the precious vessels from the house of Jehovah, and made Zedekiah, Jehoiakim's brother, king over Judah and Jerusalem.


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And he did evil in the eyes of Jehovah his God, and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke from the mouth of Jehovah.


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And he also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had adjured him by God; but he stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to Jehovah the God of Israel.


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Moreover all the rulers of the priests and the people trespassed with great unfaithfulness, according to all the abominations of the nations, and defiled the house of Jehovah which He had consecrated in Jerusalem.


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And Jehovah the God of their fathers sent to them by the hand of His messengers, rising early to send them, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place.


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But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, to make the wrath of Jehovah swell up against His people, till there was no healing.


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Therefore He brought against them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man or virgin, on the aged or the weak; He gave them all into his hand.


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And all the vessels from the house of God, great and small, the treasures of the house of Jehovah, and the treasures of the king and of his rulers, all these he carried away to Babylon.


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And they burned the house of God, broke down the wall of Jerusalem, burned all its palaces with fire, and destroyed every desirable thing.


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And those who escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon, where they became servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia;


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to fulfill the Word of Jehovah by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths. All the days to lay desolate, it kept the Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years.


text:
And in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, to fulfill the Word of Jehovah by the mouth of Jeremiah, Jehovah stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying,


text:
Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: Jehovah the God of the heavens has given to me all the kingdoms of the earth; and He has laid a charge upon me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. Whoever among you of all His people: Jehovah his God be with him, and let him go up.


text:
Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the Word of Jehovah by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, Jehovah stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying,


text:
Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: Jehovah the God of Heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah.


text:
Who is there among you of all His people? His God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah, and build the house of Jehovah the God of Israel (He is God), which is in Jerusalem.


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And whoever remains in any place where he dwells, let the men of his place help him with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, besides the freewill offerings for the house of God which is in Jerusalem.


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Then the heads of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, with all those whose spirit God had aroused to go up and build the house of Jehovah which is in Jerusalem,


text:
and all those who were around them, encouraged their hands with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with precious things, besides all that was willingly offered.


text:
King Cyrus also brought out the articles of the house of Jehovah, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought out of Jerusalem and had put them in the house of his gods;


text:
and Cyrus king of Persia brought them out by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and counted them out to Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah.


text:
thirty gold basins, four hundred and ten silver basins of a second kind, and one thousand other articles.


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All the articles of gold and silver were five thousand four hundred. All these Sheshbazzar took with the captives who were brought from Babylon to Jerusalem.


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Now these are the people of the province who came back from the captivity, of those who had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away to Babylon, and who returned to Jerusalem and Judah, everyone to his own city.


text:
Those who came with Zerubbabel were Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah. The number of the men of the people of Israel:


text:
The sons of the gatekeepers: the sons of Shallum, the sons of Ater, the sons of Talmon, the sons of Akkub, the sons of Hatita, and the sons of Shobai, one hundred and thirty-nine in all.


text:
And these were the ones who came up from Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer; but they could not identify their father's house or their seed, whether they were of Israel:


text:
and of the sons of the priests: the sons of Habaiah, the sons of Koz, and the sons of Barzillai, who took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was called by their name.


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These sought their listing among those who were registered by genealogy, but they were not found; therefore they were considered desecrated, and excluded from the priesthood.


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And the governor said to them that they should not eat of the set apart, holy, things till a priest should stand with Urim and Thummim.


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besides their male and female servants, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred and thirty-seven; and there were two hundred singing men and singing women.


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Some of the heads of the fathers, when they came to the house of Jehovah which is in Jerusalem, offered freely for the house of God, to erect it in its place:


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According to their ability, they gave to the treasury for the work sixty-one thousand gold drachmas, five thousand minas of silver, and one hundred priestly garments.


text:
So the priests and the Levites, some of the people, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the temple slaves, dwelt in their cities, and all Israel in their cities.


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And when the seventh month had come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered together as one man to Jerusalem.


text:
Then Jeshua the son of Jozadak and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and his brethren, arose and built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the Law of Moses the man of God.


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Though fear had come upon them because of the people of those lands, they set the altar on its bases; and they offered burnt offerings on it to Jehovah, both the morning and evening burnt offerings.


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They also kept the Feast of Booths, as it is written, and offered day by day the burnt offerings by number, as commanded by ordinance, day by day.


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Afterward they offered the continual burnt offering, and those for the new moons and for all the appointed meetings of Jehovah that were consecrated, and those of everyone who willingly offered a freewill offering to Jehovah.


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From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to Jehovah, although the foundation of the temple of Jehovah had not been laid.


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They also gave money to the masons and the craftsmen, and food, drink, and oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre to bring cedar logs from Lebanon to the sea, to Joppa, according to the permission which they had from Cyrus king of Persia.


text:
Now in the second month of the second year of their coming to the house of God at Jerusalem, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the rest of their brethren the priests and the Levites, and all those who had come out of the captivity to Jerusalem, began, and appointed the Levites from twenty years old and above to oversee the work of the house of Jehovah.


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Then Jeshua with his sons and brothers, Kadmiel with his sons, and the sons of Judah, arose as one to oversee those working on the house of God: the sons of Henadad with their sons and their brethren the Levites.


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When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of Jehovah, the priests stood in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise Jehovah, according to the ordinance of David king of Israel.


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And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to Jehovah: For He is good, for His mercy is eternal toward Israel. Then all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised Jehovah, because the foundation of the house of Jehovah was laid.


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But many of the priests and Levites and heads of the fathers, old men who had seen the first house, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes. And many shouted aloud for joy,


text:
so that the people could not discern the sound of the shout of joy from the sound of the weeping of the people, for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the sound was heard afar off.


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Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the sons of the captivity were building the temple of Jehovah the God of Israel,


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they came to Zerubbabel and the heads of the fathers, and said to them, Let us build with you, for we seek your God as you do; and we have sacrificed to Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here.


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But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of the fathers of Israel said to them, It is not for you to build a house for our God with us; but we ourselves together will build unto Jehovah the God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.


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Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah. They troubled them in building,


text:
and hired counselors against them to frustrate their purpose all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.


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In the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.


text:
And in the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabel, and the rest of their associates wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the letter was written in Aramaic, and translated from the Aramaic.


text:
Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes as follows:


text:
From Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their associates; representatives of Dinah, Apharsath, Tarpelah, the people of Persia and Erech and Babylon and Shushan, Dehah, the Elam,


text:
and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Osnappar took captive and settled in the cities of Samaria and the remainder beyond the River; and now:


text:
(This is a copy of the letter that they sent him) To King Artaxerxes from your servants, the men of the region beyond the River, and now:


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Let it be known to the king that the Jews who came up from you have come to us at Jerusalem, and are building the rebellious and evil city, and are finishing its walls and repairing the foundations.


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Let it now be known to the king, that if this city is rebuilt and the walls completed, they will not pay tax, tribute, or toll, and the king's treasury will be damaged.


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Now because we derive our subsistence from the palace, it was not proper for us to see the king's dishonor; therefore we have sent and informed the king,


text:
that search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers; and you will find in the book of the records and know that this city is a rebellious city, harmful to kings and provinces, and that they have carried out revolts within the city in ancient times, for which cause this city was destroyed.


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We inform the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are completed, then because of it you will have no possession beyond the River.


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The king sent an answer: To Rehum the commander, to Shimshai the scribe, to the rest of their associates who dwell in Samaria, and to the rest beyond the River: Peace! And now:


text:
And I gave command, and a search has been made, and it was found that this city in ancient times has risen up against kings, and rebellion and revolt have been carried out in it.


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There have also been mighty kings over Jerusalem, who have ruled over all the region beyond the River; and tax, tribute, and toll were paid to them.


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Now give the command to make these men cease, that this city not be built until the command is given from me.


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Now when the copy of King Artaxerxes' letter was read before Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and their associates, they went up in haste to Jerusalem against the Jews, and by force of arms made them cease.


text:
Thus the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem ceased, and it came to be ceased until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.


text:
Then the prophets, Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them.


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So Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak rose up and began to build the house of God which is in Jerusalem; and the prophets of God were with them, helping them.


text:
At the same time Tatnai the governor of the region beyond the River and Shethar-Boznai and their associates came to them and spoke thus to them: Who has commanded you to build this house and finish this wall?


text:
But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, so that they could not make them cease till the matter should be brought before Darius. Then they replied by letter concerning this.


text:
This is a copy of the letter that Tatnai, the governor of the region beyond the River, and Shethar-Boznai, and his associates, the Persians who were in the region beyond the River, sent to Darius the king.


text:
Let it be known to the king that we went into the province of Judea, to the house of the great God, which is being built with rolling stones, and timber is being laid in the walls; and this work goes on diligently and prospers in their hands.


text:
Then we asked those elders, and spoke thus to them: Who commanded you to build this house and to finish these walls?


text:
We also asked them their names to inform you, that we might write the names of the men who are chief among them.


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And thus they returned an answer to us, saying: We are the servants of the God of Heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the house that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and completed.


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But because our fathers provoked the God of Heaven to wrath, He gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who has destroyed this house and carried the people away to Babylon.


text:
However, in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, King Cyrus issued a decree to build this house of God.


text:
Also, the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple that was in Jerusalem and carried into the temple of Babylon; those King Cyrus took from the temple of Babylon, and they were given to one named Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor.


text:
And he said to him, Take these articles; go, carry them to the temple in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be rebuilt on its place.


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Then that same Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundation of the house of God in Jerusalem; but from that time even until now it has been building, and it is not yet finished.


text:
Now therefore, if it seems good to the king, let a search be made in the king's treasure house, which is there in Babylon, to find out whether it is so that a decree was issued by King Cyrus to build this house of God at Jerusalem, and let the king send us his will concerning this matter.


text:
Then King Darius issued a decree, and a search was made in the house of the scrolls, where the treasures were stored in Babylon.


text:
And at Achmetha, in the palace that is in the province of Media, a scroll was found, and in it a record was written thus:


text:
In the first year of King Cyrus, King Cyrus issued a decree concerning the house of God at Jerusalem: Let the house be rebuilt, the place where they offered sacrifices; and let the foundations of it be firmly laid, its height sixty cubits and its width sixty cubits,


text:
with three rows of heavy stones and one row of new timber. Let the expenses be paid out of the king's house.


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Also let the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, be restored and taken back to the temple in Jerusalem, each to its place; and deposit them in the house of God.


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Now therefore, Tatnai, governor of the region beyond the River, and Shethar-Boznai, and your associates the Persians who are beyond the River, keep yourselves far from there.


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Let the work of this house of God alone; let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews build this house of God on its place.


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Moreover I issue a decree as to what you shall do for the elders of these Jews, for the building of this house of God: Let the king's riches from the tribute of the region beyond the River be diligently given to these men for their expenses, so that they are not hindered.


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And whatever they need; young bulls, rams, and lambs for the burnt offerings of the God of Heaven, wheat, salt, wine, and oil, according to the command of the priests who are in Jerusalem; let it be given them day by day without fail,


text:
that they may offer sacrifices of soothing aroma unto the God of Heaven, and pray for the life of the king and his sons.


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Also I issue a decree that whoever alters this edict, let a timber be pulled from his house and erected, and let him be hanged on it; and let his house be made a refuse heap for this.


text:
And may the God who causes His name to dwell there destroy any king or people who put their hand to alter it, or to destroy this house of God which is in Jerusalem. I, Darius, issue a decree; let it be done diligently.


text:
Then Tatnai, governor of the region beyond the River, Shethar-Boznai, and their associates diligently did according to what King Darius had sent.


text:
So the elders of the Jews built, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they built and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the command of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, kings of Persia.


text:
And the house was finished on the third day of the month of Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.


text:
Then the children of Israel, the priests and the Levites and the rest of the sons of the captivity, carried out the dedication of this house of God with joy.


text:
And they offered at the dedication of this house of God, one hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, and as a sin offering for all Israel twelve male goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel.


text:
They assigned the priests to their divisions and the Levites to their divisions, over the service of God in Jerusalem, as it is written in the book of Moses.


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For the priests and the Levites were purified together; all of them were pure. And they slaughtered the Passover lambs for all the sons of the captivity, for their brethren the priests, and for themselves.


text:
Then the children of Israel who had returned from the captivity ate together with all who had separated themselves from the uncleanness of the nations of the land in order to seek Jehovah the God of Israel.


text:
And they observed the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with joy; for Jehovah had made them joyful, and had turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.


text:
Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah,


text:
this Ezra came up from Babylon; and he was a skilled scribe in the Law of Moses, which Jehovah the God of Israel had given. The king granted him all his request, according to the hand of Jehovah his God upon him.


text:
Some of the children of Israel, the priests, the Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the temple slaves came up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes.


text:
On the first day of the first month he began his journey from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him.


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For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of Jehovah, and to do it, and to teach the statutes and ordinances in Israel.


text:
This is a copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave Ezra the priest, the scribe, expert in the words of the commandments of Jehovah, and of His statutes to Israel:


text:
Artaxerxes, king of kings, To Ezra the priest, a scribe of the Law of the God of Heaven: Perfect peace, and now:


text:
I issue a decree that all those of the people of Israel and the priests and Levites in my realm, who volunteer to go up to Jerusalem, may go with you.


text:
And whereas you are being sent by the king and his seven counselors to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, with regard to the Law of your God which is in your hand;


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and whereas you are to carry the silver and gold which the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem;


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and whereas all the silver and gold that you may find in all the province of Babylon, along with the freewill offering of the people and the priests, are to be freely offered for the house of their God in Jerusalem;


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now therefore, be diligent to buy with this money bulls, rams, and lambs, with their grain offerings and their drink offerings, and offer them on the altar of the house of your God in Jerusalem.


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And whatever seems good to you and your brethren to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, do it according to the will of your God.


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Also the articles that are given to you for the service of the house of your God, deliver in full before the God of Jerusalem.


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And whatever more may be needed for the house of your God, which you may have occasion to provide, pay for it from the king's treasure house.


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And I, even I, Artaxerxes the king, issue a decree to all the treasurers beyond the River, that whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of Heaven, may require of you, let it be done diligently,


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up to one hundred talents of silver, one hundred kors of wheat, one hundred baths of wine, one hundred baths of oil, and salt without stipulation.


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Whatever is commanded by the God of Heaven, let it diligently be done for the house of the God of Heaven. For why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons?


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Also we inform you that it shall not be lawful to impose tax, tribute, or toll upon any of the priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, temple slaves, or servants of this house of God.


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And you, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God in your hand, appoint magistrates and judges who may judge all the people who are beyond the River, all such as know the Laws of your God; and teach those who do not know them.


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Whoever will not observe the Law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be executed diligently upon him, whether it be death, or banishment, or confiscation of goods, or imprisonment.


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Blessed be Jehovah the God of our fathers, who has put such a thing as this into the king's heart, to beautify the house of Jehovah in Jerusalem,


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and has extended mercy to me before the king and his counselors, and before all the king's mighty rulers. So I was encouraged, as the hand of Jehovah my God was upon me; and I gathered chief men of Israel to go up with me.


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These are the heads of their fathers, and this is the genealogy of those who went up with me from Babylon, in the reign of King Artaxerxes:


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of the sons of Shecaniah, of the sons of Parosh, Zechariah; and registered with him were one hundred and fifty males;


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of the last sons of Adonikam, whose names are these: Eliphelet, Jeiel, and Shemaiah; and with them sixty males;


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Now I gathered them by the river that flows to Ahava, and we camped there three days. And I considered the people and the priests, and found none of the sons of Levi there.


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Then I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, chief men; also for Joiarib and Elnathan, men of understanding.


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And I gave them a command for Iddo, chief of the place Casiphia, and I put words in their mouth to speak to Iddo and his brethren the temple slaves at the place Casiphia; that they should bring to us servants for the house of our God.


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Then, by the good hand of our God upon us, they brought us a man of understanding, of the sons of Mahli the son of Levi, the son of Israel, namely Sherebiah, with his sons and brothers, eighteen;


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also of the temple slaves, whom David and the rulers had appointed for the service of the Levites, two hundred and twenty temple slaves. All of them were designated by name.


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Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions.


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For I was ashamed to request of the king troops and horsemen to help us against the enemy along the road, because we had spoken to the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all those for good who seek Him, but His power and His wrath are against all those who forsake Him.


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Then I separated twelve of the chiefs of the priests; Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brethren with them;


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and weighed out to them the silver, the gold, and the articles, the offering for the house of our God which the king and his counselors and his rulers, and all Israel who were present, had contributed.


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I weighed into their hand six hundred and fifty talents of silver, silver articles weighing one hundred talents, one hundred talents of gold,


